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.
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| 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.
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| Always wanted to try the famous Fluers restaurant at Moeraki. It didn't disappoint. |
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Moeraki boulders.
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Tia and Julie on graduation day. Great day Tia.
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| Playing the tourist . |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| John on the Tekapo canal with a good trout. |
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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. |
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| Pauls first deer in the packs after an evening hunt. |
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Heidi with her first deer. A very nice fallow buck.
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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. |
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| Staying overnight in Nigels hut. |
Sitting with Binos outside the hut we found 7 deer coming out for their evening graze.
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| The outlook from the hut. Bloody tourists all standing in the way . Haha |
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It was 5 o'clock somewhere.
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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.
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| Whites beach Just north of Blenheim. Heidi and Paul's bus and the rig. |
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| OMG. Here's trouble. Haha. |
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| Kids day at Whites Beach. |
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| 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.
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| The tidal currents running through French Pass. |
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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. |
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| Roughing it at Whitianga waterways in lockdown. |
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| Unfortunately unable to use the boat and go fishing. |
