Saturday was finally the day of Joss's birthday party after all the hard work put in to make the house and garden look good for it over the previous weeks. We still had lots to do in the morning though including preparing all the food and decorating the garden, but luckily we finished with time to spare and by the afternoon all his friends arrived and it was a huge success. We had a big water fight and spent lots of time in pool, and the kids had fun playing some of the party games I prepared, and the food went down really well which was a proper classic party buffet. I think we're going to be eating party food for the rest of the year though as there was a lot left over as we bought so much!
The following day we tidied up from the day before and when putting the rubbish out it created an absolute mountain of stuff! As it was such a nice day in the afternoon we took Joss in the pool, although the water level had gone down a little from the party from the kids jumping off the ledge into the pool! Later in the afternoon Joss went out his Dad for a couple of hours and as it was so nice we went back into the pool until he came back. In the evening we had a bbq as we had bought sausages and chicken wings for the party but as we had so much other food we didn't cook them so that made even more leftover party food to get through!
Monday was the start of the last week of school for Joss, all be it just a day and a half. He had a hospital appointment in Wellington in the morning however so we had to get there, through morning rush hour traffic, before dropping him off at school. After he came home from school we got all the Christmas decorations out and decorated the tree and house with all sorts of stuff! It feels weird having Christmas in summer again although their decorations did include a dancing santa in jandals and swim shorts! The following day was the last day of school before the Christmas holidays which are effectively the equivalent of the summer holidays in the UK. Joss only had a half day so he returned home about lunchtime. It was a pretty chilled out day all in all.
On the Wednesday we took Joss out to the swimming pool in Lower Hutt for the first time to check out there facilities, and it was actually really good. We went into the hydrotherapy pool which was a 33 degree pool designed for people with disabilities, and it was actually really relaxing. There was even an electronic bed to easily get Joss changed, and a ramp in and out which made access really easy. Liz was even on about getting in next time which is saying something! In the afternoon Joss went round his Dad's for dinner, so I took the opportunity to give Max a good walk up in the bush, heading up and over to Days Bay and back along the coast, stopping for an ice cream at the pavilion on the way. It will be more difficult to walk Max regularly now with Joss off school as Liza doesn't like me not being in the house when Joss is there in case there's an earthquake or something.
On Thursday we went to Queensgate as Liz hadn't had any chance to do Christmas shopping, so she bought Joss so he could help buy Liza a present and give her ideas of what he wanted. It was incredibly busy there though being so close Christmas, although the perks of having a disabled person meant we quickly got a park right next to the front door while everyone else struggled to get a park! Me and Joss did get bored after a while though going in several health and beauty shops, so we went and got an ice cream and even visited Santa while Liz was looking round. When we got home Joss wanted to go for a swim. For some reason his favourite place to swim is the pool in the back garden which is also the coldest one to swim in, especially when it's not sunny which was the case, but he still wanted to go in so we braved it!
Friday was a busy day as we had to try and incorporate entertaining Joss with doing all the housework. We managed it in the end, and in the afternoon even had time for another swim in the garden. Joss was round his Dad's for the weekend, returning home on Christmas day. His Dad even arrived early which gave me more free time in the evening. I just popped into Queensgate to look round, as well as preparing myself for the weekend with the plan being to do another walk in the Tararuas. It was incredibly busy again but I managed to buy everything I needed.
Monday, 25 December 2017
Monday, 18 December 2017
Eastbourne Week 14
My plan for the weekend was to do a tramp in the Tararuas, although with Joss staying the night at home this meant a slight change of plan as I couldn't really leave him alone. Luckily his Dad picked him up relatively early and he gave me a lift to the railway station so I wasn't really impacted too much. The Tararuas are a mountain range north of Wellington and there is an array of hiking opportunities available. I was originally planning to walk part of the Holdsworth Jumbo circuit, stay the night in Powell Hut, and then head into the Waiohine Valley the following day, leaving as early as possible to hitchhike to the car park at the base of Mount Holdsworth. Instead I caught the train into the Wairarapa and got off at Matarawa and went for my planned walk the opposite way round. It was funny getting off at Matarawa as it is a request stop and is literally in the middle of nowhere, the station basically a halt with a shed. I was the only one to get off.
