Winter retreat.

Hi. We are back.  You haven't heard from the blog for a while, actually since last November. Google Plus shut down which was the site I used for my stories.  It's taken a while for us to get the old A into gear and start up a new site.  Anyway, Jocelyn and I are still out there enjoying this wonderful country of ours although at the moment we are actually living in a house.  Shock, horror.  Jocelyn doesn't know how she is going to cope staying in one place for 4 months.
  A few highlights of some of the places we have visited over the last 8 months.  We spent a bit of time around Napier before christmas. Mainly bike riding and looking around the district.  Fishing was pretty poor so didn't hang around too long. Haha.  We had a lovely family holiday at Lake Rerewhaakaitu, over the Christmas period.  Catching plenty of trout and swimming. Dane also brought his boat so the younger ones did some wake boarding.


Remember to click on the photos to enlarge.

Bath time for Luca.

The wake boarding team.

Family selfie.

   We spent some time at Simpsons Beach just along from Whitianga  where we met up with John and Margot and their 5th wheeler.  Jocelyn stayed here while I jumped on board Papillon with Ken and the usual crew and again fished the National Game Fishing Tournament.  Again we travelled up to Great Barrier Island and fished out wide from there.  The fishing was a bit of a different story this year.  We still managed to find the marlin, but we couldn't get them to stay hooked up.

Shortbilled spearfish tagged and released.

Steves beautiful mahimahi.

 Feisty blue marlin.  

After this Jocelyn and I went up the other side of the Coromandel Peninsula and stayed at Port Jackson for a couple of weeks Where we met 2 couples who we had got to know at Matauri Bay the previous winter.

Lovely Port Jackson sunset.

The odd nice snapper was caught.

  The next stop  was a family gathering at Lincoln and Pams beach house Papamoa.  Sean, Michelle and Troy were coming up from the south Island to fish the Police fishing tournament with John and Stan.  So we had fish on the menu, great company and even Jenny's birthday to celebrate with a nice dinner out.  Thanks Lincoln for your great hospitality.

Family gathering at Lincolns Papamoa.

    I was keen to get back into some snapper fishing.  The best place for that is go north.  So we ended up at Puriri Bay again for a couple of weeks. Jerry and Meg arrived for a few days as well.   It was great to  be back and get out on the water in the kayak.  A few good fish were caught and Joel and Julie also came up for a few days.  While sitting in the rig one night  Joel happened to look out the door to see my niece Billie and her partner Tim walking past. Now that was a nice surprise.  They were having a quick trip around up north in their camper for a few days.

This kingi gave me a good tussle.

  Next on the agenda was the annual trip south for duck shooting.  We left the rig at friends Roger and Lorraines place at Whananaki on their dairy farm.  We travelled down to Kaikoura in the ute and stayed with Rod and Catherine on the farm.  Then we travelled to Christchurch to pick up Dane from the airport and on to Geraldine for the shooting weekend.  A great weekend was had by all and to top it off Jocelyn and I became great grandparents.  Monique, our first grandchild gave birth to a lovely wee boy with her partner Matt.  Locklan Malcolm Murray Baxter. Man doesn't that make you feel ancient.

Our new great grandson Locklan.

Happy crew in the maimai.

The mornings bag.

Standing on the mist

Tagan with a good wallaby.

lunch break on the wallaby hunt.

  We did the usual wallaby hunt and the odd look for a deer while there and just got to spend some quality time with family and friends.
  After getting back up north we spent a couple of weeks with Ken and Vicki at Katikati while waiting for my appointment to see the orthopaedic surgeon regarding my crook hip.  Although he said I definitely need a hip replacement he was unable to put me on the waiting list.  Apparently anyone who goes on the list has to be operated on within 4 months.  This is not possible so they just don't put you on the list.
  So from here we travelled north to Whananaki and Roger and Lorraines farm to pick up the rig. We had been gone nearly a month and unfortunately while we had been gone a rat had moved into the rig.  It hadn't got into the living area but had found his way into cupboards under the sink and bathroom and all the utility areas underneath.  The heating ducting had holes chewed through in a number of places so we really had a major clean up job.  We stayed a couple of days with Roger and Lorraine then moved North to Matauri Bay.  As it turned out that bloody rat travelled with us.  I eventually got a trap from the camp and caught him pretty quickly.
  Matauri Bay camp had a number of the usual winter campers that we had met there the previous year.  It was good to catch up with them again.  From here we are now in our winter retreat at Tapuaetahi, living in a lovely property right by the sea.  Friends Greg and Gaylene own the property but they travel to Fiji and spend the winter on their boat.  So we get to look after Fletcher, the jack russell and Pebbles the cat.  Tapuaetahi is just north of Kerikeri.  It is a beautiful bay with a sandy beach and great fishing. It's going to be really nice to spend some time here.

Outlook from the deck.

2 twenty pounders caught today. One released one smoked.

Lincoln. A new confirmed kayak fisher.

Leaving the beach.

Finding some big snaps here.

Jocelyn and Fletch watching TV.

Beautiful Tapuaetahi sunset.

Sex on the beach.

No.  It's okay it wasn't us.  Perish the thought. It's spring, and everywhere you look they are doing it.  The wildlife I mean.  The seagulls and the oystercatchers.  There are ducklings and cormorants feeding their young. Those nasty pukekos with their lanky fluff ball babies following them around.  That's when they aren't running in and snatching another wee duckling to kill and take off into the scrub.   The California quail are pairing up and some of the males are having epic scraps with other males over the best looking hens.  It's all on.  Everything seems to be procreating and feeding their young. Even a mating pair of NZ dotteralls scurrying along the sand.

Very demanding cormorant chicks.

