Family Time for Christmas.

After leaving Westport we headed south back down the coast and parked by the Grey river at Greymouth.  We were less than a week out from Christmas so Jocelyn had to get a few pressies for the young ones.  We stayed one night then went inland to the lake Brunner rd and followed this through to Moana  then turned off and drove down to Iveagh Bay on the shores of the very beautiful Lake Brunner.  We intended to stay a few nights here as James our 15 year old grandson was coming to stay.  Rod was going to meet Jocelyn at the Arthurs Pass village with James that evening so I got the kayaks down and headed out onto the lake for a reconnaissance of the fishing prospects.
 All the trout in the lake are brown trout and it seems to be very well stocked.  The lake itself is fringed  by bush and high mountains. The early mornings and evenings out on the lake are so beautiful especially if there is no wind as the trees and sky are reflected on the still waters.  Another great NZ place to play.


  I managed to catch 2 trout that evening and kept one for lunch the next day.  I caught both fish on one of James nymphs that he had created so I figured he would be happy.  I reckoned with James arriving I wouldn't get much down time over the next few days as that boy has unlimited energy.  Jocelyn arrived with James around dinner time with hugs all round.  He was keen to get into some action so we were hoping for a spell of settled weather.
  Next morning James and I jumped into the kayaks ready to do battle with the local browns but it was a bit of a slow start.  We were seeing plenty of fish rising but were getting no takes.  Up to this point we had mainly been towing flys behind the kayaks but  we found an area that had quite a few rising so I started casting from the kayak at the rises.  Almost immediately I hooked up and eventually landed a nice size fish that went into the back.  I moved a short distance and found another  few rising and again cast to them and hooked up again.   It was a bit smaller than the first one so it was released and we decided to head back for lunch.  On the way back we discussed ways that could get James into a fish as he was a bit down that he hadn't landed one yet.

James first trout from kayak.

Much happier now.

  After lunch and  a bit of a relax James tied on the secret weapon.  One of his beaded woolly buggers that he is so good at tying.  It was an instant success with 3 fish striking in no time, unfortunately he hadn't figured out how to put tension on the drag on his reel and they all turned his line into a big birds nest.  He reckoned I had given him a useless reel so I wasn't too popular.  Once I showed him how to tighten the drag it wasn't long and he had a nice one in the boat.  He was away now and was very happy.  He caught another nice fish on the way home and I had managed a good one too.

 I am really starting to enjoy the kayak fishing but I do find after 2 or 3 hours I get a very tender butt and a sore back. Small price to pay for some great experiences.  We did a bit more fishing over the 4 days and went for a short evening hunt up  one of the bush spurs but only came across goat sign.
  We hooked up the rig on the 4th morning and left Iveagh Bay for Arthurs Pass.  Climbing up the Otira Gorge we were down to first gear and she was really working.  Boy that is one steep stretch of highway.  On the way over the top we found Lake Moana off to the left and decided to pull in for the night.  A very pretty little lake but not great water clarity after Lake Brunner.   The ducks were very friendly and on the scrounge for   a feed.  The trout were mostly small and come evening were rising all along the lake edge.  We had a slow start next morning which was Christmas Eve and headed for Oxford, where we were to have Christmas day with Rod and Catherine and the kids.
 

Lake Moana.

Gracie being 8 years old was very excited about  Christmas and the huge number of presents to be opened.  James still enjoys it as well and Monique had to get up at 3.30am to milk the cows.  About 7am the door of the rig flew open with Santas presents spread everywhere and gracie giving us a run down on them all.  Later in the morning all the other presents got opened and everyone had a great time.  Especially Grace and also Nana who ended up with 6kgs of lollies to take on her travels.

Nana with her new supply of lollies.

 Boxing day arrived and we were heading off to Kaikoura.  Monique was working so she had to stay back but the rest of us arrived along the coast about mid day and that was low water which meant gearing up and paua diving.  The water was unusually clear for Kaikoura so It didn't take long and we had our six paua each.  James had his new spear gun so he was keen to christen it with his first fish and I went back out and had a look for a crayfish.  We were both successful with me getting one cray and James getting a good size blue moki.  There were a lot of people along the coast snorkelling for Paua and there were also lots of fishery officers patrolling as well.
  After we had had some lunch we packed up and went up to the farm on the inland Kaikoura road.  We set up the rig and Rod and Catherine and James moved into the house.  Gracie was moving in with us.  Sean and Michelle and Troy came over and we had a nice dinner of paua,  fish and salad.
  That evening Rod,  James, and I went for a walk down by the river and James shot three rabbits.  We took them home and next morning James skinned them and I trimmed them up ready for the pot.  That afternoon we went down the coast again and got another limit of Paua and I managed to get 3 crays and Rod also got a cray.  James had a tough day with the speargun trying to shoot one with the safety on then losing the speargun in the kelp after hooking it onto his catchbag.  After a a bit of a meltdown he went out and managed to find it again sticking out of the kelp.  The fisheries officers checked our paua and then the crayfish.  Size wise  they were all fine but we had forgotten that in Kaikoura the crayfish tails had to be clipped if they were recreationally caught.  This is called telson clipping.  I had first heard of this around 6 months before while reading a sign in one of the coastal campgrounds. Kaikoura is the only place in the country that you have to do this and unfortunately I had forgotten all about this.  The fisheries officer said he had to issue a written warning about it but it wasn't really a big deal as everything else was ok.  A bit frustrating though.