From Matarawa to the car park at Waiohine Gorge was a fair but doable walk and I was half hoping to hitch a ride there although only two cars passed me and I was unsuccessful getting a ride. I got there in the end though and started my walk into the Tararuas, crossing a particularly long swingbridge over the gorge. The path followed the gorge above it crossing a few tributaries along the way which were pretty. I eventually made it to the Totara Flats where the gorge opened out to some grass flatlands and I followed the river to the Totara Flats hut. Just after the hut I crossed a pretty intense swingbridge which was essentially metal wires with a soft mesh to walk on. The crosswind as I crossed made it very wobbly!
The next part of the walk briefly followed a tributary of the Waiohine River before starting my ascent through the forest to join the Holdsworth Jumbo circuit. It was a long slog but I eventually reached a ridge line before continuing the long slog up to the junction where I met the circuit. From here it was nice and flat as I followed the ridge line along a more open stretch with views of Mount Holdsworth in front. I eventually reached the Mountain House Shelter which signalled the start of a very steep ascent towards Powell Hut. It was very hard work but I eventually made it to the hut. About 400m prior to the hut though the ascent left the forest and went into open tussocks which presented me with great views of the Wairarapa, but also incredibly strong winds so I was glad to reach shelter! The hut itself was pretty busy with probably about 30 people inside, predominantly families, so it was nice to speak to some like minded people.
Through the night it was incredibly windy and it even rained. It felt at times the hut was going to blow away as it was literally shaking! The weather in the morning wasn't great with the hut effectively in the clouds and it was a bit moist in the air. I decided to crack on pretty early though and I was the first to set off, heading up to the 1470m summit of Mount Holdsworth. The ascent was slightly interesting with incredibly strong winds making it very hard work staying on my feet but I made it. There were no views however due to the cloud. From Mount Holdsworth I had a choice between dropping back into the forest for cover or continuing along the open tussocks to the next peak, the 1405m summit Jumbo. I went for the latter and getting there was very challenging, especially crossing the ridge which had sheer drops both sides and a savage crosswind but I made it, just. The were occasional breaks in the clouds too so I got a few views along the way, all be it very briefly!
The descent from Jumbo to the Jumbo Hut was a bit easier as the wind was behind me instead of a difficult crosswind, and it was nice to reach the hut just to get out the wind for a bit. From the hut I was soon back into the cover of the forest and made a pretty steep descent down to the Atiwhakatu hut and stream, which also meant it became hot again. I followed the stream all the way out to the car park, which included several swingbridges on the way. Just before reaching the car park I did a short excursion up to this lookout of Mount Holdsworth and you could see how bad the cloud cover was on the top! From the car park I hitched a ride out to SH2, which from there I easily got a lift back into Petone, all be it with some religious family which was interesting. All in all though it was a good weekend and a real challenging hike which I enjoyed.
On Monday I discovered that the vomiting/diarrhea bug which Joss had was enjoyed by Liz and Liza over the weekend, so I had a lucky escape avoiding one of Joss's illness again! They were both hoping to do some work out in the garden over the weekend and were unable to, so I went out there for a couple of hours in the morning before it got too warm. When Joss got home from school he was much better then when he left, and we therefore went inside his pool for a bit while Liz did some painting. The following day there was no swimming as the school were going to the cinema in the morning. After school we did have conductive though and Joss apparently did really well in his walker.
On Wednesday I had to go into school in the morning with Joss and help out with this triathlon thing they were doing. As with a normal triathlon, the three disciplines were swimming, cycling, running and Joss was able to do the first two disciplines. Liza even came to watch although was absolutely fuming after he was effectively completely excluded from the rest of the year by doing his swim on his own whilst everyone else was cycling, so he had basically no one to cheer him on. After his bike ride we sat in the park and cheered his friends on in the run, before heading back in the afternoon to do some more work in the garden. I cleaned the front of the house whilst Liz and Liza painted over the odd little bits which needed doing on the deck. It will hopefully be looking good for Joss's birthday party at the weekend now!
