A dawn walk at the beach took me to the sandspit on the north side of the Ruakākā River mouth, a wildlife refuge, where birds nest. 🐦
There were quite a few NZ Dotterels and Variable Oystercatchers, along with black-backed gulls, a shag and possibly a duck.
No photos yet, but so far the birds I've spotted around here are:
- Mynah (they don't live as far south as Waikawa Beach)
- Sparrows
- Gulls
- Magpies
- White-faced heron
I may also have heard spur-winged plovers.
I've located my bird feeder, but haven't yet found the food … 🐦
Well, we're moved in! 🏡
At Taupō the other day we stopped to charge the EV and grab a bite to eat. I've also been thinking about buying new shoes and Shoe Clinic was just round the corner.
An excellent assistant called Christine helped me choose Merrel Moab 3 for walking and Merrel Morphlite for round town.
Delicious Roasted Chilli Paste chicken — A well balanced sweet and spicy dish, stir fried with basil leaves, seasonal vegetables and a hint of fresh garlic — at Sukjai Thai Restaurant in Kamo, Whangārei. 🍲
Mild was plenty spicy for me.
We paused on our way to Whangārei at the junction of SH1 and SH15, where I took this photo looking across Ruakākā towards the Hen and Chicken Islands in Bream Bay.
Isn't it beautiful!
Homework for me: learn the Māori names for all these places.
Stayed with whanau in Putāruru overnight. Today we go through to Whangarei to stay at a friend’s place. The dreaded Auckland motorway is today’s challenge.
We took a short break on the shores of Lake Taupō.
We spent a comfortable night at Aspen Court Motel in Taihape. It was warm and had space for both cars.
Today we drive to Putāruru (230 Km away), crossing the Desert Road which has a snowfall warning. We need to do that late enough for the frost to disappear, but before midday to avoid snow.
As a naturally early riser, I realised the best time to charge up the EV was at 5:30 in the morning. No traffic, no competition for the charger. 🤣 I even brought a thermos of tea.
It seemed moving day would never reach its conclusion, but we're now ensconced in a motel in Taihape, having arrived just after full dark.
And that's important because I have trouble driving in the dark because of the glare, especially bad if it's raining.
The rain started at 4 pm today.
Hmmmm, moving day is involving an awful lot of waiting around. We might get away before dark.
We had quite the farewell sunset tonight.
We went to Cobb and Co in Levin for lunch. They actually have a Seniors menu with 2 courses for $35; show your Gold Card for 10% off.
It was the right amount of food and pretty good. I had roast pork followed by Apple Tart.
Ahhh, the delight of a cuppa at 2.30 am, otherwise spent stressing about how our garage stuff will fit into the new place …
Moving house: there is always something else to be cleaned …
Cat's new career as a detective is developing nicely as she solves a decades old murder with almost no clues to work with. Nine Burned Lives (The Cat Caliban Mysteries Book 9) by D.B. Borton also has a very nice twist or two. 📚
Cat Caliban never expected her golden years to be quite so eventful. She races into a burning house to rescue a litter of kittens, only to stumble across a charred human skull.
Mid packing — after an interruption where they spent ages trying to get the van unstuck from soft sand in front our house. Eventually, with the help of several muscly blokes and a 4-wheel drive ute, they managed to free it.
The chaos before the packers arrive.
Today we have three classes of goods: we take them personally in the cars; we use them over the weekend and then they go in the truck; they get packed ready for the truck.
Our neighbour up north has sent an inspirational photo, saying the photo doesn't do the view justice.
They're on a slight hill. We won't see Mt Manaia as they do.