Tarakohe... Golden Bay

I decided I needed a change from being parked in a cafe carpark... Nice as it has been... So I have driven about 3km round the road to Tarakohe. It's one of the few  freedom parking spots provided by the local boat club for a donation... So it's popular. There are hot showers for a $2 donation, washing machine and dryer $4 each and toilets... And of course the company and chat of others parked here and the busy activity on the wharf. It's a full moon so extra high and extra low tides and I'm told there are snapper about... So... Tomorrow high tide is 11am, a very civilised time for me to be out and about. These photos are where I am parked and all the fascinating rocks... And the view from my doorway.

Fresh Snow... In November!

 When I woke up early this morning, I knew it was cold...

I could feel it on my nose!

Beautifully sunny but only 1deg! A high for the day

of 14deg. My fire is going.

Am I expecting summer?  Gosh I hope so and that this

is the last cold snap.

 This was the view from my bus... Cold but quite spectacular...

This is looking behind the Takaka Hills... Up the Anatoki Valley

to the Dragons Teeth... The northern beginning of

the Southern Alps. Brrr...

This post is particularly for two of my (adult) children who

live in Taipei and Fort Lauderdale USA where the temperatures
today are 19deg and 23deg as they cool down from their
very hot summers. I often compare and
have a chuckle and sometimes am envious... But
at the same time although I don't like the cold I
do enjoy the changing seasons in New Zealand.
 

My Sales Table...

Feel like some Allsorts or some Licorice... All colours,

shapes, sizes and tastes. Assorted bags... Even some salt

licorice for my Dutch customers and hard licorice

for the German people and regular allsorts and

licorice together for New Zealander's.

Just come on by... Have coffee and cake at the cafe...

 And buy some goodies to take home or eat on your bike ride

or walking on the beach...

Music CD's and DVD's for the holiday evenings...

I started my sales table selling licorice as a bit of a laugh and some fun.

I had so many people stopping because of the name of my bus,

thinking I sold it... so why not?

It's happening wherever I am, one person approached me when

I was parked on the side of the road outside the  laundromat 

in Takaka... And went munching on his way a happy chappy.

Keep a look out... I could be anywhere...

Back In Pohara... Again!

After a slow and lovely trip north up the east coast from Christchurch I arrived at Pohara... Finally there!

It was great to be back with my daughter and her family and catch up with them all and how they're doing. Fishing was on the agenda and walking the beach again and back on my bike... Well that

lasted five days then... I flew back to Christchurch to see and make sure my father was alright

after a very nasty fall... I just found out today there is a small write-up about a man at Woodcote Resthome... 'Firefighters To The Rescue'... In the Christchurch Star. I stayed with him for six days then

thought I could safely leave... Till next time!

So here I am back at my bus in the cafe car park... Enjoying the sun and green paddocks...

It's interesting living in a car park once the cafe is open... Cars and people come and fill it

up and stop and chat...

It's a very hit and miss affair doing a post on my iPad... But I'll get better... It takes such good photos.

Have You Missed Me?

Life has been rather chaotic lately. My last post was about me enjoying Kaikoura. I did make it to Pohara... I did stop and do things on the way... I will come back to all that. I had been in Pohara for five days when I had a phone call to tell me my father had had a nasty accident and was in hospital. It was such a lovely morning on the beach, walking in the sun to the dairy to buy a newspaper... When a phone call shattered my day. So I abandoned my bus, packed a bag and was on my way to Christchurch. Dad had a fall, fell on top of his walker and impaled his leg on the brake lever. The ambulance, the fire brigade to cut him free, surgery and stitches... I've been here a week and am flying back to Nelson then Pohara tomorrow.

I've missed my blog and chatting on it but I will be back. I have also bought myself an iPad... A whole new learning curve. I played with my new toy so much I used up all my month's data. Luckily I bought a WiFi and cellular iPad so now it has it's own data. This is my first post using it... Rather frustrating until I learn how to do it.

But... I'm ok... Dad's ok... And here's a photo of him to prove it... Although the nasty gash on his leg is covered up by his trousers. He's 96... A tough old guy and still smiling. 

Another Day... Fresh Snow... Sun... Sea... Mountains...

 After another rough night... A perfect day dawned. This was

the view from my bus parked at the race course. But it was

too cold and shady so I needed to move into the sun.

 Over the road looking across South Bay...

 The stony fore shore, the rocks and further round is where

the whale watching boats depart from...

 But I went into town... I wanted to park in the sun...

With a view and not re-park all day. The parking area at the

railway station was the place...

 So here I am, tucked in alongside the bushes...

The sea in front of me... The vast Pacific Ocean...

And the mountains and snow on the other side...

My fire going... What a place to eat breakfast and

decide what to do next.

And... On Through The Storm To Kaikoura...

 It blew up during the night. The wind blew down branches

and howled through the big trees and the power lines. 

I stayed parked at Parnassus till mid-day, then got 

bored and thought I would brave the weather and drive slowly 

and carefully on to Kaikoura.

I didn't know till the next day that big trucks were

being blown off the road on the Rimutuka Road just north

of Wellington... Oh well ignorance is bliss - sometimes!

 This is where I stopped on the side of the road to have

lunch... I love this part of the coast of New Zealand...

It's one of my favourite places. I could spend hours watching

the water in all weathers.

 The familiar road tunnels... I have been travelling on

this road since a small child and I never fail to toot

the horn as I drive through! 

 Brighter sky on the horizon?

 And the 2nd lot of tunnels... they are so narrow and low but I think

if the big freight and transport trucks can get through unscathed...

So can I.

 The writhing sea and huge kelp that grows around

this coast...

 Yet another sharp bend in the road...

 South Bay in the distance... My destination...

Waves... And the wind blowing spume off the top of the waves...

I love it... But it was very windy and I was glad to be parked

for the night... At the NZMCA Park at the end of the

Kaikoura Race Course.