   That night on the menu we had rabbit casserole, sausages, and crayfish.  Although as I have become allergic to crayfish I only get to watch other people eat it.  But I still enjoy catching them. Sean had't eaten Paua before this and he really liked it and I think he was quite impressed by the seafood available here just by getting out and getting in the water.  So next day he was off to hunting and fishing and had all the family kitted out in wetsuits and snorkelling gear.  So with a bit of practice they will be able to partake of the bountiful waters around Kaikoura.



 Rod and Catherine and James went back to the farm as James had to work the next day, Gracie stayed with us and we moved the rig down to South Bay at the race course were the NZMCA has a park there.  South Bay is quite a bit more sheltered than the rest of the coastline around here and this is where the whale watch and dolphin encounter boats leave from.  This is a huge business here now,Ngai Tahu owned and the tourists seem to flock to it.  The boat ramps are very busy this time of year with lot's of boats heading out to check craypots or go for a fish.   We spent a couple of very pleasant days here with Grace and went to the beach.  Sean, Michelle and Troy came down and gave their new snorkelling gear a good workout.  Not many Paua in the water here just the odd one and I only managed one good cray.  And I remembered to telson clip it.

Gracie with her starfish she caught while snorkelling.

Nice big paua and another cray.

 Its New years eve tonight and we are back up to the farm this afternoon where we will have a bbq with Rod, Catherine  and James who are back tonight and Sean ,Michelle and Troy are coming over as well.  Then we will be heading for the ferry to cross back over to the north island on the 3rd So we will be saying bye to our south island family for a while and then looking forward to catching up with our north island family again.  Happy new year everyone.  Hope you have a good one.  Murray and Jocelyn.

Lake Dunston

Jocelyn and I have just had 3 lovely days on the shores of lake Dunstan to close out the month of November.  We have been free camping at Lowburn Reserve just out of Cromwell on the road to Wanaka.

The weather has been amazing with clear skies and no wind. We have both had a bit of sunburn and have really enjoyed not being cold and windblown for a change.  I've had the kayak out and caught a couple of trout,not large but enough for a meal from each. And Jocelyn got in her kayak today and came for a paddle as well.   The lake was like a mirror and the water crystal clear so you could see down into the depths.
  Previous to this we have spent a fair bit of time in Southland.  After leaving the farm at Oxford we went to Dunedin for a couple of nights and caught up with Monique and Greg. They came and had dinner with us one night and we had a great time.  We did a bit of tiki touring around the area.I also made sure I went and found some clams in the harbour.  This is where most of the clams you see in the supermarkets come from and they are so big and meaty.Had a few steamed open with a bit of seasoning added and they were good but the clam chowder I made the next night was fantastic.  Definitely hope to get some more of those next time we pass through.

Then we headed off to the Catlins and we found a DOC camp at Papatowai. This is where you get to see trees that grow sideways and after spending a few days here you realise why.  The wind seems to be relentless.And when you chuck in a fair bit of rain with it it can be hard to form a good impression of a place.  So we did a few beach walks and bush walks but had to be well wrapped up at all times.  Apparently the fishing is really good off the coast but I expect that is because there would be very few days in a month when you would be able to go to sea.   After a few days in the Catlins we moved on to the bottom of the South Island and stayed with Joel in Riverton.

 I was only there a couple of days and I had to fly to Rotorua and spend some time with my Dad Joe who was home from hospital but needed some help for a while.  Being unemployed meant I had the time and it worked out great that I could spend some time with Joe.   While I was up there I did manage to get one day out fishing with Mick and his mate Rob.We had a great day in the deep water and hauled in a good number of bluenose so we had plenty of fish to share around.  Of course I also spent a fair bit of time over at Papamoa seeing Heidi and Luca who is such a happy we gem.
  Jocelyn and Joel also got a fair bit of family time as well although Joel was still working.Joel having just moved down there was also looking at property to buy so Jocelyn spent a fair bit of time looking at prospective properties for him.

  I was up north for 3 weeks then flew back down to Invercargill to meet Jocelyn and then that weekend Catherine was coming down with James and Grace for the weekend.So we had a great time.   The next day Joel, Jocelyn and I made an early start.  We were off to do a four wheel drive trip through the Nevis Valley from the Cromwell end and come out at Garston on the Queenstown TeAnau highway.
 It turned out to be a reasonably full day with a round trip of 210 kms.  The first section of road over the Garrick range climbs to 1300m following the miners route to the Nevis diggings and to the Nevis settlement.  It was settled by the pastoral farmers in the1850s and then by the miners in the 1860s.  the lower part of the Nevis valley is for 4WD only as there are a lot of fords and river crossings to negotiate. All in all it was an entertaining day with the views the history and the remoteness all contributing factors.