Thursday was another really busy day, with the school having a day down the beach. In the morning however Joss had an appointment at conductive about getting a new walker. Liza has been fighting for funding for a long time now to get a hydraulic walker which would require no physical effort to get him in and out, hence meaning his teachers could use it at school, and could be used without my help. They basically wanted to see Joss walk in current walker and luckily he did so fingers crossed there one step closer to getting the funding. After conductive it was down the beach where we were able to try out this beach wheelchair we'd hired for the day, which was actually really good as it enabled Joss to go on the beach and it even floated in the sea with him in! I did take him in without too though as he does like normal swimming. It was a nice day and we even had lunch and played games at the pavilion.
When we got home from school we went straight out to the dog wash place to wash Max as he was getting very smelly, tieing it in with Joss's haircut appointment. Joss enjoyed helping wash Max and it tied in perfectly with getting his haircut after, something he doesn't like doing as he won't stay still. It was quite challenging too having Max with us as each time we got the wheelchair in and out he jumped out the car! And would only go back in when I carried him back in. Not long after we got back Joss's Dad arrived to pick him up for the night, so I decided to pop into Petone for the evening. Friday was another busy day getting ready for the birthday party the following day, spending much of the day when Joss was at school doing the housework, as well as popping into Wellington to return the beach wheelchair. We only just about got back before Joss's taxi arrived! We then spent much of the rest of the day preparing food for the party and sorting out a few odd little bits in the garden.
From Matarawa to the car park at Waiohine Gorge was a fair but doable walk and I was half hoping to hitch a ride there although only two cars passed me and I was unsuccessful getting a ride. I got there in the end though and started my walk into the Tararuas, crossing a particularly long swingbridge over the gorge. The path followed the gorge above it crossing a few tributaries along the way which were pretty. I eventually made it to the Totara Flats where the gorge opened out to some grass flatlands and I followed the river to the Totara Flats hut. Just after the hut I crossed a pretty intense swingbridge which was essentially metal wires with a soft mesh to walk on. The crosswind as I crossed made it very wobbly!
The next part of the walk briefly followed a tributary of the Waiohine River before starting my ascent through the forest to join the Holdsworth Jumbo circuit. It was a long slog but I eventually reached a ridge line before continuing the long slog up to the junction where I met the circuit. From here it was nice and flat as I followed the ridge line along a more open stretch with views of Mount Holdsworth in front. I eventually reached the Mountain House Shelter which signalled the start of a very steep ascent towards Powell Hut. It was very hard work but I eventually made it to the hut. About 400m prior to the hut though the ascent left the forest and went into open tussocks which presented me with great views of the Wairarapa, but also incredibly strong winds so I was glad to reach shelter! The hut itself was pretty busy with probably about 30 people inside, predominantly families, so it was nice to speak to some like minded people.
Through the night it was incredibly windy and it even rained. It felt at times the hut was going to blow away as it was literally shaking! The weather in the morning wasn't great with the hut effectively in the clouds and it was a bit moist in the air. I decided to crack on pretty early though and I was the first to set off, heading up to the 1470m summit of Mount Holdsworth. The ascent was slightly interesting with incredibly strong winds making it very hard work staying on my feet but I made it. There were no views however due to the cloud. From Mount Holdsworth I had a choice between dropping back into the forest for cover or continuing along the open tussocks to the next peak, the 1405m summit Jumbo. I went for the latter and getting there was very challenging, especially crossing the ridge which had sheer drops both sides and a savage crosswind but I made it, just. The were occasional breaks in the clouds too so I got a few views along the way, all be it very briefly!
The descent from Jumbo to the Jumbo Hut was a bit easier as the wind was behind me instead of a difficult crosswind, and it was nice to reach the hut just to get out the wind for a bit. From the hut I was soon back into the cover of the forest and made a pretty steep descent down to the Atiwhakatu hut and stream, which also meant it became hot again. I followed the stream all the way out to the car park, which included several swingbridges on the way. Just before reaching the car park I did a short excursion up to this lookout of Mount Holdsworth and you could see how bad the cloud cover was on the top! From the car park I hitched a ride out to SH2, which from there I easily got a lift back into Petone, all be it with some religious family which was interesting. All in all though it was a good weekend and a real challenging hike which I enjoyed.
