I made it to 60.

Thats right I am now officially an old fart having reached 60 years of age.  Being 60 is actually not that bad.  Ok, the old body sure lets you know that you are no spring chicken anymore but life goes on and it is up to you to get on with it and enjoy doing the things that you like to do. Like catching big snapper and camping around NZ.
  At the other end of the scale we were able to welcome Heidi and Pauls new wee daughter Aliya in to the world.  Heidi sure gets on with things when she sets her mind to it.  She went to the hospital at 6am.  Gave birth at 8am and was back home at 1pm.


Remember,  to see the really big picture click on the photos.  Haha.

Before

After.

The new arrival.

  Jocelyn and I were parked on their driveway again and looked after wee Luca for a few days while Heidi and Paul settled in to having a new arrival in the house.  It was again great to spend a bit of time with them all but after about 10 days we packed up and left them to it.

Nana having cuddles.

  We had previously been enjoying the winterless north, so we could see no reason not to head back up there for the rest of the winter and early spring.  On the way we called into Autotech in Kopu to check out the back of the rig.  When we had the issue with springs and stubb axles awhile back a seam had opened up between the side and back walls of the rig .  So being still part of our insurance claim I thought a professional had better check it out.

  Lucky we did as they think the floor and the back wall have separated so they definitely need to be pulled apart and reattached.  They expect to do this work sometime in October so in the mean time we will adjourn back up north and attempt to catch a few of those large snapper that appear in the far north every spring.
  Our first stop was again at friends Jerry and Megs in Whangarei.  It is a long drive up north and it is great to have a stop over point on the way and enjoy great company and a few drinks.  Our plan was to head back to Matauri Bay for a week and then decide where to go after that.  We arrived at Matauri Bay camp and our previous site was vacant so we moved straight back in.  The sites on either side of us were still occupied by the people who were there when we were last here.  It seems to become like a small community through the winter up here with campers settling in for a few months on their sites.  They are all friendly and helpful and get together to socialise and discuss where the fish are and who's catching what.

Pete from next door after converting to soft baits.

  Friends Roger and Lorraine from Whananaki also arrived for a few days in their caravan.  Jocelyn and Lorraine had started playing canasta last time we had got together and straight away they resumed their sessions, with a few wines to keep those thought processes open.  I got out 2 or three times in the kayak but there was a persistent swell coming in and launching and landing was becoming a bit exciting.  I was tipped out in the waves coming in the first morning but luckily Jerry had shown me how to set up a line to tie your fish in. So all my fish stayed in the kayak.  Unfortunately my reels got a dunking so they had to be stripped down and cleaned.  Lucky my rods didn't get broken.  Still I provided a bit of entertainment for the neighbours as they all watch people coming in through the waves to see who survives and who gets bowled over.  One day I need to get out there in the waves with the kayak and get a bit of practice coming in.

Heavy nylon through fish gills saved losing them.

 A kayak club was there for awhile and we watched a few of them get tipped out after fishing. One guy lost his fish as well.  Then later on they all went out for a play in the waves.  It was very entertaining to watch as they all got tipped out a number of times.
   After our week was up Jerry and Meg were keen to meet up with us for a few days.  Meg was relief teaching at Hikurangi school so it needed  to be close enough that she could commute on the couple of days she had to teach.  So we decided to give Puriri Bay a go.  Jocelyn and I stocked up with supplies in Kerikeri then travelled on to Puriri.  The grass areas were all still fenced off as the ground was still very wet. But we backed in to an area on the hard stand that would get all day sun and set up camp. We had the choice of sites as we were the only ones there. The kayaks were pulled down off the roof and made ready.  Then out came the coffee machine and a good brew to celebrate being back at Puriri Bay.  Next day Jerry arrived in their camper van and after school Meg rolled up in the car.
  The first time Jerry and I went out fishing we were very successful with a good haul of snapper.  It was great fishing here in relatively sheltered water.  It's a lovely sheltered bay and makes for excellent  launching and landing in the kayaks.  And you can still catch fish quite close in if the wind is blowing further out in the bay.

A good combined haul.

  The next morning we went out and fished quite close in.  We had a very short bite time but I was lucky enough to hook a couple of very good fish.  The biggest estimated around 23lbs.  Then the bite just stopped so we went in for breakfast.  I went out later on and had another good session releasing two snapper around the 15lb mark and landing a few more very respectable snapper along with a couple of small John Dory.

Not bad for an old wrinkly.

Just damn nice fish.

Released to catch  again when it gets bigger.

Also released.

Jocelyn and Meg have been walking each day doing the bush walk loop that takes about an hour and 15 minutes.  I did it one day and with my crook feet it took me 2 hours 15 minutes. I felt a bit broken by the time I got back.  I think another Urewera trip could be a while away.  At least I get a bit of exercise paddling a few kms in my kayak.
 That night we had a bit of a celebration dinner for my birthday the next day.  We had a lovely sirloin steak dinner and Jocelyn had made a yummy sultana cake for my birthday cake.  The next day I turned 60 and it turned out a bit of a rough day.  I think my body went out in sympathy as I felt crook all day.  Sometimes I think all those pills I take catches up with me and knocks me over for a while.  Meg left early for school and Jerry went out for a fish and came back with a couple of  nice snapper to take home.  He packed up and headed off home in the afternoon.

Couple of good ones for Jerry on the last day.

Big Johnny.

Evening fish. the dory were out feeding.

  Next day I was back to normal and back out fishing.  Caught a good snapper around 12lbs and a very large john dory.  We certainly get to eat fish a lot when you come to Puriri Bay.  We had stocked up the freezer with meat when we left Tauranga and weren't actually using any of it.  Sometimes it is good to have some red meat.
  We are leaving here on the 18th of september and dropping the rig off at Jerry and Megs.  Then the next day travelling to Hamilton for a small procedure on my heart at Waikato Hospital. We are staying in a motel for two nights then on to Tauranga for a few nights at Ken and Vickis.  Then back up North again for a while.  Not sure where yet.  But time will tell.

My flash new slippers knitted by Meg.  Just for a 60 yr old.