Monday 28 November 2016

Going to bed late doesn’t seem to make any difference to me and even after all the visitors have gone, and I had sat for a long time looking out at the beach in darkness, waking as the sun is rising seems to be my ritual and I have long since given up fighting it. Quietly, I get up and head back to my favourite location in this house. As it is situated way up high, the view is like that of a soaring eagle. Still quietly, I make a cup of fresh mint tea and wait on the others to stir.

Bianca was first up and we decide to go for a walk down to the Murawai beach (to Flat Rock) to catch the waves exploding and crashing as high tide is reached. The wind was still really howling, cold and relentless in our faces, even with sweatshirt hoods pulled tightly up over our heads. We stood in safety, far enough away to miss getting wet or washed off the rocks. Then we were both blown back home again along the street. Nat was up and we all began to cook a breakfast feast and to talk about our forthcoming day.

Then it was time to load up Cuzzie. Bianca and I were heading north for beach reconnaissance and Nat was heading back into the city for work this afternoon. Big hugs all around. Hoping to see her further north later this week. Then more huge hugs, this time for our host Craig, giving him our “thanks” and leaving his house to return to being the peaceful beach retreat it usually is; not full of crazy people coming and going all the time!

The rest of our day has been spent going up and down so many roads, heading round Kaipara Harbour into Dargaville, out to Glinks Gully, then along to Baylys Beach. Along the way, we were spotted by locals who we had met in Karamea (Elaine and Doig). In some ways New Zealand really is a very small place. I promised them that I would catch up with them properly when I eventually paddle into the beach near town.

Along the way today, we also located four Geocaches, the smallest church in New Zealand and a cute little fun park that a local had built by hand on a corner of his farm land. We later chatted to a wonderful lady called Jane as she headed to the beach for a walk. Her work is to monitor the Toheroa beds on this stretch of beach, writing reports on actual locations and amounts and to summarise if they are returning or still decreasing each year.

After all this was done, I wanted to get inland a little, so we drove to the Kai Iwi lakes. Would you believe that, once again, Google Maps got us lost, taking us on a forest road; so an extra 20kms at least was covered today. Just not what we needed after a long day’s driving! It was with a great big sigh of relief that we finally arrived and got settled in for the evening. Night was falling and we still had dinner to cook. I also had my blog to write and weather reports to check and recheck.

Right now, it’s all about waiting for the swells and the winds to drop. It always surprises me how tranquil and beautiful Kai Iwi lakes are and it will be nice to spend a morning in the sun, away from the sand and sea, before we head a little further north. Today has been very difficult for me. Trying to head north without going near the east coast was my challenge, as was seeing inland places I have visited before. For example, when we drove through Warkworth, it was a bit of a mind-bending exercise. I was happier when we turned towards Dargaville. Now pumpkin and ginger soup awaits us for dinner, together with the remains of my yummy, wonderful chocolate cake.

My smiles today:
A miniature church.
Being spotted in Dargaville.
Bloody Google maps. Brain fry!
Warm chocolate cake for dessert.
A new species of bird life for us, a morepork.

My thoughts today:
Create a life that feels good on the inside, not one that just looks good on the outside.

As we listen to a morepork sing in the evening sky, we bid you goodnight! Red and Bianca.

Ma Te Wa.

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