Camping in the City

Last night found us in a very tight little spot at a camping ground right in the middle of Remuera. It was surrounded by houses & tucked down a narrow tree lined driveway at the bottom of a hill. David's driving & backing were outstanding both getting into the place & back out of it this morning.

Five styles of camping

 

We were up early so we could get everything ready to go as soon as we'd watched the first America's Cup race. We had been asked to get to the park early as there was going to be a lot of vans arriving & the bigger vehicles had to move right down the back of the carpark. Once ship-shape all we had to do was hitch up & pull out, the ute stuck out across the driveway otherwise we'd have hitched before the racing began too.

We were hoping to get to Alexandra Park, which was only a few kilometres away, by the time the second race was due to start. And then David had the brilliant idea of live streaming it on his iPad which we attach to the dash (when we're using it to navigate), & that way we wouldn't miss any of the action. Of course we forgot about the huge data use live streaming uses & quickly used up all his allocation and then some! Another lesson learned, although we both said it was well worth the expense (over $100) and we wouldn't have missed the sailing for the world. Thankfully the second race was postponed otherwise we may have been looking at another couple of hundred dollars!

Once we were parked up at Alexandra Park, David phoned Telecom to check & see why it was still showing his data was being used even though he had everything switched off after we got the notification he was over his limit. And once again David's charm worked wonders, the very helpful telecom guy said we were such good customers that he'd pass a credit for all the excess usage! Sweet!

We've had a quiet day inside the fifth-wheeler backed up to the race course fence watching all the comings & goings as dozens of vehicles(and people) in all shapes & sizes arrive and are directed to their parks. It's a blustery overcast day, a good day to catch up on chores inside.

As you can see & as is typical of us we were first to arrive.........

.........in our area of the park

Ardmore

We are now parked up at the very new NZMCA Park located within the Ardmore Airfield. One of the benefits of belonging to the NZ Motorhome & Caravan Association are the number of park over properties located around NZ. These provide safe & secure parks for members to stay at minimal cost. And by minimal it really is, $2 a night per person.  

The parks usually have water available, some have rubbish collection & dump stations. Inside the small kiosk where you register & read any notices there is often a book exchange and outside usually a small herb garden, which I was very grateful for last night, I used some of the parsley when I made dinner.  

We arrived fairly early yesterday as we only had 70kms to travel from Miranda and there were't any other vans in the park. We parked up in the corner with a good view of the planes coming & going on the runway just a few hundred metres away. Auckland has had a fair bit of rain recently & we could see that the ground was a bit boggy in the centre as we walked across the field to check out the access, so we drove in around the edge to our spot.  

 

Unfortunately the large bus towing a car on an A-frame that arrived next, drove in and across and promptly got stuck! The air was blue for a while and the wife got all the blame. Another motorhome arrived shortly afterwards and luckily he knew the contractor that mowed the park and whose tractor was still parked down the back. Half an hour later he arrived and with abit of manoeuvring and advice from the 'helpful' bystanders (David included) the bus came free.  They moved it onto more solid ground and when we came back after a drive later on, there were two more buses parked  beside them. The message had obviously been passed on. 

 

 

We were up early and ready to watch the America's Cup racing this morning & were disappointed (as likely the rest of NZ were) when it was postponed. So I cooked up a 'big breakfast' to drown our sorrows and just before it was ready there was a knock at the door & I got to meet "Smillie" a lovely lady who belongs to a forum that I contribute to. She got to meet David & I in our PJs & dressing gowns! And just in case you're wondering she was not in the bus that got stuck.

We are shifting into the city later this morning as we have some shopping to do- Katmandu @ Silvia Park :) and we're hoping to catch up with David's sister tonight. We'll also be handy to Alexandra Park where we will head tomorrow morning. Alexandra Park is next to the show grounds and where we'll be parked up for the duration of the show and the rally which is happening there at the same time.

As I type, David is getting everything ready for us to move on out and I have the feeling that this is going to be a very busy place tonight, four buses & vans have arrived just in the last half hour. A lot of these people will be heading to Alexandra Park tomorrow too.

Hob Nail Boots & Fish For Dinner

This morning we were woken at the crack of dawn by the clean-up crew; a whole load of starlings wearing hob nail boots having a breakfast banquet on the roof two feet above our heads. I think they were feasting on the bugs & moths that were stuck to the nose of the fifth-wheeler. Whatever they were doing they were enjoying it & they were quite happy to let every other starling within a five mile radius know that there was a free breakfast at Rays as well!

