6 June 2023

Kings Birthday Weekend:

We have now been in Tekapo for 10 months and we are still loving it. We have everything that a couple of people and a dog need in life:

Clean fresh air to breathe and pure glacial water to drink.

 A warm comfortable home to live in:

Good food on the table: 

Great bosses who appreciate everything Hesti does:

Clean rivers, beautiful lake and the famous hydro canals - all full of fish.

And most of all happy togetherness. 

 

The Mackenzie Suites in winter.

Of course being 730 meters above sea level in the middle of the South Island we do expect a little of the cold white stuff every now and again.

Lake Tekapo from the western shores in winter

But there are benefits, as you can see. Calm sunny days, beautiful places to go within 10 - 15 drive.

Healthwise:

First of all Hesti needs a mention. Nothing to report. She's fit and healthy as usual apart from being knocked over with Covid for a couple of days. She got to feeling not good on the way to Dunedin via Oamaru. We got to Oamaru, picked up a test kit and some panadol and moved into the bosses "cottage" in Totara, just south of Oamaru. Hesti tested positive and two days later so did I. Our short trip to Dunedin for Hesti's days off ended up as 10 days in Totara with Covid.

🏅🏅For Ivan and Cathy, Our bosses, for the "cottage" and looking after the work while we were sick.

I am not going to spend the rest of my time on this blog on my conditions, as they are boring and, all things considered, not to be unexpected. Sufficient to say I am OK, getting around, and enjoying life doing whatever pleases me at the time.

Workwise:

Again I will start with Hesti. She has the title of "Guest Services Manager"and works totally unsupervised five days a week. The bosses cover for her on her days off. (Currently they are overseas for seven weeks and Hesti does everything with no days off). Her job includes: managing bookings; dealing with guest pre check in; checking guests in; and payments. When the guests bugger off she cleans up their mess and prepares for the next lot.

What about me???? Well essentially I do bugger all. If Hesti is busy I give her a hand and, in doing so, I have become a professional Dhobi Wallah.

ARRIVED IN HEAVEN

25 Sept 2022

This the view from our new place of abode.

Firstly Hesti and I would like to thank Cathy and Ivan, who own The Mackenzie Suites, for offering Hesti a position, in paradise, that will suit her skills and experience. It will also give her experience for her own future business of managing her own Villa in Bali.

Secondly we want to thank Cathy and Ivan for being among the nicest people we have ever met and are up there with you lot. They tick all of our boxes: they are kind; considerate; understanding; easy going; people who love animals; are outdoorsy; and are fishermen. What more could we both ask for.

If you don't believe we are living in paradise watch my little video below and you will see why.

Some of the sights within a few minutes drive from home.

So, you may ask, how the hell did you end up in such a fantastic place. 

Well in 2016 Hesti and I came through Tekapo on our way to a job in Queenstown. Then about 5 or 6 years ago Hesti and I with my sister, Margaret and husband Gerald came through on a quick trip around the South Island. At that time I put Tekapo on my bucket list of places for an extended stay to catch a world record trout. We answered an ad for a job for Hesti and the rest is history.

How we physically got here is a story for another blog.

World record fishing:

MIKE.... EAT YOUR HEART OUT - THE NEXT ONE IS MINE

The only thing I have in common with the man that really caught the fish is that we both came from Turangi.

There will be more fishing stories in the net blog. I'v been sussing it out, watching the locals, amassing information, bought my license for 2022/23 and will start fishing on the 1st of October.

Dhobi Wallah:

I thought I had retired but I've been promoted to Dhobi Wallah. For those who don't know what a dhobi wallah is let me add to your knowledge.

A dhobi wallah was a local Indian servant in the British army during the colonisation of India. Dhobi means "rash" and wallah is "manservant" who got the rash from the massive amounts of starch used washing clothes for the army.

So I am the laundry executive, and I love it coz I don't have to think.

