The trip that wasn't

The trip to Tonga – That wasn’t.

Some of my regular readers have asked - “What was the trip to Tonga Like?” Answer - I don’t know.
Due to a number of factors way beyond my control I did not go.
On the 26th April I went to Auckland all packed and ready to sail. During the weekend prior the skipper had phoned to say that we would not be sailing on the Tuesday as planned. As Lorna was going up for work on Tuesday I went with ther expecting to leave later in the week. I did not enjoy messing about in the big city, although I was able to spend some quality granchild time.
There were a number of things not ready on the boat including a vandalised life raft which had been stabbed – most likely before Dave bought the boat. There was also no SSB radio, which is the main means of communication way out in the ocean.
By the end of the week it was obvious we would not be sailing for a couple of weeks so we came home. I was able to paint and install some bookshelves we had bought before I left for my trip. Because of the delay we would not be able to meet our return flights from the Vavau group to Tonga, so Lorna’s trip was cancelled, with a loss of $120 on the air fares.
A week or so later I went to Auckland all set to sail on the Tuesday, only to be told it would be towards the end of the week. I stupidly left my bags in the car parked on the side of the road. Naturally it got broken into and my small bag (Carry on luggage) was taken. This had my passport in it. Damn! I spent Wednesday organising insurance, replacement of a broken sidelight and an emergency passport. That evening one of the neighbours phoned to say he had picked up my bag and belongings while walking his dog that morning.
Next morning I cancelled the insurance claim and we came home. I had lost a pair of thermal gloves, (I had bought two pairs) and a beanie. The robbers had left an umbrella in the car so apart from the $300 for an emergency passport the loss was not too great. The plan at that stage was for me to pick up the new passport on Monday morning and hop on the boat at the Admiralty steps whereupon we would sail off into the wild blue yonder.
On Sunday Dave phoned to say that we would not be leaving early so we did not go to Auckland until Monday morning (another night in my own bed!). A call later in the day informed me that there was trouble with the electrics and we would meet in town in the morning. The skipper thought he would take the boat to Westhaven for the night to get an early start.
Tuesday morniing I had a hearty breakfast, dressed in my thermal underwear and sailing clothes and was heading towards the car when I had a phone call to say that the electrics were still not fixed and there would be further delay.
At this point I decided that the trip was off for me. We went out to the boat and it was in greater disarray than I expected. The SSB radio was still not installed! I sold Dave the Pa’anga I had bough the day before and we came home.
We had rebookeded our return flights in the islands again and when we received the refund the exchange rates had improved and we recouped most of the penalty we had been charged.
The next couple of weeks were spent explaining why I was in town.

Off to the Islands.

Is it really a year since I posted a blog? Damn I have been lazy. If you read this could you please make a comment to let me know that I am not wasting my time..
I am about to set off on a great adventure. A guy I used to work with in Auckland, Dave Robinson is sailing his 39 foot yacht "Cavatina" to Tonga as the start of a cruise around the Pacific. I will be sailing with him, leaving on Tuesday May 25. The trip to Tongatapu should take around 10 days. Lorna and Dave's wife Mel will be flying up on June 5 to meet us. We are then going to sail up to the Vavau group of islands which are purported to be the "Jewel of the Pacific". After ten days cruising these Islands we will be flying home on June 16. I have never been offshore before so this is exciting and a little scary.
The trip has been four years in the planning and was to happen this year on May 1. A number of factors have delayed our departure but we are now ready to go.
Look for a further blog after June 16

The 70th

Yesterday we held my 70th birthday party at Bracu Restuarant in Bombay. The restaurant is part of the Suminovich Olive plantation and is an awesome venue for a party. The food was fabulous. 22 family and friends helped me to celebrate over lunch. It was totally enjoyable to be able to sit and talk over a few drinks in such a good venue. I was most fortunate to receive some lovely cards and gifts. Naturally many of the cards referred to my advancing years. And my sister Jan gave some long johns, slippers, a scarf and beanie to keep me warm. The stars of the show were really Finn and Dylan who happily participated in “pass the baby.” Celebrations actually started on Thursday evening when the Navy Band was performing at the RSA. Someone organised for them to wish me a public “happy birthday.”
On the house front: last Tuesday I received the engineer’s report I have been waiting months for. I immediately submitted it to the Council and hope that I will receive approval in the next few days. We will then be able to get the final inspection done and officially move in. I still have to re-do the deck to match the house.
The coming week is the annversary of my knee operation and I have an appointment with the surgeon to assess progress. I am walking well and have very little discomfort. It does not like being cold though.
The weather here in Whangamata is very good. We have had a series of cool mornings with warm sunny days. We often seem to miss rain and cloud which effects surrounding districts.

Wairarapa, Wellington and model Yachts.

On the Saturday before Easter we set off from Whangamata to do the trip round the Wairarapa we had planned for late January. Our first stop was at Waihi Beach to collect a jacket left behind, and then on to Napier. After spending the night in the RSA car park we headed off down the east coast of Southern Hawkes Bay. As I have noted before the countryside has a unique feel to it with rolling hills and deep valleys. The poplar trees on the radside were turning golden and there were many postcard scenes. As is our normal practice on these sorts of trips we took most of the roads to the coast and took tea or meals at: Porangahau, Herbertville and Owhanga before stoping for the night at Castlepoint. On the way we stopped for a photo opportunity at Taumatawhakatangihangakaouauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu. From Alfredton we spent some 20 odd kilometres on a windy metal road. This reminded me of the roads of my youth - corrugations and dust! Castlepoint is a fascinating place with fishing boats pulled up on the beach on massive trailers with 10 metre drawbars. The motor camp was expensive! We woke to an awesome sunrise which I managed to successfully photograph. On Monday we drove to Riversdale beach for morning tea and then to Lake Ferry for lunch. In the afternoon we proceded round to Cape Palliser lighthouse. There are 249 steps up to the tower with no landings. I am happy to report that we both made it. We had planned to spend the night at a Park Over Property near Ngawi, but missed it and stopped instead at a DOC camp at the Pinnacles. This coast is really wild and inhospitable to boaties. Next morning we went down the other side of the lake at Lake Ferry to Ocean Beach ( how many of them are there?), where there is a massive retreat building set back in the shade of the Rimutaka Ranges. From there we drove in to Featherston to look at a kayak for Lorna. The RD1 shop did not have any in stock so we reserved one at Levin to collect on the way out a week later. After a night at Hutt Park we motored over to Worser Bay where I was chief measurer for the Optimist National Championships which ran until the following Tuesday. It still gives me a thrill to see 250 children aged from 9 t0 14 sailing their boats so well.

