We are nearing the summer, also known as festival season here. It was a while ago we went to a concert (that horrible Simon & Garfunkel tribute doesn't count), so we were happy to see Graeme James in Paekakeriki. Literally a 'one man band'. A great night, worth a listen;
Graeme James on Youtube
El Nino is starting to hit NZ with more and bigger winds - our new house is very exposed so some days the whistling is driving me nuts! The trees are very wind burned and even 80 year old trees like this one hit the pavement... I happened to be on call for emergencies when we lost power at 4pm so it was almost certain to be a large tree somewhere on the powerline. It was around the corner, the fire brigade couldn't do much as it was too big. Had to make a few call to find qualified people and the electra lines company had to isolate the power - all took quite a bit of time and hours after sunset to get is all cleared and power back to most of Te Horo. Wasn't the first won't be the last.
I have started my new role as Lead Risk Advisor in August briefly and then after our Vanuatu trip got started developing the work programme for the next 12 months and starting risk reviews for the first Committee meeting on 9 November. As it was risk awareness week I featured in a staff item on our intranet, pictured in front of a live volcano, the risk manager is a risk taker haha so of course a colleague had to comment on that! Life is a lot easier for now, not having to look after people, manage 5 different workstreams and ever on-going vacancies while still having to deliver. But after 18 years of looking after teams and always something happening or needing attention, focussing on 1 area and no staff almost feels too easy. But it gives me time to re-focus so I am trying to enjoy that and make the most of it. I am starting with my one day a week coaching and team work delivering the Clifton Strengths model (Gallup) from 10 November. I did the coaching training in June and really enjoyed it, in my previous role I would have never had a minute to deliver this. With a change in government from Labour to National, the game for local government is changing again - or not - there were a lot of changes underway initiated by Labour that will now likely be stopped or changed. As a lawyer I still can't believe that in NZ even when an Act has been adopted by parliament, the new government can just decide to revoke it. The law making process is different than in the Netherlands with only 1 'chamber' of parliament and governments can 'push' Acts through quickly without any Select Committee hearings. In turn, the new chief executive of our council has initiated a restructure so that the organisation is ready for change - announcements are expected in the next couple of weeks. So who knows what will happen, to 'my' team who are now without a manager and to my current team even. For me personally it will be more opportunity than threat which does make life easier. Now for something complete different -------
Eight years ago Hans had radiation on his right hand, as preventative treatment for
Dupuytren. A radiotherapist from Wellington offered that following positive stories from Germany. It worked really well for him, but now his left hand is bothering him. Wellington doesn't have time anymore, but he found a clinic in Tauranga that will do it. He can visit his fraternity friend Wouter-Jan in the days he has to be there for radiation. Tomorrow is the first trip down there to meet the specialist and then back for radiation for a couple of days in December and in January.
A few weeks ago the new owners of Sims Road that we have become good friends with over the last year (yes, that feels very special!) - invited us to join them for a hangi. A first on Sims Road! Hans went helping in the morning for a bit to get things ready, and built up just a small fire in our good old firepit that they inherited. We already spent a few nights around it with them. Unfortunately the wind pick up during the day so it's probably still sitting here like this. Hans is unable to build a 'small'' fire - they should have guessed :-)
This is James putting the hangi baskets filled with chicken, potatoes, veggies wrapped in tinfoil onto cabbage leaves - into the hot stones. He learned how to do hangis as he grew up in Rotorua with many Maori friends that taught him how to do it. He dig a bit of a hole and makes a large fire in the hole early in the morning with stones on the 'bottom'. Once the fire has burned down in a pile of hot ash on the stones, the ash if put aside, baskets put on and covered with the hot ash and sand.
Here is Hans covering the hangi with James and Jan (the realy hangi master). That was around 10.30 am in the morning. Everyone arrived at 12.30 ish and the baskets were dug out and unloaded around 1pm. Unpack the food and bon appetit! Stuffed chicken, wilde pork, kumara, potatoes, pumpkin - it was a real feast. Hangi is the traditional Maori way of preparing food, which is done very similar on all the Pacific Islands. We've had a similar hangi in Fiji and more recently in Vanuatu. They also heat up stones in a fire but cover the food with banana leaves to 'steam/cook' the food. We've tried it there as well, was delicious but 72 hours later my stomach suffered from I guess a bit of a lack of hygiene for my western stomach.
A few moments later it was time for the important task of cutting the meat. Someone is getting bold!
And then is was 2 October 2023 - wow thirty years of marriage. That really never crossed our minds at 26 and 31 I am sure! This photo is in our bedroom and looking at it just make you think 'how young we were'. The 30 years have brought us really more than we bargained for back then and its a weird thing that in our lives together both the gain and loss of our children are the high and the low. What else is there to say. We've survived more than most and are still enjoying ourselves because our kids no longer can.
