Wellington - Gisborne (2018-02-15)

Once we were back in Wellington, the top priority for our 5 days was rebuilding the fence between Margaret's house and her neighbour, at the top of the property.  After discussion with the neighbour, it was agreed that we would replace the top section of fence with the same style that already exists lower down on the property.  Re-using as many of the existing posts as possible (all but 2), I made a list of the required materials and the minimum of tools to complete the job (hammer, saw and square with built-in level), and off we went to Mitre 10 Mega.  All wood had been calculated into lengths that would fit in Margaret's car, with a bare minimum sticking out the back (which we decorated with a red scarf), and it was relatively painless to get everything home and up the steps.

Removing the old fencing was a breeze, as most of the structural pieces had rotted away already, and I was glad to not have to add lattice to the new fence, as it would have been difficult to transport, and a real pain to cut the lattice at the angles required going up the steps.

It took a solid day's effort to complete the fence, including concreting in the two new posts, but the final product looked a lot better than what it replaced, so a good result.  All set for Margaret to paint!

Top portion of completed fence

On February 6th we bid farewell to Wellington and headed north to Feilding, where we spent 2 nights with our farming friends, John and Marilyn, enroute to Gisborne.  We have visited Gisborne several times before, and always enjoy the friendliness of the people and being away from the main tourist centres.  Our home for two weeks is a two-bedroomed flat, the front half of a remodelled older house, which is on the north side of the rivers and only a 15 minute walk from the centre of the city.

There are only two words to describe our first week in Gisborne - hot and humid.  The heat was not unexpected, as Gisborne usually has hot summers & is one of the sunniest places in New Zealand, but usually not with high humidity.  During the past week we have been subject to weather coming from the northeast, which has resulted in humidity of 95%+, which when coupled with temperatures approaching 30 degrees, feels like you are living in a sauna.  Even the sheets feel damp when getting into bed - yuk!

We have fallen into a pattern of doing a longish walk in the morning, hibernating through the afternoon, and then walking the neighbourhood or beachfront in the evening.  We have visited several old favourite places, including Gray's Bush, Waihirere Domain, and Eastwoodhill (New Zealand National) Arboretum, but also a few new places, including Okitu Scenic Reserve, Turihaua Beach and Pouawa Marine Reserve.

We have visited Pouawa Marine Reserve twice, as you can walk 5 km of sandy beach, apart from a few rocky bits around the headland, making 10 km round trip.  On our first visit, we somehow timed it right, arriving when the tide was well out, making the journey around the headland much easier.

Shell on pristine beach

Unusual rock formations

In one area, the hillside, which extends high above the beach, is heavily eroded, and there is a continuous trickle of small (pea-sized) stones sliding down the slope, with larger rocks bouncing down from time to time....not a good spot for a picnic.

Sandy beach in the marine reserve

As we finished our first beach walk in the marine reserve, the clouds were gathering to the south, and by the time we reached Gisborne city, the monsoon had arrived.  We sat on the patio at Zest Cafe, sipping our tea and latte, devouring a much-deserved date scone, and watched the rain....a small reprieve from the heat.

Monsoon season in Gisborne

We also walked the length of Turihaua Beach, after first climbing up to a lookout, for great views of the beaches to the north and south.

Makorori Beach from lookout

Turihaua Beach from lookout

On our second visit to the marine reserve, we wanted to get walking before the heat of the day, but being only 2 hours past high tide, we had to do a lot more clambering over rocks.  Despite our best efforts to dodge the waves, we got very wet feet.

Early in the walk, we had to pass by a sea lion resting on the beach.  She was more interested in her sleep than she was in us, and barely raised her head to acknowledge our presence.

Sea lion resting on beach

By the time we had rounded the headland, our shoes and socks were soaked, so we left them to dry on a convenient log, and walked the remainder of the beach in bare feet.

Marlene hanging out the laundry

At the far end of the beach, as we were already bare footed, we waded through the river, and walked a little further up the beach, now outside of the marine reserve, before returning.  On the way back we paused to retrieve our shoes and socks, which were a lot drier than when we left them in the sun.

In the two days that we walked in the marine reserve, we did not see any other people, apart from a few scuba divers, just offshore from the parking lot.  It certainly gave us a feeling of being the only people in the area.  Just one of the things we love about Gizzy, as the locals call it.