Uh, oh, New Plymouth Again

 Hi there

I was in an independent ' I-don't-need-no-driving-licence' mood, trying not to feel sorry for myself, and so I did what I always do when I'm feeling irked by life ..  I shot off to New Plymouth for five nights.  This time, I went by Intercity bus, eight hours each way.  'Nuff said?

Yay, I stayed at the Devon Hotel:  two dinner buffets, one buffet breakfast, and two room service meals - the roast dinner of the day was a true feast.  I almost collapsed under the weight of the huge plated meal as I took it from the wait staff member who delivered it to my room.  

I also went to my fave Asian buffet where the creme brulee was superb.  And I know what you're thinking - "an Asian restaurant serving Creme Brulee, never?" But it was to die for and I always make a beeline to this place for dinner-with-creme-brulee when I'm in New Plymouth.

I swam in the Devon Hotel pool every day.  But - oh my - the pool temp was 30c. ( wasn't acclimatised to such heat. The sea at the moment in Wellington is somewhere around 12c. 

And I did something totally daring ... I got a free bicycle from the Devon Hotel and  cycled up and down The Coastal Walkway.  Goodness, it was exhausting.  I got off the bike more than I was on it.  It was all those mountains I was supposed to pedal up, and ended up pushing the bike over them instead.  Mind you, the passing walkers who I grizzled to, informed me that they were only small rises, not mountains at all.

I also wandered in and out of lots of charity shops down the main shopping road, Devon Street.

And that reminds me of a story my friend once told me -

My friend took a doll's house into a Wellington charity shop to donate.  She had spruced it up by painting the window sills and adding new shingles to the roof.  It was near to Christmas and my friend was positive there would be a little girl somewhere who would love to have the doll's house.

"Oh, no..."  The charity volunteer shook her head.  "We already have one doll's house.  We don't need another."

So my friend's husband lugged the doll's house back to the car.   They ended up giving it to a neighbour's son who loved it to bits. 

And this little story brings me back to New Plymouth.  Inside one charity shop, there were notices plastered  eveywhere asking for more donations. I also saw the same sort of notice inside other charity shops   Good on you New Plymouth.

I walked The Coastal Walkway, as well as cycling it.

As you can see, the above photo is up to my usual professional(?) standard of photography.

Well, what a crappy place Wellington has become?

 Hi there

Its bad enough that the Wellington CBD has become a ghost town with so many empty shops ... and that the hardly-used and hated bicycle lanes are breeding ... and that many of my beloved cafes have closed in the last six months ... and that the Reading picture theatre has been shut down for years, since the earthquake ... and that the road around Hataitai Beach has been surrounded by roadworks for well over a year and probably will be for another year ... and that the weather has been pretty atrocious this summer...

... AND THAT the sewage plant at Moa Point will probably be discharging a huge and varied amount of sewage waste for months to come. Right into the Wellington coastal sea.

Since the catastrophe a week or so ago, when the plant's discharge pipe got blocked and the building flooded, south coast beaches have been closed for swimming:  no scuba diving, no fishing, no seafood gathering, no dogs on beaches ...

The hazardous water hasn't reached the inner harbour and Hataitai Beach yet.

 For daily information about the state of Wellington beach swimming, you can look up LAWA (land air water info).  You can follow the situation through the online news outlet Stuff.co.nz.  

A beautiful day, but.... Oh, and what about the sand sharks?

 Hi there

I should've been at the beach today.  The sun was shining, the wind wasn't too bad, and it was in the right direction to guarantee that Hataitai Beach would be hidden away from any gale raging across the open sea.  I visualised all my friends there.

But I was busy cleaning the house.  For the plumber who is coming tomorrow.

Why do we do this?  Why should it matter?  I expect that we expect that the second after the plumber leaves our houses, he's going to start broadcasting the state of our kitchens through all social media platforms, radio stations, megaphones, his clients, neighbours....

All I am having done is the installation of a new tap over my kitchen sink. I cleaned the benches, I went into the under-sink cupboards.  I vacuumed the open plan kitchen/lounge/dining areas.  I scrubbed the toilet room floor (who knew, he might have wanted to use the loo?).  I scoured the bathroom floor and shower in case the plumber meant to compare one tap (faucet, if you're American) against another.  