  When we left Joels the next day we found a NZMCA park at Lumsden.Lumsden is a small town with the Oreti river flowing nearby.The Oreti along with the Mataura which flows through Gore are both considered excellent trout fishing rivers although I still find it very difficult to cast a fly in gale force winds which we  still seem to experience while we are in Southland.
  From Lumsden we travelled to Te Anau and again stayed in a NZMCA park which has just recently opened there.Jocelyn and I decided to walk a portion of the Keppler track and ended up doing about 4 hours and it left Jocelyn struggling with a crook hip and me wingeing about sore feet.Its a bugger getting old.  Again we had major wind blowing through the camp so had to keep everything tucked away and battened down.
So then we moved on and we are back where I started this story out of Southland and back into Otago and 3 lovely fine days at Cromwell.  Tomorrow we will probably head to Wanaka.

On the road again.

16th October and we have just had our first day off for nearly 3 months.  We have left the farm well satisfied with our calf rearing and very happy to have been able to spend so much time with Rod Catherine and the kids.  The calves did really well and we have weaned 90 and a large number of the rest will be ready to wean in 10 days or so.  None of the other Ngai Tahu farms have any calves up to weaning weights yet so Rod is well pleased with our efforts.
We found Oxford to be rather exposed to the weather especially in the early stages of our stay as it was winter and very cold.  But coming into the spring we experienced some amazing winds and anything that wasn't tied down was exported into the next county.  I thought Wellington was bad but this was unbelievable.
We are looking forward to getting back to our travels and checking out more of our great country.  South is the direction we are heading,spending a couple of weeks getting down to Joels in Invercargill.
I am going to be coming up north for a week or so shortly as my Dad has been crook so will try to catch up with a few of you then.   thanks Murray.

 Pivot blown over in the wind

 Gracies birthday cake

Gracie on her 8th birthday


James with 2 of Alices 10 puppies

Working for a living

We have been working for 4 weeks now.  Everything is going well.  The calves have been doing well and we are finding the work not too tough.  At the moment we are feeding around 220 calves morning and afternoon.  The target number for replacements is 200, but we also have to train all the bobbies to drink off the feeders as well.  There is around 1200 cows to calve and we are just over 1/2 way.  At the moment we manage to do all the feeding,tagging ,cleaning and other miscellaneous jobs in about 7 hours.

                     Happy in her work.

 The weather has been a bit challenging at times with  one weekend the whole farm was covered in a good layer of snow and good solid snow showers coming through as we were working.  There has also been a good number of really hard frosts.  Where we do all the cleaning over at the shed as you wash down the ice is forming all over the concrete and it becomes difficult to stay on your feet.
In the weekends James and Grace come up and give us a hand.
  Generally things are going well on the farm.  Rod bought 2 staff members with him from Oamaru.  Pila who has worked with Rod for a number of years and Katy from the farm at Duntroon.  There are 2 other full time staff as well.
  Rod has very good systems in place and everything works like clockwork with the minimum of stress.  It is all very different to when I was dairy farming,not only with the larger scale of these farms but all the new technology that is considered normal nowadays.  For example we no longer have to tag calves in the paddock to identify who the mother is and what the breeding history of that animal is.  All you have to do now is take a very small sample of each calfs ear using a specific gun and send it away and the DNA is recorded and proof is confirmed of the family tree of each animal.  The vets come in now and jab the calves.  They all immediately go to sleep and while they sleep they are dehorned, blood samples taken, vaccinated  and Jocelyn and I do the DNA sampling.


        Calves everywhere.   Some inside and some outside.

 But there are also a lot of rules and regulations that were not around in our day.  OSH can be a trial and  all the new environmental rules that apply.  It all takes a lot to get your head around.
  All in all things are going well.  It is good to have an income again.  Should pay for a bit of fuel when we hit the road again in October.
 

A few days with grandkids.

After our Golden Bay experience we were on our way back to Kaikoura to meet up with Rod who was going to drop James and Grace off for a few days.  The Takaka hill was still covered in ice even though we had left it until mid day to travel.I had the ute in 4 wheel drive a lot of the time and still had a couple of 4 wheel drifts with the weight of the rig on behind.  But we made it over safely and arrived in Kaikoura about six hours after our departure from Pohara. We stayed up at the farm that night then in the morning we moved down to the coast and set up at Omihi camp.
  Rod arrived with the kids who were excited and enjoying the school holidays.  They had all been busy moving into the new house and job at Oxford.  It was good that the shift coincided with the holidays as it had given them all a chance to get settled.  Catherine and the kids are still going to be at Oamaru until the end of school year and just come to Oxford in the weekends.  Jocelyn and I are coming to terms with the fact we are going to be starting work very soon as well.  I guess we will cope but it's been awhile now especially for me since we have had any sort of gainful employment.  We are really enjoying being lazy buggers.
  Anyway we got the kids settled into the rig and Rod headed for home.  The next morning was fine and very frosty with a low tide so it wasn't long before James and I were out clambering around the rocks.  It was really cold so neither of us had mentioned getting out the snorkelling gear.  We  just had our sneakers on poking around in the rocks looking for Paua.  It was James who first slipped and filled up his sneaker with freezing water and it wasn't long and he had filled up the other one as well.  So after that he was in there up to his knees lifting rocks and getting splashed with the incoming swells.  We found a patch of Paua and it wasn't long and we had 5 keepers in the bag.  I was still nice and dry and giving James all the encouragement to keep looking with his freezing legs in that extremely cold water.  We moved along a bit to a large rock pool with deep water surrounding a large rock.  James was up on the rock looking down the sides in the kelp when he slipped and in he went up to his chest.  There was a lot of gasping and high pitched squeals and his eyes were as wide as saucers with a very expressive look of shock on his face.  I would like to say I showed concern and expressed immeasurable  sympathy for his plight but alas I failed miserably.  After I had recovered from my laughter and wiped the tears from my face I asked him while he was there if he could check under the rock and see if he could see any Paua under  there.  He suggested I wasn't the loving grandfather he thought I was and wanted to go and get changed back at the rig.  I thought this showed a bit of a lack of commitment but we had enough for a feed so away we went.


My hard working helpers

James had a hot shower and warmed up then a bit of breakfast went down well and we made plans to head into town and do the Kaikoura coastal walk.  This walk starts around past the wharf by the seal colony and follows the cliffs around to South Bay.  It is a very picturesque walk as you are up quite high looking out over the sea and there is a large expanse of reef below with nice clear water exposing the channels and larger rocks.  The seal colonies are surprisingly large with many hundreds of them stretched out on the rocks and beaches. As you get further around even more large colonies appear and you have to wonder how many tonnes of fish are eaten every day by this huge hoard of hungry mouths.  And these are just a few of them as when you travel the coast in your car they are all over the rocks where ever you go.  On the way back James spotted 2 whales as they came up for air. We found it was easy to follow their progress by the spray they blew from their blowholes but then they dived and were gone.  They looked like humpbacks from where we were.   When we got back to the carpark Grace found lots of baby seals were coming out right onto the carpark and they were quite happy to come right up to you.They certainly look very cute with their large wet eyes and strange out of water gait as they flop and waddle up to you.

Next morning at low tide James got a bit braver and put on his wetsuit.  He still wasn't keen to go for a proper snorkel but he waded out and backed into the waves and looked under the rocks.  He started to pull a few Paua out and threw them to me to measure.  I got my feet wet and managed to find a couple of keepers and after about an hour we had our limit of 12 Paua.   Gracie came down and helped us to shuck clean and beat the Paua.  Then we headed up for a warm up and a feed in the rig.  The rest of the day was spent around camp and going for a walk up the beach.
  The following morning we decided we were going to harden up and get the gear on and get wet.  Low tide was about 10 am so it meant the sun had time to warm things up a bit before we had to gear up.   There was still a bit of a swell running  which makes it a bit more difficult to hold your position when diving down to look for paua.  Once we got the gear on and got in the old hunter gatherer gene just kicks in and it was enjoyable getting down under even though the water was freezing.  The suit does a good job of keeping you warm though James wasn't as thick as mine so he felt it a bit more.  It wasn't long and we had our limit of ordinary Paua and we also had 6 yellow foot as well.  So back to the rig and a hot shower to warm up.
After lunch we packed everything up and headed for Oxford.   We spent a couple of days there then we were off again and heading inland and south to Twizel with the idea of catching salmon and trout in the hydro canals.  We got to the NZMCA spot by the salmon farm not far from the town of twizel and found only one other camper van parked there.  Unfortunately the snow started to come down in little squalls that were drifting through and it was pretty bloody cold.  The hills around were covered in a heavy coating of snow and when the sky cleared it was very picturesque.  Jocelyn pretty much stayed inside the whole time we were in the area but I was out and about fishing without much luck and I also went for a drive up to Mt Cook and went for a good walk up to the hooker glacier.  That took about 3 hours and it was such a clear fine day the scenery was spectacular.

We then moved the rig down to the shores of lake Benmore at the Ohau C canal outlet and set up at the council camp there.  Last time we were there a lot of campers and caravans were set up and a lot of them had gardens and paths leading to the door.  But this time the camp was totally empty.  Maybe these south Islanders don't like the cold.  Or maybe we are just stupid...Anyway I got the kayak out and tied a fly onto my trout line and straight away was into a nice trout.I ended up with 2 and dropped another one then the next morning went out again and got 3 nice ones and released them all.   The frosts were  brutal but the days were magnificent. Out in the kayak paddling along, the lake was like glass and all the mountains around were covered in snow, it was pretty spectacular,although when I
got back in after getting a bit wet it was a while before my feet would warm up.

We packed up and decided we would head for Tekapo and stay a night there at the motor camp but when we got there we were told it was $20.00 each per night and if you wanted a shower it was another $2.00 each.  This was the most expensive camp we had come across especially for winter rates so we decided  to keep moving and ended up back at Oxford ready to start work.

Golden Bay

I went out for another fish at Elaine bay and had some success but I found the rules regarding the cod fishery a bit of a strain.   I caught one nice cod not long after I reached a promising headland.It was out a fair way and it had a nice bit of current flowing around it.   I measured the cod and it was about 32cms so it was into the bin for dinner.  I then caught a few small ones and returned them safely to the water and then I caught 2 very large ones and I thought yes they will have a couple of good size fillets on them but hang on a minute.   Thats right I measured them and they were both over 35cms by quite a margin so I had to very reluctantly put them back over the side.  Then next I caught another small one that sadly had swallowed the hook right down and I ended up killing that fish just getting the hook out.  But again I had to return it to the water anyway.  So I am finding If I could have just caught my two good size cod for dinner and went home I wouldn't have to keep fishing just to catch a feed.   I hear they may be going to review these rules but time will tell.

