Hooroo 2022 and welcome 2023

At this time of the year we sit back for a moment and reflect on the year that was. We started the year with our usual stint at Shakespear, the summer weather wasn’t great with terrible storms and flooding around the country. It’s hard to remember but did we have a Covid lockdown or not? I don’t know, it all seems to run into one.

The year was a reasonable one health wise. It seems once you get to a certain age everything seems to wear out, break or need repair of some kind but we feel fortunate to come through the year with just a few repairs! Let’s hope the good health news continues.

The big news for us this year was the wonderful five and half months we spent in the UK, and looking back at our trip away we did quite a bit.

We arrived in the UK in time for the Queens Jubilee celebrations and were there for her death and subsequent mourning and funeral. The Brits certainly know how to do pomp & ceremony with lots of dignity. We also saw three Prime Ministers have a go at being politicians, Putin started a war in Ukraine, fuel prices went through the roof and general economic mayhem ensued. It wasn’t all bad news though, in our own little bubble we had an enormous amount of fun, met lots of amazingly generous people, oh and we had a few memorable trips out and about as well as a few good meals out. There was the spectacle of the Commonwealth games and in general, women’s sports teams showed us how to win – the English women’s football and the NZ Black Ferns to name but two teams at the top of their game.

We were ever so sorry to leave the family in the UK to return back to NZ but then again we wanted to return to our home on wheels, and we missed Antony, Simon and Jason too.

So now we are back to where the year began, back at Shakespear where again the weather has played it’s part with parts of the campground still out of bounds due to boggy ground but everyone is making the best of what there is available.

We are looking forward to February when the UK contingent arrive, we haven’t made too many plans for next year as yet, but you know how we like to wing it !!

We cherish our friends and family and it has been such a lovely year to catch up with many of you. Happy New Year to you all x

Christmas 2022

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Christmas tree is decorated, as well the grass around our van has been mown.

The pohutakawa trees in front and behind the van are out in bloom – yes, we have had ONE blue sky day!!! (This photo was taken before the grass got a haircut).

This is the view out of our bedroom window

We had a family gathering a week before Christmas at Sarah & Shaun’s new house. It was so lovely to catch up with this side of the family again, and my how the children (great nieces and nephews) have grown, they are all so lovely and get on really well together. The weather was doing its usual thing, raining, but this didn’t stop the young ones having a great time in the new swimming pool.

That’s my brother Steve on the right next to Roy and Antony, Steve’s wife Leslie at the left end of the settee, the rest are their three daughters their husbands and their children.

The food was fabulous as usual and the days frivolities stretched out over the afternoon into the evening before it was time for us to head back home.

We wish you and your loved ones all the best of the festive season from us both and here’s to a great year ahead x.

Return to Shakespear

We left Uretiti before 9am, I know, an early start for this usually late riser but we had packed most things away the previous day and so it was just breakfast then a quick tidy, hook up the car and we were off.

We had a good run down through the never ending lines of road cones, there are road works everywhere!

Road cones

More cones

Just a slight diversion to Dairy Flat to fill with LPG. We have a large inbuilt tank so we need to find petrol stations that have auto LPG and we know that there is an easily accessible one at Dairy Flat. But there was a slight glitch, it seemed that they had run out of LPG but we were told that delivery would be before lunchtime so if we were happy to wait we could park up at the back of the garage. After waiting for what seemed like hours, Roy went back into the garage to ask if there was any news on when delivery would take place, just a minute said the other attendant, let me check the tank. She came back and said, there’s plenty in there, come back round and we will try again. Guess what? it worked this time so with tank filled we were on our way.

We rolled into the park and we’re warmly greeted by staff, and we are told it’s perfect timing as our favourite spot is vacant plus tomorrow evening is the volunteer park BBQ.

We were soon parked up, fortunately they rain held off until we were settled but it soon started to rain, and rain and rain some more. It seems as though there has been very little respite from the damp conditions.

Raining again, fortunately the pukekos don’t seems to mind.

Over the winter months the toilet block has been seriously upgraded and rebuilt.

Toilet block

Tiled interior

We wake each morning to the dawn chorus of the tuis although I am not sure why the6 call it the dawn chorus as they start at 3.30am and by the time dawn does break the rest of the birds have joined in. Not that I am complaining, it’s a lovely comforting sound to be woken to.

The swans are back with this years brood

Other bird life is prolific and we were delighted to see that Jonathon is still here. I have written about this seagull previously, you can read about him here.

Jonathan is back!

Our first week back was filled with school groups in camp, for many of the schools this is the first camp that they have had for a couple of years so it was all rather new and exciting for many of the children.

Learning how to put up their tents.

Schools came and went, some cancelled as the weather was appalling, other campers came and went. But the overriding effect on everyone has been the constant rain, over half the camp is already roped off due to very wet and boggy ground, and we have had to rope off another couple of smaller areas as people got stuck.

As the time creeps closer to Christmas the rain hasn’t stopped, the grounds are sodden, camping conditions aren’t good, lots of people are cancelling their bookings and at the moment it’s going to take a long time for the ground to dry out. Measures are in place to try and ensure that those who do want to continue with their plans can do so,so long as they come prepared. Let’s hope that summer will arrive soon.