On Monday I discovered that the vomiting/diarrhea bug which Joss had was enjoyed by Liz and Liza over the weekend, so I had a lucky escape avoiding one of Joss's illness again! They were both hoping to do some work out in the garden over the weekend and were unable to, so I went out there for a couple of hours in the morning before it got too warm. When Joss got home from school he was much better then when he left, and we therefore went inside his pool for a bit while Liz did some painting. The following day there was no swimming as the school were going to the cinema in the morning. After school we did have conductive though and Joss apparently did really well in his walker.
On Wednesday I had to go into school in the morning with Joss and help out with this triathlon thing they were doing. As with a normal triathlon, the three disciplines were swimming, cycling, running and Joss was able to do the first two disciplines. Liza even came to watch although was absolutely fuming after he was effectively completely excluded from the rest of the year by doing his swim on his own whilst everyone else was cycling, so he had basically no one to cheer him on. After his bike ride we sat in the park and cheered his friends on in the run, before heading back in the afternoon to do some more work in the garden. I cleaned the front of the house whilst Liz and Liza painted over the odd little bits which needed doing on the deck. It will hopefully be looking good for Joss's birthday party at the weekend now!
Thursday was another really busy day, with the school having a day down the beach. In the morning however Joss had an appointment at conductive about getting a new walker. Liza has been fighting for funding for a long time now to get a hydraulic walker which would require no physical effort to get him in and out, hence meaning his teachers could use it at school, and could be used without my help. They basically wanted to see Joss walk in current walker and luckily he did so fingers crossed there one step closer to getting the funding. After conductive it was down the beach where we were able to try out this beach wheelchair we'd hired for the day, which was actually really good as it enabled Joss to go on the beach and it even floated in the sea with him in! I did take him in without too though as he does like normal swimming. It was a nice day and we even had lunch and played games at the pavilion.
When we got home from school we went straight out to the dog wash place to wash Max as he was getting very smelly, tieing it in with Joss's haircut appointment. Joss enjoyed helping wash Max and it tied in perfectly with getting his haircut after, something he doesn't like doing as he won't stay still. It was quite challenging too having Max with us as each time we got the wheelchair in and out he jumped out the car! And would only go back in when I carried him back in. Not long after we got back Joss's Dad arrived to pick him up for the night, so I decided to pop into Petone for the evening. Friday was another busy day getting ready for the birthday party the following day, spending much of the day when Joss was at school doing the housework, as well as popping into Wellington to return the beach wheelchair. We only just about got back before Joss's taxi arrived! We then spent much of the rest of the day preparing food for the party and sorting out a few odd little bits in the garden.
Monday, 11 December 2017
Eastbourne Week 13
The weekend was another scorching one for weather with the area going well and truly brown now. There's even apparently going to be a hosepipe ban if it doesn't rain soon as the sun is really intense. We therefore went to the market in the morning before it got too hot before heading back home. After lunch we went outside and set about assembling Joss's swimming pool as we thought if there is going to be a hosepipe ban it's best to fill it before that happens. As the pool was particularly big his Dad and partner came round to help us and we soon assembled it. After it was up we went left the hosepipe to fill it up and went back inside to do some baking, as well as preparing stuff for a bbq for dinner. The pool took a fair few hours to fill but it got there in the end, all be it deeper one end than the other because of the slope of the garden.
The following day we had a more relaxing morning as Joss went out with his Dad to see the wonky donkey. After lunch we headed out to Silverstream which is home to a small railway line. There was basically an event which meant they were running a diesel locomotive and a steam train along the track, as well as a museum you could look around with old trains inside. The place was not very wheelchair friendly and it was hard work getting Joss to the platform along what was a gravel path on a gradual incline but I got him there. We then managed to arrange to get him onto the train for a ride, where he was allowed to even drive the diesel locomotive with the driver! He didn't drive the steam train though as that would have been slightly more dirty! After grabbing an ice cream we headed back home where we tried out the swimming pool for the first time. Joss enjoyed playing on his inflatables although the water was slightly fresh!