 We found Elaine bay to be a beautiful spot but I have heard since that the wind can become really fierce at the head where the camp is.   Apparently a camper van was blown over onto it's side a few weeks ago while parked in the same spot we were.
  Next stop Nelson.   We decided to stay at Tahunanui camp ground as there is a special discount for NZMCA members in self contained vehicles of $10.00 per night for up to 3 nights.  This camp is huge with a lot of permanents living there and there are facilities spread right through the camp but in winter they lock the doors on most of them so I guess it saves them a lot on servicing costs.  We called in and saw Jocelyns Auntie Barbara while in Nelson.  She has had a tough time lately with another hip replacement having to be done on both sides as the first time round she received some new hips that were meant to be the new bees knees  of modern medicine but in a short while they found they were breaking down and shedding bits and pieces through her body.   So they had to be replaced again but found they kept dislocating so she had to go in again and now she has lost a lot of feeling and can't carry her weight without collapsing so it's been a bit of a long road for her.  Still she believes she is over the worst of it and with her positive attitude to life she is her usual cheery self.
We had a bit of a wander around the area but I got a bit bored here.   The wind was ferocious and we didn't really make up our minds to go and do anything so I was pretty happy when we packed up and moved on.
  So over the hill to Takaka we went.  It's quite a climb up and over the Takaka hill but the ute hauled it up there no trouble.  We arrived in Takaka mid afternoon and had a coffee in the cafe at the pub.  The young lady that served us was great.  When she brought the coffees out she noticed we had a pamphlet with a map of the area on it and unbidden she said can I write on this for you.  She sat down and talked about all the attractions in the area and marked them on the map for us and told us all the ones we had to check out.  She was very pleasant and obviously proud of the area she lived in.  Especially Totaranui which she said all the locals holidayed there in the summer.

So after the coffee we headed off to Pohara along the coast a bit and we set up at the Pohara Boat club.  It's a very nice setting with a man made breakwater harbouring the local fishing boats and boat ramp for the locals to put their boats in.  For a small donation we can stay here for 2 nights and have the use of the showers and washing machine and dryer.   There is a dairy farm along the road where you can drive in and there is a raw milk dispenser.   So I took my 2 litre container, put $5.00 in the machine and 2 litres of fresh milk straight from the cow for my morning wheetbix.  Great.  Brings back happy memories of our dairy farming days.
While  there we took a drive to pupu springs and at the end of that road you can do a walk that takes  you up to a hand built water race that flows around the side of the hill then diverts down to a turbine that generates power.  I found it a very fascinating walk seeing what these guys built with pick and  shovel and wheelbarrow.   It probably took about 2 hours to do the circuit and while we went around an older women we met was on her third circuit round doing it at a jog.  There is quite a bit of uphill as well so she was doing pretty well.
 I took a walk to Tata beach that evening and found some mussels so I picked about 40 and took them home for dinner.   Steamed them open then rolled in flour and chucked in the pan.   Joc's favourite way of eating mussels.   I took the flounder spear along to Wainui inlet that night after dark and wandered around the estuary with the torch but didn't see any flounder.  It looked like an ideal place for them so maybe they are just not around much this time of year.

Next morning we headed over to Totaranui.  The road in here is gravel and very windy and tight  and I found on some of the corners I was using virtually the whole road to get the rig around.  Luckily this time of year there is not much traffic so I just took it slow with the lights on and had no trouble.
  Totaranui is a truly stunning place.  It has a vary large DOC camp that is beautifully layed out and well managed.   The current manager has been here for 17 years and lives on site.  Apparently through the summer  months the camp is packed out with around a thousand campers per night and the golden bay track runs through the camp as well so overseas tourists stay overnight as well.  Water taxis pick up and drop off tourists from the beach a number of times through the day as well.  With day visitors and picnickers  driving in and out.
  The beach itself is that beautiful golden sand  in a long curve with a headland at either end.  At the western end there is an estuary that totally dries out on the ebb tide and you can walk across to connect up with the coastal track and a track that takes you for a shorter walk on a loop out around the headland.  When we first went for a walk down to the end of the beach there was fresh deer sign tracked right across the main beach and on into the estuary.

Deer tracks on the beach

 It seems the wildlife around the camp have little fear of the human race as they are so used to people sharing their natural environment.  There are large numbers of wood pidgeons, fantails. paradise ducks, pukekos, wekas, bellbirds, and tuis, and none of them seem to bother to even move out of your way as you walk past.