UNTIL NEXT TIME - KEEP WELL, DON'T WORK TO HARD AND LOOK AFTER YOUR HEALTH.

 

WHAT ABOUT A TRAVEL BLOG

28 August 2022

In BLACK we have lived there

In RED we haven't lived there YET

Having lived or spent a lot of time in 10 out of New Zealands official districts you would think we may be able to help other travellers enjoy the country that we love so much. Well I don't know if I can or not but I will have a go starting in Northland and the Far North. I'll cover places to go and tell you about the people we met - the good ones and the odd bad one.

Look out for it in the next Blog. 

Meanwhile

Hesti has her day off tomorrow and Tuesday so we are going to have a couple of days with my son Brendan. There will be no blog as we'll have had a spot too much to drink.

TIMETABLE

26 August 2022

We're off again, and looking forward to it.

We have finally set out our travel dates. Hesti's last day here at Ohakune is next Sunday 3 September. We will move out of here on the same day and head to Pahiatua to stay with Keith and Barbara for a night or two, depending on the weather. 

Hesti isn't to keen on a rough Cook Straight crossing, and I would prefer a smooth crossing given a choice. 

Once off the ferry in Picton we'll head to Pegasus, just north of Christchurch, where we'll stay with Allan and Robin before the last leg through Geraldine to Tekapo.

Unfortunately our stay in Ohakune was not the best. Poor wages, poor weather, and not the working conditions we expected. All in all working in Top 10 holiday parks has been an experience we don't really want to repeat except for Hot Water Beach.

WHAT A PLACE TO LIVE

20 August 2022

A few years ago, together with my sister Margaret and her husband Gerald, we stopped at, what I believe, is the most beautiful place in New Zealand. At the time I thought one day I want to live here. Its got everything.........

Location:

Almost the middle of the South Island with other great places within easy reach.

Attractions, 

Glacial lake; snow covered mountains; world famous building; golf course; world record trout fishing; salmon fishing; Dark Sky Reserve, (one of only 13 in the world); good restaurants; great little town.

Work:

great job; great boss; fair pay; great conditions; good accommodation.

WHAT MORE CAN A MAN WANT - SO......

We have spent the last year working for Holiday Parks. In the main it's been OK. However, for Hesti, the work is hard and unrewarding. The clientele generally don't appreciate the work required to maintain the facilities and there is an element who just don't give a damn. For me, well I'm here to support TOTEM, and she needs to get back to doing what she does best        

........ IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON.

The dream has come true, but like all dreams it has only come true because we made it come true.

Well we had a little help from the owners of The Mackenzie Suites in TEKAPO

Hot in Summer

Bloody Cold in Winter

Ivan and Cathy, owners of The MacKenzie Suites, have offered Hesti a job doing what she does best. We will live on site in a one bedroom apartment and Cheffydog is allowed to come too. The Caravan will be parked outside and used on days off to explore the MacKenzie Country and maybe catch the odd fish.

The MacKenzie Suites

Check us out and book if you are in Tekapo.

 NEXT JOB ALL SORTED

19 August 2022

Today is a milestone in TOTEM and LOFs life. 

No.1   We have become homeless.

Our house sale has just this minute been confirmed and the keys handed over to the new owners.

We now are technically homeless so I have composed this letter to Jacinda:

"Dear Jacinda, 

whilst I have a lot of mates in the Blue Corner, so to speak, I have always remained loyal to my roots which are quite red, well just a little purple at times. My partner, (well actually my wife, but I know you like the modern terminology), and I are now officially HOMELESS and I was wondering if you can help.

