Ohope Beach Yet again.

 Hi there

About two weeks ago I was browsing through the website of the Manchester Unity Ohope holiday home units.  Both units were booked up for months.  But, hey, wait -  There was one week clear.  Odd, it was for the second week of the school holidays.  That should have been booked out months ago.  Oh, well, someone must have pulled out.  So last week I had a surprise holiday in Ohope...

I hired a car to drive the eight hours up to Ohope. When my own car is parked at my own house, she is closeted away in a nice warm garage.  Nowadays if she takes me anywhere on holiday she absolutely refuses to wake up on cold mornings, and there is no under-cover parking at Ohope.  So....

The hired car people gave me a Toyota.  Goodness, I had a terrible time driving that car.  So different from my little blue baby.  The automatic gear shift may as well have been a manual shift because of all the trouble and swearing I went through on my week's holiday.  The car's bonnet was shaped so badly that I couldn't see over the sides of it.  The first time I tried to reverse, I pressed the pedal hard and almost shot through the back fence of my holiday home.  Quick thinking and a quick reflex on the foot pedal stopped me about a quarter-of-a-metre from that fence

The weather was perfect.  Sun-bathing Spring weather, as high as 20c, and no wind.  Every day I walked along the beach which was in front of the MU holiday home.  Many people walked their dogs.  Most of the dogs were cute little things -

One fox terrier-type raced toward me, barking like a rabid monster.  As my four readers will remember, it's only been over the last few years that I've started to lose some of my fear over dogs.

I froze as this particular dog screeched to a halt about a metre away from my Crocs, still barking his lungs out, baring his teeth, and quivering with emotion.

I was terrified.   What to do?-what to do?

The tv programme about Barbara Woodhouse, the dog trainer, flashed into my mind -

"S-s-sit,"* I hesitantly whispered.

The dog barked louder, moved closer.

"SIT-T!" I bellowed.  Barbara had told we viewers that the heavy 'T' at the end of the word 'sit' was essential, as was determination in the voice.

And, my goodness.  Guess what?

The suddenly-silent dog.... SAT!!!!

...........

The photo above is of Moutohora Island Sanctuary (commonly known as Whale Island). I took the photo from Ohope Beach.     Moutohora used to be the also-ran island to see, after White Island.  But then the volcano on Whakaari/White Island erupted, responsible for injuries and tourist deaths (see Netflix documentary).  It was heart-breaking.  The island is now closed.  The tour companies go to Moutohora instead, a beautiful trip apparently, seeing bird life, breath-taking greenery, walk tracks, and a hot water beach.  I've never been there, even though I keep telling myself I will visit 'next time'.  I did go previously to White Island where I had to wear a gas mask as I peered across into the mouth of the steaming volcano.  White Island can also be seen from Ohope Beach.

*Barbara Woodhouse's way of dog training was lampooned in the movie "Octopussy" when James Bond ordered a tiger to "sit-t!", and it did.