  We found a nice site with all day sun and got set up.  The first day the wind was coming off the water so it was a bit rough to get the kayak out but the next day I was in the water and heading out to the headland in the distance.  It wasn't long and I had a nice cod on board and the rules here were anything over 30cms was fine with a limit of three.  I played around for a while but couldn't seem to find any more cod of a decent size then I noticed some birds working out from the point so I headed over there.  When I got closer I could see Kahawai splashing around on the surface so I flicked out my softbait and let it sink.  It wasn't long and I felt a fish pick up the lure and I was into a good size Kahawai. These fish put up such a strong fight and it is a real battle to get them in.  I landed that one then headed off after the school again and flicked out the lure.  Almost straight away I was hooked up again.  After another good battle I had that one on board and then it was out with the paddle and back to the beach.
Fresh fish for tea is always nice.    The next day we got the walking boots on and headed off for the coastal track that takes you around to another inlet.  Awaroa is another small settlement with a large estuary that dries out at low tide.   Unfortunately we reached there and it was only half tide so we couldn't cross.So we got the gas out and had a cup of soup and scoffed an apple then turned around and headed back.   On the way back we had another boil up and enjoyed a cup of tea at Goat Bay.  It is  really enjoyable walking these tracks as you follow the coast so you get the views out over the coast and also get to walk through some really attractive native bush with a bit of up and down stuff to get the heart rate up a bit.
  Next day was a bit drizzly so we mucked about camp and I had a bit of a wander around the scrub and rough ground around camp and I found where a lot of the deer were hanging out.  Then later in the afternoon it cleared a bit so I got into the kayak and paddled out for a fish.   Seeing as I wasn't doing too well in close I headed out a bit wider and drifted around with a soft bait out.  It wasn't long and I got a hit and had it nearly to the boat and it fell off.  I was pretty sure from the take and the way it fought I had just lost a gurnard.  So out with another cast and a short time later I hooked up again.  And sure enough I landed a good size gurnard.  I had a few more casts but no luck.  Time was short as Hugh and Pam the camp managers were calling in for drinks.   They wanted to check out the 5th wheeler and were impressed with the room we had inside.

 Next morning we took off for another walk this time at the estuary end of the beach.  This walk takes you up and around the headland.   The bellbirds were in abundance and the fantails flitting around our legs.  There's a lot of large kanukas in this area with some of the larger natives and some nice beech groves along the track.  We got back for a late lunch then Hugh called around and told us to meet him up at the workshop where he took us down to the creek to feed the eels.  I was very surprised when Joc climbed down into the creek and all the eels moved up to us and she was feeding and stroking them.    They were quite happy to be handled and dragged around.  Hugh was telling us that all the eels in the park are protected and there are large fines for anyone who mistreats them.

  Hugh and Pam invited us up to watch the All Blacks play Samoa and we had dinner as well.  Was a very enjoyable evening.
  Thursday I went for another walk around the rocks to Goat Bay to find some mussels but by the time I found them I was a bit late on the tide.Never mind I'll be there an hour earlier tomorrow.
 Got out on the kayak again and managed a couple of good size gurnard.  Lucky  Joc's one stayed on this time so she can have fish for tea too.HaHa.
  Very hard frosts here at the moment but lovely days.We find we are starting the days a bit later with that intense early morning cold.  Well we are heading on today.  We have found Totaranui to be a real gem and we have really loved our stay here.  Heading back to Pohara for a night for a long shower and to do a bit of washing then back to Kaikoura to meet James and Gracie for a few days.

Back South.Marlborough sounds.

We made it back to Kaikoura to pick up the rig about midnight after leaving Tauranga at 8.15am.  Was good to be back and moving our gear back into our travelling home.   The next day was cold with snow down very low on the hills.   We spent the day catching up on chores to the rig and getting it set up how we like it.   There was a grey sky with light flakes of snow falling and we couldn't get the heater going in the rig.   Joc was not a happy camper.  There was no humour in her life at this time at all and later in the day when I finally got it going the change was immediate and she was back enjoying life as if nothing had happened.

  The next day we headed up the coast and stopped about halfway to Blenheim.  The plan was to try for some paua but the swell was much too big and the water very dirty.  So the next day we headed into the Marlborough Sounds.   We took the Kenepuru Sounds road and headed into Portage. There is a DOC camp there at Cowshed Bay so we moved in there and set up right by the water.  It's a very wiggly windy road on the way in so by the time we got there we were ready for a wind down and a coffee.  It's all very picturesque with bush coming right down to the waters edge and different arms and headlands going in and out of the bays.   The water is very clear so I got the kayaks off the roof pretty quick and I headed out for a fish.    I had heard the fishing was in dire straights down hear as the cod fishery had been all but wiped out.   Fishing for cod is closed for about 3 months of the year and when it is open you can only take 2 cod.   It doesn't stop there as the size restriction is you may only take cod over 30cms and under 35cms.    Anyway it wasn't an issue in Kenepuru as the only fish I could catch were spotties.   I even went out with the flounder spear at night but didn't see any at all.

  Joc and I did a bit of walking around the roads and up over into the Torea bay on the other side.   While we were walking the road we spotted a section for sale and got nosy so we wandered up into the bush section for a look.   I'm not sure why anyone would want such a wet scrubby section but there was some very fresh deer marks leading up and down the tracks.   Might be worth a look around here one day.  There is not a lot of people around here in the winter.  The shop in Portage looks like it closed a number of years ago.  There is a resort there now but the place is nearly deserted.  Apparently it is really humming in the summer and all the camps are packed out.  One night there were 2 different vehicles in our camp,both german couples but other wise we have got the place to ourselves.