Hans started and finished a new large cabinet 'a la Sims Road' for 'my' room downstairs. A massive job (see the finished product on the last photo). Double MDF and so heavy, unbelievable that he all managed to move it on his own. We tried together but I found it too heavy and was very unsure about dropping it underway so we left it and he would get help from a neighbour. But of course, being a man you don't ask for help (or directions) so in the end he devised a tactic that got it where it needed to be. No small feat!
Hans his BD this year was on a Saturday so a good reason to actually on the day treat a group of friends to dinner. We cooked for most of the day and made the South American dishes that we loved during our year down there.
Only when we returned in 2019 had we cooked the full South America range of our 'ability' so it was time after 5 years. Pastel the chocolo (and no nothing to do with chocolate, chocolo is corn/mais in SA), empanadas with fish and meat fillings, chilean salsa, chori pan matched with Pisco Sour cocktails.
Hans his Saturday and Wednesday tennis competitions have started again, time for a bit of re-wiring of the rackets, the old-fashioned way.
Hans tells me that the tiny white spot 30 cm in front of the flag is where he dropped the ball. Hole in 2. I wasn't there so I'll have to take his word for it :-)
A bit of a BD whoopsie...to make space for the quests I suggested to Hans that he should park the trailer + boat into the very new and very empty shed for more parking space next to the house. He backed up very straight towards the door but forgot that the boat has an actual motor hanging on the outside of it overtopping the trailer and bang a dent in the brand new door that also was a bit warped. Half an hour later Hans comes upstairs covered in sweat as he had to take the door out of the frame on one side to put it back into the other rail. And he felt like a real dum(bo) of course. I just still can't understand why you wouldn't open the door first if what you are trying to do is drive a boat and trailer into a garage....must be male thing. Waiting for a guy from the insurance to come and check if they can repair it.
In the background the very long (50 days!) world cup rugby had been dragging on. Finally it got interesting when the All Blacks made it to the quarter and then the semi final.
Gathering at 7.30 am to watch the game together with friends and have a nice breakfast. And beer - ugh. A game has to be accompanied by beer of even G&T for some even when its 8 am. Hans of course had no problem with this whatsover, drinking very dark black beer from - Bavaria!
Few electrical jobs for Hans - a quick test trying to start the campervan showed that the battery was a risk to a nice long weekend on the road that we had planned. We haven't even used it that much, so always a a bit annoying but what can you do. Great job that Hans managed to do this himself because the battery is in an awkward hard to reach place under the passenger seat. Took most of day but we're sorted for years to come now which is great.
This was the other one, doing the wiring for the large ceiling lights he had scored on Trade Me for the new shed. Hans would do it the Dutch way, quite safe and practical but no that's now allowed in NZ. And since it needs sign off from a qualified electrician he had to do is the NZ way. Every light had to have it's own on and off switch and plug next to it. And for the sensor lights - which work with a sensor! - he still needed to install a switch which you can use to switch the sensor lights on and off. huh?
Hans was going back and forth with pictures to the electrician to check if what he was doing would get the sign off but in the end it all got done. We are now waiting for three guys to turn up on the same day (11 November) to finally get the power switched on in the shed. This is because the first point of entry of the power from the road is now in the shed below and not the house. Rules rules rules. But a nice big shed for all our luxury problems; boat, campervan and trailer.
Hans and Roger go for a game of golf most weeks and this week were joined by daughter Tara who gave a bit of show after hitting a 'oopsie' shot - where she apparently (?) injured herself.
For some additional teenage entertainment Roger and Tara drove around the course while Hans walked.
Labour Day is a public holiday in NZ so we had a long weekend to take the campervan for a spin. Worked until 12pm and off we went around 1pm towards Foxton's Dutch cafe for a Dutch croquettes lunch. It was nice but the croquettes seems to get smaller each time but cost the same. Not something that a real Dutchie can appreciate. But the colour palatte is very European Dutch!
Whanganui garden visits and a hike somewhere was the plan. See where we end up kind of thing is great about having a campervan. This photo was taken in Wanganui, they've got some 'mean' street art there on older buildings.
,King Kong features a cinema and games lounge.
The pics are not in the weekend order but hey who cares. This was in the Virigina Lakes gardens in Whanganui. They have a nice little cafe, we've stopped there more often on our way to Womad but never walked into the gardens. So our Sunday morning started with breakfast in the cafe and a walk around Virigina Lake. A private lake and park set up by a Maori lady who married a English settler (with money) - a nice story and then gifted this to the public.
After our first night and the All Blacks games we headed into Whanganui first to visit the market (and buy a large punnet of first season strawberries) and check out some art galleries and street art. After that we made our way to the Bason Botanic Gardens just west of Whanganui. Very nice and very large, we drove through with the car first and then parked below and started doing some of the trails through the gardens. Starting with the stairs on the photo. Read our books for a bit on the nice lawns, watching wedding guests arrive for an open air wedding right there on the main grass area next to the pond. It was a beautiful day so their timing was just very lucky for a spring day - which really could go in any direction here in NZ.
