Exploring has started

Missie and I went exploring our new home ystdy.  Not heaps of exploring cos it got hot, not as hot as today though but still hot enough.  We started by going to a couple of op-shops, didn’t buy anything but was fun looking.  We then headed to the Napier Botanical Gardens, which just gotta warn you are nowhere near as good as Edinburgh L I think Edinburgh may have ruined me for Botanical Gardens, they were just way much better than any others I have seen.  Anyhow back to Napier, there wasn’t really anything majorly wrong with the gardens they just weren’t really anything much, nothing to write home about as they say.  The one saving grace was that at the top of the hill I found the Napier Cemetery.  Any gardens next to a cemetery get bonus points from me J

After the gardens and the cemetery we headed to Bluff Hill to the lookout area.  Found some logs for Bro but he didn’t seem to want them for some reason L Haha we walked to the lookout cos we saw a sign that said pedestrian access to Bluff Hill so Spartz stopped and let us out.  When we got to the lookout it turned out we coulda driven and Spartz coulda almost seen the view as well.  Oh well maybe next time.  We probably just wanted to climb some steps cos its been a while since done that last lol.

We then drove round the bay, past the port where there were even more logs for Bro and these ones were on a train all ready to just go to him, to see what was there cos we had heard there were some lovely cafes and nice bars there.  Took a wrong turn so only saw these from a distance but they did look good haha.  Spartz is very good at sightseeing over here (hehe) J but we do always manage to find our way back to where we are staying. 

This past week we have also been for a couple of walks around this area and a bike ride just to see what’s what.  We are staying in a new-ish subdivision area so there is basically just houses all around, nothing real fun to look at or explore unless we go further away but I do feel bad not giving Spartz a day off, hence why today we chilled hehe. 

Napier Botanical Gardens

So kind of them to put a sign warning me of Missie hiding in the tree hehe

We like this bridge, but there was no water :( guessing its a summer water restrictions thing or something

Coolest tree ever :)

Just liked these ones 

This tree looked way more yellow on the day... Missie liked it cos it was bright like her

Sign, cos why not

Napier Cemetery

Bluff Hill Lookout 

Bro's logs

Some sort of compass thing

We just liked this view

Dunno what was with this trig but it totally counts as a trig :)

We been mountaining again

Missie, Smyly, me and Dof went for a wander this morning, not that you can tell from the pics but we promise we went.  Missie and Smyly just didn’t seem to be in the mood for photos during the walk. And Missie got bored waiting for Smyly and Dof to turn up so we filled in time taking some photos with Darth at the start else there prob wouldn’t be any pics at all haha.  Well except for Missie and her new friend The Kiwi, she seemed to get on quite well with him.

Judging by the long range weather forecast, which I know is generally completely unreliable but still, it might be the last wander we do up the hill for a while - seems like we are in for a wet next week or so, guess the Naki is sad I am leaving lol.  Not sure if I will miss my mountain all that much, I mean yes I love looking out the window and seeing it but when it comes to walking on it I am not so sure.  Seems to be getting steeper and the steep bits are lasting longer than they used to (no its not just cos I am old, am positive the mountain is the one changing lol).  The views are still pretty cool though, those I do like :)

From the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean

Some of you already know this, but we are moving.  We being Me, Glenny, Missie and Spartz (E.J. and co will follow eventually).  I have got myself a job over in Napier working for their Council in the Records Team so we are relocating.  Have a couple more weeks left in Taranaki then its off to our new adventure :)

Sunday Funday Part Three

This morning Spartz, Missie and I went for an explore.

Missie and I started doing the Stony River Walk but didn't complete it for a couple reasons.
1. It was not what we were expecting, it was mostly walking over farmland and we didn't feel that safe doing it by ourselves, and
2. My feet were soaking within a few minutes, even with semi waterproof tramping boots on.
We did still get some cool pics so we decided it wasn't a wasted effort.

Then I showed Missie the seat that I built and she was pretty proud of me for my efforts :) and before you ask, no I didn't install it I just built it in the workshop at work while the Hard Landscape dudes watched (apparently they don't normally get chicks building stuff in their workshop).

We also took Spartz to the beach, and he agreed with us that while the view is cool there is not much to do at a beach so its kinda overrated hehe.

We finished the morning off at the Tea House with Bridie, who we went and collected for coffee :)

Stony River Walk

This is the seat that Jill built... lol

 The beach, because we could :)

 

Sunday Fun-Day Part Two

So Bridie and I continued our fun day of exploring Taranaki this afternoon.  We were planning to do the Stony River Walkway but decided it was far far far far far far far too hot (Bridie, I imagine, would only have one or two far's in there though lol) so we are going to have a part three at some stage to finally get it done haha.

Instead we went to the Cape Egmont Lighthouse, pretty much just to take photos.  Sadly there was no mountain but there were some cows me and Missie had a chat to.  We then headed to Opunake to get ice creams and see the Cliff Top Garden which was a pretty cool garden :) had some lovely views as well.  It is part of a coastal walkway but far too hot to do the whole thing.

On the way home we visited Rahotu Cemetery, mostly cos we saw a sign saying cemetery and it was an afternoon of exploring so we thought why not.  It was a lovely small cemetery with some old as and some rather new burials.  We even found a Fleming for Bridie, haha no Millers though cos we don't come from round here.

Cape Egmont Lighthouse

 Opunake Beach and the Cliff Top Garden part of the walkway (plus a bridge hehe)

Rahotu Cemetery

Sunday Fun-Day

Wow look at that, two posts in one day.  Haha this is what you get when I have too much fun and end up posting after the fact :)

Sunday Bridie and I had an adventure day where we each planned half a day of something and the other didn't know what we were going to be doing, ok so we told each other on Saturday night but thats cos we wanted to.  Bridie's activity we did first, and it was kayaking.  Yup I know I don't like big lots of water and especially not really when it moves and I'm stuck on a floating piece of plastic but I did it and it was actually quite fun (lakes are different to sea if you are wondering, they are fine cos the water is generally still).  There were moments of small amounts of panic but seeing as Bridie is like a champion swimmer she was totally gonna save me if I went overboard and I woulda been sweet as, just a smidge more wet than if I stayed in the kayak.  But there was no overboarding so all is well.  We saw seals as well which was cool, even one in the water having a ball :)

My activity required it to be fine, which when we got out of the sea it stopped being so our adventure day is gonna have a part two at some stage, and you can all wait and wonder what it is we are going to do :p hehe

Some pics from kayaking to the Sugar Loaf Islands

I turned into a pirate when we got out...

...and used my pirate skills to lock Bridie up

Friday's tramp

Ok so you may think I'm way behind on my updating cos Friday was ages ago but in my defence its still technically the same weekend so I'm not really that slack :p And if you really care then stop reading my blog!

On Friday Doffy and I went for a wander on the mountain, I know it was on the mountain cos there were a ton of steps and it was ridiculous.  Dof really needs to start using is dad-veto-power when I have a dumb idea which I so often do, and its never till we are walking does he comment on how doing it the other direction would be easier or such like.  So yeah really its his fault we had all those steps to climb, not mine at all.  We parked Spartz at Kaiauai Carpark and then walked to Mangorei Road via Henry and Maude.  Henry is still a bit of a dick to be honest, you'd think in all this time he could have gone and got shorter or built himself an escalator or something, surely that is not too much to ask!  Was a pretty cool walk, if you discount the endless steps that is :)

Coming down Mangorei Track I am positive there was a sign at the bottom that told guys to remove their shirts, we passed so many topless guys it was actually a lil weird, and some of them really should not have been topless - you cannot un-see that.  But when they are old and all skin wrinkly and gross haha to them lol.

Anyhow here are some pics, am sure thats all you dudes read this for anyhow, not my awesome as chatter :( lol

Missie found my cookies...

...and looks so proud lol

Hard to see Missie and Smyly but they are there

Made it to the top of Henry Peak

And so did Doffy

Just appreciating the view from Henry

Still on Henry...

No wait made it to the tarns for a crocked photo

Dad on Pouakai Plateau 

Christmas letter time :)

So it seems everyone else is summing up their years in a page or two and calling it a Christmas letter, mostly I think cos it comes with a Christmas card but it seems not a candy cane... not sure how this has happened and I'm guessing mine are just missing in the mail, right?

Anyhow I thought I would sum up my year on this wonderful thing called my blog for a few reasons:
1) so I don't have to share candy canes with any more people (already sharing enough with workmates)
2) so that I don't have to go and buy Christmas cards
3) so I don't have to pay postage on those Christmas cards I just went and brought
4) so it can be mega short without having loads of white space left on the piece of paper
5) and most important, so I can just stay lying on my bed with my coffee (the one that didn't just get spilled all over the bench and newspaper)

My year in numbers:
365 days
1 birthday - don't worry I'm just getting more awesome as I age hehe
4 papers passed (with almost flying colours)
1 paper left to do (which is halfway done)
3 less teeth
1 job got (pretty much cos I knew some people)
4 room rearrangements
1 head of way less hair
0 limbs lost or broken
5 years of being gluten free
1 forklift licence
1 plastic bench seat built
2 sporting injuries which are now mostly better
1st prize in sewing section of Institute Arts Show (haha Mum you got 2nd)
heaps of tramps, but not as many as Doffy
lots of time spent hanging with Brudda

Would say bring on 2018 but I'd kinda like to know a lil of what's in store for me so I know whether I need to stock up my alcohol or if I'll be sweet with what I have.  As bro, or my purple dice would say 'time will tell', really need to find this Time Dude, he has a lot to answer for....