New Zealand: The Return of the Kayaking

We'd been spoiled in New Zealand so far. Staying with friends and enjoying their generous hospitality. As much as I'd loved the time there, I was keen to do some 'travelling' again. So we decided to book a return flight to Christchurch, rent a vehicle and make our own way around the South Island for ten days. 

After landing in Christchurch, we waddled with our luggage towards the nearby car rental place, where our chariot awaited. Our 'chariot' was, in fact, a fairly old Toyota people carrier that had been adapted make a nice compact campervan. Although it had a couple of bits of cosmetic damage and a fair few miles on the clock, we were assured that the vehicle was a good shape. However, after stopping at the local 'Warehouse' to stock up on supplies for the week, we returned to the van to find that its battery was completely flat! Not a great start to our road trip.

Thankfully, the rental company sent out a mechanic who swapped our battery over and we were on our way again - north from plains of Christchurch and up into the foothills of the Southern Alps. Our plan was to get as far north as possible as we were aiming to be in the Abel Tasman the next day.

We stopped just before dark and set up for the night in a free campsite. Despite being plagued by midges, we slept well and got going early the next morning.

Taking turns driving gave us both the opportunity to enjoy the constantly changing views. Not for the last time that week, I was sure that I spotted mountains and river beds that Peter Jackson had used in The Lord of the Rings films. It was all so familiar and incredibly beautiful.

After a few more hours of travelling through stunning scenery, we arrived in the National Park of Abel Tasman. My parents had visited here a few years ago and loved the place, so I was eager to see what they had enjoyed so much about the area.

We spent our first afternoon there finding a campsite and then walked along the coast path to a secluded beach. Although the water was only about knee high, Steve and I still attempted to swim in the clear waters. We weren't particularly successful, but enjoyed splashing around anyway!

That evening, after a great shower, Steve cooked up a delicious meal and we sat playing cards. Sam had taught us a Brazilian game and we needed to practise so we could beat him and Reggie when we saw them next! We watched some Breaking Bad on my iPad and then settled down for another night in the camper.

The next morning I was subjected to a brutal assault. Whilst minding my own business and eating my muesli, I was set upon my three thugs. They used a youngster to lull me into a false sense of security and then, for the next five minutes, I was mercilessly attacked. I thought I would post a picture of the perpetrators so that no one else suffered at their hands... Or, more accurately, their beaks...

The evil (but very cute) ducks hadn't dampened my spirit though. We had booked a kayak that day and soon we were paddling our way along the stunning Abel Tasman coast. 

We stopped a few times to swim and wander around the park's forest paths. Steve had been here before with his brother and sister-in-law and so he said knew where we could find a particularly spectacular bay. I was a little dubious as Steve's sense of direction hasn't always been reliable, but this time he was spot on. As we reached the ridge of a hill we were greeted with a stunning view of Anchorage bay, its golden sands and emerald waters. I wouldn't doubt Steve's internal sat nav again!

We swam and walked so more, before heading back to our kayak and beginning the long paddle back to the campsite. It was now clear to me why Mum and Dad loved this place so much. On our way we saw some grey seals sunbathing on rocks, but sadly not the orcas that we were told sometimes come into the bay. Having said that, I'm not sure what my reaction to having a giant killer whale next to me in my tiny kayak would've been!

Although we were tired from our trip, we decided it would be a good idea to keep moving. Later, as I lay listening to some very loud locals leave a pub in the early hours of the morning, I wondered whether we'd made the right decision, I was now trying to get some sleep whilst parked in a public car park rather than in the beautiful surroundings of a National Park. But as I looked at a map of New Zealand I realised we had -  after all, the South Island was a big place and we only had a seven more days to explore it.

New Zealand: The Two Birthdays

For a brief moment, I was flying. The sort of flying you do in dreams - in slow motion - looking at the world around you and enjoying the quiet. But then came the fall: the ground rushed up to meet me and as I got a mouthful of sand I was aware of noises again. The sound of an idling engine and barking dogs and laughter, mainly laughter.

***

We were up in Hokianga Harbour. Steve, Sam, Reggie and I had come north to visit Sam's family for the weekend. Kane and Mel live with their three great kids, on a farm a few hundred miles outside Auckland. As usual, we were given a great welcome and treated to a barbecue whilst we had a few drinks and watched the sun set over the rolling hills.

Before the light had completely disappeared, Kane had brought out his antique clay pigeon launcher and, as we had conveniently picked up some clay pigeons on the way, we had some fun shooting down through the valley with Kane's small arsenal of weapons! Sam informed us that Kane had done some shooting in international competitions, which explained why he had enough guns in his cabinet to see off a small zombie invasion!

