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? 

Happy New Year!!!

Hi there

It's New Year's Day here in New Zealand as I type this.  26c in Wellington.  Hataitai Beach was really popular today.

above:  Today, NY's Day 2016, Hataitai Beach

above:  Worser Bay, two days ago

today's blog brought to you via my new laptop,  with a lot of in-depth concentration, stress, and cursing.

Ordering my Coke fix!

Hi there

When buyers went into a dairy (convenience store) in the nineteen-fifties to buy a soft drink, the conversation always went something like this:

"I'd like a Coca-Cola please."

"Big or small?"

"Small."

"Off the ice?"

"Yes, please."

"Are you going to drink it here?"

"No."

"Do you want it open?"

"Please."

When I was about twelve, I rocked a dairy owner's world by sauntering into the shop at Worser Bay and proclaiming in one long determined breath, "A small bottle of Coca Cola off the ice opened to take away please."

I will never forget this man's happiness that I had cut so quickly to the chase. The bottle opener was in his hands in a flash.

And what's brought this memory back to me?  Well, rumour has it that once again we might be getting a few cents' refund on returned soft drink bottles.  This means that it should be cheaper for a consumer to drink a soft drink in a cafe or on a dairy owner's premises?  Can I really see that working nowadays?

I like Walking

Hi there

1 November NZ time

Yes, I do like walking around the eastern suburbs of Wellington.  I power walk like anything, with the consequence that I arrive home worn out.  Yesterday I trotted over the hill to Worser Bay.  What a lovely view from the top of the hill looking down to Worser Bay and Seatoun.

I'm thinking of doing the City to Sea walkway this summer.  I used to do it at least once a year when I was many years' younger.  Cross fingers I am still up to it.   I may have to break it up into several days though - the walk map can be obtained from Wellington City Council i-site office.

J and I swam today at Hataitai Beach, our first for November.  Once we hit a dozen swims for October we stopped counting for that month and, besides, we'd run out of fingers for when we did Hi-5-6-7-8-9-10-??

Waste Water in Miramar

Hi there

I was walking over the Awa Street hill to Worser Bay the other day, and I found an interesting drain.

An interesting drain??   I really do need to (in the immortal words of William Shatner/Captain Kirk) ... get a life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqb4V9GxaBo

Now, the drain is in the road halfway up the hill.  So ... does the waste water snake up the hill, then down the hill, and into Worser Bay?   Or does it, indeed, gurgle down the hill, across the Miramar flatland straight into the sea at Miramar Wharf ... and  cross the waters to Hatiatai Beach where I swim?

Porirua folk, up the line, have been ordered by their council not to wash their cars in their driveways.  It has to be on lawn so as waste water from the cleaning products gets absorbed by grass.

This all makes me wonder, what exactly is travelling down the Awa Street drain?

**
I was so scared that I would be run over by a car when I stepped into the street to quickly snap the photo, I didn't realise my shadow was overlapping the drain.  Whoops ...

Miramar Murals and art

Hi there

I like looking at the art work that seems to be cropping up around the suburbs.  On my walks around Miramar, there are several that I love.  There are a few on fences but I adore the murals that are on the front of those big electrical box thingees. 

Here's the latest electrical-box-thingee mural.  It's still being painted, and is on Miramar's main street (on the way to Weta Workshop).

And here it is again, from another angle.  You can easily see the door in it:

Here's a dinosaur in front of Worser Bay School which is at the top of the hill that leads down to the bay.   This school, over the years, has taught the children of various celebrities living in Miramar:

This dog and bone mural is at the bottom of the Worser Bay hill:

More about Hataitai Beach Jellyfish

Hi there

Yesterday, I bravely informed my friend, J, that if we swam at Hataitai Beach she would have to protect me from the jellyfish.

"How?" she asked.

"Swim in front of me, blazing a trail. Those cowardly jellies will skitter away at the might of your formidable frontal attack".  I would follow closely in her wake...

We decided on swimming way over the right side of the bay because the grounded jellyfish had beached themselves more on the left.   Thong man was our test subject in the water; when we didn't hear any surprised yelps or yips coming from his direction, we gingerly got into the sea.

Not one jellyfish bombarded us, though I swear the entire swim was accompanied by the theme music from "Jaws".

The pair of us scuttled out of the water, too cold to even remember - until we were at my house in front of a heater - to hi-five for our five swims in July.  We wore our light t-shirts for the first time this winter.

Goodbye for the season to my swimming friends

Hi there

Over the years, I've mentioned the varied folk that turn up at Hataitai Beach.  Now with Autumn all but underway, many swimmers will depart the beach and we won't see them again until next summer.

There's Bike Guy, a dentist from England.  He rolls up for about four months every year. It's so sad that the government won't let him stay permanently.  Bike guy is such a nice person.

There's the high flying businessman who loves to listen to the cricket on his radio; I adore hearing his travel stories.  And what about Pinot the paddle-board dog (with mistress included; the pair come as a package)?

