Category My Journey

I finally got a clear day… at least most of a day.

The weather came through exactly as forecast, mostly sunny until late afternoon, and I got through all the video that I wanted recorded.

Tonight I’ve download all the video from my 2 camera’s to my laptop, and done a quick sort on it. I sort it into 4 groups; what can I just drop (all the camera setup, checking that I’m in the frame, checking sound etc), good dialogue, cut-away shots (detail shots of all the features that I talk about), and stuff that’s going onto this Blog.

It takes a while, but it will make someone’s job a lot easier later.

I’ll be leaving Mahia tomorrow, but I’m in no screaming rush as I haven’t quite decided where I’m stopping tomorrow night.

My next block of filming happens about four hours to the...

Working at Nukutaurua

The weather is still pretty bad here at Mahia, bad enough to not be able to film. So today I again went around to Nukutaurua and parked there on the side of the beach, overlooking where the Kurahaupo was wrecked.

I finished writing up the Nukutaurua post (now uploaded) and also the scripts I will use.

The forecast for tomorrow is that I will get a clear spell of weather until the evening. With a bit of luck (and sufficient preparation) I might get all my dialogue shot in one day.

Here’s hoping.

Today the rain eased and by lunchtime had brightened somewhat. I packed up the Heems and headed ‘round to where I am filming the sequence about the wreck of the Kurahaupo. It’s the beach that Nukutaurua Road runs along on the northern coast of the peninsula.

The gaps between showers didn’t let me get much done. In all I might have perhaps 15 seconds worth of final content… but, it’s progress.

I did get a lot of the peripheral shots done… all the ‘cut away’ shots I need; out to sea, rocks, along the beach, watercourses etc. So that was all good.

It was good to put the keyboard down for a while and get the camera’s out.

There are a few stars out tonight, and the forecast for tomorrow is looking sort of OK so with any luck I’ll have another go then.

Mt Ngauruhoe in the early morning

5 Mile Bay on Lake Taupo was just a stopover on my way to Mahia. But parked up on the lakeside was still something else. Taupo has something for all sorts of visitors, active or sedentary. At one extreme there’s the Taupo bungee, at the other, the Prawn Farm… where you sit under an umbrella with a fishing net on a pole and scoop out prawns. There are coffee shops, restaurants, galleries and knick-knack shops and of course, the Lake with all the water based activities.

I was a slow learner today. I did this twice.

I was parked on the lakeside, and after the spectacular sunset of the previous night I woke to a calm and pastel dawn...

It’s important to know some things, and one of them is this. Plans aren’t like the Ten Commandments… plans can change. No stress, no bother, just different.

I checked with Google maps for the best time and route to Mahia, and it said going past Taupo was a full hour quicker than the route I had planned. I had intended to go through Rotorua and do my shopping there, but Taupo was just as good. I know my Pak ‘n’ Save’s… and there’s one in Taupo. I also needed a Dick Smith’s (that’s like Curry’s if you’re in the UK) and there’s one of them there too… so, via Taupo it was.

The dried landscape as I leave Wind in the Willows

As I pulled away from Wind in the Willows, the ‘Wingers’ (as in; ‘wing’, not ‘winge’… I’ll tell you all about ‘Wingers’ another day) all waved me of...

One Goon goes, another arrives. This evening it was the Goon with the chocks.

But before that, here’s a video.

I’d just shot this video, when a caravan pulled on. The ground here is deceptively uneven and despite first appearances there aren’t many places that are actually flat… and the best of those were already taken; I was on one of them.

I could hear the engine as they drove forwards and backwards on and off their chocks. Normally, this isn’t anything unusual. If you’re going to be parked up for anything more than a quick overnight stop, then it’s worth taking the trouble to get it as level as is possible; you always regret it if you don’t.

This time however it seemed to go on for a very long time. I topped up my coffee and took a seat outside for a proper look.

The husband (I’ll ...

The Heems at ‘Wind in the Willows’

‘Convection showers my arse’ I said putting a reef in the awning.

That was the forecast, … “convection showers”.

My attention had been grabbed by the flapping of fabric as my awning got rattled by a sudden gust. Half the sky was blue, and half black. The wind came in sharp little gusts, and the temperature had dropped noticeably. I looked at the cows in the neighbouring paddock. They were gathered under the trees.

‘Convection showers my arse’ I repeated, rushing to move my laptop and radio inside before the imminent deluge. By the time I had shortened my awning to a metre, and was all powered up again inside, the thunder was rolling long and free. Three days of beautiful weather was going to take a break for a while.

A hour later the cow...

It was a beautiful day here at ‘Wind in the Willows’. I awoke with the sun as usual and stretched in the low sunlight of the morning. As I sipped my morning coffee I watched a flock of about sixty swans (including this year’s young) paddle around getting their breakfast.

I moved my office outdoors and knuckled down to some work… then took a break mid-afternoon and shot you this quick video.

The Heems at sunrise

This evening I have new company.

The Goon with the generator is still here, and he has a new and irritating toy… a flashing green light. Quite what he needs a landing light for on the side of Lake Karapiro I don’t know, but it must be annoying the hell out of my new… and rather surprising new neighbour.

George (I’ll call him George) arrived late this afternoon in a b...

Sunrise at ‘Wind in the Willows’

I’m on my way to the Mahia peninsula, but it’s too long a drive for me to complete sensibly in one day, and anyway, my story isn’t advanced to the stage that I need it yet… so I’m parked up here for a couple of days.

I call this place ‘Wind in the Willows’. It’s on the side of the Waikato river, at the top end of Lake Karapiro.

Once out of Auckland I had my first stop pre-planned. There’s a service area just before the Bombay hills, and it’s is a top stopping place for me. I can get lots of things done all in that one place.

I filled the Heems with diesel, topped up my gas tanks, and filled my water tank. These are only small things, but they keep me happy...

This is it

I took myself up to my favourite sunset spot this evening and shot this short video, and in the morning… I’ll be gone.

My last Piha sunset for a while

After months of preparation and planning it’s time go.

Piha, and the people here have been very good to me, and it’s sad to leave. But then, it’s not forever… and it’s not as though I’m going to go anywhere bad… well at least, not for long. If I don’t like where I am, then I won’t stay longer than the time it takes to snap a couple of pics and split.

I only have a few final bits and pieces to do… my last load of washing is still on the line, and in the morning I’ll do the last of my dishes… and then one last good shower… that I’ll definitely miss.

Other people might rate campgrounds by their Ki...