A good Dutch Kiwi's we do enjoy the more exciting All Black games where we know they will actually have to work for it (well possibly). So we planned our first night at the Whanganui East Club where you can park in the carpark if you have a self contained campervan for $5 per night. We had our dinner there when we arrived which was also a bonus.
And only had to walk over at 8 am to watch the game and have a full good breakfast buffet. These 'clubs' are a very English concept that we don't really have in the Netherlands. Always super friendly bunch of people, set up a club, get together once of twice a week for a meal and drink, organise lots of events and fundraisers and give a sense of belonging. Pretty good really. We have a few in Kapiti and many of my colleagues are members and head there on Friday nights.
After Saturday night parked up at the Whanganui Golf Club (with hot shower in the morning), we headed to Paloma Gardens on Sunday, a private garden just north of Whanganui. A garden is an understatement as it's really a park including many gardens, all planted by a private couple over the last about 40 years.
An amazing palm garden with boardwalks through ferns and quirky art along the way.
The sign from the owners when you enter the gardens and have to donate $10 in the honesty box. Love it. You can also stay overnight in a self contained campervan on the carpark. We didn't as it was cooling down fast end of the afternoon and we wanted to have most of the next day for our planned walk for which we had to drive about 1.5 hrs.
The garden is divided in continents with drier and wetter climates plants and trees grouped together, The colours of the bamboo 'forest' were amazing.
The largest pond surrounded by massive palms and succulents, it was just such a serene and beautiful place. On the right hand side tucked away is a cottage that you can book for the night to stay.
When you reach the edge of the garden areas which are already hectares, you can enter into adjoining valleys to continue to walk amongst many many beautiful trees and little paths. We did all the walks available.
Another pic of the magnificent lake that was full of very loud frogs.
There were a lot of sculptures and pots in the gardens, around their own house they set up a trail of pots they've bought each year since their marriage in 1974. Great inspiration for my pottery classes! This one is from Ivan Fostinar. We met him for the first time about 9 years ago as we sought out his gallery workshop in CastleCliff, a neighbourhood in Whanganui. We bought two of his pieces. Turns out he is their son-in-law so quite a few of his pieces feature in the gardens. This is a video of the 'frog' song in the large pond.
And in another valley we found this swing, my happy place. Always wanted one in my own garden but here in NZ never managed it. As kids we would spend hours and hours on the swing in The Heide, the house that I grew up in.
Very windy park up on Sunday evening, the southerly had set in so it was just too cold to sit outside. Oh well, let's watch the news than while I cook. I haven't driven the campervan (yet) - that it's a manual really puts me off especially having to drive up hills with a big 'truck' or driving narrow gravel roads next to steep drops... So for now, Hans drives and I cook that is our deal.
Photos from Saturday afternoon after our visit to the Bason Garden we drove to Kai Iwi beach. A nice little beach where lots of kids were playing in the (cold!) river and some teenagers were braving the large waves in clothes and getting soaked. We just folded out our chairs, read books and people watched with a beer in hand. Very relaxing. The local campground was flooded with families so we headed for the Whanganui Golf Club to park overnight. Nice views and quiet.
On Monday morning we drove to Ashurst to finally do the Manawatu Gorge Walk which has been on the menu for years. The walk starts right on the side of what used to be State Highway 1, a very windy road down that gorge. After two massive slips blocked and the rail and the road for about 3 years over a period of 5 years - it was decided to close this SH1 indefinitely and build a new section that goes over the top of the hill. No more danger of large landslides blocking access. On this photo we are standing at one of the view points during the walk. The new road is being 'cut' into the hills right under the feet of very large windmills. Once it's finished it will change this walk because you'll hear the traffic noise far and wide. A shame really.
The walk is a 22 km return bush walk between Ashurst and Woodville. Beautiful old bush, some very large trees.
The sunlight on the ferns and Nikau Palms helps get you into the Spring mood.
A nice sculpture to honour the local Iwi along the walk. The walk has 5 view points and once we'd walked far enough to see all the view points we decided to just turn back instead of walking all the way down hill to meet a sign in the paddock that says 'the end and turn around'. All in all we walked 17 kms so it was a good effort. Started me on some more walking training before we do the Milford Track at Christmas. We drove home around 4pm and got to a crawling speed through Levin. Since the expressway in Kapiti is finished, the traffic jam is now North of Otaki - until they finally also make that stretch of SH 1 into a four lane road. Meant to start in 2025 and maybe be ready in 2030... until then this will remain the issue every long weekend and every end of a holiday. Oh well next time we'll head home later.
This time we took the first right that we could take when we ended up in the queue and drove to the beach. Folded out our chairs, got out our books, made some sandwiches and enjoyed the sunset. Once we got back on the road 1.5 hrs or so later, we could drive straight home.
The finished cabinet in my room - very cool against the blue/grey wall. To hold my pottery products (the two shelves upstairs are full!), art and craft stuff, books and other things that I like. This weekend it was veggie garden time but this will be filled in a weeks' time. This was Nienke, for the first time in ...months (or year?!) - nice to catch you up xxx
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