December 4th – Dec 11th
Greg says….
December 4th……..Alistair and Dad went on a fishing trip in the Bay of Islands, with Blue Sea Charters. We wanted to catch our Tea. Lucy and Rowena went to Russell, which is an historical town. In the 1840’s though, it was inhabited by criminals, vagabonds and drunkards (no not me!). It has since been cleaned up, because after the Waitangi Charter on 6th February 1840 (see later) the Maori’s asked the British to help them clean up NZ, and stop the exploitation of the country. Now it is another beautiful little coastal town in the ay of Islands.
Back to the fishing…..after motoring out of the bay for 45 minutes we reached a single rock which looks like a shark fin. We were given instructions to take up Rods, the bait was loaded, and off we went. We lowered our line into the water, and let it drop to the bottom. The weight was on the end of the line with the hook and bait about 6 inches up, so the plan is to let the weight drag on the floor, with the bait free going back and forward in the current. The bait was Pilchard…..I thought we were having these on toast!
Anyway, an American bloke from New York was the first to catch a Snapper after about 5 minutes. Alistair (what a star) was next with probably the biggest fish of the day…another Snapper about 34 cm long, weighing in about 4/5 lbs. I knew then that we would be having Snapper for tea!
Nothing really happened for the next ½ hour or so and we moved a couple of times, until we found this great spot, where we put the anchor down. I was next to an Australian Canadian from Adelaide who felt sorry for me, so when he got a bite he gave me his rod so I could pull it in. I did this and landed the next biggest of the day at 33 cm!! He had a nice rod, and braided line which helps you feel the bites easier than nylon lone. So I had now caught up with my son! After this I caught another couple, with Alistair none. We swapped rods, and the luck changed……we both started pulling in Fish! We both pulled in about 8 fish each, but could only keep about 6, because there is a legal length that the fish have to be (27cm long), and if they are not they have to be put back. What a day….between all of the crew we must have pulled in about 40-50 fish, mostly all Snapper! We got back to Pahia to a tumultuous reception from Lucy and Rowena, who then knew Snapper was for tea.
That afternoon we went to Waitangi, which was where the Treaty between the Maori Chiefs and the British Government was signed, giving sovereignty to the British. This happened on 6th February 1840, and the New Zealand Nation was shaped from then onwards. It is a lovely sight, where there is a house restored which is called the Treaty House (James Busby lived here in 1840) , there’s a Maori War Boat, and a Maori Meeting house. All of this is in beautiful grounds, and very interesting. Three flags fly here, the British Union Flag, the New Zealand Flag, and the Combined Maori Tribes Flag (the old NZ flag, which is still displayed on their naval ships).
That evening we went to a restaurant which agreed to cook our fish, which we had caught. So we had fresh Snapper with chips…luvly jubbly!
Tuesday 5th December…..I awoke with dreadful pains in my side…think I have a strain from all the pulling I’ve been doing (that’s pulling fish out of the sea!!). Lucy was very supportive and agreed to drive. We moved Whangarei, where because I was wounded couldn’t do much except wander aimlessly round the shops and bars!
Wednesday 6th Dec…. We left the campsite after the children’s lessons, and went in search of the WWOOF Shop. Not sure what the acronym means, but it is an organisation where you can find volunteer work on a Organic Farm. We found the place, and got our membership booklet to peruse later. We intend to do this type of work in Jan/Feb.
The children’s lessons have comprised of Maths, English, Science and generally the education of a travelling life. They have taken to it well, and they have an hour to two hours intense learning each day. They have only missed a couple of days, where we have had a trip.
We went to Parua Bay looking for Murray and Leslie’s pub, which we found on the main road. It’s a lovely tavern overlooks the bay, which is a gorgeous colour of aqua marine…we think?? The beer’s pretty good too!! A few beers were sampled by the non driver (Greg)!
Moving onto to Pataua Beach, we decided to stop and have some lunch. Without trying to be boring or to repeat ourselves, this is a lovely place. The car park (free) is next to a river which runs into the sea, and you can cross the bridge over the river and walk to the beach. Although there were some beach houses there, we were the only ones on the beach. We decided to stay at the Pataua Beach Campsite which is one of the best kept secrets it seems, as when we got there it was like a ghost site. It was spotlessly clean, but we couldn’t find anyone there. A little later we did find some other campers who also had not found anyone to book in with. Oh well, we took our site and stayed the night.
Thurs 7th Dec……After finding someone to pay for our nights camping, we used this as a travelling day. We drove down to Takepuna in Auckland. That night was spent catching up with the new James Bond…..Not sure yet!!