I lugged the vacuum cleaner into the hallway, my bedroom, the spare rooms as all of those areas could be fractionally seen from the bathroom.  I cleaned the windows.

I should be thinking "To heck with the plumber.  Let him take me as he sees me..."  

I can't do that.  Mum's household lessons are heavily imprinted upon my mind.  I mean, the plumber is a Visitor.  Visitors have to come into a clean house.  Visitors are offered cups of tea and biscuits.

I am prepared ...

PS:  At Hataitai Beach last week there was a shoal of sand sharks all swimming close to the deck.   A solo one had been spotted there several years ago by The Little Mermaid; even though she knew that sand sharks are said to be harmless she said that she had never left the sea so fast as she did that day.

above:  Photo taken from the changing room deck at Hataitai Beach (a year or so ago)

Down with the pollution notice Hataitai Beach

 Hi there

Today in NZ it is Friday, Matariki Day.  Maori New Year.

above...  : Matariki star cluster.  can be seen close to dawn.

***

After lots of emails and phone calls with departments who have all been saying "taking down the Hataitai Beach pollution notice is not our responsibility", we finally got the notices taken down.  The notices  should have been taken down on 29 May, a few days after the storm we had at that time.

Unfortunately, the seawall works and roadworks are still there.  Fo!low the gravel maze to the beach deck.

We discovered today that when it's a high tide the actual beach disappears.  Tough luck beach-goers come next summer.  Did anyone check on the outcome of building this seawall?

The shortest day swim is Sunday 22nd.  11 30 am.  Hataitai Beach 

1 Hotel prices 2 Hataitai Beach 3 Ruby Wax

 Hi there

It really annoys me that if a hotel stay is worth, say, $150 a night on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, then why is there a price rise to, maybe, $250 or $300 a night for Friday and Saturday?   It's the same room, the same amenities, the same service.  The hotel doesn't miraculously change location. 

I've stayed in an en suite cabin at a holiday park down the South Island that was over $320 a night when I was there on a Friday and Saturday.  I mean, a holiday park, come on....  On a week night, it was very much cheaper.

In Las Vegas, about ten years ago, many Strip hotels brought in a resort tax, about $45 a night, over and above the hotel rate.  I have been behind many people in queues at LV hotel reception desks and heard vacationers explode when told that even though their booking website said $75 a night, an added surprise of a resort tax was non-negotiable.  Even if, like me, they never used the gym, the pool, or the computer room.

I remember when the Las Vegas resort taxes started to creep in to the top Strip hotels.  There was a big protest march along The Strip, led by Flamingo resident singers Donny and Marie.  They were totally against the resort taxes.

Now...?  The Flamingo Hotel boasts (or not boasts) a resort tax. 

***

I walk up the Maupuia Hill most days.  From this view, you can see across the inner harbour.  Hataitai Beach is on the far left.

Yesterday and today at Hataitai Beach has been lovely with warm weather, calm waters, and no wind.  And it's midway through April, with daylight saving time changed a week ago, away from summer.  The whole swimming gang have arrived to the changing shed deck en masse over last few days.  It's been crowded, noisy, splashy, happy, and I love it all.  Pity it's like working our way through a maze to get to the beach because of the sea-wall being built.  Sigh, all those road cones and stop-go signs. And it's going to get worse - parking is horrific.

Oh, we had a surprise visitor to Hataitai Beach last week.  Ruby Wax, the actress stationed in England.  She's a comedian, an actress, a raconteur.  Darn-it, I hadn't been there at the time she arrived, but the others said she was a delightful person and were totally charmed by her. One of the regulars spoke to her for quite a while.  She had a swim.   Look up Ruby Wax on Facebook, she speaks well about our beach. And there's a video. 

Hataitai Beach roadworks

 Hi there

There's building works going on and beside Hataitai Beach.  The road is reduced to stop-go one lane for traffic.  And it's going to last for up to 6 months.  And note that this has all started during the summer school holidays.  Getting to the beach is like working your way through a maze, whether on foot or driving.  The first day of the works I had to park down at the marina's main entrance (south) or up by the French cafe (north), long ways from the beach. 

