Author Archives: mike

Brisbane to Maryvale

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Yesterday we had an early start for our flight to Brisbane where we picked up a camper van.  I think perhaps our days of tenting may now be over. We then headed off to our friends Rosemary and Christine for an over night stop before travelling onto Paul’s.

During this trip i hope to be able to not only track where we travel but also get video footage of the drive.

Like all good road trips there are a few false starts and detours to be made. The first error was driving past Anaconda and the first detour was to make a u-turn to visit Anaconda. For those nt in the know Anaconda is a large camping store and the urgency to visit them was to enable us to get a porta-poti for our van.

That detour having been successfully accomplished, with the aid of the tomtoms, yes we have two of them, one came with the van and I had brought my own from NZ we are back on our way. Just to be sure we were heading off in the right direction Jo also had the route planned out on Google maps and here in lies a story.

Both the tomtoms were going some 30 kms further than Google….

Having traversed the Great Dividing Range we were starting to get close to our destination. Jo was worried that we might go too far and end up having to travel back to where Google maps was sending us, so eventually I decided to placate Jo and stop and ask for directions.

The only place on our route was a small dinner decked out in Confederate flags it wouldn’t have looked out of place in hick town America. I braved it and went and asked if they knew where the address was while Jo tried phoning Paul.

The owners were very friendly but they didn’t have a clue, they even checked on google for me without success. I returned to the van only to find out that Jo had managed to speak to Paul and that we were a matter of only 300 metres away. I’m not sure what Paul has been up to while he has been out here, but meeting the neighbours doesn’t seem to have been on his priority list.

Gardens Walk

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Keeping up with the fitness theme it was off to the gym this morning and a walk in the afternoon.

Our walk today was up the river, away from the city, and towards the Hamilton gardens. This is a nic easy walk with the prospect of a coffee at the cafe. As we approached the gardens all seemed to be quiet with very few cars to be seen. We were however mistaken and the grounds were busy with families everywhere. A look over towards the cafe enforced the thought that coffee was not going to be on my menu today.

So it was a quick walk around the lake, stopping to watch the fish and turtles, before heading back home.

 

End of Christmas…. Here comes fitness…

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Well Christmas is over and done with for another year and after being merry and jolly it’s time to suffer the consequnces.

We are both up at the crack of dawn, well 7.55, but that’s close enough and out for a walk to get some steps in before breakfast.

Then after breakfat it’s off to find a coffee. Where else but along the river cycle path to Bryce and Jean’s.

Then it’s back to our house sit for lunch.

Rain, Rain go away

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We’ve just finished a week up north with Buddie. The weather was warm, if a bit windy and we managed to get out on the kayak to go fishing.

We have now travelled south and are on the northern edge of Lake Rotorua, and since arriving here it hasn’t stopped raining. Well not so sure about yesterday as we went back to Hamilton for lunch.

Sitting outside at sister Jenny’s it was a warm 23° C and the sun was out. However on our return the closer we got to our house sit the more cloud there was in the sky and the lower the temperature became. So much so that when driving into the front yard the sky was completely grey and the temperature was down to 17° C.

Overnight I was awoken by torrential rain, which started to make me worry. I had recently read up about the lake and how it was formed along with a few other facts. The main one that was swirling around my brain at 2:00 in the morning was the fact that there is no outlets to the lake……With all this rain and all the water now entering the lake, how long will it take the water to reach our house…..

Perhaps I’ll find out when I get up in the morning…

Seagulls

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For some time now I have thought seagulls were not too intelligent. The ones I remember from when I lived in the UK seemed to be large and thuggish. More brawn than brains. I had no way to prove this until today.

Sat looking out across Opito Bay in the north of the North Island of New Zealand I was finally proved correct in my thoughts.

The owner of the house we are house sitting at the moment has put out some sweet water for the Tui’s to drink. Now these birds also look a bit scatty. When they fly they seem to have no direction and flutter randomly across the sky. But the know a free lunch when they see one. After taking a drink of nectar from the flowers in the garden they top up with a nice sweet drink.

After them the common sparrow shows that he too also recognises a good opportunity to refuel. Having seen the Tui have his top up Mr & Mrs Sparrow also descend on to the drinking bowl and take their fill.

