Moving stuff again.

Time to get back into action again, putting our stuff from France into storage facilities not far from Rijsbergen in the Netherlands.  Before doing so, though, we went to a DIY shop and got some shelving.  Paul thought it would be a good idea to help make storing some of the things a bit more easier and accessible.

We had to put the shelves together before we could put anything on and it was easy enough and didn't take too much time.

Offloading it wasn't too much of a problem - the storage box was inside the building but it was situated in a drive-through area.  So we simply parked the car so that the trailer's drop down ramp could be lowered right next to our storage box and started to offload.  A few things were too heavy for me to lift so I had to leave Paul the heavy ones, and I left him to store things in an easily accessible manner.

Fortunately we could drive in the storage place because it started to rain...

Whirlwind trip to France.

It has been a very hectic two days.

On Monday afternoon we collected a box trailer.  The owner was going to rent us one that had double doors at the back but no ramp or hydraulic lift.  Fortunately a trailer with a ramp had been returned earlier than expected so the trailer rental owner was able to give it to us instead, and give our original trailer to someone who wouldn't be needing a ramp.  Whew!!


around 4pm.  Paul had to take the roads carefully because of rain.  Unfortunately the wind direction was not in our favour so our car was a thirsty girl, guzzling up diesel = burning a hole in Paul's wallet 😐. 
The journey took 3 hours longer than what Google Maps estimates.  Towards midnight Paul got tired so we stopped at a service station to rest.  We rolled down the backrests of the car and slept for about 4 or 5 hours before hitting the road again.

Still more to squeeze in!

We arrived at Aire Box in Angoulȇme around 9 or 10am, put on coveralls and got to work.  Moving things in a storage place should be fairly easy but at Aire Box we had to deal with small trolleys and a tiny lift.  The lift could only squeeze in one trolley at a time - and not a highly piled up trolley at that.  We didn't feel the cold as we worked and actually worked up a bit of sweat from the 'exercise'.  It took us about 2 or 3 hours to move our stuff out of the storage locker and pack the trailer.  We were knackered by the time we finished and handed back the keys.  Out of sight of the storage place's cameras we changed into more comfortable clothes to drive back to the Netherlands in.
We could have rested properly after having driven such a long way and then packed but decided to 'get the show on the road' and head back to the Netherlands.  Towards midnight Paul got tired so we stopped at a service station to rest.  We rolled down the backrests of the car and slept for a few  hours before continuing our journey to the Netherlands.

We could have rested properly after loading up the trailer, having driven such a long way with little rest, but decided to 'get the show on the road' and head back to the Netherlands.  Paul drove all the way back, tanked up on red bull or 'monster', but we did stop now and then to fill the car up at the service station and to stretch our legs.

It seemed to be an epic journey and it was good to get to Rijsbergen.  We decided not to offload the trailer until tomorrow but rather have something to eat, have a much needed shower and hit the pillows 😫.  It was near enough dinner time when we surfaced again.  I think the nap was well deserved!

 PHOTOGRAPHS

Tidying up the boot before we leave.

One last item and then we can 'close up shop'.

All done!

Caught with my trousers down whilst changing ☹️  Don't peek!

I got my revenge - Paul with his trousers down!

Keeping busy; and a spa day.

This week we have kept ourselves busy.  Apart from looking at a campervan or two we have been starting to sort Paul's room out at his mum's place;  i.e. doing a bit of a clear-out and taking some things to the second hand shop, others to the recycling centre or tip.  The rest of the things he wants to keep will eventually be boxed and put into storage.

Two days later we needed a bit of down-time and a break so we headed to Elysium Wellness
Resort/spa (https://www.elysium.nl/) for the day.  First thing we made a beeline for was the outside warm salt water flotation pool where we floated and soaked for ages.  After that we spent time in the jacuzzis, indoor pool, one of the steam rooms and more.  We had a light meal in the evening followed by another flotation session before heading out into the cold to the car.  The car battery was dead.  Paul forgot to

Cave-themed pool with 'waterfall' to sit under to pound away
back and neck tension. (Picture from the internet.)

switch car lights off ...  We had jumper leads but no way of starting the car.  We had a choice of telephoning Paul's sister for help or asking for help.

Eventually Paul managed to find someone in the car park who was just leaving who was willing to drive her car over to us so that we could jump start the car.  The woman sat in her car, out of the cold (wise lass!), while her husband and Paul sorted out the technicalities of setting up the jumper leads.  After a few coughs, our car reluctantly started; we said our goodbyes to the couple and were able to set off back to Rijsbergen.

Tomorrow we will be preparing to go for a short 2 day trip to France.  We bring household items stored in France over to the Netherlands so that everything will be in one storage place rather than spread out in different countries.  So Paul has booked a trailer box and we should be able to collect it tomorrow afternoon.  We hope that it will be big enough to fit everything in!

PHOTOGRAPHS

Please note that these photographs of Elysium are off the internet as guests are not allowed to take photographs while there.

