On Saturday morning I woke up bright and early after my night camping on the beach on the Westshore in Napier. It was a very warm night, so I didn't sleep very well but I did get a sunrise in the morning so it wasn't all bad. It wasn't long however before the sun warmed things up a notch and it got unbearably hot and humid. After packing up I walked back into Napier, following the coast through Ahuriri and past the port back into the centre. Once at the centre I had a good walk round the city, famous for its art deco buildings and it was actually a really nice place with palm trees lining the streets, and lots of murals and activity all over the place.
After exploring Napier my plan was to go over to Cape Kidnappers to do the walk to see the cliffs and gannet colony. I however had to time it right so that I went around low tide which was at about 3pm. The walk isn't accessible at high tide and they recommend you only do it 3 hours either side of low tide, so effectively a 6 hour window. I therefore decided to walk from Napier to Clive which initially followed the promenade before going through some wetlands and over the river. It was a pleasant walk although the sun was getting more and more intense! When arriving in Clive I hitched a ride over to the start of the track to Cape Kidnappers.
The path to Cape Kidnappers effectively followed the beach at the base of the cliffs, before climbing up to the top of the cliffs at the end to see the gannet colony. You could see why the walk wasn't accessible at high tide as the sea would crash against the cliffs, so mistiming the tides would be a problem. There were several quad bikes and 4wd vehicles driving along the beach as well as many walkers so it was quite busy walk. The beach was accessible the majority of the way except for a section towards the end which required some paddling to get round and over some rocks. When reaching the gannet colony it was very impressive as the chicks had recently hatched so there were a lot of gannets! The cliffs along the way were dramatic too, in particular the white cliffs at the end. It was a really nice walk and I returned without getting stranded!
From Cape Kidnappers I hitched a ride into Havelock North where I picked up some dinner and had a quick look round. It was a nice little place, with some very modern buildings. From there I headed up to Te Mata Peak to watch the sunset which was a little disappointing but still worth going up for. This local guy drove me up there who was a keen photographer who has often watched the sunrises and sunrises up top so he showed me loads of his photography which was interesting. The views up top were pretty special with the entire Hawkes Bay visible as far as the Mahia Peninsula, as well as the rolling hills inland. There was also a birds eye view of Napier, Hastings, and Havelock North, which was particularly interesting when it got dark to see the skylines lit up. I decided to camp up the top although I did had to be discreet as I wasn't meant to camp up there.
In the morning I was treated to a sunrise which was impressive with the sky being so clear. The clear sky also meant the stars and milky way were particularly visible in the night. After taking in the views one last time I headed down off the peak towards Maraetotara Falls which took me a couple of hours initially following farmland before following this quiet road to the entrance. Prior to arriving at the falls I followed this stream which before long took me to the waterfall itself. I managed to get a couple of good vantage points to see the falls before getting in the water for a swim which was much needed and refreshing!
After leaving the falls I hitched a ride into Hastings where I checked out the town which was another pretty place. When trying to hitch a ride out of Hastings however some random woman was worried about my welfare being out in the sun, which was once again very intense, and offered me food and drink. I hesitantly agreed, as with respect I was slightly sunburnt, and ended up at some baptism ceremony at this school. After watching this kid get baptised in the swimming pool and being offered countless fluids, I went for a swim in the pool. After cooling off they had this buffet which had all sorts of food and I had a really nice lunch with them.
Once this woman was satisfied I was hydrated and well fed she took me out of town to the where SH2 met the Hastings bypass, and I immediately picked up a ride with some Samoan couple right through to Woodville. I was originally going to try and visit the longest place name in the world and Waihi Falls although I decided to head straight back in the end as getting to them places would have taken me way off the beaten track. From Woodville I got a ride to Pahiatua, and from there got a ride straight back into Hutt. In the end I got from Hastings back to the Hutt in about 4 hours flat so I did well. I just chilled out when getting back, grabbing some food, and watching the as ever beautiful sunset over Wellington Harbour.
On Monday Joss didn't come home until about midday so I had a nice and chilled out morning. I was slightly sunburnt though, in particular on my nose so I looked a little silly. Liza had the day off work as it was a bank holiday to celebrate Wellington anniversary day meaning it was a day off only for Wellingtonians. We therefore all watched the Paddington Bear film together in the lounge, before going out in the pool later in the afternoon. The following day was another pretty chilled out day, staying inside until going into the pool later in the day.
Joss had to go to conductive Wednesday morning as he had a trial in his potential new walker, which has a hydraulic lift making it easier to use than his current one. I didn't go but apparently it went well and he walked in it so from what I understand they psychiatrist will now write a report and send it up to someone higher to see if he will be allowed the funding for the walker. Joss was meant to go sailing when he got back although he was out longer than expected so we didn't go in the end, instead going in the pool. His Dad came to pick him up later in the afternoon which gave me the afternoon off, so I popped into Wellington.
Joss's Dad took the day off work on Thursday again which gave me the day off. I didn't really want to go too far though because it was another really hot day, so I decided to do a walk over near Porirua Harbour, catching the train to Paremata and following the coastline via Mana and Plimmerton to Pukerua Bay before returning via these wetlands back to Plimmerton. It was a nice little walk although the coastline was a little rugged and wild, and being out in the sun probably didn't do my sunburnt face any good. When getting back to Plimmerton I caught the train into Wellington where I decided to go down to beach in Oriental Bay for a bit, before finally trying the the fish and chips at the chippery over in Mount Victoria. They were really nice. Joss didn't come home from his Dad's until about lunchtime on Friday, which meant I could get on with doing all the housework. All in all it was a pretty laid back day.
Monday, 29 January 2018
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Eastbourne Week 19
Joss was home for the weekend and it was another really hot one. On Saturday morning we went to the market in Lower Hutt to pick up the groceries, although the humidity meant we didn't stay too long. As the sun was so intense we didn't take Joss in the pool until later in the afternoon, although Liza decided she would go for a walk with one her friends in the bush with her friends from Mahina Bay to Days Bay so we met them in the cafe afterwards. It was absolutely heaving down the beach though! We got in the pool when we were back and a couple of Joss's friends even came round, before having a bbq in the evening.
The following day we went to the shops in the morning to pick up a few things for the pool and garden. Whilst we were out we went for lunch out at some Asian restaurant before spending much of the afternoon in the garden, where I mowed the lawn and went in the pool when I was finished with Joss, whilst Liza did some gardening. Even Liz came in the pool which is saying something. On Monday it was another intensely hot day so couldn't take Joss in the pool until later. All in all it was a pretty laid back day though and we didn't go very far.
On Tuesday we took Joss out for a bike ride along the seafront. We even took Max with us although he was naughty because he ran inside someone's house. Luckily it was his friends Bellas house so the owner wasn't annoyed. Joss seemed to find it funny though. When we got back we just had a chilled out afternoon before going in the pool later in the afternoon. We did unfortunately have to empty it afterwards as Joss pooed in it again which was frustrating. It's difficult to know whether he is doing it by purpose or by accident because when he does it he tells us after he's done it and finds it funny which it obviously isn't, but being in the water could relax him so much he can't help it.
Wednesday was an early start as Liza was in Auckland for the day, and she needed to get everything ready. Joss was only at home until lunchtime before his Dad came and picked him up to take him to see a Hurricanes training session in Levin. With the afternoon off I took Max out for a long walk, going along the coast into Eastbourne for lunch before returning via the ridge track back into York Bay. It was very humid though and I kind of wished I had it the other way round as I was boiling when I came out the bush. Joss didn't come home until near his bedtime in the end and as Lizas flight was delayed out of Auckland his Dad put him to bed. Thursday was a real grotty day so we were stuck inside all day. As we couldn't do much we watched Harry Potter in the morning, and later on had another long game of farmopoly. It just rained all day so we couldn't do much else!
Joss's Dad came and picked Joss up on Thursday after dinner as he had the Friday off work so he arranged with Liza to have him an extra night. This gave me a bit of extra free time so after doing all the housework I decided to go away for the weekend. I was debating between doing the Tongariro National Park or Hawkes Bay and opted to visit Hawkes Bay in the end as the weather forecast was good compared to rain forecast for the Tongariro area. Due to the lack of affordable public transport in New Zealand I had to hitchhike up there, although I did catch the bus as far as I could to Te Marua, stopping for lunch at Upper Hutt.
From Te Marua I soon hitched a ride with some family who got me as far as Carterton. From here some guys picked me up and took me to Masterton. After Masterton this local farmer took me to Ekatahuna, who was an absolute nutter. He literally cracked open the beers whilst driving and was driving with a beer in his hand! My next ride from Ekatahuna was with another family who had a disabled child so it was interesting talking to them, getting dropped off in Pahiatua with them. I was then picked up by some local guys who got me to Woodville, where I then got a ride with this couple to Dannevirke. From Dannevirke I managed to get a ride all the way to Napier. All in all it took me just over 5 hours to get from Te Marua to Napier which on paper takes 4 hours so I actually did really well considering it took me 7 rides to get there!
When arriving I took a short walk along the promenade before heading into the city centre to find some dinner. In the end I found this locals pub who had a special deal on their fish and chips which was really nice. I then headed out to find somewhere to sleep for the night. As it was such a nice day I decided to camp instead of stay in a hostel so headed out to the Westshore just outside of Napier where I could camp on the beach. It was dark when I arrived though which was fun and games as I hadn't actually pitched my tent before so I didn't really know what I was doing but I worked it out! Despite it being dark it was a really nice location right by the sea and I could see Napier all lit up, as well as an incredibly clear night sky with there being no clouds.
The following day we went to the shops in the morning to pick up a few things for the pool and garden. Whilst we were out we went for lunch out at some Asian restaurant before spending much of the afternoon in the garden, where I mowed the lawn and went in the pool when I was finished with Joss, whilst Liza did some gardening. Even Liz came in the pool which is saying something. On Monday it was another intensely hot day so couldn't take Joss in the pool until later. All in all it was a pretty laid back day though and we didn't go very far.
On Tuesday we took Joss out for a bike ride along the seafront. We even took Max with us although he was naughty because he ran inside someone's house. Luckily it was his friends Bellas house so the owner wasn't annoyed. Joss seemed to find it funny though. When we got back we just had a chilled out afternoon before going in the pool later in the afternoon. We did unfortunately have to empty it afterwards as Joss pooed in it again which was frustrating. It's difficult to know whether he is doing it by purpose or by accident because when he does it he tells us after he's done it and finds it funny which it obviously isn't, but being in the water could relax him so much he can't help it.
Wednesday was an early start as Liza was in Auckland for the day, and she needed to get everything ready. Joss was only at home until lunchtime before his Dad came and picked him up to take him to see a Hurricanes training session in Levin. With the afternoon off I took Max out for a long walk, going along the coast into Eastbourne for lunch before returning via the ridge track back into York Bay. It was very humid though and I kind of wished I had it the other way round as I was boiling when I came out the bush. Joss didn't come home until near his bedtime in the end and as Lizas flight was delayed out of Auckland his Dad put him to bed. Thursday was a real grotty day so we were stuck inside all day. As we couldn't do much we watched Harry Potter in the morning, and later on had another long game of farmopoly. It just rained all day so we couldn't do much else!
Joss's Dad came and picked Joss up on Thursday after dinner as he had the Friday off work so he arranged with Liza to have him an extra night. This gave me a bit of extra free time so after doing all the housework I decided to go away for the weekend. I was debating between doing the Tongariro National Park or Hawkes Bay and opted to visit Hawkes Bay in the end as the weather forecast was good compared to rain forecast for the Tongariro area. Due to the lack of affordable public transport in New Zealand I had to hitchhike up there, although I did catch the bus as far as I could to Te Marua, stopping for lunch at Upper Hutt.
From Te Marua I soon hitched a ride with some family who got me as far as Carterton. From here some guys picked me up and took me to Masterton. After Masterton this local farmer took me to Ekatahuna, who was an absolute nutter. He literally cracked open the beers whilst driving and was driving with a beer in his hand! My next ride from Ekatahuna was with another family who had a disabled child so it was interesting talking to them, getting dropped off in Pahiatua with them. I was then picked up by some local guys who got me to Woodville, where I then got a ride with this couple to Dannevirke. From Dannevirke I managed to get a ride all the way to Napier. All in all it took me just over 5 hours to get from Te Marua to Napier which on paper takes 4 hours so I actually did really well considering it took me 7 rides to get there!
When arriving I took a short walk along the promenade before heading into the city centre to find some dinner. In the end I found this locals pub who had a special deal on their fish and chips which was really nice. I then headed out to find somewhere to sleep for the night. As it was such a nice day I decided to camp instead of stay in a hostel so headed out to the Westshore just outside of Napier where I could camp on the beach. It was dark when I arrived though which was fun and games as I hadn't actually pitched my tent before so I didn't really know what I was doing but I worked it out! Despite it being dark it was a really nice location right by the sea and I could see Napier all lit up, as well as an incredibly clear night sky with there being no clouds.
Tuesday, 16 January 2018
Eastbourne Week 18
On Saturday we stayed in Palmerston North until about lunchtime before driving back home to Wellington. En route home we stopped at a couple of fruit stalls to pick up some more fresh fruit, as well as Otaki to look round the shops which is commonly referred to as the cheapest place to shop in New Zealand as it is basically only outlet stores! When we got home it wasn't long before Joss's Dad turned up to pick him up as he was meant to go round there Friday night. Luckily his Dad agreed to let Joss come on holiday with us as he was moving house that weekend so it made it easier for him doing that without Joss. In the evening I decided to pop into Wellington to go to a few bars as I hadn't really had many chances to go out on a Saturday night, and it was a good night meeting a few cool people.
The following day I stayed in Wellington for the day as it was a lovely and sunny day and after the huge amounts of driving and exploring we did up at Hawkes Bay I was pretty tired to go out anywhere too far for the day. As it was the weekend the harbour front had lots of entertainment and stalls going on, and it was market day too so there was lots to do. I also had a look round Te Papa which I always enjoy. When I got back I was absolutely exhausted though as several late nights throughout the week caught up with me! It was nice to get an early night though, and a lie in on top with Joss being round his Dad's for the night.
On Monday Joss came home relatively early because his Dad was working. I think he was glad to be home though after the holiday and then going straight round his Dad's. I spent most of the morning making the house look better as well as sorting his pool out which we emptied before we left. By late afternoon the pool was good to use again and as it was such a nice day it was actually really refreshing. The following day the weather wasn't as great which meant we couldn't go very far, although we did pop into Petone for a bit with Joss to do the shopping, as well as taking Max to the dog wash as he was honking after his stay with a neighbour down the road whilst we were away. He was also seriously malting to the point where clumps of hair were being shed so I gave him a good brush too.
Joss went round his Dad's on Wednesday after lunch which gave me the afternoon off. With my visa expiry fast approaching on March 5th, I therefore finally made a decision on my future which I had been dithering about for a while. I was originally pretty set on applying for a second year visa, although when you take into account the fact you need to pay for a full medical check, the visa application itself, and proof of a flight leaving the country it works out pretty expensive. Liza did offer to sponsor me, although in the end I opted to leave New Zealand, booking a flight to Kuala Lumpur as a gateway to explore Asia, as well as getting myself one step closer to home. Obviously I'll be disappointed to leave New Zealand although I've seen and done a lot in my time there and will almost certainly return in the future, and I feel ready to experience some new cultures and adventures. In the evening I met up with one of the people from Saturday who had promised to take me to this vegan restaurant, and it was actually surprisingly nice!
The following day Joss was round his Dad's all day and night which gave me the day off. The weather however was pretty horrendous so I popped into Wellington to finalise my flight details. While I was there I had a look round the shops. By lunchtime the weather hadn't got any better so I caught the bus up to Karori to look round as I hadn't been there yet. I would have done the city skyline walk if the weather allowed me but it didn't. After a while I decided my best bet of a walk for the day was the Birchville Dam over in the Akatawara Forest near Upper Hutt, as it was sheltered. When arriving at Upper Hutt it was sunny though so I guess Wellington was just having a bad day compared to the Hutt Valley. It was a nice walk although the dam was completely dried up which was a shame.
On Friday Joss came home in the morning as his Dad had work. It was quite a busy day with it being housework day, which always takes a lot longer when Joss is there. We also drove into Wellington in the morning to drop Liza off for her appointments with Joss so by the time we started it was afternoon. When we were finally done I took Joss for a swim in the pool which was a nice and refreshing way to end the day.
The following day I stayed in Wellington for the day as it was a lovely and sunny day and after the huge amounts of driving and exploring we did up at Hawkes Bay I was pretty tired to go out anywhere too far for the day. As it was the weekend the harbour front had lots of entertainment and stalls going on, and it was market day too so there was lots to do. I also had a look round Te Papa which I always enjoy. When I got back I was absolutely exhausted though as several late nights throughout the week caught up with me! It was nice to get an early night though, and a lie in on top with Joss being round his Dad's for the night.
On Monday Joss came home relatively early because his Dad was working. I think he was glad to be home though after the holiday and then going straight round his Dad's. I spent most of the morning making the house look better as well as sorting his pool out which we emptied before we left. By late afternoon the pool was good to use again and as it was such a nice day it was actually really refreshing. The following day the weather wasn't as great which meant we couldn't go very far, although we did pop into Petone for a bit with Joss to do the shopping, as well as taking Max to the dog wash as he was honking after his stay with a neighbour down the road whilst we were away. He was also seriously malting to the point where clumps of hair were being shed so I gave him a good brush too.
Joss went round his Dad's on Wednesday after lunch which gave me the afternoon off. With my visa expiry fast approaching on March 5th, I therefore finally made a decision on my future which I had been dithering about for a while. I was originally pretty set on applying for a second year visa, although when you take into account the fact you need to pay for a full medical check, the visa application itself, and proof of a flight leaving the country it works out pretty expensive. Liza did offer to sponsor me, although in the end I opted to leave New Zealand, booking a flight to Kuala Lumpur as a gateway to explore Asia, as well as getting myself one step closer to home. Obviously I'll be disappointed to leave New Zealand although I've seen and done a lot in my time there and will almost certainly return in the future, and I feel ready to experience some new cultures and adventures. In the evening I met up with one of the people from Saturday who had promised to take me to this vegan restaurant, and it was actually surprisingly nice!
The following day Joss was round his Dad's all day and night which gave me the day off. The weather however was pretty horrendous so I popped into Wellington to finalise my flight details. While I was there I had a look round the shops. By lunchtime the weather hadn't got any better so I caught the bus up to Karori to look round as I hadn't been there yet. I would have done the city skyline walk if the weather allowed me but it didn't. After a while I decided my best bet of a walk for the day was the Birchville Dam over in the Akatawara Forest near Upper Hutt, as it was sheltered. When arriving at Upper Hutt it was sunny though so I guess Wellington was just having a bad day compared to the Hutt Valley. It was a nice walk although the dam was completely dried up which was a shame.
On Friday Joss came home in the morning as his Dad had work. It was quite a busy day with it being housework day, which always takes a lot longer when Joss is there. We also drove into Wellington in the morning to drop Liza off for her appointments with Joss so by the time we started it was afternoon. When we were finally done I took Joss for a swim in the pool which was a nice and refreshing way to end the day.
Tuesday, 9 January 2018
Eastbourne Week 17
Saturday was a pretty chilled out morning, although we did go into Lower Hutt for the market late in the morning to pick up a few groceries. It was a very quiet one though with a lot less stalls than usual. After the market me and Joss got dropped home, luckily, as Liz and Liza went to get their nails done. The following day was new years eve although we had quite a busy day out in the garden sorting out the decks which had got covered in dog hairs and leaves, as well as cutting back some of the bushes and trees behind the house. We were originally going to go into Wellington in the evening to watch the fireworks although we decided not to in the end because of the weather, so we stayed in in the end. It was nice to see the new year in with Joss and his family though. On the Monday we just had a relaxing day, although we did go over to Queensgate in the afternoon to buy a few things for our holiday to the Hawkes Bay the following day.
Liza made a pretty last minute decision to go away for a few days somewhere, and after a lot of deliberation of where to go, Liza decided on going to the Hawkes Bay area as it wasn't too much of a ridiculously long drive and was far more cost effective than going to South Island. She basically booked a small bache in the town of Wairoa situated about halfway between Napier and Gisborne on the East Coast. On paper getting there from Eastbourne was a 5.5 hour drive and we were hoping to leave nice and early although we didn't leave until close to midday in the end. Liz and Liza were pretty useless in a planning and directions sense so I was effectively in charge of getting us to Wairoa and finding out about things for us to do whilst we were away.
It wasn't long until we left Eastbourne behind and headed through the Hutt Valley and over the Rimutakas into the Wairarapa, stopping en route in Greytown for a drink. After Greytown we continued heading north, stopping in Ekatahuna which is known as being the kiwi bird capital of New Zealand. The drive north was pretty and we passed through several interesting towns and villages, next stopping in Dannevirke which apparently has a viking heritage. After Dannevirke we soon arrived at Napier which is famous for its art deco although I found it slightly overrated. The coastline round here was beautiful though, as well as passing several vineyards. We stopped in Napier for a drink, before one last push towards Wairoa, arriving about 8 hours after leaving in the end. Our bache was located by the river and was actually really nice, and also flat which made it a far more practical house for Joss.