All this time a seagull has been watching from the roof top above. He swoops down gracefully hovering over the balustrade and finally lands both feet in the feeding bowl. He takes a look around to see what the others had been up to. He fails to see the free drink available, so flies off still thirsty and with sticky feet.

Buddy Walk

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We are house sitting in Keri Keri again and although this is  only a short walk for us, after Buddy has chased after his ball up and down the beach several times, he ends up walking over 3 times as far as us.

This walk is a pleaseant stroll over the rocks to a beach and then onto more rocks and the headland to the south east of the bay.

 

3:13 a.m.

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I emerge from my slumber.

Mike, can you hear that.

No I’m asleeep.

Mike, wake up, there’s someone upstairs. Now fully half awake I listen for some strange sound but I can’t hear anything. Jo gets up and takes a listen from the adjoining room.

We’re currently house sitting in the middle of nowhere and Jo thinks we have a burgular, surely the dog we are sitting would have something to say if someone was breaking in. Maybe not, his owners did say he was frightened of bangs and bumps.

Jo returns. There’s definitely someone moving upstairs, go take a look. But put some clothes on first.

I slowly get out of bed, put on my shorts and make my way up the first flight of stairs. The dog emerges from his bed tail wagging. If there is someone about he doesn’t seem that bothered. I continued up the stairs to the lounge door.

At last I can hear something. There are a couple of bumps and a noise similar to a winch motor. It must be from someone outside on the boat ramp. But we didn’t leave the patio doors open so how come the sound is so clear.

I go to open the door. Jo’s nervous voice behind me tells me to stop and not to go in. I slowly open the fly door, then slightly open the lounge door. The dog plods in. I open the door further an can see a flashing light. I reach in and turn on the light, the dog has sneeked onto his bean bag. Is he hiding from the intruder.

I slowly enter the room and take a quick scan round, the patio doors are still closed, so the winch theory is wrong. I quietly step through the doorway and there on the carpet is the culprit. The terrifying burglar that has come to murder us in our beds. He is rotund and fearless, going about the living room as if he owned it, the robot hoover was going about his nightly duty of cleaning up the floor after us.

Walk with Lynda

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Keeping up with our fitness regime we have arranged for Lynda to come round to us for a walk around Leamington. First of all we had to go and meet a couple regarding a possible house sit. On the way back we saw Lynda on her way to meet us so we stopped and gave her a lift.

We let Lynda lead the way. Three hours later and 11.5 km we were back home. Along the way we walked through the rugby ground and cemetery before going down through an area of bush towards the river.

After the river walk it was a road walk going past the house we had been to earlier regarding a house sit.

Busy Saturday (Walk – Bike – Car)

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Having had a quiet Sunday it is now time to have a busy Saturday.

We are currently house sitting in Leamington which is just over the Waikato river from Cambridge, New Zealand. Back onto health and fitness and looking after a dog the first trip of the day is a walk to the park with the dog.

On our return and after breakfast it is a nice bike ride to Lake Karapiro. Although this is along a road it is a cycle / walking path. The lake was formed by the damming of the Waikato river to enable electricity to be generated.

After returning and having a shower it off out again. This time in the car to Rotorua, well the North side of the lake, to visit a potential house sit. The couple are very nice and the two dogs friendly. After all this travelling it must be time for a drink when we get back.

Travelling NZ

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Over the next few weeks / months we will be travelling the length and breadth of the North Island. Some journeys will be short trips and others much longer.

Some trips will be for pleasure and others not so pleasurable. The first of these trips was a return trip from Hamilton to Wellington (well Mana actually). This was a not for pleasure trip.

The drive is between 6 – 6.5 hours. Although a lot of the drive is quite boring at least we get to see the mountain and at this time of year the roads are clear and the mountain is still wearing it’s winter coat of snow.

While at Wellington, between siting on the deck with a wine enjoying the view, we spent a couple of busy days clearing the garages and back patio of rubbish and old timber. This was the final good bye to our old kitchen wall and wood panelling from the entrance hall. No longer to be kept for firewood but destined now to landfill.

Then it was back in the car for the return trip to Hamilton to ensure we were eback in time for the first of our house sits since getting back from Europe.