Monday was back to school although whilst Joss was at school we went out to Mitre 10 to grab some things for the garden for the deck so we could carry on painting it. By the time we came back and had lunch there wasn't long until Joss came from school so I couldn't really get much done, and when Joss did return he didn't want to go outside so I stayed inside and entertained him whilst they stayed outside and did some painting. In the evening there was a carol service in Eastbourne although Joss didn't want to go but was forced to go in the end which he was not happy about. Liz and his Dad went whilst I stayed and helped Liza in the garden. With peace for a couple of hours we managed to get a fair bit done.
Tuesday morning was swimming once again, although the small pool was closed to be cleaned which meant we weren't sure if Joss could go or not. In the end I thought I would tryJoss in the big pool and it was actually probably easier as it had steps in and out which meant I could get him in and out by myself, unlike the the a small pool which takes 2 people getting him and out as it has a ladder and ledge. The only difference was it was slightly deeper in the big pool. During the day it was nice to relax for a couple of hours, and after school Joss didn't go to conductive as they had a meeting there about getting him a better walker in terms of lifting him in and out and they felt it would be better if he stayed at home. We therefore baked a Christmas cake which he enjoyed!
The following day was sailing once again and it was a relatively windy day which meant the boats were going nice and quickly. After sailing I planned to quickly fill in the holes Max had dug, although before I could finish several police cars turned up outside the house. We soon found out there was a robbery at one of the houses in York Bay and the police had supposedly cornered the suspects. Instead they escaped into the bush behind the house which resulted in police dogs being deployed to find them! With Joss round his Dad's after school for dinner I was going to pop out although I decided to stay inside in the end under police advice as they had deployed police cars along a few of the bays to try and intercept them. They managed to escape in the end!
The following day the people who escaped were caught as the police knew their identities and arrested them at their house, so they were pretty dumb. Apparently the persons house they attempted to rob was one of the robbers ex wives and they luckily managed to unsuccessfully steal anything, leaving behind just a smashed in window through their escape. Away from that Thursday morning was swimming once again, and I took Joss in the big pool again which he enjoyed. It's nicer for him being in that one as he's with all his classmates then instead of the early years children. When Joss came from school he wasn't feeling very well, and started vomiting which wasn't pleasant.
The following day we didn't send Joss to school after the previous day, and he apparently had a restless night. Luckily he had stopped vomiting but he did have diarrhoea which meant lots of nappy changes throughout the day. By the afternoon everything was under control though. With Joss at home all day I couldn't really do all the housework, and he would have also gone swimming in the morning too which he obviously couldn't so it actually gave me a pretty chilled out day. We even baked some cookies. In the afternoon he was meant to go round his Dad's for the weekend although Liza and his Dad decided it was best for him to stay at home for the night so his Dad came round at his usual pick up time and stayed round with him and put him to bed as Liza was out.
The following day we had a more relaxing morning as Joss went out with his Dad to see the wonky donkey. After lunch we headed out to Silverstream which is home to a small railway line. There was basically an event which meant they were running a diesel locomotive and a steam train along the track, as well as a museum you could look around with old trains inside. The place was not very wheelchair friendly and it was hard work getting Joss to the platform along what was a gravel path on a gradual incline but I got him there. We then managed to arrange to get him onto the train for a ride, where he was allowed to even drive the diesel locomotive with the driver! He didn't drive the steam train though as that would have been slightly more dirty! After grabbing an ice cream we headed back home where we tried out the swimming pool for the first time. Joss enjoyed playing on his inflatables although the water was slightly fresh!
Monday was back to school although whilst Joss was at school we went out to Mitre 10 to grab some things for the garden for the deck so we could carry on painting it. By the time we came back and had lunch there wasn't long until Joss came from school so I couldn't really get much done, and when Joss did return he didn't want to go outside so I stayed inside and entertained him whilst they stayed outside and did some painting. In the evening there was a carol service in Eastbourne although Joss didn't want to go but was forced to go in the end which he was not happy about. Liz and his Dad went whilst I stayed and helped Liza in the garden. With peace for a couple of hours we managed to get a fair bit done.
Tuesday morning was swimming once again, although the small pool was closed to be cleaned which meant we weren't sure if Joss could go or not. In the end I thought I would tryJoss in the big pool and it was actually probably easier as it had steps in and out which meant I could get him in and out by myself, unlike the the a small pool which takes 2 people getting him and out as it has a ladder and ledge. The only difference was it was slightly deeper in the big pool. During the day it was nice to relax for a couple of hours, and after school Joss didn't go to conductive as they had a meeting there about getting him a better walker in terms of lifting him in and out and they felt it would be better if he stayed at home. We therefore baked a Christmas cake which he enjoyed!
The following day was sailing once again and it was a relatively windy day which meant the boats were going nice and quickly. After sailing I planned to quickly fill in the holes Max had dug, although before I could finish several police cars turned up outside the house. We soon found out there was a robbery at one of the houses in York Bay and the police had supposedly cornered the suspects. Instead they escaped into the bush behind the house which resulted in police dogs being deployed to find them! With Joss round his Dad's after school for dinner I was going to pop out although I decided to stay inside in the end under police advice as they had deployed police cars along a few of the bays to try and intercept them. They managed to escape in the end!
The following day the people who escaped were caught as the police knew their identities and arrested them at their house, so they were pretty dumb. Apparently the persons house they attempted to rob was one of the robbers ex wives and they luckily managed to unsuccessfully steal anything, leaving behind just a smashed in window through their escape. Away from that Thursday morning was swimming once again, and I took Joss in the big pool again which he enjoyed. It's nicer for him being in that one as he's with all his classmates then instead of the early years children. When Joss came from school he wasn't feeling very well, and started vomiting which wasn't pleasant.
The following day we didn't send Joss to school after the previous day, and he apparently had a restless night. Luckily he had stopped vomiting but he did have diarrhoea which meant lots of nappy changes throughout the day. By the afternoon everything was under control though. With Joss at home all day I couldn't really do all the housework, and he would have also gone swimming in the morning too which he obviously couldn't so it actually gave me a pretty chilled out day. We even baked some cookies. In the afternoon he was meant to go round his Dad's for the weekend although Liza and his Dad decided it was best for him to stay at home for the night so his Dad came round at his usual pick up time and stayed round with him and put him to bed as Liza was out.
Monday, 4 December 2017
Eastbourne Week 12
Everything this weekend in theory returned to normal with Joss and the arrangements with staying round his Dad's, hence giving me the weekend off. With the Christmas holidays fast approaching though which are essentially the same as the summer holidays in the UK it wouldn't surprise me if that changes! The weather forecast for the weekend wasn't ideal however with cloud forecasted for the Saturday and showers on the Sunday, so I wasn't sure what to do. I ruled out any overnight hikes in the Tararuas or Rimutakas which I'd been considering as bad weather and wilderness aren't a good combination, in the end opting to go over to Wairarapa once again, this time to Castlepoint.
Castlepoint is located on the Wairarapa’s east coast, about 68 kilometres from Masterton. The area is essentially a fossil rich limestone reef dominated by the 162-metre high Castle Rock. To get there I caught the train to Masterton from Wellington which as before was one of only two trains the whole day. From Masterton I then hitched a ride to Castlepoint which was slightly more challenging than I expected but I got there in the end. When there I did a walk up to the summit of Castle Rock, following the inland route which gave great views of the lagoon and lighthouse. At the top I took in the views which included views the other side towards Christmas Bay and south, before dropping down to Deliverance Bay and along the beach by the lagoon. I wanted to go onto the island at the far end of the lagoon but I decided not to risk it in the end as the waves were quite strong and I would have needed a leap of faith between the waves to get across.
