Back Beach…

When we first moved to Port, (Koputai), we used to go to Back Beach for our daily walk. We then moved to the farm, discovered the bush walk and embraced that. However Rich and I have decided we need to add both into our routine again, it is so beautiful, just out our door, albeit in a different direction to the bush, and Pica does love the water. On a calm, still, balmy winter day like this, it is absolutely perfect.

This is on a plaque as you walk around the beach..

I took a photo from around the same spot around 166 years after George painted the scene, cool to think about, I wonder what he would have to say 🙂

The water was like glass that day, so clear, that is the bottom you can see not the cloud reflection.

Rich and I have decided to get out there more and appreciate what our little village has to offer.

The Portsider is our local, it is a lovely little pub with great craft beer and a delicious menu. Run by a local couple who have created a wonderful inviting ambience, all set in a beautiful old historic building.

We had a lovely evening there recently; it was a spur of the moment decision, and it convinced us we need to do it more often, so we have set ourselves a mission 🙂

After an amazing start to winter, the weather has turned. Makes for great photos, but it’s not so great underfoot.

We have had a deluge of rain, the most we have had in 24 hours since living here, the tanks are all full to overflowing, (this is only the second time our main tank has been full). The ground is saturated, animals so soggy, tired of needing to be in their shelters, roads closed, (including ours), businesses closed due to water getting in, (one of them my old clinic), and states of emergencies called. Further inland snow has caused all sorts of issues. A friend’s husband works for the power company and 30 power lines near where they are look like this…

We brought out the board and card games and our competitive spirits 😂

Vida and Pica were pretty disgruntled with it, both looking at me to do something about it all!

On a positive note, the drainage systems Rich has worked so hard on, are working brillantly. This lowers our anxiety about these weather events so much. Water is diverted to the bottom of the property missing the house, the drive is solid like concrete and the drains either side of it working as they should. The animal paddocks have reached saturation point, but they can all get into their shelters away from it. We have been here before, I know it all comes right, and in the summer, it will be difficult to remember what it was like, just gotta hang in there.

Currently the below area is carnage, as it’s where all the water drains to. We have a water diversion plan for this area, now we know the drainage from the rest of the property is working well. If you remember the top paddock looked like this at one point, this year it is great, solid, grass holding firm and you can walk across it without your gumboots getting stuck which makes the sheep very happy!

In the meantime, the pigs do like a wallow in the mud, but spend most of their time at the top of the paddock where it is dry, or in their house if it is raining. However, they did discover they could push through the vege garden netting fence!!!!!! They ate my strawberries, brassicas and lettuces, pushed through the other side and we found them wandering around the property having a great time, little buggars! Wooden boards are now in the process of going up!!!

The below photo is of the above area in the 1980’s! The barn on the boundary, (which we use now as a wood and tool shed), is standing strong, and that old bath is now up by the horse barn in the top paddock. This property was known as “The Daisy Green” and horses were grazed here (hence the barn). One of my patients from my last job did the original fencing, (he is in his late 80’s), he and I have had great chats about the property.

Matariki ,(Māori New Year), was celebrated last night, Luca went with friends to the stadium to join in the fun, and the weather has settled, long may it last!

Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus.