REST OF DECEMBER

A bit of a spin around the North Island was meant to be about surfing but the broken elbow put paid to that. Still I could make some of the surfing spots part of the sightseeing and visiting couldn’t I? After leaving Merv and Sue at Dargaville I visited the fantastic Kauri Museum at Matakohe and would have spent a day there but could only spare 4 hours. This place deals with the history of the Northland region and the fabulous Kauri trees that used to be all over the north. Go there if you are ever in the region.

I went to Auckland to meet a late acceptor for a lift to Palmerston North and that started a run of bad luck. The English lady stuffed the arrival date because of the time difference and was a ‘noshow’ at the airport and was in fact still in Seoul. So had to stay overnight and pick up the next day and then made it to the Coromandel Peninsula. Kiwi campsites are really well set up so the EL was able to stay in cabins and the great kitchens and facilities make for cheap getting around. EL reckoned she could read a map so next day we ended up taking a wrong turn and going 30 km the wrong way and having to backtrack!!

They should shoot the bugger who thought of ‘adopt a bollard’ which is a scheme to put money into smash repairers pockets---haha!. Local councils right through the North Island are bollarding all the parking spots and I scraped one that will probably cost me $2000 insurance excess. There were 4 different colours of paint from victims before me on this one!!

For the surfers, Whangamata was flat but it was OK at Gisborne’s Makarori where I spent some time in 1972. EL tried a surfschool and almost stood up so that was good and the next day we reached Palmerston North and said goodbye. I went east to stay with Kay and David near Greytown and this was a great time catching up with old friends from our trip round Aussie in 2003 and couple of other times in NZ and Aussie. We went down to Petone for shopping and sightseeing and nice to meet some British lads with the right spirit as Xmas approached. They were in the hills behind Wellington having lunch in a gale and had their Wicked camper decked out with Santa on the roof!!! They get their rental at half price if they do something silly during the hire and I can vouch for these guys. Good on you!

Next day we went out to the east coast to Castle Point and there was a nice wave coming in through ‘the gap’ and only 2 guys out. Spectacular cliffs and a nice lighthouse made for a good walk. Moving over to the West Coast for the trip back up the island, the first city was Wanganui where they are having an argument about Maorifying the name by including a ‘h’ after the ‘W’. The beach looked like it had been hit by a bomb but the city is very pretty with lots of parks and lakes and a cultural hill that had a couple of galleries and the impressive library.

Never saw Mt Egmont or Taranaki if you like, as it was covered in cloud that unloaded on the first Fleetwood Mac concert but the fans didn’t mind. Saw some of the areas famous surf spots along the highway named for them, but it was just passable conditions. So in someways I was pretty lucky I picked this time to have a crook elbow. I used the back roads to Raglan and had a nice night in a bar at Kawhia on the way. You can dig your own hot pool in the sand here. At Raglan the next day it was cross wind 4-5 ft and the best I saw for the entire trip and then I had to face the music at the rental return—bugger!!!!

Met Robert Jodie and the boys during the night, over from Australia for Xmas and Nana’s 90^th birthday and we traveled up to Whangarei and called into see Nana at the nice nursing home where she will stay now after her fall.

Xmas and the birthday were held at Mum’s home and she came out for the day both times. Must have been a bugger all those years, having your birthday so close to Xmas. Still she got some good presents this time and the turn up to the birthday was a true reflection of her great standing in the community.

A very quiet New Year was followed by the Toheroa Cup being played for the 105^th year without a break. Even during the war the women kept this famous beach cricket game going. This year Baylys Beach beat the townies from Dargaville 217 to187 and it was the highest scoring game for 15 years. I did my best Billy Bowden impersonation umpiring on a few occasions and Merv and I did a fearsome amount of drinking. So the sandhills were well watered by all as we dodged all the other beach users. So in a few days its off to the US and shortly after on the 15^th to Costa Rica and hopefully some surfing.