We spent Tuesday at our home for the next two weeks, catching up on emails, doing laundry and other assorted jobs, and generally enjoying our own company.
Wednesday was a very hot, 33 degree, day, so while wanting to get out enjoy Hawkes Bay, it had to be somewhere shady. We opted for the Tainui Reserve in Havelock North, where we were able to enjoy a decent walk, while staying out of the blistering sun. On the way home we stopped off and picked up some organic fruit and vegetables just outside Hastings, and then stopped for coffee at Zepplin Cafe in Clive (a favourite biking destination for us last year).
I have already posted about our trip to Cape Kidnappers on Thursday, so we will go straight to Friday. Friday was again forecast to be very hot, so we set off early in the morning to climb Te Mata Peak outside of Havelock North. The Peak rises 440 metres above the surrounding plain, so offers great views of the area. We parked just inside the main gates, and opted for the longest route to the top, which went through some nice forested areas and culminated in a series of switchbacks to reach the top.
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Switchbacks on Te Mata Peak
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After climbing steadily for an hour, we arrived at the top, to find that we could have driven all the way up here . This seems to be a recurring theme!
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View from the top of Te Mata Peak
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As we drove back through Hastings, I spied a sign in the middle of a roundabout, pointing to the "DIY Coffin Club" (photo below).
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| DIY Coffin Club Sign |
Intrigued, I Googled the term to see exactly what a do it yourself coffin club does. Unsurprisingly, it is a group of people who get together to help each other build their own coffins, which are then decorated at the whim of the planned occupant. Apparently coffins make great bookshelves or wine racks while awaiting their final purpose. Perhaps this is taking "Be Prepared" a little too far? In addition to making their own coffins, the club also supplies small coffins for stillborn babies, free of charge, to the local hospital. So a good community-focussed activity.
My cousins, Maureen and Denzil, delivered their bicycles to us on Friday afternoon, as they don't want to cycle in the heat. This is great for us, as it saves us buying bikes to enjoy Napier's wonderful trails. On Saturday afternoon I pumped up the tyres (that is "tires" for the Canadians), and we were ready for action.
Meanwhile, on Saturday morning we dropped off our rental car, walked into Ahuriri for a coffee, and then walked back around Bluff Hill to our temporary home, with a short stopover at the city library enroute. In the evening we did a short (1 hour) bike ride, just to get accustomed to the bikes, before tackling anything more major.
Sunday morning was calm and sunny with a forecast high of 25 degrees, so we hit the road early, cycling up to the campground at Bay View, about 13 Km away, and another coffee destination from last summer.
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| Intrepid Cyclists on Boardwalk at Ahuriri |
When we arrived home, we noticed that the cactus in our garden, which we had seen buds on the other day, was now flowering. Meanwhile we were wilting from the heat.
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| Our Flowering Cactus |
In the afternoon we walked into town to do a little shopping, with another short stop at the library and grocery store, as everything will be closed tomorrow for a public holiday, celebrating the anniversary of my Mum's birth (and the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British and Maori).
There has been no shortage of exercise this week, and we are certainly glad to be in the sun, rather than the snow which is hitting the West Coast of BC at the moment.
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