Myself, my partner and the whanau, (Cheffydog), are currently living in an entirely unsuitable situation in a 5 meter self contained caravan and we need something more suitable. We do not want a luxury 2 bedroom motel unit as we can't speak Te Reo and would have difficulty communicating with the other residents. We would like you to consider that we have paid our taxes for 75 years between us and a suite on the top floor of a 5 star hotel would seem to be comparatively fair and equitable. We would appreciate it if you could ensure there is a 65" TV with Sky and Netflix and 24 hour room service which we could charge back to "Te Hiranga Tangata". The location is critical as my partner likes shopping in designer shops and I like boating and fishing. The Hilton in Queenstown seems to fit the bill nicely. I tried to sneak in by making a booking through Booking.com but they were onto me and that is why I need your intervention.

Thank you for your help and good luck with that Indian Doctor bloke who is giving you a bit of grief at the moment. Please send the voucher directly to the Hilton and confirm by commenting on my blog.

I haven't sent it yet so you guys let me know, by comment, if you think the Hilton is suitable or should I go for Gibbston Valley Lodge which is a bit out of town. 

 No. 2 We have a new job.

I know it might compromise my request to Jacinda but TOTEM and I are a bit uncomfortable with asking her for government charity. So we have signed up for a new position.

1. It is 1000+ kms from where we are now.
2. There is no hospital, 
3. there is a doctor over 30 kms away 
4. and the nearest pharmacy is 40 kms.
5. Its bloody cold in the winter 
6. and scorching hot in the summer.
7. There's no supermarket.

Are we crazy or not.........

WHATCH THIS SPACE............

 RAIN RAIN RAIN:

Friday 29 July 2022

THE WEATHER

It's now been almost 3 weeks of warm rain and gale force winds. Not all the time, we might get a couple of hours spread over the day when it doesn't rain. The wind is worse than the rain as we have to put the satellite dish down and we don't have TV. We can still get channel 1 and 3 and Netflix on internet so it's not so bad. Being in Ohakune means there is no chance of flooding, its not even soggy. The river, Mangateitei, just on the doorstep doesn't even get discoloured. But constant rain and wind makes for a boring life.

Would i change it - not on your life.

CRUISE SHIPS (Not so fake news)

THE PETRI DISHES ARE COMING BACK IN OCTOBER

In my day I loved cruising. But my time in the Bay of Islands changed my opinion. During the summer there are at least 3 or 4 cruise ships a week and sometimes more, and even worse there are sometimes two of them on the same day.

Good for the Economy: 

No way. They spend nothing in the shops; They eat on board and leave at 6:00 pm so spend nothing in the restaurants; they book out all of the tours so that the real tourists can't get a seat; All tours are booked on board, the overseas operators clip the ticket and pay the tour operators a grossly discounted price. They employ a lot of people but they're not Kiwis. They are good for somewhere else economy.

Marine life:

In the old days ships used anchors to keep them from floating away. Now they use GPS which operates the main props, bow thrusters and stern thrusters to maintain their position. Good eh: No way: from personal experience I can tell you the fish disappeared from the reef the first day the ships arrive and they never come back until the last one leaves in late February. The huge propellor wash affects the whole reef and the fish do not like it.

The excrement from 2000 passengers and 1000 crew doing number ones and twos into a big tank has to go somewhere coz they don't take it back from where they come from and there are no dump stations out at sea. The fish and other marine life don't thrive on it either.

Global Warming:

A cruise ship burns the dirtiest fuel you can get. On average each  ship burns as much fuel as 700 Mac Trucks. There are 323 cruise ships floating arround every day of the year. So we have the equivalent of almost quarter of a million mac trucks running around burning fuel that produces 5 times the pollutants of diesel.

Covid:

We have the over 350,000 innocent people walking around the most populated summer locations in NZ potentially spreading Covid19.

BELIEVE OR NOT THE SUN IS OUT SO I'M OFF FOR MY DAILY EXERSIZE.

NEW CHAPTER STARTS SOON

27 JULY 2022 

OUR HOME FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS.

It's gone, sold and we are homeless temporary. Still we have the caravan and we love it.