On the Wednesday I didn't have a very good nights sleep, waking up at 5am. This worked in my favour though as I decided to go out for a walk along the river to the estuary where it went out to the sea, tieing this is in with the sunrise which was impressive. I also explored the main town area of Wairoa which included an old lighthouse. After breakfast we headed out for the day towards Gisborne, with our first stop being the Mahia Peninsula. En route we passed several orchards and picked up some peaches and nectarines which had been freshly picked from the side of the road. We soon arrived at the peninsula which was a beautiful stretch of coastline and the home to the largest tombolo in New Zealand. With dramatic rock formations and towering cliffs, as well as big sandy beaches it was a lovely drive in, and when arriving in the small village of Mahia itself we went to the pub for fish and chips for lunch.
After leaving Mahia we continued north for a short distance to the Morere Hot Springs. These natural hot springs were located in the rainforest and required a good 10 minute walk through the rainforest to access them which Joss loved. The facilities weren't particularly disabled friendly however but we made it work and Joss loved being the hot pools, although he for some reason preferred the cold plunge pool! It was even raining and thundering whilst we were there for a bit, although it was a lovely setting being in the rainforest.
From the hot springs we continued towards Gisborne, passing several orchards and vineyards, stopping in one of the vineyards for some wine tasting. Joss was even allowed to come inside which was nice for him. There was even a lovely sunflower field at the vineyard so the setting was very idyllic. When we arrived in Gisborne we had a little drive round the city which was very pretty with its towering palms and very hippie vibe. The city is the most eastern city in the world, hence the first city to see the sunrise. We had a little walk along the waterfront and picked up a few supplies from the supermarket here before heading back to Wairoa. We drove back along the inland road for a change of scenery and the road was incredibly remote, although there was some impressive remains of rockfalls along the way! We didn't arrive back into Wairoa until dusk so it was quite a long day.
On Thursday the plan was to go into the Te Urunewa National Park. The national park is a rainforest full of native New Zealand trees and a great example of how New Zealand was before human settlement. A particular highlight is Lake Waikemoana which is a lake in the middle of the rainforest formed by an earthquake creating a natural dam and flooding the area. The weather however wasn't great but we still decided to go for a drive into it. The road in was very windy and soon became a gravel track and after a while we decided to turn back as we were worried about getting stranded by a landslip, as well as a potential risk of a flash flood. There were several waterfalls coming off the sides of the hills and the river was pretty vicious. It was a shame we couldn't get as far as the lake in the national park but it was still a nice drive.
After turning back we got stuck behind a group of young bulls in the middle of the road which Joss loved. We followed them for about half an hour before they finally got put into their new field. When arriving back into Wairoa we didn't really know what to do. Wairoa itself wasn't the most exciting place in the world, and with the nearest proper settlements of Napier and Gisborne about 2 hours in either direction we couldn't really go very far. We therefore had a chilled out rest of the day and played monopoly, the rain persisting right until darkness! Luckily it cleared eventually and we took Joss in this outside bathtub the bache had which he absolutely loved!
Friday was when we finally left Wairoa and headed back south towards Palmerston North to stay with a couple of family friends for the night. We stopped en route in Putorino for a drink at the lovely rural pub, before continuing down towards Napier. Liz and Liza went to a couple of vineyards along the way which was a little boring for me and Joss who had to stay in the car but they were still pretty to drive through. We stopped for lunch in Havelock North, before making one last push towards Palmerston North. The weather set in pretty bad prior and as the Manuwatu Gorge was still shut we had to head over the saddle which was very exposed and scary to drive over in the weather. We eventually arrived in Palmerston North in one piece though!
In Palmerston North we stayed with a couple of Lizas friends who she met when Joss was born. Kyla and Mark had their daughter Eva at the same time as Joss and as they were both born about 4 months prematurely they were in the same ward so they became good friends for their first few months spent in the hospital. I met them at Joss's birthday party so it was nice for me to meet them again. We had pizza for dinner and a few beers so it was a really nice even
Liza made a pretty last minute decision to go away for a few days somewhere, and after a lot of deliberation of where to go, Liza decided on going to the Hawkes Bay area as it wasn't too much of a ridiculously long drive and was far more cost effective than going to South Island. She basically booked a small bache in the town of Wairoa situated about halfway between Napier and Gisborne on the East Coast. On paper getting there from Eastbourne was a 5.5 hour drive and we were hoping to leave nice and early although we didn't leave until close to midday in the end. Liz and Liza were pretty useless in a planning and directions sense so I was effectively in charge of getting us to Wairoa and finding out about things for us to do whilst we were away.
It wasn't long until we left Eastbourne behind and headed through the Hutt Valley and over the Rimutakas into the Wairarapa, stopping en route in Greytown for a drink. After Greytown we continued heading north, stopping in Ekatahuna which is known as being the kiwi bird capital of New Zealand. The drive north was pretty and we passed through several interesting towns and villages, next stopping in Dannevirke which apparently has a viking heritage. After Dannevirke we soon arrived at Napier which is famous for its art deco although I found it slightly overrated. The coastline round here was beautiful though, as well as passing several vineyards. We stopped in Napier for a drink, before one last push towards Wairoa, arriving about 8 hours after leaving in the end. Our bache was located by the river and was actually really nice, and also flat which made it a far more practical house for Joss.
On the Wednesday I didn't have a very good nights sleep, waking up at 5am. This worked in my favour though as I decided to go out for a walk along the river to the estuary where it went out to the sea, tieing this is in with the sunrise which was impressive. I also explored the main town area of Wairoa which included an old lighthouse. After breakfast we headed out for the day towards Gisborne, with our first stop being the Mahia Peninsula. En route we passed several orchards and picked up some peaches and nectarines which had been freshly picked from the side of the road. We soon arrived at the peninsula which was a beautiful stretch of coastline and the home to the largest tombolo in New Zealand. With dramatic rock formations and towering cliffs, as well as big sandy beaches it was a lovely drive in, and when arriving in the small village of Mahia itself we went to the pub for fish and chips for lunch.