Fri 8th Dec…. Went to Devonport, where there are really some lovely second hand bookshops, then onto Auckland on the ferry. In the evening we met Trish Spooner at Sky City, who I used to work with at JPMorgan. She works for ASB now, in Auckland. We had a nice evening in the restaurant……..thanks to Trish and Alan for dinner and a lovely time.
Sat 9th….We went to Beach Haven to meet an old friend of Lucy’s Dad. Henry Candler comes from London, but has resided in NZ since about 1964. We had a nice couple of hours talking about mutual acquaintances and home. Thanks Henry!
We then drove to Thames in the Coromandel, where we found a nice campsite fro the night. Earlier we had to make our customary visit to the Warehouse, where everyone gets a bargain!
Sun 10th…We decided to go for a walk today, and managed a 5 hour struggle up from the Kauaeranga Valley DOC Car Park through dense forest paths to the Hydro Camp, and then back down again. It Took 2 hours for us to get up to the camp after the path wiggled it’s way up through the forest. It was a tough climb, but we were rewarded with lunch when we got there. The decision then was whether to continue up to the pinnacles for a further 2 hours there and back to this point…..it was a quick choice, we all said ‘No’! The walk up was strenuous, even for a fit fighting machine such as I, and we were all tired.
The walk down followed the Billy Goat trail and was 3 hours. Again it went up for quite a bit of it, then steep down for the last hour. Our joints were grumbling half way through, so it was a welcome site to see a stream to sooth our tired feet in. When we got back we had been walking for 5 hours, with hardly any stops. The children were fantastic, and didn’t really complain once! Are you listening Harry?
We parked in the Doc car park for the night, too tired to drive down the road! Just for info there are campsites everywhere with excellent facilities. They nearly all have a separate kitchen facility, which means you don’t have to use the gas in the van, and you can cook more conveniently. The most we have paid for a powered site is $46 which is about 15-18 pounds a night. Doc (Department of conservation) sites are about $28 for the four of us, but don’t have any kitchen or shower facilities generally.
The Doc car park we stayed in was free.
For camping NZ is brilliant, the campsites are fantastic and if you want a bit of luxury a lot of them have cabins for rent too. These are simple rooms with beds and TV’s, some with toilets, some without, costing a little more than camping…about double. It all promotes the outdoor life which is so evident here.
That’s all from me for this week….will try to get some photo’s posted soon!
December 4th……..Alistair and Dad went on a fishing trip in the Bay of Islands, with Blue Sea Charters. We wanted to catch our Tea. Lucy and Rowena went to Russell, which is an historical town. In the 1840’s though, it was inhabited by criminals, vagabonds and drunkards (no not me!). It has since been cleaned up, because after the Waitangi Charter on 6th February 1840 (see later) the Maori’s asked the British to help them clean up NZ, and stop the exploitation of the country. Now it is another beautiful little coastal town in the ay of Islands.
Back to the fishing…..after motoring out of the bay for 45 minutes we reached a single rock which looks like a shark fin. We were given instructions to take up Rods, the bait was loaded, and off we went. We lowered our line into the water, and let it drop to the bottom. The weight was on the end of the line with the hook and bait about 6 inches up, so the plan is to let the weight drag on the floor, with the bait free going back and forward in the current. The bait was Pilchard…..I thought we were having these on toast!
Anyway, an American bloke from New York was the first to catch a Snapper after about 5 minutes. Alistair (what a star) was next with probably the biggest fish of the day…another Snapper about 34 cm long, weighing in about 4/5 lbs. I knew then that we would be having Snapper for tea!
Nothing really happened for the next ½ hour or so and we moved a couple of times, until we found this great spot, where we put the anchor down. I was next to an Australian Canadian from Adelaide who felt sorry for me, so when he got a bite he gave me his rod so I could pull it in. I did this and landed the next biggest of the day at 33 cm!! He had a nice rod, and braided line which helps you feel the bites easier than nylon lone. So I had now caught up with my son! After this I caught another couple, with Alistair none. We swapped rods, and the luck changed……we both started pulling in Fish! We both pulled in about 8 fish each, but could only keep about 6, because there is a legal length that the fish have to be (27cm long), and if they are not they have to be put back. What a day….between all of the crew we must have pulled in about 40-50 fish, mostly all Snapper! We got back to Pahia to a tumultuous reception from Lucy and Rowena, who then knew Snapper was for tea.
That afternoon we went to Waitangi, which was where the Treaty between the Maori Chiefs and the British Government was signed, giving sovereignty to the British. This happened on 6th February 1840, and the New Zealand Nation was shaped from then onwards. It is a lovely sight, where there is a house restored which is called the Treaty House (James Busby lived here in 1840) , there’s a Maori War Boat, and a Maori Meeting house. All of this is in beautiful grounds, and very interesting. Three flags fly here, the British Union Flag, the New Zealand Flag, and the Combined Maori Tribes Flag (the old NZ flag, which is still displayed on their naval ships).