  We spent 3 nights at cowshed bay then packed up and went to Havelock to fill up the gas bottles and get a few supplies.  It seems strange as a few businesses here were closed for the winter as well with signs in the windows saying they will reopen in September.
  After stocking up we hit the road and did a quick stop at Pelorus and checked out the river and walked around to the swing bridge over the Rai river.   Its a very pretty spot there but we weren't tempted to stay as although it's a DOC camp you still have to pay whether you have a DOC pass or not.  So being such tight buggers we carried on to the Rai Valley then headed into the Pelorus Sounds where we wiggled and wound our way into Elaine bay about 40kms in.  After getting set up we dived into the kayaks and went for a paddle.  I even managed to catch a cod but you guessed it. It wasn't between 30 and 35cms so back it went.  Got back just on dark and cooked up lovely venison burgers for dinner.

At last granddaughter Luca is here.

On 7th of June 2015 Luca Sophie Steward was born to our daughter Heidi and her husband Paul.   We felt we had been waiting forever but she was only two weeks past her due date.  Maybe I'm biased but already she is a stunner with a full head of dark hair and such a cute wee face.  At this stage she seems very placid with a very relaxed manner and hardly a cry to be heard.
  We find we are almost due to head south again and we have barely had time to get to know her.  I guess we will have her whole life to do that and we will make the most of that.  We are also finding we are struggling to see everyone we want to as time is moving too fast for us.
 Jocelyns sister Jenny came over for a short visit from Aussie and we had a great family gathering at Joel and Julies place at Papamoa.  So everyone got to see Heidi while she was large with the baby then the next day she gave birth. Unfortunately Jenny couldn't see the baby before she left to head back to Aussie.
  We have really enjoyed our time living with Heidi and Paul and Hayse while up here. They are enjoying having their own house now and Paul is getting right into the DIY around the section.   Hayse is always a willing helper.  That boy really has a lot of energy.
  So over the next week we will catch up with a few more friends and family then we will be on the road south again.

Duck shooting.Family time.

Duckshooting is always an exciting time for our family.  And that is what it mainly is to us.  Family time.  We have shot in the south island now for quite a few years.  Our main team is Rod, James, Dane, and Myself.  But we also used to hunt with Ken, Lance, and Monique would also do
opening morning with us.

There are so many of us in our family that hunt and it is really a way of life to us.  I have no idea why I am a hunter but there is no denying it.  There is a special feeling to be able to supply so much game or seafood to friends and family and whatever happens you are capable of supplementing the larder with great food.

Thursday I headed to CHCH to pick up Dane from the airport and we spent the afternoon and the next day getting equipment ready.  We headed to Hilton which is a bit inland from Temuka on the Friday before opening.   Opening morning is always on Brian and Ingrids farm.  Quite a few years ago Rod used to work for them and he and Catherine are still good friends with them.  We sleep on the lounge floor and the sofas and are always high on anticipation for the action that is to start early the next morning.

Daybreak found us settling into our maimai. This year the team also included Gracie with her camo gear and facepaint on.  We had set all our decoys out the night before so we just had to turn on the three electronic ones and wait for the first mallards to drop in for a look. This didn't take long and soon we had a steady stream of ducks dropping in.  There was quite a bit of gunfire around the area as the south island is always more involved with shooting than the north.  Gracie enjoyed it but found the quiet times a bit boring.  But she was kept quite busy keeping our cartridge belts loaded to the max.There is nothing worse than running out of ammo.

 In the early afternoon it went a bit quiet so we called it quits.  Gracie counted the ducks and we had 61 so we were very pleased with that.  We packed up and headed back to Oamaru.
 Next morning we were up early and heading for flag swamp down towards Dunedin.   We had the layout blinds and a huge number of decoys and gear.  We arrived about an hour before light as we had to ferry our gear out to our hunting spot on our backs and then get it set up.  We had done really well at this spot the year before with a lot of parries coming in but we found initially it was a  bit slow this time.  Although early on a mob of canada geese came through and we managed to get six of those.

After a while we realised there were a lot of ducks landing up in a lucerne paddock up on a hill about 400 metres away.  So we decided Dane and James would head up there with their blinds and a few silhouettes and set up.  After that Rod and I just became spectators as Dane and James had mob after mob dropping in and they had a great time.  At the end of the day we ended up with close to 70 ducks and the 6 geese.mix of parries and mallards.

Next day was processing day. Rod was busy and James was at school so Dane and I set too and breasted all the birds.  It turned out a great success as we ended up with 51 kgs of lovely salamis made by campbell butchery at Oamaru.

 Over the next few days we had a few short hunts and collected some more ducks and then we went for a wallaby hunt up the Hakataramea Valley. It was a really good walk and tough going in places and I was lucky enough to come across a group of pigs.  They came up out of a gully and the first few I saw were  quite small so I let them pass by. Then a bigger one came up but it was facing bum on so I let it go and then another larger one came up and I shot that one. There was still about 5 other smaller ones hiding in the tussock about 5 metres away.So that was a bit of a bonus to have a bit of wild pork for the freezer.