When the contest was over we set out at 6 pm and drove to Lindale Motor Park where we have stayed before. On the Wednesday we set oour reasonably early, collected Lorna's kayak and were on the road home by 8.30. lunch at Taupo saw us back in Whangamata at 5.45.

After a day of washing and sorting out the bus we were back on the road on Friday to be in Auckland where I was race officer for the One Metre National Championships. We stayed at John and Karen Omeara's place in Manrewa. But first we spent the afternoon with Phil, Erin, Zoe and the twins. Those who are interested will be pleased to know that the boys are getting on famously. The parents are struggling to get enough sleep. We assure them that this will pass and better times are coming! Then it was back here to Whangamata where I am still waiting for the person who is preparing my engineering report for the soak hole (which is alredy in.) The carpet is down and I am now building shelves in the linen cupboard and hot water cupboard.

The First Night

It is not two months since I last wrote, so I must be getting better. The carpet went down today and I have put up a bed, so tonight we will spend our first night in our new home. The photos show the kitchen bathroom and a shot of the bedroom. There are only a few jobs to do now, such as painting the surfeit, renewing the deck and making shelves for the hot water and the cupboards.

Two weekends ago we spent with Bill and stephanie, family and friends at Alex and Maz's place at Waihi Beach. It was great to catch up with the family. On Saturday morning Ron, Kay and I went fishing and caught a few snapper.

Last weekend was the Beach Hop here in Whangamata and the cars were awesome. There seemed to be as many people as other years. Newspapers say there were 70,000!

Tomorrow we set out to use our motor home again. We are going down to the Wairarapa to have a look at part of New Zealand we don't know much about. We will be going right down to the bottom of the North Island. I will be at the New Zealand Optimist Dinghy National Championships next Wednesday and over Easter.

After this contest we will be going up to Auckland to see how Phil and Erin's twins are getting on. Most of you will know that the two boys were born on Februry 24. They are home now and progressing well. The parents are struggling for sleep but coping.

Over the weekend of 18, 19, 20 April I will be assisting the running of the New Zealand One Metre National Championships (for the uninitiated - mdel yachts.)

Blogs will be more regular now that the work on the house is coming to the end.

Here we are again

I see that it is two months since last I wrote a blog. It is not that I have disappeared from the earth, it is just that I have been really busy on the house and with other things like having the bus repaired after a moment of indiscretion. These things are so frustrating, annoying, unnecessary and expensive! We had the whole family here in Whangamata for christmas in the ulined house. I spent two days putting up Gib board on the lower half of walls so that Zoe could not get at the fibreglass insulation. On New year's eve we went up to the Buckley's at Tutukaka and had a really great four days relaxing. We came back down to Auckland and it was while I was gathering stuff for the house that I looked away when I should have been watching forward and the vehicle in front stopped. I needed about half a metre more than was availble.
Back in Whangamata I have been working steadily on the house and the kitchen is now almost complete. I spent today installing the dishwasher. There are only the blinds , curtains and the TV connectors to be installed and the living rooms are complete. We had imitation wood grain vinyl planks laid on the floor and they look superb. The bathroom is complete, apart from the towel rails, toilet roll holder, and the door to be rehung. I laid vinyl tiles with a marble pattern in this little room and they look great. I have yet to paint the rest of the rooms, doors and wardrobes.
We are grandparents again (double). Erin was expecting twins around the end of this month, but they came early on February 24. Finn Samuel and Dylan Patrick are both healthy having been around 5lbs. Erin is sore having endured a caesarian section. I will be going to Auckland next week to be the driver, washing hanger out, toddler wrangler and other Grandparent duties.

Ready for lining

Once again other things like building houses have interfered with the writing of blogs. The construction process continues with its delays and frustrations. The plumbing and wiring are in place, the pre lining inspection has been done and approved. The kitchen is being built, and the Gib board is now on site. The pieces of cladding to finish the outside arrived during the week. This is the third delivery of material needed to rectify the stuff up in ordering the original kit. Last Monday the electrician was here, I spent most of the day helping him and then put the batts in the ceiling. I put in 11 ½ hours that day! This meant that when the inspector came to do the water pressure test on Tuesday he could also do the pre line inspection. The inspector is a nice guy, it is just a shame that he has to deal with such a pettyfogging beaurocracy. The ongoing battle withthe council over the rainwater disposal continues. The person at the marina who is helping me is constantly waiting for the council to send material and actually define what they want.
My knee is holding up well with only the occaisional twinge of pain, some of which must be muscular as I work it more and more.
I am really working hard to get the house useable by Christmas, and then will take things easier and maybe even get in some fishing. Social life has been mainly around the RSA. There have been several visitors in motor homes who have stayed a night or two. One couple, Cliff and Chrissie Buckley, from England spent two nights and were very interesting company.
I hope to get another blog done before Christmas, but if not; all the best for the festive season to all of my avid readers.