The Director directs plays at theatres throughout the land.  Galveston knows his country music.  Red-the-school-teacher is a little shy about dipping her tootsies in the water but once she's in the sea, she enjoys it so much.  The Lady With the Backpack walks to the beach from Kilbirnie, and she's completely the one to blame for light-heartedly suggesting that J and I swim all through the year!! 

The Three Graces all wear pink bathing caps, and not to forget our eccentric Laundry Man who hangs out his washing on coat hangers all around the outside walls of the changing shed.

Oh and, of course, Thong Man.  He's about eighty and swims all year around.  Thong Man gets into the water stepping backwards as he goes down the wooden steps.  A disconcerting sight if one is already in the sea.  But, my goodness, swimming in the winter wearing just a thong?  He's to be congratulated! 

And there are others....

I reckon there should be a blackboard in the changing shed detailing in-case-of-emergency phone numbers so that we can check up on our friends if we don't see them at the beginning of a new season.

###

Today, J and I went swimming at Worser Bay instead of Hataitai Beach because the road beside the eastern bays was blocked off for some running race or other.  We both agreed it's nice to change beaches occassionally.

Below:  Photo taken from the hills above Worser Bay

7 swims at 7 beaches in 7 hours, Wellington, New Zealand.

hi there

Here's our 7 swims in 7 hours

Below:  Freyberg Beach... with the jellyfish -

 Below:  Balaena Bay, lovely.

Below:  Hataitai Beach, home turf

 Below:  Worser Bay.  That's us, in the distance.

Below: Scorching Bay

Below:  Princess Bay.  I slipped on some baggy shorts for this swim, thinking the water would be cold.  It wasn't.

Below:  Island Bay, reputedly the coldest waters in Wellington.

Seven swimming beaches in seven hours! - done!

Hi there

Today (Monday NZ time), J and I fulfilled our Quest.  We got to swim at seven beaches in the Wellington area in seven hours.  We actually completed our Quest in 6 hours.  There was no hurry, we wanted to admire views, and partake of sandwiches, and warm our tootsies between swims

Believe it or not, the temp today was 28c!!!!  Did we pick a day or what?  Our main rule was no less than 12 minutes swimming at any beach.

We started out at 10 a.m. at Freyberg Beach, practically in the city.  Freyberg Beach is just a hop and a skip (forget the 'jump) from Oriental Bay.  But in the water were - wait for it, can you guess? -  jellyfish!  Petrified, I trod water in one place.  J swam bravely for a bit until she hit a pod (her description) of  jellies.   I wanted to abort the Quest after my first jellyfish hit but I gritted my teeth and held out for the twelve required minutes.

The waters of Balaena Bay were deliciously lovely and calm. 

Gorgeous Hataitai Beach is, of course, home for us.  So 'nuff said.  We had our lunch there.

Scorching Bay and Worser Bay had warm waters.  J actually forgot she wasn't wearing her swimming booties and marched into the sea in her going-out shoes.  The sand was very hot.

Neither of us had been to Princess Bay and it was quite enjoyable.    We were a bit wary because we didnt know where any submerged rocks might be.  Loads of people there.

Island Bay: everyone told us Island Bay waters were freeeeeeezing.  We found the sea nice and crisp.

We laughed, giggled, chortled practically the whole day.  Lots of thngs didnt go to plan, the main problem being finding parking that was close to the respective beaches. At first I was embarrassed having to walk a long way along the footpath in just my bathing suit and my big thighs, but by the time we hit Island Bay, I didn't give a tinker's darn about how I looked. We would take  several pairs of sandals if we did the whole thing again because driving in wet, soggy, sandy sandals is not pleasant.

We took three bathing suits each with us, but stayed in the one costume throughout, driving the car in my bathing suit and sitting on a towel.  I went through 7 towels.

Okay, then, here's the challenge:  how about if you go for the 7 swims in 7 hours? -  Freyberg, Balaena, Hataitai, Scorching, Worser, Princess, and Island Bay.  12 minutes minimum swim.  No rush....

Thumbs-up photo when you're done please.

Go for it.


..... photos by J's personal papparazzo will appear later in the week

All clear- no jellyfish!!

Hi there

I went swimming yesterday at Worser  Bay.  I was so stressed about the jellyfish at Hataitai Beach, I kept away from there .  There were so many kids learning yachting at Worser Bay and with  two motorboats herding these bumbling amateur yachties (the motorboats rather resembled sheepdogs),  I  rather wished I had stuck with the jellies.   Last night, word of mouth reached me that the jellies had gone, so J and I went back to home ground today. Ahhhhh, it was lovely.

Getting lost amongst the weeds in my garden.

Hi there
I am having a troublesome time reconciling myself with the weeds in my back garden.  It's only a pocket-size garden..  However, I just can't find any motivation to weed it.  Every evening and every morning, I say to myself, "I have-to-have-to-have-to weed the garden".  Then, I take off to do things I would much rather do, like go to the beach or gym,  or take a walk, or watch tv, or visit the shops, or the dentist.  Yes, truly,  I'd rather go the dentist than weed a garden.

