Numbed by New Zealand

Auckland Gardens Betteridge family
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Numbed by New Zealand: again.

We won the Netball! Does anything else matter? NZ newspapers are lamenting the failure to win the Rugby, the Americas Cup, and the Netball. They seem to have as big a national obsession with sport as we Aussies. But they display a different attitude to being beaten. I have heard that they were “soundly beaten”, “thrashed”, “beaten by 4” but no word have I seen or heard of criticism of the umpires or the playing surface. What’s wrong with them? Being beaten is not about a better side on the night. It is about someone’s fault, someone you can sue, someone you can blame. How come the coach still has their job? How can a team win if they haven’t got a coach who can win for them? What was wrong with the sponsor’s shoes that the team wore? Has someone failed to polish the silver on the fern? I’ll have to ask some more questions of Kiwis I come across. I’ll let you know how I get on, when I get back.

Numbed by New Zealand

They can sure stock their farms - no drought
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Now to business. I know that when I left Honolulu I wrote that I would finish there. But how could I? This is such a great place.

When we picked up our Maui van (I should get sponsorship for this bit of product placement) we found ourselves en route to a nearby caravan park to rest. I did not get more than 3 hours sleep out of the 9.5 we were in the air. It was not that the trip was rough as much as I could not get comfortable enough to sleep. The anti-DVT tights were pressing on my tummy so I moved them as that was easier than sucking in the extra cms that I have added. The seats were really close to the one in front and legroom was at a premium (but isn’t it always) and the movie was preceded by 4X1/2hr episodes of soaps I did not care about.

Sheep by the score - green that we haven't seen for years.
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So we hoped to get about 4 hrs kip before Margie and Royston and the kids arrived from New Plymouth. (Margie was a Rotary student with us when she was 16 and she is now 30+ and is still like a daughter to us.) Not to be. They beat us to the park with the excuse that they couldn’t sleep so they drove instead. They are having a family holiday for a week and we were to meet them at the start and end of our 5 days here.

No little nana naps for us. It was wonderful to see them. We’d heard about their 3 boys but had only met 2 of them when they were very young. Zac, the youngest, was to be a complete surprise as we’d not had the pleasure.

Cormorants by the roadside
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It was great. Lots of hugs. Some from us, some were from Trish and others. We spent quite a while just reconnecting. Then we made sure we got to know the kids and had a lovely afternoon driving around trying to find one tree hill. (That is an in joke for those who know the story. For those who don’t, buy me a drink and I may tell you.)

By nightfall (long twilight, not like Honolulu where it was dark quickly by 6) we were ready for a good long sleep. Surprise! Surprise! We slept for over 10 hours very solidly.

Breakfast at Long Bay
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Day 2 saw us on our way to Coramandel. After taking an alternate route to the peninsular over the mountains, we saw the coast road and went the rest of the way in consultation with a map. Boring I know to do that but Astrid would have been pleased. Wow! What lovely countryside. It is such a bright green against the dull of the northern hemisphere of our recent experience. The evidence shows up so clearly when I look at the photos in thumbnail view. The brightness of the sky into the distance, the vibrancy of the greens and blues are a remarkable contrast. The surf and waves and people in them are so clear. We take it for granted but I have not altered my camera settings and I have expressed before how disappointed I was in the reproduction in Europe, the North Americas unless we were out in the clear, cloudless weather that we found occasionally. Now I understand the tales of others who tell me that they have longed for the clear skies and stars at night of Australia and NZ.

Sunset at Long Bay
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This travel saw us eventually end up at a lovely campsite at Long Bay on the Coramandel Peninsula. Low tide and it was at the end of a narrowish bitumen road. It reminded us so much of Adventure Bay on Bruni Island. We have had so many happy holidays there it was uncanny how good we felt. A school camp was in for a few days in the huts at the end of the park. A year 6 class of 23 lovely kids. They sang at night before bed and played cricket on the beach in a rowdy but lovely friendly way. It ALMOST made me homesick for a class of my own. But, in the morning, after a sleep-in, after a full night’s sleep, after NO midnight patrols or awake-at-the-slightest-unusual-noise time I lost all desire to return to that life. It was great. I did some good for some people but it is over. I have a new life to get on with. So, good fortune you teachers I wish you all God’s blessing as you do what I no longer can.

