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Wednesday, April 28th
We decided to move a bit further south, for no other reason than to do something. Our few pieces of clothing were also in need of a wash so we thought we'd drive down to Orere point and see if the holiday park there would let us do our washing there. We said goodbye to Ginger and went to fill up our water tank before hitting the road. While Ferdi was filling the tank Talita spotted the kitten and gave her the rest of the tuna. We wanted to keep her, but we didn't cause we couldn't catch her.
We took a leisurely drive down to Orere Point. We hadn't intended to stay the night, but they wouldn't allow us to wash our clothes if we didn't. We booked in and decided to make the most of it. We started off by coloring Talita's hair with henna. It came in powder form and Talita added water to make a green paste that looked like baby poo and smelled suspiciously like pot. All natural they say... Mmmm... Ferdi donned the gloves and applied the paste, working it into the hair. After an hour Talita had six buns on
her head that we needed to cover with a shower-cap. The supplied one was too small, so we used glad-wrap to cover all the exposed hair. Now Talita had to wait three hours while the color set.
We baked oatmeal cookies while we waited. Then Ferdi shaved his furry face before we enjoyed a nice hot shower. Talita came out of the shower with not one single gray hair on her head. She was very chuffed indeed.
One great thing about this holiday park is the large amount of cats around. We spotted nine. We couldn't get enough of them. They were everywhere, following their owners, coming to say hi to us, lounging on the hot stone driveway. It was great. Like they say, it never rains-it pours.
Talking about rain, we got the good news that it rained like crazy up in Whangarei and the water tanks up there are once more filled to the brim. Good news for our friends up there.
For dinner we decided on Pancakes stuffed with cheese, tomato, onion and mushrooms. It was fantastic and we had enough pancakes left over for a whole other meal. We went to bed
wondering again about what lies ahead for us. Truth be told, it's kind of a constant topic with us these days. It's hard to wait, but wait we must.
Today's highlights:
1. Nine cats! Nine!
2. Getting rid of Talita's grey.
3. Cookies and pancakes.
Thursday, April 29th
There's no cell reception in Orere and no broadband. The best they could do is dial-up. It was the first time hearing a modem dial up in many many years. Just like many many years ago the speed was atrocious and Ferdi left Talita to do her thing before he started to cry hysterically.
When we finally left this technologically defunct place behind we continued south for a while before turning inland. We were heading for Hunua Regional Park where we hoped to paddle Birdsy on one of the four reservoirs and do a bit of tramping.
We were heading for the southern entrance to the park, hoping to cut through to the camping area. To this end we took a dirt road into the park but encountered locked gates when we got to the Mangatangi Reservoir. With no other option we turned back and drove a big
Messy messy messy
At least it doesn't stain the skinloop round the southern part of the park and finally made it in at the western entrance.
Near the Mangatawhiri Reservoir we stopped for lunch. The Hunua Ranges RP is a hikers and mountain biker’s paradise, with tracks and trails all over the place. Unfortunately we couldn't put Birdsy on any of the reservoirs. More locked gates barred our way. The four reservoirs in the park supply most of Auckland's water, so they probably don't want people paddling all over the drinking water.
We had hoped to spend the night here but decided against it for the time being, so after lunch we drove on. We stopped in Hunua to get a few fresh veggies, then continued north before turning east, thereby completely circumnavigating the Hunua Ranges. We stopped at Duder Regional Park, but they didn't allow any camping so we continued on back to Omana RP. We were looking forward to seeing the chickens and the kitty again.
We found a nice and private spot to camp. Here we met a new chicken we called Zulu. It is the most hilarious chicken we've ever met. He's fat, his feathers look more like long hair, he's got
what looks like a sun-dried tomato between his eyes, and he coos and clucks constantly. We also found the he likes to stare at us, but when we stare back he immediately gets uncomfortable and starts pecking and scratching the ground until we look away, then he just stares at us again.
With Zulu cooing around us we had a few beers, finished a bottle of white wine and had the left-over pancakes for dinner. At about 5:30pm just as the last rays of the sun disappeared, Zulu made a bee-line for a nearby tree. After struggling up the tree he made himself comfortable in the furthest leafy branches to settle in for the night.
All in all it wasn't a very successful day and we were feeling a bit somber. Boredom does not sit well with us.
Today's highlights:
1. Seeing a bit of Hunua Ranges RP.
2. Meeting Zulu.
Friday, April 30th
We woke to the sound of pecking against the Boesman. The chickens were having a drink from the condensation on the metal and a sunny morning greeted us once again. When Ferdi went to the loo, Zulu, in his hope for food,
threw all caution to the wind and got much too close. Before he knew what hit him he was getting way more attention than he'd ever expected.
We spent the morning sitting around, chatting about our current situation, exploring our options and hoping for a bit more clarity. We'd given the chickens a couple hand-fulls of oats for breakfast, causing a bit of of a ruckus as they kept chasing each other away from the food. The pecking order is alive and kicking in their little community. Soon the kitten came by to see what the fuss was all about. We didn't have anymore tuna so we gave her some milk. She kept her distance, but finished the milk all in one go. Ginger went up to have a look at this furry little intruder, but didn't get too close.
Just before lunch we could stand our inaction no longer and went for a good jog around the perimeter of the park. Back at camp we had a cold shower outside. Even though we were sweating like crazy the first few hits of water took our breath away. After a bit we got numb and actually enjoyed it.
Feeling refreshed we had lunch, did some admin, then wondered what to do with our time in limbo. We thought about learning to paint, but settled on doing some Flax weaving since there were Flax plants all over the camp. We found “how to” advise online and spent the rest of the afternoon weaving a rough looking place mat. It wasn't too bad for a first attempt. While we were weaving the kitten came back for another visit. Once again she didn't come too close.
With the weaving our minds started thinking of other things to do, like hiking the Hillary Trail in the Waitekere Ranges. While cooking dinner we discussed it in a bit more detail, sorting out some logistics and choosing a route. We'd need a tent and a camp stove so we did a bit of research and found the perfect tent for us. In order to raise the funds to buy the equipment we decided to sell our chainsaw. We don't see ourselves building a log home in the next few years, so we might as well "trade it in" for a tent and a camp stove we can use in the next few
months. Now that we had a plan we felt happy and relaxed again (due to the erroneous feeling that we're actually in control of something) and was asleep well before 10pm
Today's highlights:
1. Petting Zulu.
2. Great jog.
3. Our first Flax weaving experience.
4. Making a few plans for the near future.
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Louise
non-member comment
Hi Talita and Ferdi, I love your encounters with the chickens and other animals, so up my street! The many homeless cats & kittens (and dogs) we've just come across in Egypt would have grabbed your attention too! It was so nice to feed two little kitties (secretly) when we were having lunch in a little restaurant in Cairo, as they came to beg when the food arrived on the table. Congrats with the henna treatment, Talita! I wonder how long it will last? Well done with your flax creations, that sounds very interesting and promising! Best wishes and take good care. xxx