BucksThoughts

Oh boy, who would have predicted this for the end of our summer . Strange and scary times indeed. Lets just hope that life will get back to a semblance of normal over the next few months.
Jocelyn and I are separated from our mobile home. We came up to Tauranga for my hip operation which went very well. I feel very lucky I got that done before the world came to a stop. The rig was left at Rods in Kaikoura and we were lucky to be recuperating at Ken and Vicky's in Katikati when Covid 19 reared it's ugly head.
When we went to level 3 and were told level 4 was a couple of days away we decided to pack up and move to Whitianga on the waterways in Ken and Vicky's new house. So there could be worse places to stay for a few weeks.
Although we initially thought we would be able to hop on the boat and go fishing to wile away a few days, but have been told that is off the cards . No going out in boats.
With so many members of the family living on the road now and writing their own blogs I haven't really felt motivated to sit down and write anything about our travels. But I guess I have a bit of time now so thought I would give you a run down on what we have been doing for the last few months.

Iv'e definitely been a bit restricted over the last year or so having to walk with a stick, so the adventures have been a bit muted. But using the photos hopefully they will tell the story.

St James Station bike ride. While staying at Hanmer.

Travelling south to Dunedin for granddaughter Tianas graduation we made a few stops on the way.

Always wanted to try the famous Fluers restaurant at Moeraki. It didn't disappoint.

Moeraki boulders.

Tia and Julie on graduation day. Great day Tia.

Playing the tourist .

Camp ground at Ruby Bay Motueka area. Paul and Aliya.

We met up with Heidi and Paul and the grand kids as much as we could over summer. The Motueka area was really nice staying at Kina beach camp and then on to Ruby Bay. Jenny and Stan were also with us for a while.

Heidi and Luca at Kaiteriteri.

We also met up with Jocelyns brother John and Margot at Twizel and did a bit of fishing. The fishing was pretty hard but we caught a few to keep the interest up. Sean and Troy came for a day as well.

John on the Tekapo canal with a good trout.

Big paua caught by Rod under permit Kaikoura.

We are so lucky to have Rod and Catherine at Kaikoura and it turns out to be a meeting place for all the family. Rod and Catherine's hospitality knows no bounds. Everyone is welcomed with open arms. Expeditions are planned on the hill or in the sea and when you leave, your freezer and fridge is stocked to bursting point with all the meat gathered on the hill and the veggies grown in Catherine's garden. Thanks guys. You are amazing and are very appreciated by us all.

Pauls first deer in the packs after an evening hunt.

Heidi with her first deer. A very nice fallow buck.

A fair bit of time went into hand painting all the decoys.
But probably no duck shooting this year.

Jocelyn and I also had a stint house sitting for Rod's neighbours Nigel and Cathy. They own a hill country station just down the road.

Staying overnight in Nigels hut.

Sitting with Binos outside the hut we found 7 deer coming out for their evening graze.

The outlook from the hut. Bloody tourists all standing in the way . Haha

It was 5 o'clock somewhere.

Beautiful Elaine Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.

Whites Beach just north of Blenheim was a great find. It's a DOC camp with lovely camp sites amongst the trees. The beach is a short walk from the camp although the water was very cold. There is large tuatuas to harvest at low water and there are thousands of large fat mussels to gather around the rocky headlands either side of the bay. We all made the most of those beautiful mussels and had them most nights for dinner. Paul and I also caught a few fish from the kayaks and we had a great time keeping Luca and Aliya entertained.

Whites beach Just north of Blenheim. Heidi and Paul's bus and the rig.

OMG. Here's trouble. Haha.

Kids day at Whites Beach.

Some nice gurnard landed at Whites beach.

Jocelyn and I decided to carry on to French Pass from our stay at Elaine bay with Heidi and Paul. The DOC camp is quite small there but it is a beautiful place. The fishing was ok with cod being the main catch. I still don't hold cod fillets in the same regard the south Islanders do but it was ok for a change. The beach was lovely and the water was warm enough for swimming with lots of stingrays and eagle rays cruising along the edge. While I was swimming there was also a good size bronze whaler swam up to me for a look. But he was pretty cool and just cruised quietly around me.

The tidal currents running through French Pass.

The DOC camp at French Pass.

Well we are all in lockdown now and no one is sure of what the future will look like over the next few months or even years. Hopefully in the future we will be able to say we did everything right and we got back to our lives in reasonable haste. But who knows. Stay safe everyone and we look forward to being able to see you again and getting back on the road when we can.

Roughing it at Whitianga waterways in lockdown.

Unfortunately unable to use the boat and go fishing.

Jocelyn and I are now looking forward to a long summer in the south island. We have arrived in Kaikoura after wintering up north at Tapuaetahi just north of Kerikeri.
What a wonderful winter we had. Lots of friends and family came up for a visit and as you know me being a keen snapper fisherman, I was in paradise. Not only that I had a great little dog to look after. Fletcher is a real gem of a dog. And possibly not being able to take a dog with us on our travels is the thing I miss most about our chosen gypsy lifestyle.
The people living in the bay also made Jocelyn and I feel very welcomed with the odd bonfire and BBQ on the beach in the evening. And I made sure a good number of them received fresh snapper fillets for dinner on a regular basis.