Luckily we needed to be up & ready to watch the America's Cup anyway. And what a couple of races; despair at the loss & nail biting tension & screams of encouragement at the win. It felt kind of strange watching the America's Cup parked up in the middle of nowhere with the sea just out the door.

Once we got the racing out of the way I packed up lunch & we took a drive up the coast towards Clevedon to check out a couple of the Auckland Regional Parks. There are over 25 parks around the greater Auckland area & they are in some beautiful locations. Camping is allowed at a small fee & you can buy a pass that allows you to use any of them at most times of the year. I doubt very much whether a lot of Aucklanders realise that they have these wonderful facilities right on their door step.

Unfortunately with me not being able to walk too far at the moment we couldn't do any of the dozens of walks available but we had a little wander around the Ashby Homestead in Tapapakanga Park. James Ashby and his wife Rebecca settled on the land in 1899 & built the homestead beside the beach in 1900. They raised 14 children on the property, which remained in family ownership until 1990. The only way into the farm was by boat or horseback (no wonder there were 14 children, & poor Rebecca died at age 61, worn out no doubt, her husband at 88) The front room of the homestead was both a school room & the church.

Ashby Homestead

But what a beautiful view from the house up & down the coastline & across the water to the Coromandel Peninsula.

From the beach with a huge pohutukawa beside the house.

We carried onto Orere Point and had lunch near the water, it felt like summer it was such a lovely warm day. On the way home we did a bit of bird spotting & managed to see more non-natives than natives; a hawk stalking a turkey (who we think had chicks), a bald Eastern Rosella & two beautiful ring neck doves. All a little too far away to get any decent shots but still lovely to see.

Back home a few more vans & buses had arrived for the evening & David wandered down the beach to check on a guy putting a Seahorse kontiki out. After watching the guy bait it up and send it on it's way 3 kms out into the Firth of Thames he was invited back in half an hour to see what was pulled in. And pulled in were 9 good sized snapper, 2 of which were nicely filleted & handed over to David for our dinner! David & his charm wins again, maybe we don't need that dinghy after all! :) 

We're on the Road Again

Today we left Tauranga bound for Rays Rest, the freedom camping site at Miranda which we visited back in March before we toured the Coromandel. We’re heading through to the Auckland Showgrounds at Greenlane on Thursday to help out at the Covi Motorhome & Caravan Show & also have a look for a few items we need to complete our “home” before we hit the road fulltime, an inflatable boat is a priority.  And then after the show we are heading north to Whangarei to say our goodbyes to family before we leave for the South Island mid October.

I’ve spent the last 2 weeks frantically packing up the house in readiness for the movers who are booked to shift our gear into storage four days after we get back to Tauranga. We’ll sleep in the fifth-wheeler in our drive when we get home so I can give the house the once over before settlement. It still feels a little strange but from now on in this is our full-time home & I’d have to say that inside it’s packed to the gunwales! There is still a bit of gear to add; a nice little pile in the garage is awaiting our return, most importantly the golf clubs & fishing gear, but we have the space for those sorted. I’ll do a blog soon on a couple of things we have added to the ute & fifth-wheeler which will make life a little easier & safer.

Of course we couldn’t leave until after the America’s Cup racing finished but with the 2^nd race cancelled we were able to get away just after lunch. Lunch being the time not the food.  It was a fairly easy run through to Miranda although we had to stop at Katikati for groceries as I had run out of time to do any shopping during the week. And you know how it is when you’re hungry, a few necessary items turned into a trolley load! Then of course I had to fit everything in the already bulging cupboards & fridge. So my orderly packing which I was very proud of then became a free for all. Things shoved in here & there, wherever I thought they’d be safe, or not as the case may be; the cupboard door burst open at some stage during the trip empting a number of bottles of wine onto the floor to roll around unimpeded & then it conveniently shut itself to stop any further escapees. Thankfully none broke; it was my favourite Chardonnay.

A little further on as we entered the Karangahake Gorge we decided we were in fact now hungry & that we’d pull into the first sizeable rest area for a bite to eat. Just as we finished the discussion a rest area appeared & with lighting quick reactions David zoomed in to a quick halt. Hmmm……not something he’d be wanting to do too often, I think he forgot we had our 9 metre rolling home attached. We had another  laugh when we went to leave, while we have enough room to move down the fifth-wheeler when the side is in, I usually push it out a couple of feet  in a situation like this just to give me room to open the fridge & prepare lunch. We had a quick lunch & I climbed back in the ute ready to go. That was until David appeared at the window asking if I had forgotten something. The slide out was still out! Now that would have been fun, passing through the narrow gorge with the slide out over the centre line! Not that that would ever happen, as soon as David looked in his rear vision mirror it would have been very obvious. Thankfully.

