Morning, 19th Aug. Hi-de-Hi’s, Mahia Beach. I was full of the joys of spring this morning, which put me ahead of the game as Spring doesn’t officially start for another few days. I slept like a baby last night, and fully breakfasted and washed I was ready to roll. The place is still a bit of a shambles after yesterday’s mayhem, but it’s mostly right. I have most things put away, but my ropes are still drying out, and there’s still a wet patch on the carpet from where the kettle spilled in all the jolting. I picked up some essentials at the Mahia Beach store, Bread, Milk, Sausages etc, then headed up a different road onto the peninsular. I’d been talking to “Camp Mother”, Jocelyn, and she reminded me that there was a walking track up on the top. I looked it up, and it was located on a fine looking road out of Mahia, past the bay with all the logs in it. This road wound up to a high ridge which overlooked the whole of Hawke’s Bay. That seemed like a plan. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be at the beach, I had another reason to go up there. I needed a good breeze through the place. The anaerobic odour of yesterday’s mud still lingered, and it needed a good blow through. The track up was narrow, very narrow, and very steep. I’d seen on the map that it was narrow and had made sure I would be able to turn around somewhere to come back. I made the ridge top, and found my turning point, and intended parking place. But it had grass on it! In the satellite picture it looked like gravel. It was slightly uphill from the road, so I gave it a go. If I skidded, then I would be able to roll backwards onto the road with no problem. The wheels started to spin, and I glimpsed a puddle in the grass ahead. That was it! In a seemingly involuntary sequence I was on the brakes, clutch, and in reverse and back on the road before I even thought about it. I have developed an allergy… wet grass. Facing back the way I’d come I only had to go a hundred metres or so before I found a small passing place. It was more than enough for my size, and it was gravel. Happiness! I checked out the radio to see what I could get up there. Nothing on FM, but I could get a few AM stations OK. The best signal though, came from the electric fence I was next to, and that was available (mandatory actually) on all channels. I only lasted a few minutes, listening to the music plus the one second interval crackles, before I gave up with the radio and opened Radio Live on the internet. I was working up there four hours before I notice it had got cold. The wind had turned South and the rain was rolling in. I packed up and left quickly. This was NOT a road to get caught out on. It was very steep and the road was already starting to run like a stream in places. In the last four hours not a single vehicle had passed me. If I got into trouble here I’d be walking a long way to get help. Back down by the boat ramp in Mahia Beach I put the kettle on, had some lunch and flipped the office open again. I’m researching the whole journey of the Kurahaupo, not just the Mahia part, and it looks like I have to get myself right up North to cover off an earlier part of their journey. The Kurahaupo first made a brief landfall up there before coming down here to Mahia where it was wrecked. From Piha (I’ll be back there on Thursday night) “right up North” is closer than to where I am now. I need to get onto the extremity of North Cape, but it’s all privately owned tribal land and historic reserve around there, so I’ll have to find out how that’s done. I have to keep an eye on how much driving I do on Mahia as, like Piha, there’s no petrol pump here. The closest is 15km away. So that’s a 30km round trip to top up if I run short. Back at Hi-de-Hi’s tonight, it was a hot shower and a big feed of toasted sausage sandwiches and BBQ sauce followed by peaches and cream. I’m stuffed. I’m liking Hi-de-Hi’s more and more. When I went to the office this morning to pay for another day I was told ‘the next one’s free’. So that’s it. I’d been thinking about going into the Hunua’s on the way back, but now I’ll stay here tonight and tomorrow night. Wednesday morning I’ll head off back towards Hamilton, in time to get my satellite dish fitted first thing Thursday morning. Then, back to Piha. I’m hoping to get through Auckland before the evening rush hour. I’m quite looking forward to having a TV again. It’s been a month since I last watched any. It was a really good day’s work today. It’s the first time I’ve managed to spend a whole day on the Tasman story since I got in the van. Time to put my feet up and get some shut eye. Goodnight all.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 09:06:58 +0000