365 Days been and gone

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We have spent a good 4 months wintering over in Whitianga and enjoying our new wee grandson who arrived on the 1^stMay. The fishing in May was pretty good and then the weather changed and we didn’t get out again for the rest of our stay. Both Lance and I picked up jobs whilst there. Lance working for a local Boat Builder and I ended up working nightshift at a local Mussel Processing Plant (now that was an experience). We have found there is work anywhere providing you don’t mind working hard and getting paid average money. But we figured any money was better than nothing. The bonus was that we got to see our grandson everyday😊.

There is always plenty to do in Whitianga and surrounding areas. I discovered a gem of a walk in Whitianga one afternoon. You need to take the ferry over to Ferry Landing and explore the Whitianga Rock Scenic & Historic Reserve. This was an old Pa site with spectacular views across to Whitianga and down to Back Bay. You can still see the old post holes in the rocks. From the reserve you can take a track that leads down to Back Bay and then up and over the high ridge to Flaxmill Bay. I did wander off the track slightly at one point as someone had removed the markers but it looked I was not the only one. They have done quite a bit of work on most of this track and there is only a small section that needs to be improved (probably the getting lost bit). There are plenty of stairs to get your heart pumping but the views are awesome on both sides of the ridge. From the Flaxmill Bay side I walked further on to Cooks Beach. Absolutely nobody on the beach today, just me, my camera and a few birds. Wandering down the beach to the Purangi Estuary, I managed to take plenty photos of the NZ Dotterels. Great afternoon and a must do if you are in the area.

We have also spent some time visiting our favourite beaches in the area …..Otama Beach, Opito Bay, and Cathedral Cove. A couple of photo shots for your reference and to put on your list of things to do in the area.

A farewell to Whitianga and our wee grandson it is now time for us to prepare to head South again. 365 days just wasn’t long enough for us to explore. So yes we are carrying on😊. The last few weeks we have been back in Rotorua catching up with friends and family. We were in Hamilton last weekend to celebrate a friends’ birthday and managed to pop over to Raglan (46kms west of Hamilton). Raglan is a top spot on the West Coast, especially if you are into surfing. A must do here is visit the Bridal Veil Falls.

So our Winter Over North is done and dusted and Lance thinks it’s warm enough to head South again (I'm not so sure about that). So on Wednesday afternoon we left Rotorua and headed straight to Wellington to catch the 2.00am ferry on Thursday morning. We will be back online soon with updates😊.

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