We decided it does take a bit of time to get back into our “on the road” routines.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, we arrived in good time & secured a level spot at the northern end of Rays Rest although it is closer to the road noise but then there are only half a dozen vehicles passing in the night. We drove down to the bird hide for a quick look but the tide was on its way out & the birds a fair way away. There are still a good number of birds that winter over here at Miranda but the numbers are set to increase shortly as the godwits return from their non-stop epic journey from the other side of the world where they have been breeding.

Godwits, Oystercatchers, Red Knots, Terns & Gulls arrive to feed on the mudflats

Once back at the fifth-wheeler & with the temperature dropping we were both keen to see if our new diesel heater delivered the goods, it worked brilliantly and we were lovely & cosy all evening. There was no smell, no noise, other than the initial start-up, & it switched itself off & on when required. This is great news for us, we now know we have enough heat power for those cold South Island winter nights.

Rays Rest, Miranda

No Fixed Abode

No rates, no power, no gas, no lawn mowing, no gardening, no dishwasher(unless you count David), no washing machine, no neighbours and no house!

I couldn't tell you when I wrote this post but we already had a signed conditional contract in place 13 hours after we gave the agent the go ahead to list. And today it went unconditional. Yeehaa!!  A huge difference from the last house; 13 months versus 13 hours.

I have been quietly packing up the house & packing out the fifth-wheeler these past 10 days in readiness for the sale (& hoping I wouldn't jinx it either), mainly because we are taking the fifth-wheeler north for two weeks on Sunday & by the time we get back we'll only have 6 days before settlement.

Both weight & space are critical components when you're towing your home behind you so you should have seen David's face when he saw this lot on the bench yesterday. He really thought I was putting it all in the van. I led him along for a bit before putting him out of his misery. His look of relief was priceless.

Nikon- Customer Satisfaction

As most of you know I'm an avid amateur photographer. Last September after a lot of research I "jumped ship" from a Sony DSLR(Digital Single Lens Reflex) to Nikon, this was a major purchase because not only did I need to buy the camera body but lenses as well, you can't just swap glass between brands. I also purchased a few "necessary" extras.

But this post isn't about what I bought last year, it's also not about the customer satisfaction of purchasing Nikon (although I am completely & happily satisfied with my choice) This post is about the excellent customer PR I received from the camera shop I dealt with. And what they did to retain my custom.

I became aware through various means that the D7000 body I had purchased new was in fact not, it had just over 2000 clicks(shutter count) already on board when I opened the box(which in the scheme of things isn't that many, but still, it was not new). And it wasn't as straight forward as it sounds but it took me a few months to query it with the shop. I sent an email to the manager/owner outlining the issue & almost immediately got a personal call back from him.

He was very, very apologetic & explained to me what he had found out. Basically without going into too much detail, the camera had been returned to the shop after about 2 weeks use by a long term customer  and had been left on the stock desk in its packaging with a note indicating it was second-hand and that's the last anyone can recall it. It went into the computer stock system as second hand & was in fact still showing as being in stock. It would seem that somehow the note went missing & it was placed in the new camera stock & it was picked as new. I was happy with the explanation & believe it to be genuine. The manager was unsure why it hadn't been picked up in the stock take that it was missing & has apologized but assures me it was a genuine mistake.

And now for the PR & customer satisfaction. He offered me a number of options to rectify the problem; a new replacement, return of my money, an upgrade with a price difference or discount off other goods. I decided to upgrade my D7000 to the D7100 body which came out in April. I had to pay the difference between the price I paid back in September & the D7100 retail price, this I was more than happy with. I also received some discount off another lens I required & when I opened the box they had thrown in a free 8gb memory card too.

Now that is the way to keep customers happy & returning. I won't mention the name of the shop because I don't believe it serves any purpose but it was a large well know shop in NZ's biggest city. It's pleasing to know that there are still businesses out there that are prepared to accept their mistakes & look after their customers 100%.


Taken with my phone & out of focus!  

Take Two

Here we go again. Our second attempt at throwing off the shackles of suburbia.