Surf at Hot Beach - dig a hole at low tide and enjoy the warm water
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We drove on over some very high mountains and down again. Wonderful surf conditions but the water was cold. The brave and hardy were all in 3mm suits. I had my speedos and no desire to join them. I just took some photos. Over more mountains and across the river flats where 100s of cows per paddock were only matched by the 100s of sheep per paddock. It is so green.\

We ended up in a town called Pauanui. Margy told us that it was an expensive place for the rich who travelled. Well we drove the extra 11km in to it when it is literally only 500m across an inlet from the town of Tairua wher we fond shops, food and lovely people. There is a pedestrian ferry between them but vehicles go the 25km round trip to get the 500m. Well Pauanui is the only place where there is a camp ground. So we wanted a place to rest and read etc so it was logical to come “over” the water. We drove into a very established, neat, green, well laid out town. Not very busy, not a lot of traffic but obvious money involved. Median strips with palms, coloured roads, grey footpaths, underground power and waterfront blocks with substantial houses told us that we were in a different area.

Holiday homes at Pauanui - no one home but 30000 come at holiday time
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We found our camp ground and were welcomed in by the owners. They directed us to “take any of the powered sites you like. They are all available.” Last night the camp ground had about 10 vans and many people in their permanent caravans as well as the school group. This one had 4 sites and all the rest of the park appears to be permanent caravans with built annexes for others to come in and use. We have only seen one other occupant in the park. Just 1 other vehicle. It is eerie I tell you. I feel like it is the set for a strange movie. But the owners were nice people. We were directed to a “lovely walk around the shore” by the pine trees at the end of the park road. So we set off at about 6pm. Too early for tea. It doesn’t get dark until nearly 9 so we had plenty of time to eat later. Out we went and walked along the foreshore to find the houses backed straight onto a council maintained lawned area of about 30m to the beach BEHIND EACH HOUSE. In theory the public had access but only by foot. No driving to a beachfront parking spot here thank you. We continued out to the end of the point and around to the Pacific shore. A lovely beach that stretched out before us for miles. Not a person in sight. Oh yse! A couple of workers doing some landscaping in a garden. No curtains open though and no-one at home. Not anywhere along a wonderful vista of lawn, trees and private access to the Pacific. There is walking through access for Joe Blow and every 500m or so there is a vehicle access point but it is not beach parking. Oh no! Drive in – drop off the family who can walk to the beach 500m or so while you find a park outside someone’s house. But there were no people anywhere. We walked around the suburbs and I KID YOU NOT we saw, in an hours walking around the streets as we went back to the park, 6 houses with curtains open lights on and signs of occupancy, 7 with cars parked but curtains shut and no one in evidence, 3 actual people, 1 dog and many boats with covers on. We saw many cul-de-sacs with completely clear streets. We walked for 11/2 hours and that is all we saw in this town. Tomorrow we are going for a drive to see if there are any more. They are developing land for sale further inland but all the waterfront blocks are built on. I’ll report more later.

A home to come to at weekends and holidays - not to be confused with one you live in.
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I’ve had a conversation with the owner of this park (The Glades). It seems that the 8 acres of park that he has is all leased out to families for their caravans or batches. They pay from $4 – 6000 per year for their spot which they can use as often as they like. A spot is the normal caravan size. 1 van, 1 annex, 1 boat and a car out front. There are no ongoing fees and they pay 3 months in advance. The population of the town goes from 1000 to 30 000 in the “silly season”. The whole place is geared up around holiday homes for those who can afford them. Blocks of land are being developed along the Queensland canal style and sell for $3 -500K. We had a look at the area and found it partly developed, ready for a few hundred more homes and many existing ones are for sale. Then we saw that behind this lovely new development, behind a tall tree hedge screening was a very large sewage and wastewater treatment plant. 500m from the edge of the development. It added another reason why I would not want to live there apart from the loneliness and boredom in paradise factor.

A sumptuous lunch prepared by a loving me
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So, we left Pauanui with no regrets and moved to the eastern side of the Firth of Thames which is to the west of Coramandel Peninsula. We drove up the road that we had intended to drive down a couple of days ago. Beautiful sunny afternoon and the threatened rain disappeared. I made a scrumptious lunch and took first prize in the local presentation of food awards. I was given a kiss by the Queen of the day as my reward. She then reverted to normal, ignored me and painted and drew and coloured in while I washed the dishes and cleaned the house. What a pity I finished my latest book last night. I’d go for an ice cream but the nearest shop is a long way down or up the road from the black-pebbled “beach” where we are stopped. It is a peaceful spot. Marg is under the trees and I’m in the house. I’d be outside on a chair except that when I went to sit on it the point where a large rivet connects two pieces of the chair, started to groan and it moved in ways mysterious. I thought I’d quit while I was ahead and it was still together..

The artist who did not take enough time to fill her quota of paintings and sketches.
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We will spend our 2^nd last night in NZ with Margi and Royston and Sam and Theo and Zac at the Police Dept holiday house north of Auckland where they are now. Then we’ll sleep in the motorhome until 3.30am in the hotel carpark before handing in the keys and catching the 7am flight home.

This may be the final entry before sending off to the blog site. So I’ll choose some photos to accompany it.

By the time you read this we’ll be home.