Ohope Beach. Yet again.....

 Hi there

Yes, yes, I've been to Ohope Beach again.  Just got back from a two week holiday at Manchester Unity Holiday Homes.  Each of the two Ohope homes are only about $250 a week from Easter up until the end of November.  Then the price almost doubles, but it's still cheap.

above:  West End.  Ohope Beach.  Whale Island in background.  

The only thing wrong with my holiday was that ten days before I was due to drive up north to Ohope, I came down with the flu. I was out of contagion three days before setting off.  And this was on the heels of my dehydration episode that had lasted a couple of weeks.  

The drive was hard-going.  I didn't feel too well.  Eight and a half hours actual driving.  And twice I hit hail, thunder, lightening, and torrential rain. 

I felt so better driving back home after my holiday.

But you all know about Ohope, seen lots of photos.  I've been blogging about it for many years.  So, there really isn't much more I can add.  Except ... it rained practically every day of the first week, and was cloudy practically all of the second week.  I did swim a few times.  It was very hot for November: 22c to 27c every day.  19c at night.  Thank goodness there was air conditioning.

I went, as usual to Julian's Berry Farm.  Their strawberry ice cream sundaes are to die for.  And ... Ohiwa Oyster Farm's fried oysters had me ooh-ing and aah-ing in ecstasy.  A dozen fried oysters please....  Ohope is about a five minute or so drive over the hill to Whakatane. where there is a good township.

The holiday home I was in was practically on the beach, separated by a park. The home was probably what kiwis would describe as 'a bach'.  The phrase 'bach' comes from the term 'bachelor' and it usually referred to shacks that bachelors used as, for instance, a base for fishing or hunting.  Later on, families sort of took over and used the baches for casual holiday living, often extending the bach with extra rooms.  A lot of these homes that were once baches are now pretty resplendent-looking.

This mod-cons holiday home had a nice peek-a-boo view of the sea and the waves roaring at night were a lovely lullaby.

On the day I arrived, two little Swifts (birds) were building their nest on a very narrow ledge at the top of the kitchen window frame. Talk about industrial.  For a whole week, the pair flew in and out of the porchway, loaded up with mud and bits of grass.  By the time I left on my last day....

There is a children's play area in the park in front of the Ohope holiday home.  When nobody is around.I always have a little go on the swings (don't judge me!).  This time, I couldn't reach the seat of the swings.  I was too short! Getting up onto that seat was, for me, like trying to climb Everest.  ..  Aw...fudge!  

Above: it didn't help that there were worn down holes in the ground under the swings where people taller than me had pushed themselves off to a start...

below:  here I am at the Ohiwa Oyster Farm, about one minute drive out of Ohope.