If you have been following along from the beginning you'll know that way back in May last year we sold our lovely home overlooking Tauranga harbour in preparation for when our fifth-wheeler arrived & we'd be able hit the road full time. When we finally sold our home the deal included a house which we knew would be fairly easy to move on after a little bit of a tidy up. As it has turned out we've held onto the house a little longer that we originally planned to. Our plans over winter changed due to some unforeseen circumstances, namely my father having a heart by-pass & me having surgery on my feet. I'm now into my seventh week post surgery & I've been very pleased with my progress, my feet are still quite swollen & I can't stay on them for too long but I can move about at a reasonable shuffle keeping the weight to the outside edges of my feet. I still can't wear any usual shoes so the black strappy number I came home from the hospital with are still in use. They weren't kidding with the three months recuperation.

Now that we are out the other side of winter we're both getting itchy feet (excuse the pun). Our tentative plan is to head to the South Island by no later than the end of October as we want to be in Invercargill by early December as we have a Christmas date with David's daughter & family. Then we'll stay in the southern part of the South Island over summer & move north as autumn & winter approach. We expect to be down south for at least 18 months to two years & do a number of circuits & a few criss-crosses of the island before we are done.

So we decided to get the house on the market as soon as possible and during the past couple of weeks we've been cleaning, polishing, gardening & part-packing the house in preparation for sale. Photos have been taken, ads are ready & the first open home is happening this weekend. And we're hoping for a quick sale although we've already decided that if it's not sold before the end of September, we'll pack up our personal gear, put that into storage & leave the house furnished & still on the market with our agent & we'll head off. When it does sell we can fly back from the South Island,  pack & store the remainder of the furniture & tie up the loose ends before returning down south.

Already we've had a steady stream of people through the house so things are looking good. Fingers crossed.

We'll certainly miss the great outdoor area of this home

Heat, Glorious Heat

This down time we've had in Tauranga has had a few benefits; David has been able to carefully research a few things that need to be done on the fifth-wheeler & ute before we are back on the road. First up and most importantly (after spending a cold night at Lake Okareka) was the heating system in the van for when we are off the grid.

The two choices were LPG or diesel. One of our concerns with LPG was the effect very low temperatures can have on the bottled gas & also we would be putting all our eggs into one basket by relying on one energy source for cooking, hot water & heating. On the other hand, diesel offered a considerably lower running cost albeit a more expensive installation & especially now that we have elected to run with two smaller units instead of one big unit.  After a lot of thought & discussion we now have two  Eberspacher Airtronic D2 (2.2KW )diesel heaters fitted.

Underneath inlet & exhaust installation

One has gone under the stove & vents out under the fridge to heat the galley & lounge area & the other is located in a below floor compartment under a side cabinet in the bedroom.

It vents out through the shoe storage box which forms the step up to the bed. We have lost a small amount of storage space but gained a drying container for the shoes from the small amount of transferred heat as it passes through the hose to the vent.  But best of all, we can use the shower box as a drying room by opening the door & directing the vent straight in there. In the future we may need to add a flexible hose to the vent & run that into the shower depending on how quickly things dry.

The heaters run independently so we only need to use them as & where we need the heat. There's a small amount of noise in the initial start up but nothing compared to the heater on the air conditioning unit when that is on and once the heater has reached temperature they are very quite.

The only area of concern for me so far is the small ticking noise as the diesel is pumped through, it's hardly heard when you're up and about in the van but I think you will be able to hear it in the dead of the night if the heater is running. Like a rain drip.......drip.......drip...... Maybe it'll put me to sleep, who knows but it'll be a small price to pay to have glorious warmth on tap! Especially next winter. Down south.

There is no noticeable diesel smell outside & again just a small amount of noise that drops right off once the temperature has been reached. A 20lt tank has been installed into one of the outside forward side storage cabinets & this can easily be filled each time we fill the ute. 

No Weight Bearing- *Warning* Graphic Photo

Due to unforeseen circumstances that have kept us in Tauranga over winter & as mentioned in this blog post I decided to have some surgery done on my feet. In fact originally it was just going to be the one foot but 6 days before the due date I decided I might as well have both feet done & get it all over and done with in one foul swoop. I knew in a year or so I'd need to have the other one done anyway & either way it was going to be a 3 month recovery with six weeks no weight bearing so having both done together made a lot of sense. Luckily the surgeon was in agreement & was able to fit me in & doing it this way also saved a lot on the cost too.