The second day of the works (yesterday) I took the bus to the beach.  I didnt think the Hataitai Beach bus stop would be operating, seeing it's right in the middle of that stop-go one-way sole traffic lane.  But it was operating.  And sorry I couldnt say the same thing about the bus stop for my going back to Miramar.  It was blocked by road cones.  The bus driver had to signal me to run behind and catch up with him as he stopped further south.  And note that before my bus journey I had rung both the council and the bus company to check on the stops.

They are building a sea wall (south), and we presume north end may be a cycle lane, either to share with a wider footpath or a lane reaching out into the road. Plus more sea wall. Car parks will be reduced.  Many beach people sent in submissions re the reduction of carparks but, of course, nothing came of it.  You would think the council would have taken notice after they'd cut out the street carparks at Balaena Bay; beach-goers stopped going there and came to Hataitai Beach instead.

above: sea wall being built.  Photo taken from what was supposed to be the southern bus stop but because of the road cones and one way lane the bus couldn't stop there.

Hataitai Beach. Again

 Hi there

Huffing and puffing, struggling and cursing, and banging my head twice, I cleaned everything out from my car's boot ('trunk', if you're American).  I did a magnificent job, and hopefully I never have to do it again for another ten years.

I decided, to go to the beach. I grabbed my bag, and a towel, counted off the three things I definitely have to take with me - wallet, keys, and phone - and shot off to Hataitai Beach.

Oh, no, I'd forgotten the most important item when going for a swim -

my swimsuit...

Not to worry, there was a!ways my 'emergency swimming bag' in the car's boot ... Oh, no!

My beach friends were sort of sympathetic. " Sorry about that", they said.  And "There'll be another day" .  And "Haha, you were stupid ".

But my four readers of this blog may remember a few years back when I was in the same situation?  I came up with an idea...  

So I just may be able to recreate that idea on this day, providing I had the right ingredients in my overly-stuffed beach bag. Most of the gear in my bag, had been in it the entire season, so I had high hopes.

I stepped into an upside-down lycra t-shirt, legs through the arm-holes.  I donned a hip-length lycra zip-up jacket...

And I had a great swim.

More swimming

 Hi there

This is my twelfth year winter swimming at Hataitai  Beach in Wellington.  The Young One, J, and I were the only ones for ten years.  But when NZ lockdown finished in May 2020, things changed.  It was as if people suddenly wanted to make the most of life and they swarmed to the beach, swimming much later in the season than they would normally, and 'normal' was  usually about beginning of March.

This year, I'm flabbergasted... There's a regular traffic jam of people winter swimming at Hataitai Beach.  Our shortest day swim garnered about 22 swimmers instead of just we three.  Rarely are The Young One and I swimming this winter without meeting up with several others, or seeing a multitude of wet footprints on the deck revealing the presence of swimmers who had rolled up before us.

The long-range weather forecast for NZ this winter was 'warm and dry'.

Let's hope we all make it through August, usually the coldest month and, of course, September with its rain and storms.

teddy bear flag

Hi there

During lower level lockdown, when I was swimming at Hataitai Beach, I looked over the road to a flag on a flagpole at a house opposite the beach.   I saw a flag that depicted three teddy bears.  How cute, especially when so many people were putting teddy bears in their windows,

(No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a photo of all three bears on the flag. Curse you, Wellington wind!)

###
It's now been nearly 90 days without Covid-19 community transmission in New Zealand.

Just swimming in the rain...

Hi there

Yesterday was a sunshine day but I didn't bother to go swimming and I regretted it.  So, this morning, I was determined to swim.

When I got in my car, there was a light-ish sky over Miramar, and the air temp was 12c.  As I was chugging along Cobham Drive, spits of rain were on the car window.  On my arrival at Hataitai Beach, it was pouring down.

Still, I was there, so I got in the water.  I was so angry at the weather that I didn't register the coldness of the water, even though I was just in my bathing suit with not a wetsuit in sight.. But as I swam, people scurried past the beach in puffer coats and cowering under umbrellas.

I hated that rain...

