on the river

When we first came to New Zealand we did a very Kiwi thing and bought a kayak. We were full of excitement and enthusiasm to get out on the sea, do a spot of fishing and have a gentle paddle over to Matakana Island to relax on the beautiful tropical beach...ahh bliss. We bought a big 3 person kayak with lots of places to stow belongings and the picnic and even the picnic table. The first time we took it out it was so windy we could only manage to go round in circles and the second time we got stuck in a rip tide and only just managed to get back to shore. We also discovered that crossing a major shipping lane with container ships coming and going at a fair rate of knots to get to Matakana Island probably isn't the best idea and we soon realised that was why no one else did the crossing. So the Kayak was relegated to the cupboard under the sink, figuratively speaking that is, as its so big it only just fits in the garage.
Well, 4 years on we decided to try the kayak out on the river. Much more sedate, peaceful, no rip tides, no waves and no container ships.
Getting the thing on the roof of the car was an event but we managed with only a few bruises, trapped arms and pulled muscles. Launching on the river was easy - just hop in and push off. So far so good! We paddled up stream for an hour enjoying the peace and quiet then moored on a handy floating jetty on the bank side where we had a little picnic. We went on a bit further but as rain clouds were starting to gather we decided to turn back and head back to the car. We let the rivers gentle current do most of the work while we lay back and enjoyed the scenery.
The best thing about being on a river is you get a different view of the scenery from being on the bank side. Lovely.

proper bikes

Years ago Michael and I were very keen motorcyclists. In our 20's and early 30's we enjoyed hundreds of bike rallies, camping weekends, foreign rallies and a lot of European touring. We both rode our own bikes and we were seasoned riders. But as time goes on circumstances change ie. children! our motorcycling days petered out to the back burner then merely a pilot light of happy memories.
After watching the Charley Boorman and Ewen McGreggor DVD, their epic trips around the world and through Africa, the pilot light lit the flame again and we both got the biking bug back.
So after a lot of browsing we bought an old but good condition Kawasaki 500.
Georgia was very excited about the purchase and she thinks its really cool to be picked up from school on it.
Well, we gave the bike a good long run out on Tuesday up to Rotorua via the back roads. The thing about roads in New Zealand are that the main roads are like UK back roads and NZ back roads are merely gravel tracks. The tarmac literally stops and then you spend the next 10kms or so getting bounced out the saddle and pinged by loose stones. The road we chose was obviously rarely used as even the cows and sheep stood up and stared at us with incredulous looks on their faces as we wobbled past.
It took about 2 hours to get to Rotorua where we had a coffee and did a little bit of Christmas shopping. We were also fortunate to be entertained by a really good army swing band in the town centre.
We took the more direct route home as we realised at 1.45 that we had to get back to our parental responsibilities and collect Georgia from school at 3pm.

break away

For a few weeks now Georgia has been getting more and more excited about school camp. She and 59 other classmates are off to Huntly on the West Coast to Lakewood Lodge. They would be enjoying 4 days of out door fun including an overnight survival, fire building and cooking on it, horse riding, kayaking, swimming and orienteering plus the all important disco and Singstar challenge. Of course being away from home with your friends, having midnight feasts and toasting marshmallows are the main attractions - a 3 night sleep over - great!
So we decided that while the child is away the adults should play so we booked a hotel in Auckland, jumped in the car and headed off for a couple of days in the capital city. By European standards Auckland is small, tiny even but compared to Mount Maunganui its a metropolis. People, noise, big shops, office tower blocks, central Parks. Like most, if not all, towns and cities in New Zealand though, it is lacking a centre, or heart. European cities grow from the inside out around a central market place, but New Zealand cities tend to be extended main streets stretching out in a long line. There is the usual Central Business District but its not quite the same.
Anyway, the weather was beautiful so we were going to make the most of it and being just the 2 of us made a nice change. When you are away with children, you tend to look for somewhere to go and something to do - the zoo, a museum, a park, whatever, but when you're on your own its a refreshing change just to wander about, nipping in the odd pub (I mean odd pubs), browse the shops without buying anything or just sitting in the park chilling with out being asked 'what are we going to do now'. So we probably would have gone to the zoo and the museum had Georgia been with us but we will save that for the next visit when shes with us.
The marina in Auckland was quite recently revamped and tarted up very nicely to host the Americas cup. No matter where you are in the world marinas have a peaceful, tranquil feel and Aucklands is no exception. Huge cruise liners dock alongside million dollar launches as well as more modest craft and because the marina is right on the edge of the city and the city is on the edge of the sea the passengers of the liners have the great advantage of actually walking off the gangplank and straight into town.
We got on one of the town buses to Parnel, a small suburb. Its very pretty with boutique shops, bars and cafes. Lots of cobbled paths and hanging flower baskets over shop windows. Very quaint, very expensive. We did manage to stumble on the token Irish bar though with the wonderfully appealing name 'The Bog'.
Well a couple of hours later back to the hotel then out to hit the night life. Lots of people about, we follow the crowds but they all seem to be going home. Its only 9pm! Oh well, this pub looks ok......