Sauna

Salt flotation pool (picture from the internet)

Indoor relaxation pool (gentle music is played over loudspeakers)

One of the indoor pools

One of the outdoor saunas

Inside a sauna

Campervan and fish.

Yesterday we were a bit more energetic having recovered from jet-lag and our travels so we took Paul's mum's car 🚗 for a bit of a spin.  The car battery was almost dead as she's not driven her car for a while.  After a hesitant start the car got going and the battery re-charged itself as we drove to the shops and back again.

Today we went to look at a campervan, the first of a few that Paul wants to see before we make a decision to buy one or not.  The campervan is in under-cover storage, looked well after and in good condition.  As I say, we will have to look at a few before we make a decision though.

While out and about we got the fish tank more water plants and a carbon filter.  The fish 🐠 are happy again, now that we have cleaned the tank and put the new carbon filter in.  We also treated them to a meal of water fleas. One goldfish tasted a water flea, loved the snack and looked for more.  The other fish quickly cottoned on.  By the way they gobbled up the fleas - they tasted way better than fish flakes!

Back in the Netherlands at last.

Schiphol Airport to Rijsbergen by train & taxi

On Wednesday early morning we arrived at Schiphol Airport without any hiccups during the flight.  We caught a train and taxi back to Rijsbergen, had a shower and crashed until dinner time.

It is now Friday morning and I've done nothing but sleep since getting back, waking up for brunch and dinner. I've been that shattered.  Paul has not slept quite as much, catching up with his mum and going through his mail.

Melvin, mum's cat, has made big strides.  He has been coming up to our room and sleeping with us! He never does, and used to go after exploring the room.  Maybe he's missed us?!

I miss those few weeks of sun and warm weather.  Dark skies and the cold don't help ☹️

Hong Kong International Airport, heading to the Netherlands.

It has been a strange flight.  From the start seats bookings were mixed up and people were moved around. The staff seemed very disorganised - unusual for airline staff!  The layout of the aeroplane was not so good and there were few toilets than what we usually see.  This situation unfortunately led to queues; with some passengers 'bursting to go' 😰, others not so cross-legged!

We slept a bit but are very bug~eyed. We are now in Hong Kong, waiting for the next flight. Yawn 😲

Auckland airport, heading to the Netherlands via Hong Kong.

At the airport now, waiting for the check-in desk to open.

We didn't have a great night. The motel room was so hot and there were no fans.  Also there was too much light coming through the thin curtains from either the night security lights or when daylight appeared.  We couldn't win!  Hope we can get some sleep on the flight.

Flying to Hong Kong from Auckland

Time to get moving.  The check-in desk is open!

Leisurely drive up to Auckland and waterfall pool swim

Today's route

With heavy hearts we took a slow drive to Auckland, visiting 3 waterfalls on the way.

One waterfall towards Port Waikato was nothing spectacular - blink and you could have missed it.  We stopped at the outskirts of Port Waikato and wandered around a public garden (Cobourne Garden Reserve).  The area had landscaped garden terraces which led from the road down to the waters edge.  It is a lovely place to relax and have a picnic.

Hunua Falls

From Port Waikato we made our way to Waitangi Falls.  It looked nice but the pool underneath it was quite small and there were already a few people there.  So, if we had joined in for a dip it would have been crowded.

The next waterfall (Hunua Falls) was situated in the Hunua Ranges Regional Park and had a big natural pool below.  The water looked tempting and being a hot day we took the opportunity to have a dip - no questions asked! The water was not too cold. Some young people were climbing the rocks near the waterfall and jumping in.  It was nice.

In the water - cool but very refreshing.

We arrived at Airport Manor Inn - a motel near the airport and checked in.  After that we took a drive to the airport to drop the car off.  Whilst there, Paul took the opportunity to see if he could get some help with online check-in but unfortunately there was no airline representative.  So we will wait until tomorrow and Paul can check in then - but we will see if we can have our seats together.

Getting back to the motel was a bit of an issue.  No taxi drivers were prepared to take us to the motel and advised us to catch the bus - but there was very little information about busses.  We decided to walk back to the motel even though it was quite a distance but just as we were heading out of the airport we flagged down a taxi.  The chap stopped and we explained our situation.  He admitted that he was not allowed to stop to pick up passengers - he could only do so from the designated zone; but on hearing our story - kindly broke the rules and gave us a lift.  Apparently the other drivers were reluctant to take us to our motel because the distance was considered short (but a half hour walk for us) and they wouldn't get much money if they did so.  When we were dropped off at the motel Paul gave the driver a tip - over and above the minimal fare shown on the meter.  We were grateful that he had given us a ride despite his working rules.

Unfortunately I don't know what has happened to the pictures from the Cobourne Garden Reserve or Waitangi Falls so this blog is lacking the usual pictures that I try to upload.

Tomorrow we fly to the Netherlands if all goes well.

