Thursday 20th November 2025

Thursday 20^th November

SHE SAID:

We had a day touring around the Raglan area. We did scenic lookouts, black sand beaches, bush wanders, the Bridal Veil Waterfalls, more windy dirt roads, & attempted to check out the local brewery, Workshop Brewery, but it was not open to the public.

On the way back into town we dropped into the bottle shop & Geoff got a couple of bottles of the Workshop beer to try.

We managed to make our nibbles bought in Coopers Beach do us for lunch, & dinner is pesto again! Yep, cheapskates!

Ngarunui Beach

HE SAID:

We stayed local today. And it was good. The scenery around here is great, so unlike what I am used to seeing in Australia. The NZ orchids are still rather elusive, but Varena is happy with the several flowering ones that she has seen so far, and the few coming/past ones are also interesting.

My sampling of the local brews was pleasing after our return to Raglan, with an XPA and APA going down very well before I whipped up some pesto for dinner.

Wednesday 19th November 2025

Wednesday 19^th November

SHE SAID:

Geoff & I headed south today; we said our goodbyes to Molly, Merrill & John ,& took the scenic route down the western side of the north island. It was a windy, hilly, & sometimes damp drive, but lovely. Neither of us have done this route before.

We managed to catch the Rawene vehicle ferry with 2 minutes to spare, found 3 flowering orchids, had an average Subway wrap, & got caught in the Auckland afternoon rush hour traffic!

It was 547km & a 10-hour drive, with 1000+, bends but we both enjoyed it. Our destination was a surfing village called Raglan, on the west coast, 2 hours south of Auckland. We checked out the lovely old Harbour View Hotel for a drink, then sat on the boardwalk at the harbour for a picturesque sunset.

“Day well done” I think.

Vehicle ferry across the Mangamuka River

Auckland Skyline
Kumara factory
Closing in on Raglan

Harbour View Hotel, Raglan
Dusk over the river

ARCHIE!

HE SAID:

Molly sort of suggested, then sort of laughed, at the route south that we had discussed for when we leave Cooper's Beach. She said "Oh, you're going the Mangamuka's (pronounced Mong ga mookas). She said that it was really windy, and that sections had been closed recently due to land slips. Well, after we had got up early, popped in to say our farewells to Molly, Merrill, and John, we headed out and Mangamuka-ed. And it was really, really, windy. Hilly. And windy. At the same time. As the impenatrable forest prevented any scenic views I didnt miss much as the driver for most of the way.

The afternoon peak traffic on the outskirts of Auckland was a bit crap, but was apparently worse than usual due to a Metallica concert, with 50,000 or so people heading to Eden Park to rock on.

Our arrival in Raglan has us quickly making comparisons with WA's Denmark, as we drove slowly past barefoot wanderers, hippie coffee shops, " well-being shops", and surfer/alt shops. Fine by me, as long as the coffee, tucker, and beer is good. I made pasta pesto for dinner.

Tuesday 18th November 2025

Tuesday 18^th November

SHE SAID:

After a quick catch-up with Molly we headed out for a ½ day drive. We went west again, to the Karikari Peninsular, another scenic area. I also had a couple of orchid spots I wanted to look in, with hopes we might find some. The information on I-Naturalist is quite old. So, I wasn’t sure what, if anything we would find.

Happily, we saw 2 orchids; a Sun & an Onion Orchid; new for me!

We had one more stop, at the Rangikapiti Pa Historic Settlement.There was a loop walk around the hill, which turned out to be rather more up than down, & NOT fun! Only a few more Onion Orchids seen here.

It was about 2pm when we got to Molly’s; we made it back in perfect time, as the rain came whilst we were having a sandwich!

 A low cloud day
Mangonui Harbour & village

Striped Sun & Common Onion Orchid

Tui, Pukeko & a Pheasant

Maitai Beach
Waikato Beach

HE SAID:

We headed out for another scenic/orchid day in NZ. There was a bit of a battle with some shrubbery but Varena did manage to find som eopen blue sun orchids. Apart from that it was a fairly low-key day.

Monday 17th November 2025

Monday 17^th November

SHE SAID:

More of the family are departing for Auckland & Melbourne today. We headed to Molly’s to say goodbye, then took off on a “Tiki Tour”, as the locals call touring here. I suggested Cape Reinga, the most northerly point of NZ. Geoff & I did it 25+ years ago.

It was about 2 hours away, just under 200km; a nice scenic drive in lovely weather.

I didn’t recognise the place. I assume it has changed since we were last there! The lighthouse was vaguely familiar, & unlike Australia, it was free to access. A nice change!

We had a walk on Tapotupotu Beach, & had some crisps to keep us going till we found food on the trip back.

We dropped in at Molly’s again, finding the final 3 family members, Merrill, John, & Joline there, along with Molly. They were awaiting the arrival of the plumber, as Molly had a leak from her 30-year-old dishwasher that she never uses. He turned up a short while later & sorted it out.

Cape Reinga

The meeting of the Tasman Sea & Pacific Ocean

HE SAID:

Jenny’s husband, Mike, reminded us that Cape Reinga was a long drive. But, as it was only two hours each way we weren’t worried. The Cape, and the drive up there, are good to see.

It seems that Molly and Evan share the idea that 30 year old appliances are still relieable. But they're not. And now it gets expensive, as calling out a plumber is not cheap.

Sunday 16th November 2025

Sunday 16^th November

SHE SAID:

It was another mild day up at the top of Northland. The sun came out when Geoff & I went for a walk on the beach, which is at the bottom of the garden. Doubtless Bay stretches in both directions from the steps. We walked to the closest end, and it was lovely.

The family all congregated at the big BnB next door for a brunch around 11.30am. We all sung Happy Birthday to Molly again, had bubbles, nibbles & a 2nd birthday cake. As always we ate too much. After family photos some of the family headed back to Auckland as they are working tomorrow. The rest of us sat around chatting for a while, gradually drifting off to do our own thing.

We caught up later in the day for drinks, fish n chips, & an amusing couple of hours playing Pictionary!

Sails BnB

Coopers Beach & Doubtless Bay

Birthday Brunch for Molly

Andrew (Tracy's partner), Merrill, John, Mike, Elliot, Amy
Jenny, Molly, Jonathan, Caroline, Tracy, Nicholas & Joline

HE SAID:

After a lazy start we had a wander on the beach. Very nice. We then wandered next door to the large BnB where the bulk of Molly's family are staying, for a celebratory 90th birthday brunch gathering. Some of the family have to zoom off today, hence the brunch, but everyone lingered to mark Molly's birthday, and seemed a little reluctant to head off.

I went with Mike, John, and Nicholas to order the fish and chips for dinner in the late afternoon. And, rather conveniently, there was a pub adjoining, so we managed a couple of beers and a chat before heading back to the large house for dinner. Playing Pictionary was fun. I don't think I have played it since the 90's, but enjoyed it.

Saturday 15th November 2025

Saturday 15^th November

SHE SAID:

We had breakfast at Captain’s Cafe in Sand Spit before heading 3 ½ hours north to Coopers Beach. It was a tasty breakfast & scenic overlooking the little bay there.

Our 2nd stop was in the Dome Valley; I was keen to do the Dome Forest walk & look for my 1st NZ orchid. I found one in flower & 4 other remnants (finished, leaves or seeding). The rain found us as we came back down the steep walk, but the trees did help to shelter us from the worst of it.

We wound our way north needing to do a ½ hour detour around a closed section of the highway. Around 2.30pm we stopped for a cuppa & snack & I drove the last 90 minutes. Our BnB, called Sails, is quaint, with a view over Doubtless Bay & on the same street as Molly’s place.

My surprise for Molly has been found out…. I stupidly posted a photo last night on FB of the Salty Dog Inn, & she saw it this morning!!! DOH! Oh well, she seemed happy to see us. We joined the family for dinner down the road, followed by birthday cake.

 
Sand Spit &
the Fisherman's Cafe

The view from Molly's place.
Me with Molly, I'm holding the flowers
my cousin Linda sent to Molly for her birthday

HE SAID:

Our drive up from Snell's Beach to Cooper's Beach was rather ordinary. There were plenty of rain showers for the first couple of hours, and we wondered whether an apprentice road designer had gone spazzo years ago, putting sharp bends everywhere when a straight line would have worked better. The long detour, with no follow-up signage at all, was an added bugger-up. Getting to the BnB, and then the short walk up to Molly's to see her and the family was quite a relief and a joy. Molly seems to not have changed much at all in the 30 or so years since I last saw her in person, though her mobility is much reduced.

Dinner out at the Taipa was good. We met more of Molly's grandkids and their partners, and the food was good, too. It was very funny when the birthday cake was coming, and everyone started to sing Happy Birthday, And Molly was singing along, looking around for the cake recipient, not realising that it was for her!

Friday 14th November 2025

Friday 14^th November

SHE SAID:

We both had one eye on the clock, as we were getting up at 6am for our drive to the airport. It was, thankfully, an incident-free drive & we were so grateful to off-load that awful EV MG. We complained to the girl who took the keys & she said everyone complains about it. She also said we didn’t need to worry about returning it powered up & we could have taken it to the international terminal! NO ONE bothered to tell Geoff this when he picked it up!

We had a fair wait for the New Zealand flight, but it was a short 2 ½ hour hop over to Auckland. Our new hire car is lovely in comparison; petrol, 800km on the clock, & Geoff said much better to drive.

It was 8pm when we arrived at the Salty Dog Inn at Snell;s Beach, we were just in time for dinner. A couple of beers for Geoff & a glass of red for me went down well at the end of a long travelling day.

Going, going, gone...

In Flight

Arrival to NZ

Bluee 2 & leaving Auckland

 The Salty Dog Inn

HE SAID:

I never sleep well with an alarm set. This was no different. Oh well. We said our farewells to Mick and Jac a bit after 6am, with plenty of time allowed for traffic snarls, rcharging crappy EVs, and long check in queues. We only came to a stop once on the M4, and made it to drop off the MG heap around 7:40-ish. We were both rather relieved at this point; our experience with this car was far from good. Anyway, managed to source a good, but over-priced bacon and egg roll in the terminal, the waited for boarding, which turned out to be an hour late. The flight itself was fine, with good food; a reminder of how much Qantas has diminished over the years.