The next morning we packed up our stuff again and headed, along with the whole family, towards the secluded beaches at the mouth of Hokianga Harbour where we would camp for the night. This wasn't camping as most people would know it though, as well as the obligatory tent or two, we had also brought three motocross bikes, two 4 wheel drive vehicles and a quad! All vehicles were needed to help reach the remote location.

It was idyllic. We spent our first day lazing on the beach; Bob and Ito chased possums in the woods whilst we swam, sunbathed and skipped stones. In the afternoon we made our way, in various vehicles, down a long beach and over big sand dunes to a little lagoon that Mel and Kane often visited when they were camping. It was a welcome relief from the surprisingly hot Autumn sunshine, especially for the two dogs who splashed around with us!

Back at our makeshift campsite - Steve, Reggie and Sam went to find some mussels for dinner, whilst I had a go on the kids' motocross bike. Kane had offered me his own bike for a test drive, but I declined - something told me that it wouldn't be quite as easy to ride on the sand as Sam and Kane had made it look. I was right. Once I'd managed to kick start the machine into life I did a couple of tentative lengths of the beach. Feeling a little more confident I followed the tracks made by the guys looking for mussels, as I approached them I attempted a turn and promptly fell off sideways. Thankfully, Steve and Sam were looking the other way and all that was hurt was my pride as Reggie watched me stack it! She repressed the laughter and I raced off down the beach back towards Kane, Mel and the kids. And that's when my more spectacular crash happened.

Kane tells me that he saw me approach - instead of warning me of my impending doom - he told his family to watch, as he knew what was going to happen - I was going to come off. And sure enough, as I got up speed I went from the hard, wet sand to the much softer, dry sand. The result, as Kane had predicted, was that my front wheel dug in and I was propelled head first over the handle bars.

For a brief moment, I was flying. The sort of flying you do in dreams - in slow motion - looking at the world around and enjoying the quiet. But then came the fall: the ground rushed up to meet me and as I got a mouthful of sand I was aware of noises again. The sound of an idling engine and barking dogs and laughter, mainly laughter.

I regained my senses quickly enough to jump up and stop the hot exhaust burning my leg more than it already had. Mel stopped laughing long enough to enquire whether I was okay (which I was) and offer some food as a consolation! Then I sat back and watched as small children showed me how to actually ride a bike.

That evening we followed up a family game of boys v girls rugby with a meal around the campfire and then lay in the sand to watch the stars. Watching shooting stars and trying to remember any of the names of constellations was a great way to end the day (at least Steve and I thought so, Reggie's attention span didn't last too long and every few minutes we'd hear her whinge 'I'm bored!'. We ignored her!).

The following day we packed up, said our goodbyes to the family and made our way back to Auckland. I'd arranged to meet an old friend that evening.

As I left school at Christmas, there was a far more important departure. Mrs Roberts, who'd taught at St Helen's for far longer than me, had left for pastures new. As it turned out, those new pastures were New Zealand - so it was a a great opportunity to spend a few days with her in her new home.

Mrs Roberts lived in a house with a stunning view, or at least that's what she told me. I had to take her word for it, as by the time I'd arrived it was too dark to see the garden, let alone the volcanoes in the bay beyond.

When I sat admiring the view the next morning, I realised that I'd arrived just in time to celebrate Mrs R's birthday (I think she told me she was 25 or something like that!). Her kind boss had given her the day off to celebrate. Mr Roberts' daughter, had come down with a sore neck which meant that she couldn't possibly attend school either and so the three of us set off for a walk along the beach.

Two strange things happened once we sat down in a cafe for some brunch: first of all, Susie's neck was mysteriously cured and I actually had a hot drink. Now that doesn't sound like a big deal, but I think the last time I attempted to have a hot drink was when I was camping three years ago; then I burnt my mouth and couldn't taste much for a week. I was like a proper grown up, well, actually, I wasn't - I had a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows.

Mrs Robert's boss, Charles, took us out for a meal that evening. It was great to catch up with the Roberts girls and hear all about their new life down under. I have so much admiration for people who grab chances like this with both hands. I know I will miss Mrs Roberts a lot, she has supported me so much in my early few years as a teacher, but I'm glad she has been brave enough to embrace such an incredible experience.

The following day was my birthday and to round off a fairly stunning long weekend, Steve, Sam and some other friends (Gillan and Debs) decided to treat me to a meal. When pressed, I had admitted that I'd love to eat steak, so Sam took us along to a place he said I would like - and, my goodness, he was right! I've never eaten such a delicious bit of meat - it was cooked to perfection. 

A great way to celebrate my thirty-first!