Waterfall pool swim and feeding eels

Our route today

We had a nice day today, wild swimming in the natural pool below Owharoa Falls.  It was wonderful.  Children and adults climbed part the way up the rock-face of the waterfall and dived or jumped in.  We didn't though.  We ended up swimming behind the waterfall curtain and sitting on a ledge, listening to and seeing the water falling around us.  It was magical.

A bit later on we took a drive to Waihi and had a wander over to a viewpoint overlooking the opencast gold mine which has yet to re-open because of rockfalls. 

We continued on to Waihi Beach and drove a long the sandspit to Bowentown and had a lovely view of the lagoon and surrounds.

On the way back to Katikati we went to a McDonalds to use the WiFi to check-in our flights online.  Unfortunately Paul's check-in failed for some unknown reason so it looks as if he will have to check in when we drop our luggage off.  If he can't fly then I won't go on my own!

Back at Katikati Naturist Park we took some old bread crusts to the river to feed eels that swim up the river. We had to wait for about 5 minutes or so after throwing the first few pieces of bread before the eels came, swimming upstream to were we were.  It was amazing seeing them.

Afterwards we had a nice soak in hot tubs and a cool swim in the pool.

Sadly we will have to leave this lovely place and head to Auckland tomorrow.  We have a flight to catch the day after.

Photographs

Owharoa Falls

Waihi

Katikati Naturist Park

Hot sand beach and the Coromandel Peninsula

Our route today

Today we took a scenic drive in a north easterly direction toward the Coromandel Peninsula and around it, anticlockwise.

We found a hot sand beach along the way and stopped to take a look and experience the phenomenon for ourselves.  Initially I didn't want go onto the beach - it was crowded with people and I felt panicky.  In the end I'm glad I did go.  People were digging out small pools in the sand, using spades or hands, during low tide.  The hot spring water then seeped up from the ground into the makeshift pools.  Some areas of sand were warm but there were also patches that were very hot and one had to be careful not to burn one's toes.


We were going to cross to Whitianga via a ferry near Cook's Beach but discovered that it was a foot ferry so we had to backtrack to Whenuakite so that we could continue our round trip of the peninsula.

We would have liked to have headed further up north from Te Rerenga  to Fletcher Bay and back down to Cormandel but time was not on our side so we cut across the neck over to Cormandel and headed southwards along the coast back to Katikati.  During our drive we found parts of the road washed away, the result of last week's storms, and were in the process of being repaired.

It was a nice drive and a nice day.

More Pictures

Hot sand beach

Hot and cold spring rivers, and a naturist campsite

Hot & Cold river/hot spring

Today it was time to leave Rotorua Farm Stay and see where the road took us.  We stopped to soak in the Hot and Cold spring rivers on the way.  Once again we enjoyed rubbing clay all over ourselves and soaking it off, and relaxing.

From there we headed further north in the direction of Tauranga to Katikati Naturist Park (http://www.katikati-naturist-park.co.nz/) which is a naturist campsite with a few chalets.  The campsite is lovely. It has a pool, sauna, 2 hot tubs, mini golf, a pentanque court, a play area for children,  a river to swim in, you can feed the eels; barbecue facilities and kitchen amenities,  a small shop, etc.

Mini golf at Katikati (photograph off the internet)

After unpacking we had a game of mini golf - Paul won hands down!  I have a problem with accuracy...  One of more permanent campsite owners has a cat which plonked itself down on the mini golf green to sun itself.  We didn't mind it watching our game but we ended up having to play our balls around it - an extra skill we could add to our mini golf skills!

The campsite has WiFi which is great because we can try to plan what we would like to do tomorrow.  However, we had a bit of trouble with the internet.  Paul went onto his telephone and discovered that there was WiFi and there was a prompt to get a voucher code to get access to the internet.  So he went through the motions of getting the code but the code was never sent to his telephone in a text message; and he couldn't log on to get access to his email to see if a code was sent there.  We went to reception to find out what the problem was.  Apparently you had to physically buy a voucher from reception and use the code.  Although the wiFi seemed to be Katikati's own wiFi (even though it was named as such), it wasn't really - they got a special deal from the network for users.  Paul wasn't terribly happy because he had naturally paid money for a service that he wasn't getting.  Eventually the campsite owner agreed to give Paul a voucher to log into the network.  Soon afterwards Paul found that he had also access to the package that he had originally tried to sign up with!

Today's route, more or less.

Oh, a smile a while moment...  One chap at the campsite, obviously batting for the other side, brazenly asked him about his penis tip full piercing. Paul didn't bat an eyelid and said it was fine, didn't hurt. Methinks the chap is going to go to Rotorua tomorrow for one!

PHOTOGRAPHS

Hot & Cold

Getting white clay from the river bank

Mix it with a bit of water to make it more into a paste

Smear the paste on. 

Lovely gooey stuff!

Rinse off and relax.  The clay also works as a good sunscreen
for shoulders and face!

Katikati Naturist Park 

(Photographs off the internet)

Entrance to reception and small shop