Creatures of habit

It seems we are somewhat creatures of habit, looking back over the years we seem to have returned to Uretiti around this time of the year making the most of a bit of downtime before we head to Shakespear for the summer. However, this year it seems as though NZ has had a very wet winter and spring and as a result the ground is waterlogged with mini lakes forming all throughout low points at the DOC camp site.

Lakeside views anyone?

There’s a road under there somewhere

And another part of the road covered in water

The managers, Steve & Adrien have had the pumps running all day everyday to try and drain the water, however no sooner do they make some headway then the heavens open with another deluge.

The view from the bedroom window

Parked in our favourite spot hidden from view…on a sunny day!

This is the view from the bedroom window. After pumping water out for the day, the road is now clear….until the next rainfall.

Garry came up to join us for a week which meant we could venture out to do some fishing together.

No too many others on the beach

Good sized fish were caught

Fish chilling time

It wasn’t all fishing though as a couple of days I accompanied Garry on his forays down to Auckland. He had chores to attend to and shopping to get done, they were both very successful trips however the traffic on the motorway left us both happy that we don’t have to deal with that very often.

Garry proved to be a very prolific fisherman reversing the scoring tally from previous years when Roy topped the score sheet, just as well Garry is the sharing kind otherwise our freezer would not be looking as full as it is. And I won’t embarrass Roy here with publishing the tally 😜.

We visited Gary & Marg at One Tree Point to catch up with them. Along the way to visit them I finally took the opportunity to take a photo of the speed signs on the way into Ruakaka.

Can you read the speed signs? which one shall we take notice of?

How about now? Is that easier to read?

I don’t know what else I can say, except that this is not the only place along this road that many different speed signs occur.

Jim called in to visit on his way heading down the country and it was good to catch up with his news.

Roy and Jim

We seemed to have only the odd few hours, sometimes a day, without any rain and we really felt for the camp managers who were desperately trying to pump out all the water.

Top picture after the rain, bottom picture after pumping out water for a day.

After two weeks relaxing at Uretiti and with no let up in the rain forecast we decided it was time to leave. Hopefully summer will arrive shortly.

We say adieu, au revoir, see ya later Uretiti, we will be back.

Another dance around the sun

I’ve had another birthday, actually it was a couple of weeks ago but I’m catching up on blogs, honestly, I am!! As well, I’m creeping ever closer to being able to become one of that elite group of people…..a pensioner. Now that will be something to celebrate.

It just so happens that our friend Mark shares his birthday with me, although I do have to mention that he is a decade older, this year he and Glynis were hosting a Xmas drinks and birthday celebration on their boat that they live aboard at Marsden Cove and we were invited to join in.

I offered to make a birthday cake for the two of us, well, I have to ensure that my new oven bakes cakes properly and what better way to test it out than with a cake. However, in my usual style I neglected to take a single photo of the said cake or of the celebrations but fortunately Glynis did so I gleaned the following photos from her.

Sitting upstairs enjoying food wine and good company before the rain came.

Deep in conversation

We moved downstairs to the main cabin to escape the rain….the strange colour is as a result of the ever changing overhead coloured lights.

Outside the main cabin was another covered seating area where people could relax

Singing happy birthday to each other!

Mark portioning out the cake, and damned delicious it was too.

It was a lovely afternoon where we enjoyed meeting lots of new people, interesting conversations and of course good food to accompany the liquid refreshments.

As we left the afternoons festivities I did remember to take one picture, the reflections on the still waters in the Marina. Mark & Glynis’ boat Radiance is about half way down on the left or should that be port side!

Another full on and wonderful year, we are really looking forward to the next.

Te Arai

We left Auckland and headed northwards for a week or two before we get back into the groove at Shakespear for the summer. We decided to head to Te Arai, another one of the Auckland Regional Parks just south of Mangawhai.

The days drive, but of course it took us much longer than what Mr Google says.

The last few kms to Te Arai are on gravel road, which is usually not a bother for us but this road is probably the worst road we have ever been on, potholes like we’ve never seen before and in between corrugations that shook us to the bone. I think the last 10kms took us at least 30minutes. But once we got there, we relished the fact that we were once again by the sea.

Aaah, the view from the bedroom window. It’s so nice to be back by the sea.

Another view from the bedroom window

The path to the beach

A panoramic view of the beach

We settled ourselves in and relaxed for the rest of the day being entertained by the large number of surfers trying their luck in the rolling surf. The following day Garry came down to have a fish with us, as he lives not too far away on the outskirts of Mangawhai.

Roy and Garry contemplating the intricacies of fishing

Deep in conversation

My view, watching the rod!

Setting out the line

A couple of fish were caught but so was a lot of weed, so much so that after a couple of days we decided to hightail it out of there and head further north. On our last evening at Te Arai we could not believe the number of vans trying to get into the parking area, we have never seen it this popular before. On speaking to the others we discovered that most of them were German tourists. Ahhh, that makes sense of course, we’ve had two summers without tourists and they are now back to experience a kiwi holiday.

Our last night, when it seemed everyone wanted to be here….we’ve never seen it so busy here.

Off to try our luck further north, but where is summer? Hopefully it will turn up soon.