I was a little nervous beforehand as I've never had a general or been in hospital but it all went smoothly & I don't remember a thing! Both bunions were removed (sawn off!), my big toes cut in two & realigned & two toes on my right foot where the arthritis had started to take hold shortened & repositioned too. The cuts are done diagonally through the toe and then some of the inside area is shaved off & the toe slides back together with a pin to join & for support.

Such is the life of the female population, apparently it is very rare for men to have this type of surgery, & most often it is hereditary, passed from generation to generation. My grandmother & mother along with two aunties have all suffered to varying degrees. Two of my sister-in-laws & a girlfriend have also had similar surgery.

I had heard a lot of horror stories about this type of surgery but I can honestly say the pain hasn't been too bad, a good supply of painkillers took care of that & keeping my feet raised has helped reduce the swelling. David has pulled out all stops in looking after me, bringing me breakfast, lunch & dinner on a tray & copious amounts of tea & coffee. He also helps wrap my lower legs in plastic bags (I look like a modern day yeti) so I can shower without getting them wet. We have had a little practice at this though; seven years ago I broke an ankle and was in plaster for 6 weeks with no weight bearing either.

For the first week I could hardly hobble on my crutches to the loo but now it's not too bad and I can shuffle around for a short while in my fashionable black strappy sandals with the support of my crutches. The bruising has gone down and two days ago the stiches were removed which as it turned out has been the most painful part!

The arrows are in case the surgeon forgets what he is doing :)

I've had & still have plenty to keep me occupied; folders & folders of photos that have been waiting to be processed & sorted on my laptop, boxes of recipes I've been slowly going through, choosing to keep the simpler ones & ones that will suit our new lifestyle on the road. I've also got a couple of large boxes of NZ travel articles & photography magazines to sort into some sort of order so I can have easy access to when required.

So three weeks down & three to go before I can start to move about in flat comfy shoes. Then another three months before I'll be getting back to anything like normal. Hopefully it won't be too restrictive as by then we should be down South somewhere and keen to do some tramping. The whole reason why I had to have my feet done in the first place. And we can't wait!



Paparazzi-ed by Maddie

Using her Mum's phone our 4yo granddaughter Maddie decided she wanted to take a photo of Nana in bed.

And then add some processing to it!

"You're not sick are you Nana, you're just sore" as she galloped off on my shortened crutches.

Quarter Acre Pot

We purchased a Quarter Acre Pot at last year's Covi Motorhome Caravan & Outdoor Show which is held at the Epsom show grounds in Auckland. So far I haven't tried it out so I thought while we're parked up at home I'd trial it along side cooking the same dish in the oven.

Quarter Acre Pots are thermal cookers that require no power, a bit like a slow cooker that doesn't need to be plugged in. Because we'll be off the grid a lot of the time I'm hoping it'll be an ideal way to prepare a meal. I also like the fact that you can prepare the meal in the morning before you leave for the day & it'll be ready to eat when you get back or to when you pull into another site after a day of driving which is when you least feel like cooking dinner.

Here's the blurb from the link above-

The Quarter Acre Pot is a simple to use non-electrical multifunctional appliance that can be used as a Thermo Cooker, Cooler, Bain-Marie, Rice Cooker and Yoghurt Maker. Take your Quarter Acre Pot Camping, in the Caravan or Motor Home, Picnics & Outdoor Events .

I found a recipe in amongst a pile I was sorting & thought it would be perfect to trial in the Pot & to compare, in a casserole in the oven. I was hoping to include it here but I've now gone & misplaced it.

So in case you're wondering what it is, it was called a "Chicken, Chorizo & Butter Bean Bake"

Basically there are two "billies", a large one that fits inside the outer thermo container & a half size one that fits inside the bigger billy. After water is brought to the boil in the outer billy, the smaller one with the food ready to go is placed inside that. It sits in the top half of the bigger container above the boiled water. The lid is fitted & the outer thermo lid is closed and then the whole container is popped into the carry bag & put somewhere safe & secure to work it's magic. The boiling water transfers it's heat to the thermo outer & slowly the food is cooked. And that is that. Meats, casseroles, soups, desserts & cakes can all be cooked in Quarter Acre Pot.

And the verdict? I left it cooking for 8 hours & I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. It was definitely tastier than the same casserole done in the oven, much more flavour and the chicken readily fell off the bone. Now I'm looking forward to trying it out on other recipes, maybe some of the less likely "slow cooker" ones. I'll let you know how they go.