We are finding it increasingly difficult to get on line so have decided to write this as we're going and then upload it when the opportunity arises. I am surprised that the proprietors of the various coffee shops haven't cottoned on to wireless internet - they could be charging per person instead of only one person being able to use their dinosaur of a PC.
Anyway...
On Sunday we made the most of the breaks in the rain which were usually full of sunshine and went for a walk up the hills behind Colville farm. We followed a hand-drawn map that had been supplied in the useful “Things to Do on Coville Farm” booklet. It seems if you want to learn how to shear sheep, round up sheep, cows, horses, go river swimming, milk daisy the cow, horse trek... this is the place to be.... in summer! As it is just coming into winter we made do with the hills. I can't say we got lost because we didn't, we just couldn't find the gloworm cave. I was really looking forward to seeing real life gloworms. I think the map might have been drawn quite some time ago and some of the tracks have become overgrown. Still, we made it to White Star Hill which had 360ยบ views over the Coramandel, well worth the hard uphill walk.
We spent another evening cooking, eating, washing up, reading, basically being the rock n' roll kinda kids we are.
Monday we decided to leave Colville and head for the top of peninsula. We'd been assured by the owner of the “Prowler”, Dick Thornby, that Peggy would be fine on the unsealed road that leads the way to the top of the Coramandel. So we packed up and got ready to set off...it was then when Phil turned the key and nothing happened that we both wanted to cry: Peggy's battery was flat. How could this be? I hear you ask. We can only assume it was that because of the alternator not working it has compromised the battery life. So Dick, Zane and a few other stubbie-wearers came to the rescue. We had been warned about the very short shorts (aka stubbies please see this link) that the more rural locals wear. Wow, you don't want anyone bending over in front of you in a pair of those! Anyway, they got Peggy going again for us and then we were on our way.
I popped into the Colville general store, it was like being on the set of Northern Exposure (one of my favorite TV shows). The store had everything you could need. From apples to nails, even gem stones and joss sticks!
If I thought the road to Colville was windy, I ain't seen nothing yet. Once north of Colville the road winds along the coast towards Fletcher Bay. It's only about 35km but it takes about an hour and a half just because the road is single track, windy and gravelly. It goes along a stretch of Pohutakawa trees - they are like something out of a film, old and twisted. You can imagine them coming alive at night and creaking around, like something from forbidden forest in Harry Potter.
We got to Fletcher Bay in time to do a bit of the coastal walk. So we parked Peggy up and got our boots on and off we went. I'd had a gentle coastal stroll in my head for some reason. I suppose like a walk you'd do along the Cornish coast. Nope... twas up and down, through tropical forest, over pastures (with some Very big cows), through streams, over trees, under trees. We met a man called Elly, that was working on the track (for the DOC) after we'd been walking for an hour or so (he was another stubbie wearer). He was widening the track after him and his quad bike had gone off the edge a few weeks ago. He had apparently bailed and grabbed the nearest tree as his bike went bouncing down the cliff side and landing in the ocean, luckily without him attached! We asked him about working for the DOC and he told us about his last job, culling over 5000 pigs on one of the Pacific islands. He said they used to shoot them from a helicopter. I think he seemed to enjoy this job a bit too much. It was at this point we said our goodbyes and carried on our way.
We eventually got to a hill that was aptly named the Lookout. So we went to the top and looked out. It was very nice. We then had to head back to Fletcher bay the way we came. The problem with these none-loop walks is that I know what's coming and just exactly how much UP hill there is to walk up and I find myself not enjoying the down hill bits because I know what's around the corner... and it's usually a VERY steep hill. I am sure this will gradually become less of a problem :-0
The thought of a lovely COLD outside shower was keeping me going. I did actually quite enjoy the cold shower, afterwards. In my Jane Scrivener Total Detox book, she highly recommends cold showers. I kept thinking about this when I thought my head was going to concave with the ice cold water. “This is fine, this will quicken my metabolism, this will mean the crisps I had at lunch don't count” breath, squeeze hair.... yes there are still soap suds in your hair you have to go back under... “OK, this means the chocolate after tea last night and the crisps YESTERDAY lunch don't count”... breath, squeeze hair... yes there are still soap suds...Soap suds are fine, maybe this will act like one of those leave in hair conditioners?
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