bikes and burns

The weather is warming up now as we move into summer so we took it upon ourselves to dust off the push bikes and go for a pedal today. I have a great aversion to cycling up hill so we headed out to Papamoa mainly because it is the coast road which is very flat but also because there are lots of coffee stops on the way. The road really is the road to nowhere, just one long stretch of tarmac ending at a farm gate with a sign telling you to turn round and go back the way you came.
We started from the Mount and cycled past the dunes which are particularly pretty at this time of year with the dune flowers out in bloom. After what must have been at least 2 hours but turned out to be 20 minutes we stopped at Fashion Island for our first caffeine intake.
Million dollar houses sit on both sides of the road, some almost on the beach. Some of these houses are very strange looking, individually designed by private architects with windows in odd places to ensure a view or peep of the sea even if this means towers on top of 3 storeys. New Zealanders will go to great lengths to ensure a house by the beach even if this means living in a house built in someones back yard.
Heading on to Papamoa East houses become smaller with much more space between neighbours. Its a very peaceful and relaxed almost sleepy district.
We eventually reached the ominous farm gate and turned round to head back for lunch at a roadside cafe then of course back to Fashion Island for another coffee.
Our legs and butts were aching by now so we had a rest on the beach and watched a couple of fishermen using one of those remote controlled fishing lines (seems a bit of a cheat to me) then cycled back home.
The air temperature was very pleasant all day and we didn't get over heated but we had become victims of the fierce sun. After the 30km round trip we both did excellent impressions of red and white pandas. Fortunately after a couple of pints of Murphy's Red we were convinced we looked sort of 'rugged' and 'out doorsy'.

house sitting?

Moving permanently to another country is a big step, we all know that. For a lot of people who consider the move; the upheaval, hassle and leaving behind the comfort zone is just too much and never actually take the step. But perhaps that could be something they might regret later on in life.
The only way to know what it is like to live in another country is to actually do it. But how do you know if you will like the area you have chosen without committing to either buying or renting a house or apartment? No matter how many hours you spend looking at places on the Internet it just isn't the same as living there.
Renting is pretty easy in New Zealand and a good option before deciding where you would like to live. Lots of nice rental accommodation is available both furnished and unfurnished, long term and short term. But have you ever considered house sitting? This is something I hadn't really heard of before we lived in New Zealand but it is very popular here. You live in someone else's house while they are away, keeping the place clean and tidy, doing a few light jobs such as mowing the lawns and usually looking after the family pets. It doesn't cost you anything except your utility bill usage and can be for anything from a week to 6 months or more.
Our friends Norman and Linda have house sat a few of times here and has been a great success for them. One place they looked after for a couple of weeks was up in the hills just out of town in a lovely house set in pretty gardens with spectacular views all round. They had to look after the dog and cat and feed the chickens. Norman kept the lawns nice and they had fresh eggs for breakfast everyday. How hard is that? What they gained from the experience was that, although it was nice to live in a quiet rural area they wouldn't want to do it permanently. Valuable experience for them. A bit like try before you buy.
I decided to investigate this further and discovered that house sitting is available all over the world.
It could be the perfect option for 'living' in an area in a non-committal way before taking the permanent plunge.
The house Norman and Linda house sat had a horse paddock
Beautiful views from the deck


Georgia getting a lesson on chook keeping from Norman

Below - looking after Rosie the dog was part of the house sit deal. She was lovely!

Orca on the beach

There was huge excitement on the beach at Papamoa today. A huge whale (named Nobbie, for some reason) was washed up and stranded on the beach. Loads of people rushed to help it. I've never seen one of these creatures so close up and he was HUGE! The only beached whales I've ever seen are the 2 legged variety, usually pink and on the Mediterranean beach.
Anyway, Nobbie was desperately trying to breathe and volunteers were trying to keep him wet with buckets of sea water. Someone dashed off and brought some blankets and quilt covers to protect him from drying out and he looked very smart in the blue flowery one you can see in the photo. A digger was called in and dug out a trench ready for the tide to turn and take him back out to sea. Apparently he was chasing a sting ray and got stuck on a sand bank as the tide was going out. It was a thrill to see him swim off again safe and sound and probably not too badly affected by his ordeal. But as I've said so many times before, its events like this that give me more reason to keep out of the sea.

investing in property

Having lived in New Zealand now for almost 5 years I am often asked if I have bought a house yet. It seems that you can't be settled properly if you don't own a property and lain down 'roots'. Well, we have settled here but haven't bought our own property and to be honest I don't think I ever would. New Zealand houses are way over priced for what they are and mortgage rates are far too high.
At the moment we rent a lovely sunny town house 2 minutes walk from the beach, shops, pubs and our workplace. We pay our rent each week and enjoy hassle free living without the millstones of mortgage repayments, repairs, DIY etc.
But I do believe that property can be an excellent investment and that a lot of profit can be made in a relatively short time if you choose the investment wisely.
With that in mind I have bought a beautiful brand new villa off plan in Brazil. (See picture above) Why Brazil, I hear you say! Well Brazil is fast becoming a very popular holiday destination especially in the North East near the city of Recife. We have a lot of lovely Brazilian friends in New Zealand and all of them agree this part of Brazil is very beautiful, extremely safe with a relatively cheap cost of living. There is an international airport just been built close by as well as golf courses and of course fantastic beaches. The villa is on a complex being built right on the beach front - one of the first in the area. Property prices are already increasing by 20% each year and as I got an excellent price on the villa I know that once its built (work starts 2009) and I resell I will make a very handsome profit.
The bargain prices are obviously limited to buy off plan so if you are interested then you would need to have a look now.
I am very excited that I have got in on something big at the start. Having never done anything like this before I was impressed with the way this firm helped me through the legal processes of purchasing Investment Bonds then property. It was quick, easy and not stressful at all.
So move over pizza shop I'm a property investor now!!