The wallabies  were quite plentiful and proved as elusive as ever but we did quite well by the end of the day and hopefully our success makes the farmer happy to have a few less mouths eating his grass.
  Saturday we took Dane back to the airport and said goodbye again then we carried on to kaikoura with another load of gear for Rod.  We stayed the night then headed straight back to Oamaru.  I did another trip 2 days later towing the jet boat and a heap  of gear leaving at 4.30 am and arriving back at Oamaru at about 5pm.  The next few days we spent helping at the farm and house.We ended up a helping with the dry cow therapy at the cowshed which brought back a few memories from days gone by. Then we packed up and said our goodbyes as we were heading north to be there when our daughter Heidi has her baby.  The plan was to spend a couple of days on the beach at Kaikoura and get a few paua to take north with us.

We had a lovely time at the beach and were successful with the Paua then we took the 5th wheeler up to the farm and parked it up until we get back in a month.  The crossing of the straight was good and we are now at Papamoa waiting in anticipation of saying hello to our new grandchild.

Queenstown sojourn.

We took the road south down through Alexandra then on to Queenstown.  I don't generally like staying in the towns so we headed out onto the Glenorchy rd.  It wasn't long and we came to a DOC camp called the 12 Mile.  We set up there on a roomy site and unhitched the rig.  Staying in the DOC camps is good for us as we have purchased a yearly pass through the NZMCA, so there is no further charges to stay at any of their camps.  The camp is right on the shore of lake Whakatipu.

The ducks are a bit cheeky at Glenorchy

Over the next three days we had a good look around the area.  The mountains are right in your face and very picturesque and almost rise right off the shore of the lake.  The town itself is very tourist orientated and seems to be a real party town with lots of young people around from countries all around the world.  There are a lot of bars and restaurants as well as the casino to entertain the night owls.But us old farts still struggle to stay up after 10pm.  Prices seemed to be rather inflated as well even for everyday groceries and wine etc.
I spent a couple of evenings in the kayak trolling a fly but only managed to catch 2 trout one of which we had for dinner.

We are still a bit budget conscious so we find we are not partaking too much of the touristy attractions like boat trips and adrenaline companies but we don't think we are missing out at all. there is still so much for us to see and do.

After three days at the 12 mile camp we thought we would get going again and head a bit further south before we had to go back to Oamaru for duck shooting.We ended up driving right through to Te Anau.  We ended up staying at a park over property which is a property usually owned by a member of the NZMCA who has a bit of room for motorhomes etc. You usually leave a donation of about $3 per person per night.

Next morning we headed to milford for a look and we decided we had to do the boat cruise on the famous Milford Sound. It takes around 2  1/2 hours to get to Milford from Te Anau but it really is a visual experience.   It is a scenic wonderland with the mountains climbing up either side of the road  with rushing torrents tumbling down gorges and then you get to the Homer Tunnel and drive right through the middle of a mountain.  A tunnel built with pick and shovel by men that were so much tougher than any of this generation.

The boat trip was great and we picked an awesome day weather wise with hardly a cloud in the sky.  We could see right to the top of the mountains.  The commentary on board was well presented and very informative.  Lunch was served as we boarded then we were straight into the presentation of the history of the fjord and the geology of the mountains.  It really was a great day and both Jocelyn and I were really impressed with our trip to Milford.

We spent 2 days in Te Anau .I was quite keen to have a look at the Manapouri Dam but all tours had been cancelled until november for new turbine installation.  We had a good bike around the town and around the boat harbour and also went for a bit of a look and a walk at the start of the Keplar track.  We met a doc ranger and had a good yak about the trapping program in place to keep the rat population down.Wherever we went on any of the formed hiking tracks there was always traps everywhere.

After Te Anau we headed to Mavora lakes Which is back towards Mossburn. You take a left and there is about 30kms of metal road that takes you into beech forest then you come out at the lakes.  Wow.  What a beautiful place.This is another DOC administered area and there is camp sites sprinkled through quite a large area.  We picked a spot right on the edge of the South Mavora lake.  Open tussock areas on the side we are camped then the mountains rise up from the lake on the other side.

  For the first day and a half the weather was nice but a trifle windy.Then it really turned to custard.  Shame really as I think I would like to get to know this place a bit better.  I struggled to catch a trout here so I will have to come back and put in a more concerted effort.  On the day before we left I braved the wind and climbed up onto the tops opposite our camp.  From way up there I got to see the whole place layed out before me and could see lots of potential for some good nymph or dry fly fishing.  It looks like this place is well utilised in the summer  but the numbers tail off into the autumn.  Next day the weather really packed it in so we packed up in the rain and started north again. We thought we would stop in Cromwell but once we emptied the tanks and filled the water we decided to carry on and maybe stop at lake Benmore around Twizel but I seemed to be in a driving mood and I really find this rig so easy to tow I just kept driving and we eventually found ourselves back at Rod and Catherines.  So now the mind goes firmly onto the coming duckshooting season.  Rod and James are both getting keen and we have Dane coming down from Auckland and Grace has informed us she is not missing out either as she wants to be there at daybreak opening morning.  As usual it is a real family affair.  Can't wait.