First day of level 2

14 May NZ Time

Hi there

This morning I went for a little walk at 9 o'clock.  I passed two gyms, one hairdresser, and a bus.  People at the gym were working out furiously.  The hairdresser had every chair occupied and a lady was going in for an appointment.  The bus seemed to be letting people in the front door, instead of at the back.  Cars were a-bustle in the street.

Social distancing is still A Big Thing, but fingers crossed, the country is on the way up out of the dumps.

I've been swimming practically every day of level 3.  Yesterday the beach was full of police scuba divers and a police boat.  Apparently they were looking for ... clues.  The police guy on the boat asked me to wait a couple of minutes while the divers spread out across the bay.  They worked their way out of the bay and around to Evans Bay Marina.

When I got in the water, it was glorious.  Best swimming day yet over the past two weeks.

photo, taken from www.stuff.co.nz

Valentine's Day at Hataitai Beach

Hi there

I was happily swimming at Hataitai Beach.  I looked over the road to see which flag a nearby house-owner had flying today.  I love it that often I see other countries' flags as well as the New Zealand one.

But today -   Hey, what the - ?  Which country's flag was that  - ?

Oh of course.  Today is Valentine's Day, February 14!  And NZ is one day ahead of the rest of the world.  Yay.

I love this house-owner...

Swimming Wellington

Hi there

All through the Christmas/New Year period I've been swimming at Worser Bay.  I really enjoyed going to that beach.  It was like I had gone somewhere else on holiday.  What's that saying? - something about Viva la Difference?

But yesterday I did go back to Hataitai Beach.  Into the water, swam half a dozen or so lengths, had a bit of a frolic, swallowed a mouthful of sea water when an unexpected wave hit me.. 

I got home and took a bit-of-a-late look at the LAWA (Land, Air, Water, Atmosphere) website.   Oops, the site advised caution when swimming at practically every beach in the Wellington area. 

For days they had been giving me the all clear ("Suitable for Swimming" had replaced "Not Suitable for Swimming" - curses on that broken sewage pipe at Oriental Bay).  But now old people, and the young were being advised not to swim? 

I wonder how bad swallowing a mouthful of contaminated sea water truly is for a body? 

who cares?

Hi there

The thing about growing old is that you don't give a flying fig about things -

Sheets on the bed that don't match? - too bad.

Bra, knickers, camis are different colours?  So?

Sporting a silver bangle with a gold watch?  Wearing black and brown together?  A shoulder bag that's the wrong hue for my shoes?    Who cares?

My car still has a casette player?  I can't be bothered to update it.  Besides, Jerry Lee Lewis and Bill Haley can  sound pretty good after the 5,000th playing...  Maybe.

My home is full of clutter?  And ... well ok, this does annoy me.

Sigh ...

***

Just a note to warn people:  A guy came up to me at Hataitai Beach on Thursday and talked inappropriately to me.   He went to follow me into the changing shed and to my car.  Stay alert.

Hataitai Beach changing sheds upgrade

Hi there

We winter swimmers are waiting for the workers to finish with re-roofing the changing shed and toilets.  We have heard on a grapevine that the shed might be finished next week.

A few days ago I was waiting at the beach, in my car, for a swimming friend to arrive.   Idly, I was looking at the two portaloos - one pink, one blue.  It was so funny because all the women who decided to use them went to either the pink or the blue one.  It didn't matter which portaloo.   Ah, but the men, they wouldn't go anywhere near the pink portaloo.  They waited patiently for the blue portaloo to become vacant rather than enter that pink one!

Flashback!

Hi there

I wanted to call this Deja Vue but I can't spell it!

Do you remember last winter when the changing sheds at Hataitai Beach were closed whilst there was an upgrade?  The upgrade was supposed to take six weeks, and in the end it took three months?  In the interim, all the winter swimmers had to change on the beach (in the freezing cold, with icy fingers that wouldn't do up buttons or zips, and toes like icicles).   Or they had to dash into their cars in soaking bathing suits.

Now ... the same thing has happened this year!  I arrived yesterday  all kitted out for my swim to find the changing shed door bolted, chained and padlocked.

The Wellington City Council are putting a new roof on the changing shed/toilets. A sign says it shouldn't take longer than a month.  I wonder, does this mean two months?

