Otemuri Bay.

Ken and Vicki left Matauri Bay for Tauranga on Saturday morning after their 2 week break came to an end.   Was sad to see them go as they were both great company and we enjoyed spending that time with them.  Jocelyn and I decided to head on down to Kerikeri and stay at NZMCA park there for a couple of nights.  I had picked up another leg infection and was on antibiotics so I wasn't allowed into the water, so snorkelling and swimming was out.  Iv'e been told I can get a bit grumpy when I'm not allowed out to play and have to sit around with nothing to do.

Enjoying a look at some of the large kauri trees around Kerikeri.

  Anyway I was on the mend by the time we got to Kerikeri so managed a walk along the Kerikeri river where the Rainbow falls are.  It's a lovely spot and the falls are quite spectacular.  The next day we decided to go and check out Whangaruru and Otemuri Bay to see if we wanted to camp at either spot.  Both of them have DOC camps there.  We went to Whangaruru first and thought it looked like a great place to camp although it was quite a drive into there on a rather narrow winding road.  We decided to have a look at Otemuri bay which was a bit further south.  We got there and had a look around the camp and at the beach.  It was a lovely looking spot so we decided we would move there the next day.

Rainbow Falls Kerikeri.

  Next morning found us heading south from Kerikeri and it wasn't long and I found the steering on the ute going all a bit wobbly so we pulled off the road a bit to find we had a flat tyre on the Ute.  Bugger.  Never mind we got stuck in and changed the tyre and got back on the road.  We stopped at Moerewa and got the tyre fixed and then headed to Otemuri Bay.  To get to Otemuri Bay you need to turn off SH1 and head to Whananaki.  Then follow the road to the DOC camp.   We got set up with a lovely view of the sea and it wasn't long and we had our feet up and our bodies winding down.  It is a very picturesque place with a lovely beach with rocks at each end.  Its nice snorkelling around the rocks with plenty of fish and sea life to see.   There were a lot of very small packhorse crayfish in some of the crevices and lots of leatherjackets swimming around.  Schools of piper were in the sandy areas on the verges of the reef.

  It is a very safe beach to swim at although the waves can still knock you around a bit.  The second evening we were there I went out for a fish on the kayak.  The sea was a bit rough further out but if I stayed within the shelter of the headlands I would be ok.  I landed quite a nice snapper early on then noticed some birds working further out and it wasn't long and it looked like they were heading in my direction.  So I started paddling out to meet them. They were working Kahawai on the surface so I thought if I could get a softbait down through them I might find some snapper underneath them.  Sure enough on the first cast I hooked up and landed a nice snapper.  So then I just stayed in the area the birds were and ended up with 5 nice fish to take back for dinner.  It was tempting to stay longer with the fish biting but I noticed the wind starting to rise and the sky was turning very black.

Otemure Bay.

Sunset Otemure Bay.

  As I came through the waves and beached the kayak the heavens opened up and it hosed down with rain.  So as I arrived back at the rig dragging my kayak I looked like a drowned rat.  We had met the people camping in a tent next to us.  Terry and Rosemary and her friend Di from the UK.  They were impressed with my catch and as there was plenty to go round I gave them a few fillets.  Terry and the ladies had been out in their small boat during the day and hadn't had much luck and he had anchored the boat out behind the waves in the bay and they had all swum into shore.

  The next few days we had a southeast wind blowing so the sea was pretty rough and not safe to take out the kayak, although I did take it around to the harbour over the hill and I thought if I snorkelled around towing my kayak behind I might spot flounder on the sandy bottom and be able to spear a few. But no flounder were spotted although I saw a few mullet and lots of parore.  There are a lot of pipis in there and I gathered a few oysters for a snack.

  I met a lady early one morning while I was wandering around the rocks.  She was carrying a knife so I asked her if she was getting a few oysters off the rocks.  She said no she was checking the edges and the rock pools for kina as kina were her favourite sea food but she didn't like to get in the water at all.  So I said I would go snorkelling later and gather a few for her.  Later in the day I took her about 15 good size kina so her and her husband were most grateful.

  I had one more session out in the kayak and it was still pretty windy and a bit rougher than it looked from shore.  First up I hooked a kingfish and although it was undersized it still put up a great battle.  It must have taken me about 15 minutes to get it in and unhook it for release.  I ended up getting blown across to the other side of the bay and I hit a patch of snapper over there and managed to land three legal ones and then I snagged on the bottom and lost my hook and it was getting windier and rougher so I got out the paddle and headed back across the bay to the beach.  Pretty happy I had enough for dinner.

3 small ones but enough for dinner.

  We enjoyed our stay in this camp.  We met some nice people here enjoying their camping as we do.  Jocelyn even took on the cold showers which was a first for her.  Although with autumn moving in I think cold water showering will stop as of now for her.  We left about 7am and headed for Tauranga on sunday.  It was an uneventful trip and we went up to Mclaren falls and parked on brother Kens lawn for the night.   Ken and  Mick had been down to New Plymouth for the weekend marlin fishing. They had caught 2 marlin and had numerous tales of others that had got away.  The next morning we moved down to daughter Heidi and Pauls place and parked on their driveway and caught up with our lovely granddaughter Luca.

She's getting mobile.

  We had returned to Tauranga because Jocelyns sister Jenny and husband Stan were over from Aussie for Jennies 60th birthday.  So it was a great chance for us to spend some time with them.  So over the next week we caught up with them when we could. And we had a birthday party for Jenny up at their good friend Lincolns place up Pyes Pa rd.

Jenny and Stan.

  Unfortunately around this time I contracted another leg infection and this time I ended up in hospital and had an operation on my leg to clean out the infection so at this point we are at Heidis while I recover.  I need a nurse to come and change the dressings every 2 days and will be checked at the clinic in about a week then we intend to head for the coromandel.  So we can't wait to get back out there.