So cute but the pukekos took all of this brood over a week we were there.

 
And us humans are anticipating more warm sunny weather and looking forward to the hot summer months ahead.  We have spent most of the winter up in the so called winterless north. And yes we certainly enjoyed not having to put up with the very real cold you get in the south island.  A lot of our time we spent in the areas we know quite well with just the odd excursion further afield.
  One of those excursions took us to the Kaipara Harbour at Tinopai to a small camping ground right by the water.  I think in the future it would be good to come this way a bit more and really explore the area.  There is a lot of early history over there regarding fishing and of course the early settlers and the Kauri logging industry.
  We didn't stay long, only 5 nights. We really struggled with one inconsiderate camper who brought motorbikes with them and thought it was ok to ride them around camp 3 or 4 times a day.  Round and round they would go while the rest of us were trying to enjoy the peace and quiet.  Maybe I am getting grumpy in my old age.  Although I can't think of any other public camps that would allow that.

First Kaipara fish. 

  The Kaipara is a huge harbour and I only explored a very small piece of it in my kayak.  I did a bit of fishing and managed a few nice fish while we were there. Giving some away to other campers and one of the locals. The currents are very strong in this harbour so you need to be aware and consider your route according to the tide or you may find yourself  battling against the flow. Further exploration will definitely be required at a later date.  I still forget to get my camera out when I arrive somewhere so unfortunately the photo above is the only one I took there.
  From here we travelled up to Dargaville and restocked at the super market, and then crossed back over to Whangarei. We then headed north to Otamure for a few days.  I found the fishing pretty hard but still managed to get a few snapper for dinner. And one morning I managed to land a very good kingfish after quite a battle, so that fish was shared around camp with some also ending up in the smoker.

    Our kayak fishing friends Dave and Donna were arriving on Saturday so we packed up and moved to Puriri on the Friday  to get camp set up.  Roger and Lorraine were still there enjoying the sunny weather though they had been putting up with a fair bit of wind.  I got straight in to the fishing as I do and pretty quickly had enough fish to feed a fair few of the campers.

Straight in to nice fish at Puriri.

The large wasp nest at the end of the beach.

  Hank and Wilhelmina whom we had got to know here previously were camped further along, and I was pleased to hear he was being successful with the soft baiting tips I had given them on my last trip here.  Hank had been to town and invested about $500.00 on a softbait rod and reel with new jig heads and softbaits filling his tackle box. Hank had caught a number of large snapper he showed me on his phone.
  Dave and Donna arrived the next day and the timing was perfect for their holiday as over the next week the weather turned out amazing.  Sunny skies and warm weather.  The fishing was pretty good too with both of them catching some very nice snapper and Dave landing two very large John dory. The camps new managers arrived and they are a young couple who are very easy to get along with.  Unlike the last managers who ran the camp.

Dave and Donna.

Big snapper.  Whose finger is that?

  All too soon Dave and Donna were off back to work. A few days later we had to move back to Otamure for a week.  On the DOC pass we can only stay for 2 weeks then we have to leave that camp for a week before we can return. John and Margot gave us a call and said they were on their way north to spend a week or so with us in their new 5th wheeler. John was keen to give his new kayak a work out and get a few tips on fishing out of it.  It would also be a good shake down trip for them before they headed down to the south island.
 I did get a chance for a spearfish before they arrived and managed to spear a nice porae.  I had been towing it around on my string and float for a while when I dived down and caught a crayfish.  I tied this onto my string then looked around as a large bronze whaler cruised past obviously intent on stealing my porae.  Lucky I was close to shallow water so I managed to get my fish in close enough before he could grab it.  Our friends Dave and Shellie with their 5th wheeler had arrived while I was in the water so it was good to see them again.
 Next day John and Margot arrived and we were keen to look at their shiny new rig.  It is beautiful inside and looks very similar to ours on the outside.  But it all looks and smells so new. Awesome new home.

The flash new rig.

John and Margots rig, then us, then Dave and Shellie.  All 5th wheelers.

 After a couple of days the fishing was still hard and there was still a fair bit of wind so we made the decision to go back to Puriri and the more sheltered waters of the Whangaruru harbour.
  It wasn't long here and John started to catch some fish. Although one of his first encounters was with a rig, or spotted shark.  These fish are good eating often called lemon fish in the shops.  I told John he needed to cut off its head and gut it to keep the ammonia taste from the flesh that sharks are known for.  As he didn't have a knife I came over and cut its head off and he gutted it.  In the back it went and I drifted off to do a few more casts.  A short time later John landed a John dory and turned to put it in the back when he noticed the shark was gone.  That shark struggled so much even though it's head and guts were gone it had  wriggled over the side and escaped. He might have trouble seeing where he is going now though.

He looks like he might have had one or two of those.

This is the life.

A few to take with us when we leave.

   Over the next few days we enjoyed some good family time as well as a bit of fishing.  The odd wine and beer were consumed in the evenings and lot's of good quality fish fillets eaten and shared around the camp.  Then John and Margot were off on their new adventure back to Rotorua and then off down the south island.  We can only hope they enjoy their retired life and travels as much as Jocelyn and I do.
  We had the rig booked in to get fixed at Kopu so it was also time we packed up and hit the road south.  We would be staying at Ken and Vickis over the next couple of weeks, although we also spent a weekend at Dane and Lauries in Auckland.  We had a good weekend visiting the markets and checking out the viaduct and generally just good family time.  But Friday we pick the rig up again and we will be back on the road.  Sounds like we are going to check out the Hawkes Bay.  Iv'e heard the fishing is not great down there but I guess I will find out.  You are probably sick of fishing photos anyway.
 
 
 

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.