😢😢😢😢😢😢

For  TOTEM and LOF it is the start of our next chapter of our life. We'll have some money in the bank, no mortgage, no rates, no power bills, no house and contents insurance - we just need food.

We will leave Ohakune the end of winter, October, and slowly make our way south to Lake Te Anau for the summer Where TOTEM will be working for 7 months or so. Then we will spend the next three month in Bali where we will buy a villa. We even sorted the villa we would like.Well its still a choice but the favoured spot is Lovina on the north coast of Bali away from the shirtless Aussie tourists that frequent the south west coast beaches.

Lovina is 5 Kms away from the old capital of Bali, Singaraja. There is no surf, not as many nightclubs and bars and it is not far away from some of the best inland beautiful attractions that Bali is famous for.

This place is a less than a km from Lovina town centre and approx 300 meters from the beach. It used to be a tourist villa but Covid has put pay to that for the time being, but it will be a tourist villa again. It has 2 large bedrooms each with its own en suite. A small easily maintained garden and secure parking.

The pool is quite small approx 5mtrs x 3mtrs. Nevertheless it would be nice to pop in and out of on a Balinese afternoon.

The lounge dining area is very nice but I would like to put vinyl "wood" planking instead to the typical tiles.

Bedrooms are large, air conditioned and each has its own ensuite. The bathrooms are modern with glass showers and wall mounted modern handbasin.

The place is on the market for approx $NZ170,000. 

We may change our mind and we may end up in Ubud where we will pay approx the same money for a very nice 2 bedroom villa - but ineviatably it will be in a gated complex. It will also not have the same amount of room.

We expect to host our D.A.F.T. (Dumb Arsed Following Tribe). any time they wish to come.

Thats all for now.

Why would anyone come to Ohakune

Sunday July 24 2022

The only way to really get to know somehere is to live there. That's what we are doing. After 6 weeks of living here we can give you a few reasons why people come here.

As everyone knows Ohakune grows carrots. Big deal.Its not the only thing they grow in Ohakune they also grow parsnips, (white carrots), potatoes, (round carrots), and cabbages, (to serve with carrots).

You may ask why would people come to Ohakune because there are carrots there. The answer is simple - to feed their horses 😂😂😂. What if they dont have horses. Don't come for carrots. 😝😝😝😝

This is another reason people come to Ohakune. All Poms know that you go to Blackpool for rock. (A stick of solidified sugar, red on the outside, white on the inside with the name Blackpool written from top to bottom). When they hear there is a massive rock at the end of the street in Ohakune they flock here in their droves. Unfortunately they are disappointed to find that the rock in Ohakune is totally inedible, and the white stuff on the top isn't sugar. 😢😢😢

If someone told you that New Zealand would be famous for the best chocolate eclairs in the world you could be forgiven for accusing them of being certifiable. YET here is the proof. The place is overrun with "froggies" looking for "Le grand eclair chocolat" Like the Rainbow Warrior they see it as a threat to their economy. So far the bomb fuses have fizzled out in the morning frost. Good news for Froggies. "La porte est ferme" YES it has closed down. 😡😡😪😪

Unfortunately the main reason for people coming to Ohakune is very quickly becoming a thing of the past. In our 6 weeks from early June to past mid winter we have only had 2 skiable days and that was yesterday and the day before. The camp has a lot of winterising caravans just wonder how long it will be until the Ruapehu glaciers melt and snow becomes a thing of the past. Probably not in my lifetime but I can see it happening. We have had almost nothing but northerly wind since we've been here and that doesn't bring snow. 

There is a new generation of tourists that will hopefully continue for another generation or two. They are of course fans of LOTR. They are usually heading from North, (Auckland) to the South Island visiting locations of the Lord of the Rings. Hopefully the powers that be in Ohakune can make something of this before the opportunity is lost. Very easy to locate and just a little walk.

There are bush walks all around Ohakune, mainly in the National Park, (so you can't take dogs). So Powers That Be get your thinking caps on and promote a loverly little town.

