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Published: February 4th 2010
Sunday, January 31st
Before we left for the Zig Zag track Ferdi decided to check the Boesman’s oil. When he opened the engine bay he found a little hitch-hiker, a mummified (and most likely cooked) rat lying on top of the engine. When we arrived at the track he tried to take it out, but the body came apart when he pulled at it. Eventually most of the rat was on the road and we took off up the track. This time we actually jogged a bit, but running up a steep track is hard work. We loved it though and hope that we’ll be able to jog it all the way up and down before we leave Karamea.
Back in the shed Talita kept sanding on the gunwales while Ferdi did more filling work on the frame seams. During our morning cuppa we met our neighbors for the evening. They were a friendly couple from Nelson and the guy is an immigration lawyer… Can you believe it? He said we could ask him any questions we might have. Initially we couldn’t think of a single thing to ask. We’d done so much research on the NZ immigration system that
we know pretty much exactly what we need to.
We did the cleaning and had lunch. Back in the shed we applied fibreglass to those seams, and for the first time we really didn’t enjoy working on the canoe. We were both tired and the fibreglassing was difficult and it just wasn’t fun. We persevered and finished the job, then drove out to a swimming spot along the Karamea River beneath the bridge. We were barely in the water when we saw Paddy on the bridge. We called and when he spotted us he came down. He greeted us with little tubs of ice-cream and we sat in the grass enjoying these cold snacks and the view of the river. We sure aren’t the best diet-ers in the world!
These days Paddy always has his surf-ski in his truck, so we asked if we could give it a go in the quiet waters of the river. Paddy was keen, because he knew how hard it is just to stay on top of one of those, and he needed a good laugh. We, however, thought it would be a walk in the park. Boy, were we wrong! Ferdi tried
it first. He was upside-down in a flash and Paddy was laughing his ass off. Keeping your balance with your feet in the water is manageable, but once both feet go up on the ski it’s all over, literally! When Talita’s turn came she was also struggling and had a few dunks, but it was obvious that she was getting a long much better than Ferdi. Maybe it’s her years of ice-skating, or maybe Ferdi’s balance just sucks.
Paddy went out to show us how it’s done. He didn’t fall once! Ferdi went out again, and with a few tips from Paddy he managed to stay on top for more than 5 seconds before going over again. Then Talita had another go, and left Ferdi and Paddy stunned when she not only stayed on top, but rowed big circles in the river without once falling over! That-a girl! Ferdi had to try and do better, but when he went out he kept going over. He needs a lot more practice!
Back at home we had tea, then Talita decided that the Boesman needed a bath. The birds (we suspect the Blue Herons) had tried real hard to paint
the Boesman white, but Talita would have none of it. When the Boesman was nice and clean we made dinner, the tried to watch a movie, but our silly little DVD player was acting up and we gave up.
Today’s highlights:
1. Ice-cream with Paddy.
2. Playing on Paddy’s surf-ski.
3. Talita doing really well on the surf-ski.
Monday, February 1st
Before going for our morning trip up the hill we spent an hour chatting with Mike, the immigration lawyer next door. We asked what we could and he confirmed a few things we were guessing about. They were leaving today so we left them to pack and drove to the Zig Zag track. We now have our own “Moreleta Koppie” to exercise on, just like mom and dad Minty.
Back at the park we showed off the canoe to Mike and Sally before they left. They were very impressed and said we should build canoes for a living. We wish! We bid them farewell, then returned to our room. We were feeling tired and thought we’d take a day off from working on the canoe.
After the cleaning we spent the rest of the day
doing research, reading and napping in our room. The diet finishes on Wednesday and we can’t wait to have a bit more energy!
Today’s highlights:
1. Getting confirmation of our position from Mike.
Thought for the day:
It feels like the pieces of a puzzle is all coming together. We’re just missing one final piece. Tuesday, February 2nd
When the alarm went off at 7am Ferdi decided to turn it off and continue sleeping. He had zero energy, so the “koppie” would have to wait for another day. We eventually woke again at 8:30 and after breakfast we did our stretches and crunches. The rest of the morning was filled with research. After morning tea we did the cleaning, had lunch, and then continued the research.
Later in the afternoon we went to the shed to do a few things on the canoe. Neither of us felt very inspired, but we managed to do some sanding and filling work. After an hour we gave it up and returned to our room.
After dinner, and on the way to the showers, we were invited to have a few seafood snacks with Kevin, Caroline and few other
people. Ferdi was given whitebait fritters, scallops and crayfish! It was all divine and he could’ve easily devoured everything they offered. It’s awesome how friendly the Kiwis are, especially the older ones.
Today’s highlights:
1. Little progress on the canoe.
2. Tasty after-dinner snacks from the friendly Kiwis.
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mariana
non-member comment
Draf-koppie
Baie geluk en vasbyt met julle oefen koppie! Dit werk beslis! Hoe lank neem dit julle op en af en hoe ver is dit ? Baie geluk Talita en Ferdi: Julle het vandag weer tannie en oom geword, want Brian en Lindy se dogtertjie is gebore en weeg 3.37kg en sy het baie swart haartjies ... baie pragtig !! Brian het vir ons n foto met sy foon gestuur. Ons gaan vanaand daar kuier in besoektyd 7-8nm.