I pointed out to The WCC that in tv house renovation programmes, a roof could be put on in one day -

"- but there's asbestos in our ceiling, so it will take longer." the WCC bloke told me.

So, beloved readers, should we say a wait of a couple of months?

Above: photo taken pre last year's renovation.  Note there was no showerhead.  The WCC confiscated it  during the summer water shortage.

Swimming in winter

Hi there

It's difficult swimming between storms, no changing shed, lunches with friends, appointments, etc. But I have managed seven swims this month.  The last three swims have been soooooo cold.  For several hours after my swim, my fingers were soooooo freezing and stiff.  I felt that if I bent them, they'd break.

I'm beginning to think I'm too old for this winter swimming lark. I arrive at the beach in my bathiing suit and a bathrobe.  But it's so difficult to dress myself when there's no operable changing shed at Hataitai Beach.  After a swim,  I now wrap a towel around my bathing suit, a bathrobe on top, slip into my psuedo crocs (with fleecy insides - yay, I found them at No 1 Shoes), all of this done with fingers that won't work and a body so cold I think I'm standing in a fridge.   Then it's into the car and off home.   Freezing.  All I can hope is that my car never breaks down and I have to hike somewhere in my Sylvester Cat-patterned bathrobe.

The Wellington City Council changing shed/toilets at Hataitai Beach were supposed to be revamped by end of June.  The council have just now told us it will be end of August. 

Supermarket Shopping, it's a reach

Hi there

Two weeks ago, I was looking for a certain something in Countdown Supermarket, Kilbirnie.  Everyone, of course, knows that when you're on a diet, oven wedges are essential to a healthy way of living!

The bag of wedges were in one of those long low-down lean-across fridges. The wedges were at the very back.  There were only two bags left which would necessitate me not only reaching across the fridge, but I would have to reach down as well.

"Uhhhh-!"  Nope, I was too short to do the deed.

I tried again.  My fingers were tantalisingly close to the prize.   I tried one last time, but still couldn't reach the wedges.  There was no-one around to help me.

So, I gave up and walked away.  I got as far as the processed cheeses and turned back.  I wasn't going to be beaten.  This challenge  was there to be won.

With a huge effort - my feet actually lifted off the ground for a second or two - I pushed myself across that fridge and with a gigantic Olympic-type-gold-medal reach, I grabbed at the bag of  wedges.

There was a sudden explosion in my left side.  It was as if all my innards were being rammed in different directions.

I fell back in pain, clawing at my side, and silently screaming a very naughty word.  I can only hope that Countdown staff don't accumulate all their unusual customer videos in a compilation and show them at their staff Christmas party to the accompaniment of  jaunty circus music??

The outcome?  I had to go to the doctor, was given a truckload of pills, and told not to do the twist for a few weeks.  Cold sea swimming was good, providing I did breast-stroke.

A note of warning to height-challenged shoppers:  beware of tantalising wedges in supermarket fridges ....

Beautiful Day at Hataitai Beach

Hi there

Oh, yes, we are on the cusp of summer.  Today (Saturday NZ time) was so warm, so sunny, with beautiful blue sky, and people poured out to the beach.   There were a couple of waka (outriggers)  in the bay, kids were splashing and ... transparent baby jellyfish!  The jellyfish were harmless but they kept on banging into me whilst I was in the water and it was annoying.  One of the regulars called them 'creepy'.  The little jellyfish felt about the size of a pea, the larger ones felt about triple that size.  Some kids were scooping up the jellyfish and throwing them at each other.

Oh, I didn't want this day to end, it was so lovely at the beach.  We were all singing that song that goes,  "In the summer-time, do-do-do-do-do-doh!"  However, I won't be there tomorrow if those jellyfish are still there.

Below:  Hataitai Beach,  look at that blue sky-

Hataitai Beach Swimming

Hi there

In between the flu, and the gluggy eyes, and the laser treatment, I have managed to get in three swims this month.  A triumph for me, but still only halfway towards the number of swims that my two swimming friends, The Young One and J, have notched up.

The early afternoon sun now shines on the changing shed at the beach.   Directly after a swim, if I lean back against the palings of the shed and stretch my arms out wide to either side of me, pressing down hard against the wall, there is a summertime warmth all across my wet skin; it's heaven!