Tapuaetahi surf break.

Julie feeling the love.

Joc showing off her knitting skills. The task master Meg in the background.

Some of the 20lb plus snapper caught and released.

From Tapuaetahi it was back to Tauranga for a couple of hospital appointments where I learn't they would finally put me on the list for a hip operation. Although that is not happening until probably February. Still, some light at the end of the tunnel.
While in Tauranga Jocelyn and I decided to invest in a couple of E bikes with the thought we would most likely use them a lot more than our conventional bikes. At this stage that certainly is happening with a good number of kms getting clocked up.
We also spent a couple of weekends with Ken and Vicki in their new house at Whitianga. Back at Tauranga we stayed with Heidi and Paul and the kids who are getting very excited about hitting the road in their bus. It's going to be great experiences for them all as they travel around our beautiful country hopefully meeting up with us in a few of our favourite spots.
We also managed to fit in a wonderful week in Fiji at a small resort called Navini Island Resort. Our friends Dave and Donna joined us. What a magical place. We were spoilt by the staff and the accommodation was great. Every morning a boat would take you out to one of the outer reefs to go snorkeling. Then back in time for lunch and another couple of hours snorkelling in the afternoon around the island. We saw lots of turtles, some reef sharks. And all those colourful tropical fish we don't see back in our cooler NZ waters. We also celebrated Jocelyns and Davids birthdays while we were there. And 30 degree temperatures is really nice that time of the year. But then we had to come home to NZ temperatures again.

Donna and Joc.

Navini Island.

Dave and myself going to Fiji night.

Joca with Fiji night spread.

The staff at Navini entertaining us on Fiji night.

From Tauranga we headed south west and spent the first night in a DOC camp in the Pureora forest where we went for a 20km bike ride on the Timber Trail through the bush on the new bikes. Those bush rides are a lot of fun. Much nicer than riding on the roads.
Then we travelled down to Mokau on the coast and spent a night parked by the Mokau river mouth at the local rugby club for $8.00 per night.
Then on to Bell Block NZMCA park for a couple of nights. We again got out the bikes and went for several rides into New Plymouth on the coastal track. While here friends of ours arrived who we had met up north at Otamure Bay. That was a nice surprise. Nick and Janine are also from Tauranga and are keen cyclists.

Joc's selfie.

The flash walking and cycle bridge on New Plymouths coastal track.

From New Plymouth we headed around the mountain along the coastal side and travelled south to Plimmerton NZMCA park to get ready for our ferry crossing the next day. We arrived at the ferry with plenty of time to spare for our 2.30 pm crossing. Only taking about 25minutes from Plimmerton.
The crossing was uneventful even though the winds were about 45 knots. There was a heavy chop in the straight but not much in the way of a swell. We then travelled from Picton to Marfells beach DOC camp just past the salt farm at Grassmere. We did plan to stay a couple of days here but the wind was so strong we decided to pack up the next morning and get to Kaikoura.
While travelling along the coast I noticed a big flock of birds working in close to the beach so I pulled over for a look. Never one to let a fishing opportunity pass by I got out my rod and connected a softbait and headed down the beach. The birds were starting to move a bit further off shore by this point but I flicked the lure out and hooked up on the first cast. Not long and I had a large kahawai flapping on the beach. Cool. I had a few more casts and landed 2 more and by then they had moved out a bit too far.
It was time to move on again so we got back on the road and not much further on we had another one of our roadside dramas with gear failure. When we bought our new Ebikes our bike rack wasn't up to the job so we bought an expensive new one with all the bells and whistles . Lights, number plate rack, locks on both the bikes. Unfortunately with the heavier bikes and a heavier rack this all seems to have taken a toll. While travelling along I started hearing a strange noise like a flapping noise. I couldn't see anything in the mirrors and it was another couple of kms before I found somewhere I could safely pull over.
Getting out and walking around the back of the rig I was shocked to see the bike rack with the bikes on had tilted and were dragging along the road behind the rig. The rack and the large box on the back of the rig with the washing machine and sundry junk in it was attached to the rigs bumper which had ripped away from its attachment on both sides. This had tilted everything onto the road. Luckily the racks lights and number plate assembly had taken most of the gravel rash damage. They were a right off, but the bikes themselves suffered no damage at all. Luckily I had heard that small noise and pulled over relatively quickly. The local cop was passing by and saw we were in a bit of strife and helped me unload everything and get it inside the rig. Then with a couple of tie downs back on to the ladder to hold everything off the road we were back in business. So Rods got some welding to do with the purchase of a new much more solid length of box section for a bumper.

The ripped out sections on the bumper.

Mr fix it Rod.

Flash new 5mm box section bumper.

It's great to be back in Kaikoura and it wasn't long and I found myself in the hunting and fishing store asking whether the salmon were being caught along the beach. Yes they were, so grandson James and his girlfriend Jo and I went for a look. The kahawai were working just offshore and It didn't take long and we had a few in the bin. Then James hooked up again and then after a few dramas trying to get it up the beach he landed a beautiful salmon around 12lbs. What a great fish. Half was smoked and half eaten fresh. Really nice. Well done James. The kahawai were smoked and eaten fresh as well. Jocelyns great fish cakes and smoked fish pie.