After leaving Mahia we continued north for a short distance to the Morere Hot Springs. These natural hot springs were located in the rainforest and required a good 10 minute walk through the rainforest to access them which Joss loved. The facilities weren't particularly disabled friendly however but we made it work and Joss loved being the hot pools, although he for some reason preferred the cold plunge pool! It was even raining and thundering whilst we were there for a bit, although it was a lovely setting being in the rainforest.
From the hot springs we continued towards Gisborne, passing several orchards and vineyards, stopping in one of the vineyards for some wine tasting. Joss was even allowed to come inside which was nice for him. There was even a lovely sunflower field at the vineyard so the setting was very idyllic. When we arrived in Gisborne we had a little drive round the city which was very pretty with its towering palms and very hippie vibe. The city is the most eastern city in the world, hence the first city to see the sunrise. We had a little walk along the waterfront and picked up a few supplies from the supermarket here before heading back to Wairoa. We drove back along the inland road for a change of scenery and the road was incredibly remote, although there was some impressive remains of rockfalls along the way! We didn't arrive back into Wairoa until dusk so it was quite a long day.
On Thursday the plan was to go into the Te Urunewa National Park. The national park is a rainforest full of native New Zealand trees and a great example of how New Zealand was before human settlement. A particular highlight is Lake Waikemoana which is a lake in the middle of the rainforest formed by an earthquake creating a natural dam and flooding the area. The weather however wasn't great but we still decided to go for a drive into it. The road in was very windy and soon became a gravel track and after a while we decided to turn back as we were worried about getting stranded by a landslip, as well as a potential risk of a flash flood. There were several waterfalls coming off the sides of the hills and the river was pretty vicious. It was a shame we couldn't get as far as the lake in the national park but it was still a nice drive.
After turning back we got stuck behind a group of young bulls in the middle of the road which Joss loved. We followed them for about half an hour before they finally got put into their new field. When arriving back into Wairoa we didn't really know what to do. Wairoa itself wasn't the most exciting place in the world, and with the nearest proper settlements of Napier and Gisborne about 2 hours in either direction we couldn't really go very far. We therefore had a chilled out rest of the day and played monopoly, the rain persisting right until darkness! Luckily it cleared eventually and we took Joss in this outside bathtub the bache had which he absolutely loved!
Friday was when we finally left Wairoa and headed back south towards Palmerston North to stay with a couple of family friends for the night. We stopped en route in Putorino for a drink at the lovely rural pub, before continuing down towards Napier. Liz and Liza went to a couple of vineyards along the way which was a little boring for me and Joss who had to stay in the car but they were still pretty to drive through. We stopped for lunch in Havelock North, before making one last push towards Palmerston North. The weather set in pretty bad prior and as the Manuwatu Gorge was still shut we had to head over the saddle which was very exposed and scary to drive over in the weather. We eventually arrived in Palmerston North in one piece though!
In Palmerston North we stayed with a couple of Lizas friends who she met when Joss was born. Kyla and Mark had their daughter Eva at the same time as Joss and as they were both born about 4 months prematurely they were in the same ward so they became good friends for their first few months spent in the hospital. I met them at Joss's birthday party so it was nice for me to meet them again. We had pizza for dinner and a few beers so it was a really nice even
Saturday, 6 January 2018
Eastbourne Week 16
My plan for the weekend was to do another tramp in the Tararuas. I went into the hike pretty open minded with several options of where to finish, although I started at the Kaitoke entrance which is near Upper Hutt. To get there I used public transport as far as I could to Te Marua before hitching the last 10km. The walk I was looking at was the Southern Crossing which goes from Kaitoke to Otaki Forks, effectively a traverse from the east side of the mountains to the west side, although I wanted to include the summit of Maungahuka in the weekend which effectively gave me a choice of finishing at Otaki Forks on an alternative route, Waiohine Gorge, or back to Kaitoke. It's always good to go in open minded as you never know what could happen.
From Kaitoke it wasn't long before I started heading upwards, traversing through scrub to reach the Marchant Ridge. The final climb to the ridge was very steep although when on the ridge I bobbled between about 900m and 1100m so there wasn't too much serious climbing once I was up. The ridge had a variety of a scrubland and forest to walk through. There were even the occasional views too which was nice. Eventually I reached the 1118m summit of Omega, where I made a steep descent to the saddle at Hells Gate before making a steep ascent back up to reach Alpha Hut which is where I had lunch. Not long after leaving the hut I left the forest and headed through the open tussocks to the 1361m summit of Alpha. The views were stunning with the Hutt Valley and Wellington Harbour, the Wairarapa, and even the South Island visible.
The next section of the walk was in the complete open and unlike Holdsworth it was a lovely day with clear skies and no wind! I soon reached the 1376m summit of Aston which presented me with additional views of the Kapiti coastline, with the island visible. I continued in the open tussocks on the undulating ridge, bagging the 1472m, 1485m, and 1519m summits of Atkinson, Beehive, and Mount Hector along the way. After climbing the 1483m summit of Field Peak I reached Kime Hut which is where I made the decision to head out to continue to Maungahuka, with a good 4 hours daylight left to play with to get there. Interestingly my progress was so good I could have completed the southern crossing in a day if I wanted to, the walk advertised as taking 2-3 days.