Getting our hire car was delayed a short while as the only Budget staff member sat in the back office chatting on the phone, ignoring the customers at the counter. The adjoining Avis desk staff member helped us out when she could,  and she was a friendly, helpful person. After that we just headed north to Snell's Beach and our aged, though adequate digs at The Salty Dog, where the service, beer, and the food were good. In hindsight I realised that the toll road north of Auckland is the only straight stretch of road in NZ.

Thursday 13th November 2025

Thursday 13^th November

SHE SAID:

Happy 62nd birthday Michael.

We gave him a bread knife for his birthday as they currently own 2 blunt ones! It was met with amusement!

We had a short walk from the Conservation Hut in Wentworth Falls, out to the Lyrebird Lookout, no Lyrebirds seen.

Around 5pm we headed to the local tavern for drinks, followed by dinner at the Lawson Thai restaurant; it was lovely.

Empress Falls, I think

Lyrebird Lookout

HE SAID:

It was the perfect day to have a lie in, so we did. Eventually we all dragged ourselves out to the car and drove up the hill for a wander. Varena and I found some coming, and some fertilised, orchids, but no flowers. It was still a nice walk with great views. Mick decided on pies for lunch, so I was rather happy. Guinness and Thai food finished our celebratory evening.

Wednesday 12th November 2025

Wednesday 12^th November

SHE SAID:

It was a mostly quiet day around the house; we enjoyed just chillin' out & not doing much.

Jacqui headed off to her Mum’s then her niece’s place, a fortnightly event.

We headed off around 4pm for drinks & dinner with Jan & Lindsay in Winmalee, about 30 minutes south down the mountain. We saw them over in WA in 2023, when they came through Perth with their caravan. As per usual it was a chatty food filled evening, & good to catch up with them again.

Heading back to Lawson, Nikki was messaging me from WA saying the aurora was going off, so I found what I hoped was a spot to face south & tried to get photos. Directly south there was heaps of light pollution, but slightly west was better. I got a few shots.

Light pollution
The better shot
Bright but blurry handheld shot!

HE SAID:

Jac buzzed around in the kitchen, making coleslaw, potato salad, and cup cakes, all to take down to her mum in Hornsby. She and Varena chatted away merrily most of the time.

Varena and I had a nice evening down in Winmalee with Jan and Lindsay. They had a pork roast going on the barbie when we arrived, and it smelt great. They put on a lovely dinner, and we had lots of chat and laughter all evening. Our aurora photo-stop on the way back to Mick and Jac’s was semi-successful, but it once again highlighted to me how much better the cameras on Varenas phone are.

Tuesday 11th November 2025

Tuesday 11^th November

SHE SAID:

Mick’s turn to work today; he does ad hoc bus driving for a local company. So, Jacqui took on the tour guide role today.

She drove us “up the mountain”, which is really a plateau, to Blackheath, then down into the Megalong Valley - it is “mega long”! We had morning tea with scones, jam & cream, & apple pie shared between us. The setting was an old wooden building surrounded by green fields & soaring escapements.

From here we went to the Mermaid’s Cave, more of a grotto with trickling water through the cliffs & ferns all around, then to Hargreaves Lookout, which has sweeping views across to the Hydro Majestic & Megalong Valley below.

We went back up to Blackheath & crossed to the Grose Valley & Evan’s Lookout. There had been a recent escarpment slide very evident from the lookout. A short look at the street art in Katoomba, food & beer supplies in Leura, then back to Lawson around 2pm.

We had semi-homemade pizzas for dinner, a tasty simple meal.

Megalong Tearooms & views along the way

HE SAID:

Varena and I made our morning tea stop our brunch, as we have been eating so well lately. The scenery around the Blue Mountains, was, as usual, very good. I popped into a bottle-o to get a few alternative beers, just for the change. The pizza was very good.

Monday 10th November 2025

Monday 10^th November

SHE SAID:

Jacqui had to work so Mick was tour guide today. We headed up to Wentworth Falls & did the recently reopened Darwin's Walk to Wentworth Falls. It was a 3km return walk along the creek, it was a lovely walk.

In the afternoon we headed back down to Springwood to see Megan, Ike, Pat, & Sophy the cat. It has also been about 5 years since we last caught up! Pat is almost 99 & seemingly in good health, just a bit unsteady on her feet, needing a walker. Megan & Ike have been buzzing around the world on holidays; they have been everywhere!

We were back to Lawson in time for drinks & another excellent dinner cooked by Mick.

 
Start of walk

HE SAID:

The weather was perfect today, so without any rush we drove up to Wentworth Falls to the start of Darwin's Walk, along a creek to the actual Wentworth Falls waterfalls. I think the 6km walk with lots of steps will mean one or two muscles will remind us about it tomorrow, but it was still enjoyable.

Catching up with Ike, Megan, Pat, and Sophy was a fun 2 hours in the afternoon. And, Mick did very well once again with lambshanks and mash for dinner.