Once at the bottom I went over towards the lighthouse which is an iconic New Zealand landmark which I've seen many pictures of! I explored the fascinating rock formations here and fossil rich limestone rocks before going up to the lighthouse itself. From here I headed back down to the bottom and hitched a ride back into Masterton. I was originally considering breaking the journey and stopping in Tinui to do a walk to this cross on top of a hill, famous for being the location of the first Anzac service although it was getting late so I opted against it. I instead got out at Henley Lake in Masterton which was a pleasant lake full of birdlife, before heading into the Queen Elizabeth Park which included a deer area and swingbridge! When I finally made it back into Masterton town I had a little look round the town before grabbing some dinner.
The following day I was unsure what to do with a dodgy weather forecast, so I decided I would have a more chilled out day exploring some of the towns in the Wairarapa along SH2. After breakfast I left Masterton and hitched a ride to Carterton which I had a little look around, although there wasn't really anything exciting to see. Carterton is perhaps most famous for its modern replica of stonehenge although it was shut when I was there so I couldn't visit. I therefore hitched a ride to the next town along, Greytown. Greytown is perhaps the most touristy town in the Wairarapa along with Martinborough with it being home to many cafes and boutique style shops making it a popular place to visit for people from Wellington. I decided I would go for a walk here as there happened to be a geocaching circuit which looked good. The walk took me from Greytown to Woodside along the old railway line which was interesting, before following the river back into Greytown. There were some really original geocaches en route.
After finishing the walk I explored Greytown itself which had several interesting shops, and I even went into this popular chocolate shop to try some chocolate which was nice. Next stop after Greytown was Featherston which I visited the week before. I had another little walk round before continuing south over the Rimutakas, stopping at the summit of the mountain pass which was home to a viewpoint and a couple of walks. At 555m, there was a walk up to the summit of Rimutaka at 725m so not much to climb so I thought I'd do that. It was unfortunately a bit overcast up top which was a shame as apparently you can see right out over the Wairarapa on a clear day. From the summit I hitched a ride back into the Hutt to get back to York Bay. It was actually a really good day and I found 46 geocaches in the process!
On Monday I was able to have a much needed lie in with Joss round his Dad's, although Liza decided she would have the day off work so we could start painting the deck outside. We used this special deck cleaner at first before Liza painted the deck with a special deck painting thing whilst I painted the edges and tricky places to get to. Joss even came outside to help when he got home from school and when it was finished it looked good although it will need a second coat at some point. I was a bit unsure how it would come out as she wanted it black but it actually worked and hid all the imperfections very well. We even had a bbq in the evening so it was a good day.
The following day was another busy day with swimming in the morning, and conductive in the afternoon. Joss even apparently walked across the school field and back at conductive so he did a lot of exercise throughout the day, it's just annoying he won't use the walker properly at home! On the Wednesday we had sailing although it was a very still day so it wasn't ideal conditions. In the afternoon I thought I'd go and pop over and see Melva as Joss was round his Dad's for the night. It was as ever awful public transport, with the bus drivers on strike until 2pm and then the stupid timetabling where the Hutt Valley line train pulls into Wellington as the Kapiti line train pulls out meaning you have to wait half hour for the next one. There were also rail replacement buses on the Kapiti line on the way back so not the greatest journey. It was nice to catch up though.
Thursday was swimming once again in the morning, and I was also treated with a decent kick off for once for the Southampton game so I was able to listen to the first half and got back in time for the last 10 minutes. Joss was round his Dad's for the night so after school he only came home for a couple of hours so it was a pretty chilled out day. The following day was a busy day however as the school put on an additional swimming session last minute again in the morning, which included an audience as Liza and some healthcare officials came to watch to see how he was doing. This did mean I started housework later than usual which meant by the time I finished everything Joss had come home from school. We did have the weekend with him though so we had a bbq in the evening.
Castlepoint is located on the Wairarapa’s east coast, about 68 kilometres from Masterton. The area is essentially a fossil rich limestone reef dominated by the 162-metre high Castle Rock. To get there I caught the train to Masterton from Wellington which as before was one of only two trains the whole day. From Masterton I then hitched a ride to Castlepoint which was slightly more challenging than I expected but I got there in the end. When there I did a walk up to the summit of Castle Rock, following the inland route which gave great views of the lagoon and lighthouse. At the top I took in the views which included views the other side towards Christmas Bay and south, before dropping down to Deliverance Bay and along the beach by the lagoon. I wanted to go onto the island at the far end of the lagoon but I decided not to risk it in the end as the waves were quite strong and I would have needed a leap of faith between the waves to get across.
Once at the bottom I went over towards the lighthouse which is an iconic New Zealand landmark which I've seen many pictures of! I explored the fascinating rock formations here and fossil rich limestone rocks before going up to the lighthouse itself. From here I headed back down to the bottom and hitched a ride back into Masterton. I was originally considering breaking the journey and stopping in Tinui to do a walk to this cross on top of a hill, famous for being the location of the first Anzac service although it was getting late so I opted against it. I instead got out at Henley Lake in Masterton which was a pleasant lake full of birdlife, before heading into the Queen Elizabeth Park which included a deer area and swingbridge! When I finally made it back into Masterton town I had a little look round the town before grabbing some dinner.
The following day I was unsure what to do with a dodgy weather forecast, so I decided I would have a more chilled out day exploring some of the towns in the Wairarapa along SH2. After breakfast I left Masterton and hitched a ride to Carterton which I had a little look around, although there wasn't really anything exciting to see. Carterton is perhaps most famous for its modern replica of stonehenge although it was shut when I was there so I couldn't visit. I therefore hitched a ride to the next town along, Greytown. Greytown is perhaps the most touristy town in the Wairarapa along with Martinborough with it being home to many cafes and boutique style shops making it a popular place to visit for people from Wellington. I decided I would go for a walk here as there happened to be a geocaching circuit which looked good. The walk took me from Greytown to Woodside along the old railway line which was interesting, before following the river back into Greytown. There were some really original geocaches en route.
After finishing the walk I explored Greytown itself which had several interesting shops, and I even went into this popular chocolate shop to try some chocolate which was nice. Next stop after Greytown was Featherston which I visited the week before. I had another little walk round before continuing south over the Rimutakas, stopping at the summit of the mountain pass which was home to a viewpoint and a couple of walks. At 555m, there was a walk up to the summit of Rimutaka at 725m so not much to climb so I thought I'd do that. It was unfortunately a bit overcast up top which was a shame as apparently you can see right out over the Wairarapa on a clear day. From the summit I hitched a ride back into the Hutt to get back to York Bay. It was actually a really good day and I found 46 geocaches in the process!
On Monday I was able to have a much needed lie in with Joss round his Dad's, although Liza decided she would have the day off work so we could start painting the deck outside. We used this special deck cleaner at first before Liza painted the deck with a special deck painting thing whilst I painted the edges and tricky places to get to. Joss even came outside to help when he got home from school and when it was finished it looked good although it will need a second coat at some point. I was a bit unsure how it would come out as she wanted it black but it actually worked and hid all the imperfections very well. We even had a bbq in the evening so it was a good day.
The following day was another busy day with swimming in the morning, and conductive in the afternoon. Joss even apparently walked across the school field and back at conductive so he did a lot of exercise throughout the day, it's just annoying he won't use the walker properly at home! On the Wednesday we had sailing although it was a very still day so it wasn't ideal conditions. In the afternoon I thought I'd go and pop over and see Melva as Joss was round his Dad's for the night. It was as ever awful public transport, with the bus drivers on strike until 2pm and then the stupid timetabling where the Hutt Valley line train pulls into Wellington as the Kapiti line train pulls out meaning you have to wait half hour for the next one. There were also rail replacement buses on the Kapiti line on the way back so not the greatest journey. It was nice to catch up though.
Thursday was swimming once again in the morning, and I was also treated with a decent kick off for once for the Southampton game so I was able to listen to the first half and got back in time for the last 10 minutes. Joss was round his Dad's for the night so after school he only came home for a couple of hours so it was a pretty chilled out day. The following day was a busy day however as the school put on an additional swimming session last minute again in the morning, which included an audience as Liza and some healthcare officials came to watch to see how he was doing. This did mean I started housework later than usual which meant by the time I finished everything Joss had come home from school. We did have the weekend with him though so we had a bbq in the evening.
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