That evening we went to a restaurant which agreed to cook our fish, which we had caught. So we had fresh Snapper with chips…luvly jubbly!
Tuesday 5th December…..I awoke with dreadful pains in my side…think I have a strain from all the pulling I’ve been doing (that’s pulling fish out of the sea!!). Lucy was very supportive and agreed to drive. We moved Whangarei, where because I was wounded couldn’t do much except wander aimlessly round the shops and bars!
Wednesday 6th Dec…. We left the campsite after the children’s lessons, and went in search of the WWOOF Shop. Not sure what the acronym means, but it is an organisation where you can find volunteer work on a Organic Farm. We found the place, and got our membership booklet to peruse later. We intend to do this type of work in Jan/Feb.
The children’s lessons have comprised of Maths, English, Science and generally the education of a travelling life. They have taken to it well, and they have an hour to two hours intense learning each day. They have only missed a couple of days, where we have had a trip.
We went to Parua Bay looking for Murray and Leslie’s pub, which we found on the main road. It’s a lovely tavern overlooks the bay, which is a gorgeous colour of aqua marine…we think?? The beer’s pretty good too!! A few beers were sampled by the non driver (Greg)!
Moving onto to Pataua Beach, we decided to stop and have some lunch. Without trying to be boring or to repeat ourselves, this is a lovely place. The car park (free) is next to a river which runs into the sea, and you can cross the bridge over the river and walk to the beach. Although there were some beach houses there, we were the only ones on the beach. We decided to stay at the Pataua Beach Campsite which is one of the best kept secrets it seems, as when we got there it was like a ghost site. It was spotlessly clean, but we couldn’t find anyone there. A little later we did find some other campers who also had not found anyone to book in with. Oh well, we took our site and stayed the night.
Thurs 7th Dec……After finding someone to pay for our nights camping, we used this as a travelling day. We drove down to Takepuna in Auckland. That night was spent catching up with the new James Bond…..Not sure yet!!
Fri 8th Dec…. Went to Devonport, where there are really some lovely second hand bookshops, then onto Auckland on the ferry. In the evening we met Trish Spooner at Sky City, who I used to work with at JPMorgan. She works for ASB now, in Auckland. We had a nice evening in the restaurant……..thanks to Trish and Alan for dinner and a lovely time.
Sat 9th….We went to Beach Haven to meet an old friend of Lucy’s Dad. Henry Candler comes from London, but has resided in NZ since about 1964. We had a nice couple of hours talking about mutual acquaintances and home. Thanks Henry!
We then drove to Thames in the Coromandel, where we found a nice campsite fro the night. Earlier we had to make our customary visit to the Warehouse, where everyone gets a bargain!
Sun 10th…We decided to go for a walk today, and managed a 5 hour struggle up from the Kauaeranga Valley DOC Car Park through dense forest paths to the Hydro Camp, and then back down again. It Took 2 hours for us to get up to the camp after the path wiggled it’s way up through the forest. It was a tough climb, but we were rewarded with lunch when we got there. The decision then was whether to continue up to the pinnacles for a further 2 hours there and back to this point…..it was a quick choice, we all said ‘No’! The walk up was strenuous, even for a fit fighting machine such as I, and we were all tired.
The walk down followed the Billy Goat trail and was 3 hours. Again it went up for quite a bit of it, then steep down for the last hour. Our joints were grumbling half way through, so it was a welcome site to see a stream to sooth our tired feet in. When we got back we had been walking for 5 hours, with hardly any stops. The children were fantastic, and didn’t really complain once! Are you listening Harry?
We parked in the Doc car park for the night, too tired to drive down the road! Just for info there are campsites everywhere with excellent facilities. They nearly all have a separate kitchen facility, which means you don’t have to use the gas in the van, and you can cook more conveniently. The most we have paid for a powered site is $46 which is about 15-18 pounds a night. Doc (Department of conservation) sites are about $28 for the four of us, but don’t have any kitchen or shower facilities generally.
The Doc car park we stayed in was free.
For camping NZ is brilliant, the campsites are fantastic and if you want a bit of luxury a lot of them have cabins for rent too. These are simple rooms with beds and TV’s, some with toilets, some without, costing a little more than camping…about double. It all promotes the outdoor life which is so evident here.
That’s all from me for this week….will try to get some photo’s posted soon!
posted by greg and lucy | 12:49 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Fordy,
Hope the trip is going well as you avoid the winter up here in the northern hem, although there is no snow here. Hope you enjoyed Xmas on the road and all the best for the new year. I haven't seen any comments from the JPM gang so I gather they must be working too hard, as usual, to take the time.
Keep on trucking.
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