The ridge to Maungahuka was incredibly undulating and I summited another 4 peaks along the way. I then reached the infamous peaks of Tuiti and Tunui which was the most challenging part of the day. The peaks were very jagged, and rock climbing was required to ascend and descend a few of the rock faces before I eventually reached a cliff edge which had a rope attached to the edge to traverse along the edge. I then reached the steel ladder, which was 30m descent down a cliff with a very big drop beyond that. I then had a few more ropes to negotiate to get down to more safe land. Once I had negotiated that particularly scary part of the walk I soon reached Maungahuka Hut, my bed for the night! There was another English guy there as well so I had someone to talk to, who had actually done an identical walk to what I had done to get there.
In the morning the other guy left pretty early as he was heading out for a big day. The night before I decided I would attempt to return to Kaitoke via the Cone Ridge and Smiths Creek back to where I started. The morning was a little overcast but very mild so I set off relatively early too despite the poor visibility. The plan was to get to the Cone Ridge which essentially required me to drop from about 1300m to the Hector River at 400m, before climbing back up to the summit of Cone at 1100m. It didn't go to plan however, as after following the ridge I soon returned into the forest and before long lost the path and couldn't locate it again. Luckily I knew my vague location so I decided the best bet was to head down to the river and follow that until I found this swing bridge. That was easier said than done as I had to battle through thick forest on a pretty steep decline. I fell several times and was only saved from dieing by the thick growth stopping my falls.
When finally reaching the river I was pretty broken physically but I continued on along the the river which was essentially a series of waterfalls which I had to decend. It was very slipperly and I had no choice but to gingerly use the slipperly rocks to get down, and in some places I had to climb up the bank to avoid getting swept away. The river eventually joined a larger one which was more like a gorge presenting new challenges including river crossings. I fell in a couple of times but managed to use the rocks to avoid getting swept downstream, although there were some sections which were strong rapids and I had to climb up the gorge edges using trees and my upper body strength to avoid them. I eventually found the swing bridge and the Neill Forks Hut which finally put me back on track! The detour cost me about 3 hours though so put me quite a bit behind schedule.
From the hut it was a steep incline up to the Cone Ridge although en route part of the path gave way and I had a pretty awkward fall down the bank into some trees. This hurt my right leg but I continued on without any problems to the ridge, eventually reaching the summit of Cone outside of the forest, getting some great views in the process. From here I made a decision to finish at the Waiohine Gorge instead of Kaitoke as I was pretty broken and this cut a substantial amount of distance off, as long as I could get a lift out to the main road from the gorge. The descent was quite painful on my damaged leg which I couldn't bend without experiencing pain. I eventually made it down to the Waiohine Gorge where luckily I got a lift out to the main road, followed by another lift back into the Hutt. All in all it was a stunning walk but the second day taught me a lot as well as using all my experience to get out of what could have been a more serious situation.
Monday morning was Christmas day, although Joss didn't come home until about 11 from his Dad's which gave me a much needed lie in and chance to relax. When Joss returned it wasn't long before we were in the lounge opening presents and even I got some presents which was nice! Joss was very spoilt! For lunch we had ham sandwiches as Liza had bought a big ham. Throughout the afternoon we played with Joss's toys and did some baking, including a yummy pavlova. We even had time to go for a swim in the pool although it was a little cold as much of the day it was raining. It's what Joss wanted though! It was a really nice and chilled out day all in all but it was nice to spent it with people instead of being alone.
The following day was Joss's birthday, which meant even more presents! The weather though was awful and there was very heavy downpours! In that period of heavy rain there was more rain in that couple of hours than the previous 48 days combined. For lunch Joss went out with his Dad for a couple of hours, which gave me a chance to relax before the afternoon. Joss wanted to go in the pool in the afternoon although the weather stopped us, so we did some more baking and played with his new toys, as well as starting a game of farmopoly which went into a second day! Wednesday was another pretty chilled out day as the weather still wasn't great although that did mean we could finish our game of farmopoly which I unfortunately lost in the end which was frustrating. Joss went round his Dad's in the afternoon for a couple of nights which gave a chance to tidy the house up a bit which was covered in Joss's toys and rubbish, as well as walking Max.
Joss was round his Dad's all day on Thursday to return home Friday morning. This gave me an unexpected day off so I decided to pop into Wellington and do a walk along the coast round Shelley Bay to Scorching Bay via the lighthouse at Point Halswell, before continuing to Lyall Bay and the airport via Moa Point. It was a very nice walk, but a little windy! My right leg was playing up by the end so the weekend has definitely done me some damage there. In the afternoon I had a look round the shops at the Christmas sales, and I ended up buying a tent which hopefully will be a pretty good investment and save me a fair bit of money on the long term. On the Friday Joss came home in the morning as his Dad was going to Tango in Taupo for new years. We therefore went into Wellington as it was such a nice day and went for a walk along the harbour, stopping for lunch at one of the restaurants on the waterfront.
From Kaitoke it wasn't long before I started heading upwards, traversing through scrub to reach the Marchant Ridge. The final climb to the ridge was very steep although when on the ridge I bobbled between about 900m and 1100m so there wasn't too much serious climbing once I was up. The ridge had a variety of a scrubland and forest to walk through. There were even the occasional views too which was nice. Eventually I reached the 1118m summit of Omega, where I made a steep descent to the saddle at Hells Gate before making a steep ascent back up to reach Alpha Hut which is where I had lunch. Not long after leaving the hut I left the forest and headed through the open tussocks to the 1361m summit of Alpha. The views were stunning with the Hutt Valley and Wellington Harbour, the Wairarapa, and even the South Island visible.
