Not many sleeps left.....

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7th December

One thing I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog is that I had figured out to prevent the bed from collapsing in the night, basically I have to have the back of the van a little higher than the front of the van, this means gravity forces the bed to stay on place. The pitch I have been at for the last two nights has been very slopes, which has meant that I woken up in the night and I have actually slid down the bed.

Not sure what time I got up, the kitchen was very crowded so settled for tea, toast and cereal outside, for once it was not raining. Headed back to van with a cuppa to figure out what I was going to do for the rest of the day. I realised that I have not got many sleeps left until I fly home.

My flight is actually late on Tuesday, so I thought I would do the Tuesday volunteer thing at Shakespeare Park. I booked a site for Monday night, having realised how late my flight was, 10.50pm. I looked at my options. I could pay to use the Business Class Lounge at the airport and shower and change there, then I realised that I would only be able to do that after I checked in. Hmm. Another option would to be book into the hotel near the airport and have a snooze and a soak in preparation for my long flight. That sounded like a plan, price looked ok so I booked it, I could check in at 2pm and spend the afternoon there generally chilling.

Bollocks! Just got the confirmation email through from the hotel, I thought the price was dollars not sterling, so it had cost me basically twice as much as I had expected. Oh well! Too late now.

Ok so now I have my last day sorted, I need to head in the general direction of Auckland. I decide on Te Ahora. I am away by 9.30, I stop of at the local shop to pick up supplies. I realize I need fuel as well, so will stop at the next petrol station I see. I also grab a coffee at the petrol station. I was pleasantly surprised as the filled the van up for me and washed my windscreen.

I get to Te Ahora about 11.30 and had a look around a gallery near the bowling green, I asked about a campsite at the Information centre and decided that the bowling green was as good a place as anywhere for lunch.

I am getting more eccentric by the day; I head back to the van and grab some stuff for lunch and my table and paints and set myself up by the bowling green. I do a painting before a lunch of cheese, crackers and tomatoes. I sit a while and read my latest book. I pack my stuff back in the van and have a walk around town.

I came across a community garden and had a chat with the lady working on it. She says they used to give produce to the local food bank but there is not as much to give as people are helping themselves straight from the garden. Which in itself she does not have a problem with; but people are ruining the crops because they do not know when things are ready to harvest and she is proper fed up, as all the efforts have gone to waste. I bid her farewell, after we have both put the world to rights.

I get back to the van and set sat nav for the campsite, it seems I had already passed it on my way into town. I make myself a cuppa, I am getting itchy feet as I have not had walk today. I look at the walks suggested by the Information centre, the 1st one is only 5km away so off I head in the van. On my way i see this big bird in the distance, and cannot figure out what it is, as I get closer I realize it is a turkey chick.

I get to my destination and I just do not feel comfortable around the place. I cannot put my finger on it; I read the blurb on the signs and the walk is described as steep in places. Gonna give it a miss.

I set sat nav for the second walk and then it dawns on me why had felt uncomfortable, graffiti, there was graffiti which probably made me doubt how well maintained the path would be.

As I travel to Wairere Falls I notice that the cows are walking in single file through the fields, looks like milking time is about 3.30pm. I get to the falls and the sign says 45 minutes one walk up a very steep track; it is now after 4, too late in the day to start a walk that long.

I head back to camp a bit fed up with myself for concentrating on finding a campsite for the night rather than finding a walk. When I get back to the site I make myself a cuppa and have a wander around. I found a very timid ginger cat, not interested in saying hello and a very curious bullock in an adjoining field. This bullock makes my smile, he was determined to get leaves from the trees only they were just out of his reach. Eventually he pulled down the branch by wrapping his tongue around the twigs he had already stripped bare, he then hooked the branch under his chin so he could eat the leaves on it. He outsmarts some of the humans I have come across.

I write my blog and read, I thought I had the place to myself for the night but just as I am making my bed up a convoy of 3 camper vans heads in. I finish my blog and tuck myself in for the night.

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