 ABOUT  TIME I GOT OFF MY ARSE

23 July 2022

I didn't realise how long it has been since I put pen to paper and updated my Blog. So I'm gunna make a fresh start. Most of previous blogs deleted and we're off on a new adventure.

So lets summarise the last 6 months or so:

• Health:
• Quite frankly I don't feel a hell of a lot different since the last time I did this Blog. 
• My walking test last August was 
• 460 meters in 6 minutes
• HR of 120 odd
• Blood Oxygen 88%
• I am due for another in a couple of weeks but yesterday I test walked:
• 750 meters in 8 minutes
• HR 122
• Blood oxygen 88
• I had to reduce the dosage of my OFEV medication from 300 mg / day to 200 cause of the squirts. The new dosage is OK and it seems to be working.
• Didn't get Covid and just had my second booster.
• Didn't get the flu and had my flu jab.
• I feel fit as a fiddle, (bloody old fiddle, a Stradivarius but), and getting a lot of exercise.
• Blood tests last month were all normal. (hate normal I'm extraordinary) I think so anyway and thats all that matters.

• Life
• We are still "Grey Nomads" and we are still in the North Island.
• We left Hot Water Beach in March with a standing invitationto go back there which we will sometime cause it was great.
• We spent a couple of months in Napier with Gene and Jenny at the Top 10. Great people. Also a good place to stay if you go to Napier. Get the motel unit on the Beach.
• We are currently at the Top 10 in Ohakune, only 50 minutes from home. Minus 4 this morning, ice on the ground, snow on the mountain, sun in the sky, fish in the river, dog asleep on the floor. 30 degrees in the caravan - Hard Life.
• I get a bit bored when Hesti is working, would love a part time job but nobody wants an old fart.

• Caravan living
• Cons.
• Squashed
• Cupboard space limited.
• Outside camp toilet for number 2s, Number 1s OK inside.
• Outside camp showers, (only for dirty people)
• We have toilet and shower on board but very small and toilet box need emptying weekly.
• Additional fridge/freezer but outside the door. 
• Additional cupboard space but outside the door.
• Cooking area small but works good.
• Pros.
• Nothing is more than 2 paces away.
• Warm in the winter
• Cool in the summer
• Stay anywhere.
• Usually in the best locations.
• No rates
• No rent, (at least not for us).
• No power bills
• Watch TV from lounge or bedroom - same TV just turn it round.
• And who need lots of room anyway.

All in all life is pretty stressless.

Well that's got me going. Today is Saturday Hesti's days off are Monday Tuesday so, if the weather is OK we'll head off to Turangi. If weather not so good we'll just relax around here and have a nice dinner out with a glass of wine.

STELLA EVERED MEMORIAL PARK

 2 OCTOBER 2021

Today we went to Stella Evered Park that Hesti has been harping on about for weeks. Don't ask me who the hell was Stella Evered coz I have no idea.I have researched her on Google and Wikipedia, the latter says she doesn't exist But I don't believe it for a moment. There is a lovely bush walk to the lookout and when you get there the view of the Purangi River is fantastic.

           

Steps down are quite easy for me and coming up is OK if I take my time and stop every now and again to be some oxygen into my bloodstream. Hesti looks like she's saying a little prayer, might be for me. 😂

Didn't I tell you its a great view. This was taken with the iPhone and of course you can see the original by clicking on it.

This is a great view of the mouth of the Purangi Rivermouth. Great Freedom camping just by the boat ramp. If you can get in there. Of course every van take up enough room for three vans and the arseholes are all members of the association. Wankers.

QUIET DAY TODAY

 29 September 2021

Not much happening to day. Took a drive to Cooks Beach for something to do and to make a phone call. There is almost ZERO cell phone coverage here. Went to the estuary end of the beach and very nice it is too.

Stormy day on a deserted beach.

Very shy and quite rare Dotterel