Today we drove across to the East Coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, with a brief stop at Waiau Falls in amongst native bush. Now we’re in Drury, just south of Auckland to visit more family.
Coromandel township is bordered by mangrove swamps. It looks out into the Hauraki Gulf. There are numerous small and large islands in the Gulf, and it’s very popular with boaties. Nearby there seem to be mussel or oyster farms.
Having completed the planned portion of our week away we are now on our way home, via unplanned stops. First up, we’re visiting Coromandel, on the Coromandel Peninsula, where I have never been before. So scenic. Photos may follow.
Cape Rēinga is at the northernmost tip of mainland New Zealand. According to Māori tradition it’s where the spirits of the dead depart by climbing down the roots of a pohutukawa tree, and into the water to then head back to Hawaiki.
Hmmm, NZ’s first capital:
The first Russell was located at Okiato, 8km from present-day Russell, in May 1840.
Russell was originally called Kororāreka.
Yesterday we lunched under 90 year old Pohutukawa trees at Russell, NZ’s original European capital.
Māori traded energetically with the newcomers providing fish, greens, pork, kumara, flax, water and …women. When ships were in port … grogshops and brothels did a roaring trade.
We stayed the night at Pukenui, less than an hour’s drive from Cape Reinga. The Far North is very scenic. I’m glad to say my friend has brought her gorgeous dog Ryka, a Belgian Shepherd. Today, the northern tip of the North Island. Excited!
The Helena Bay Art Gallery and cafe has numerous gorgeous works and a fabulous view.
The Puhoi Pub is a shock to the senses. Every square inch of wall space is occupied.
Still not quite over my cold so a couple of hours in the car leaves me feeling ‘stuffy’. Time for a Chocolate cupcake and green tea at Bombay Hills just by Auckland. Delicious cupcake.
There was a horrible thing yesterday, just north of Taupō. 😭 🐈 A small dark shape bolted across SH1 ahead of us, hit the rear wheel of the car in front and spun off to the shoulder. We stopped, and moved a lovely cat, now dead, off the shoulder to the grass. ⚰︎ Someone’s pet… ?
After an overnight stop with family in Putaruru, today we head for Whangārei, 350 Km, via Warkworth, north of Auckland. Yesterday’s Desert Road stretch was so beautiful, with snow on all 3 mountains: Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. Great views for a driver heading north.
The hot pool at Tokaanu was a welcome break in our trip. Ahhh.
We’ve been driving through sheep country. The paddocks are full of little lambs. It’s lovely.
I love this kind of info:
figures showed that occasional napping – once or twice a week – was associated with a lower risk of heart attack, heart failure or stroke compared with not napping at all.
Don’t read too much of the rest, about why there might be no relationship. 😒 💤
Waikawa Ways #1
I was invited to write a column for the monthly Ōtaki Today newspaper. My first column was published today: Waikawa bounty reveals the detritus of the human race. It feels good to be doing some published writing again.
Every day the tide gifts Waikawa Beach with a fresh scattering of its bounty: here is a plastic drink bottle, there a piece of rope. Rubber gloves, fishing glow sticks, plastic bags in every shape and size, and random bits of hard plastic dot the beach, along with the odd drink can or shard of broken glass.
And most days, at least one generous-hearted person will be out there with bag in hand, picking up what rubbish they can find, carting it off to the nearest bin.
Come the holidays though there's a whole new burden of rubbish to be dealt with. Suddenly there are partly buried, often burned and broken bottles and cans. There are food wrappers, socks, paper or plastic plates, and sometimes even fiercely sharp metal knives and forks. Even though there's a rubbish bin at every single beach entrance, for some people it's just too much effort to pick up what they carried to the beach but no longer need.
The Beach Buddies grumble then redouble their efforts, longing for the holidays to be over, the visitors to go back to their own homes, and for the tide to be the sole delivery agent of the world's rubbish.
When recent big tides and winds dumped an extra helping of detritus someone on Facebook put out the call for an even greater effort. Readers acted without hesitation to clean up.
These Beach Buddies take pride in our beach, and it makes a huge difference. You gain the impression it's a well-cared for, well-loved place, because it is.
You have to wonder though just what is in the world's rivers and oceans. How does it come about that dead possums, goats, sheep and even cows end up on our beach? Where do the plastic vehicle parts come from, the old computer stuff, the bicycle tires, and shoes? And don't even mention plastic straws — they are a plague.
We're proud of our Waikawa Beach Buddies who do a fantastic job keeping our beach clean. They should be commended for their dedication and hard work.
But how about we all do what we can to minimise our draw on the world's resources, and reduce what we dispose of as rubbish? Can we all be Buddies and help keep this stuff out of the rivers and oceans in the first place?
OK, I’ve decided on a present for myself. I have a big birthday coming up in 5 months. I wanted to get a tattoo, but can’t decide what design I want. Meanwhile a new Apple Watch will decorate my wrist. Hope I can sell the Series 3 I currently wear.
I only just read Death By Team Building, Kat Voyzey Mysteries Book 3 by @cheri . 📚
As expected, it was a fun read, with some good misdirection about the culprit. I hope there will be more books forthcoming in this series.
My good pal Rachel, 79 years old, has created a podcast: How To Be Old:
we can’t imagine ourselves being older, let alone very old. … We still feel young … getting old takes us by surprise … Your future old self will always be a mystery. … But … pick up clues from other people.
When I moved a plank by the quail run I found this huge (~9cm) slug. It’s apparently a Limax maximus, or tiger slug:
Limax maximus is the largest slug introduced to New Zealand from Europe. … one of the largest kinds of keeled air-breathing land slug in the world
