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.
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