The next section of the walk was in the complete open and unlike Holdsworth it was a lovely day with clear skies and no wind! I soon reached the 1376m summit of Aston which presented me with additional views of the Kapiti coastline, with the island visible. I continued in the open tussocks on the undulating ridge, bagging the 1472m, 1485m, and 1519m summits of Atkinson, Beehive, and Mount Hector along the way. After climbing the 1483m summit of Field Peak I reached Kime Hut which is where I made the decision to head out to continue to Maungahuka, with a good 4 hours daylight left to play with to get there. Interestingly my progress was so good I could have completed the southern crossing in a day if I wanted to, the walk advertised as taking 2-3 days.
The ridge to Maungahuka was incredibly undulating and I summited another 4 peaks along the way. I then reached the infamous peaks of Tuiti and Tunui which was the most challenging part of the day. The peaks were very jagged, and rock climbing was required to ascend and descend a few of the rock faces before I eventually reached a cliff edge which had a rope attached to the edge to traverse along the edge. I then reached the steel ladder, which was 30m descent down a cliff with a very big drop beyond that. I then had a few more ropes to negotiate to get down to more safe land. Once I had negotiated that particularly scary part of the walk I soon reached Maungahuka Hut, my bed for the night! There was another English guy there as well so I had someone to talk to, who had actually done an identical walk to what I had done to get there.
In the morning the other guy left pretty early as he was heading out for a big day. The night before I decided I would attempt to return to Kaitoke via the Cone Ridge and Smiths Creek back to where I started. The morning was a little overcast but very mild so I set off relatively early too despite the poor visibility. The plan was to get to the Cone Ridge which essentially required me to drop from about 1300m to the Hector River at 400m, before climbing back up to the summit of Cone at 1100m. It didn't go to plan however, as after following the ridge I soon returned into the forest and before long lost the path and couldn't locate it again. Luckily I knew my vague location so I decided the best bet was to head down to the river and follow that until I found this swing bridge. That was easier said than done as I had to battle through thick forest on a pretty steep decline. I fell several times and was only saved from dieing by the thick growth stopping my falls.
When finally reaching the river I was pretty broken physically but I continued on along the the river which was essentially a series of waterfalls which I had to decend. It was very slipperly and I had no choice but to gingerly use the slipperly rocks to get down, and in some places I had to climb up the bank to avoid getting swept away. The river eventually joined a larger one which was more like a gorge presenting new challenges including river crossings. I fell in a couple of times but managed to use the rocks to avoid getting swept downstream, although there were some sections which were strong rapids and I had to climb up the gorge edges using trees and my upper body strength to avoid them. I eventually found the swing bridge and the Neill Forks Hut which finally put me back on track! The detour cost me about 3 hours though so put me quite a bit behind schedule.
From the hut it was a steep incline up to the Cone Ridge although en route part of the path gave way and I had a pretty awkward fall down the bank into some trees. This hurt my right leg but I continued on without any problems to the ridge, eventually reaching the summit of Cone outside of the forest, getting some great views in the process. From here I made a decision to finish at the Waiohine Gorge instead of Kaitoke as I was pretty broken and this cut a substantial amount of distance off, as long as I could get a lift out to the main road from the gorge. The descent was quite painful on my damaged leg which I couldn't bend without experiencing pain. I eventually made it down to the Waiohine Gorge where luckily I got a lift out to the main road, followed by another lift back into the Hutt. All in all it was a stunning walk but the second day taught me a lot as well as using all my experience to get out of what could have been a more serious situation.
Monday morning was Christmas day, although Joss didn't come home until about 11 from his Dad's which gave me a much needed lie in and chance to relax. When Joss returned it wasn't long before we were in the lounge opening presents and even I got some presents which was nice! Joss was very spoilt! For lunch we had ham sandwiches as Liza had bought a big ham. Throughout the afternoon we played with Joss's toys and did some baking, including a yummy pavlova. We even had time to go for a swim in the pool although it was a little cold as much of the day it was raining. It's what Joss wanted though! It was a really nice and chilled out day all in all but it was nice to spent it with people instead of being alone.
The following day was Joss's birthday, which meant even more presents! The weather though was awful and there was very heavy downpours! In that period of heavy rain there was more rain in that couple of hours than the previous 48 days combined. For lunch Joss went out with his Dad for a couple of hours, which gave me a chance to relax before the afternoon. Joss wanted to go in the pool in the afternoon although the weather stopped us, so we did some more baking and played with his new toys, as well as starting a game of farmopoly which went into a second day! Wednesday was another pretty chilled out day as the weather still wasn't great although that did mean we could finish our game of farmopoly which I unfortunately lost in the end which was frustrating. Joss went round his Dad's in the afternoon for a couple of nights which gave a chance to tidy the house up a bit which was covered in Joss's toys and rubbish, as well as walking Max.
Joss was round his Dad's all day on Thursday to return home Friday morning. This gave me an unexpected day off so I decided to pop into Wellington and do a walk along the coast round Shelley Bay to Scorching Bay via the lighthouse at Point Halswell, before continuing to Lyall Bay and the airport via Moa Point. It was a very nice walk, but a little windy! My right leg was playing up by the end so the weekend has definitely done me some damage there. In the afternoon I had a look round the shops at the Christmas sales, and I ended up buying a tent which hopefully will be a pretty good investment and save me a fair bit of money on the long term. On the Friday Joss came home in the morning as his Dad was going to Tango in Taupo for new years. We therefore went into Wellington as it was such a nice day and went for a walk along the harbour, stopping for lunch at one of the restaurants on the waterfront.
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