 |
| 18:20 and still beautiful! |
18 February 2011
Up at 07:30, 12.5°C and high cloud. Threw the rods in and Marielle caught a tiddly 6" rainbow using the Gulp worms. Oh, did I mention that the water is as dirty as we've ever seen it? Really cloudy - could see the fish who sits by the drain outlet in the clear water from the stream, but everything else was really cloudy. Had a lovely lazy morning - showers, breakfast (cheese on toast), lunch (home made sushi) and nana-naps (yep, BOTH of us!) and it's now 14:07 and we are going to move as it's becoming a bit too windy to be parked beside the canal - it's warm enough (24.5°C) and partly sunny, but it's too exposed to this wind here! Dumped and got some more supplies in Twizel and had one jug at the Otematata Pub. 16:51 - set up at Wildlife Reserve, overcast but warm and sheltered.
 |
| Set up - Take One |
Well, I should correct that - I thought we were set up. Over the last 2 and a bit years we have prided ourselves on it only taking 2 minutes to get ourselves organised once we've picked a spot - but that was BEFORE satellite! For the first time since getting the dish, we couldn't find the satellite where we initially parked.
 |
| Set up - Take Two |
Ok, that was not helped by Marielle telling Mike to point the dish in completely (and I mean completely) the wrong direction (based on where she thought another camper's dish was pointing) but in the end it made no difference because even when Mike had gone and talked to the other people and looked where their dish was pointing he still couldn't get reception - too many trees. So, exactly one hour after first starting, we had moved a couple of metres away from the trees and BINGO, we have reception. Made us laugh - and let's face it - filled in an hour, didn't it?!? LOL. Lesson for future - use compass and avoid trees! Did all the usual stuff for the rest of the evening - including sitting outside as it remained warm-ish. Had corn and chicken tortellini (last night's left-overs) for tea and went to bed somewhere around 22:00.
19 February 2011
 |
Up at 08:50!! Starting to rain and 14.5°C. Bacon and eggs and mushrooms for breakfast and sat and puzzled (Mike on his new cellphone, Marielle the old-fashioned way: in a puzzle book :)) and then we decided, at 11:40 that at the very least we had to go and get a paper. Had thought we might walk, but still raining so took Maggie. 13:28 - just had lunch (Mike's famous salad sandwich and mushroom soup) beside Lake Aviemore just above Waitangi! We got the paper and decided to look if there was anywhere else we fancied camping - and it looked like the sun was shining at the far end of the lake. It was, sort of, but it was also blowing a howling gale, and at midday it was a miserable 13°C! So headed back towards Benmore Dam - checked out Waitangi campground by the boat harbour, but it didn't really spin our wheels. So we got back to Wildlife Reserve at 14:45 - a long road trip to get the paper! Ha ha. Marielle threw apples into the lake (lots of apple trees here) while Mike mucked around for 15 minutes or so trying to get a level spot with a good view AND no trees! 
While Roxie was "apple-bobbing" she got some shampoo rubbed on her back as she had tried to roll in something last night, and although it wasn't hugely offensive it wasn't that nice a smell either, so Marielle decided to get rid of it. Then took Roxie for a walk along the track towards the Dam to dry her off. Got back to Maggie, puzzled and read the paper and tried to keep warm - in Roxie's case by getting covered in layers of newspaper! Had corn and sashimi (from the High Country Salmon farm - got it yesterday coming through) for tea - MMMMM
20 February 2011
Up at 07:40, 12°C and very grey and gloomy. Heading home today, and planning to stop in Cromwell and catch up with Kirsty who's "doing lunch" there! Had showers and breakfast (muesli) and now 10:27 and rolling. Pulled over at the turn off to the Ahuriri Conservation area to let a slow car (doing only 90kph) get away, as we didn't quite have enough grunt to overtake him but as we were parked there we realised we might as well just keep going as it seems the road is very busy today - and there's lots of trucks, cars with trailers etc. So looks like it's going to be a slow trip. Actually, it wasn't too bad in the end, most people pulled over when needed. Had left over sashimi sitting beside the Cromwell boatramp on Lake Dunstan - beautiful day now - bit breezy but 24°C and definitely too hot for jeans and socks and shoes! Saw Kirsty and Cody for a quick catch-up and then headed home. Got home at 13:50 - 285594kms - 481kms this trip (like I said, long way to go and get a newspaper - LOL!)