The weeds are so high I could almost-but-not-quite lose an elephant amongst them.  It looks like I have sheafs of wheat blowing in the wind.  In reality, I have no  flowers, shrubs, bushes, or bulbs in this so-called garden.  There is a fig tree.  The trunk of that tree is  completely obscured by the shoulder-high weeds.

This weeding thing has now become massive in my mind.  So massive, that I'm stressed about it.  My swimming friend, J, says if I do some weeding for ten minutes every day, I will soon have the garden weed-free.  J has even agreed to weed her own garden simultanously.  I guess I keep a phone beside me on the garden path and when I feel like I want to rebel and run away from home, I need to give her a call, and she'll talk me up.....  It's so neat to have a sponsor.

This afternoon, I shut the back door on my garden and went for a lovely walk to the hill above Worser Bay.  The weather was perfect

First Swim for 2014

Hi there.  As I type this, it is 6.15 pm, on the night of New Year's Day 2014

I went for a swim this morning - 1 January -  at 8 a.m at Worser Bay Beach (I'd promised J that I would not do an early morning swim at Hataitai Beach without her).  I had intended to swim earlier, like 7.am., but I didn't wake up until 7.30 a.m. 

There was hardly a soul about as I drove over the hill from Miramar to Worser Bay.  The few people that I did see were done up in heavy windbreakers, and were walking their dogs.

Not to be outdone on New Year's Day, J shot down to Hataitai beach, with her long-suffering driver,  later in the morning.  We do so hate to out-do each other.  Then it rained.

Yesterday, was glorious at Hataitai Beach.  A lot of our friends were there and we all had a lovely time.  J passed the 2013 "at-least-4-swims-a-month" swimming cup on to me for 6 months, until it's her turn to have it again.  Goodness.... we are so silly.... 

It's hard to believe that the northern hemisphere is in winter, with terrible weather, floods, storms, snow...

Jellyfish at Hataitai Beach, swimming at Worser Bay

Hi there.  J and I went down to Hataitai Beach this morning at 11 a.m. to discover that the sand was dotted with transparent jellyfish.  There were also lots and lots of them in the water.  So, we hightailed it to Worser Bay where we had a lovely swim.

I had Coco, my Wednesday dog today, so I stayed in the house with her all afternoon until her 'mum' came to pick her up and then I was so hot and bothered that I decided to go over to Worser Bay again for another swim.  I was in such a rush I just threw on some swimming shorts and a tankini top.    I added a sarong, hopped in my car, and shot over the hill to Worser Bay.

I proudly made my way across the sand at the beach, thinking that everyone must be thinking along the lines that I was so brave to go in the water and every eye would be on me as I was the only person going near the water instead of just sunbathing.  I puffed out my chest with pride.

Puffing out my chest did feel a bit weird.  My tankini felt very tight. I'd been dieting for three days now.  Surely my bathing top was supposed to feel looser, not tighter?

It wasn't till I got in the water and looked down to find a boob all but hanging out of my togs that I realised I was wearing my top back to front.  The puffy cross-over padded bit was at my back and what was supposed to be a low back was at my front!  Whoops!

I sidled out of the water,  with my arms across my front, hopped in the car soaking wet and was home in a couple of minutes, relieved that I hadn't put on weight but devastated that people had seen me in my back-to-front bathing outfit.  Hopefully, women will have thought it was a new fashion.  Who knows I could end up the stylistic discovery of the season.

Just before I left for Worser Bay the second time, I found out that a swimmer had been killed by a shark today at Muriwai Beach, way high up the North Island.  I kept hearing the "Jaws" theme all the time I was swimming.  I kept very close to shore.  When I got home, my friend J informed me that she'd read some time back of a woman in Australia (?) who was killed by a shark while she was paddling in the shallows.    Oh dear.  I

 We're having such a record-breaking magnificent summer that the waters are very warm.  This must be bringing in the sharks.  Sometimes in February there are sting rays at Hataitai Beach but I havent seen any for a few years now.  Very scary when they suddenly shoot past your legs.

Here's a pic I took of Worser Bay several weeks ago.

 

Worser Bay swimming

Heavens, I am such a wimp!  Yesterday I went down to Hataitai Beach (Wellington, New Zealand).  I peered over the railing into the water and saw loads of the transparent saucer-sized jellyfish.  Yick.  I asked a woman who was getting out about it and she said she only bumped into seven or eight while she was swimming.

That did it for me, I was off like a jet plane, away from Hataitai Beach.  I went over the hill to Worser Bay and I had a really lovely day, with a deliciously cold swim.  The weather was nice and warm.  Not a sign of a jellyfish.

Today, I didnt even check in at Hataitai Beach, just went straight over to Worser Bay.  I must admit I do truly love that gorgeous tingly cold feeling of the waters at Worser Bay.   It was extremely hot today.  I had two swims.

I discovered later that there were virtually no jellyfish today at Hataitai Beach.

I've been so happy lately with my foot seemingly better.  So for ease of getting along the beach, I wore my Crocs.  No inner soles or gel heels like the doctor told me I had to wear.  I paid for it later on though.  I was limping like mad.

I have plantar fasciitis of the heel.  Apparently a very common ailment.  I do so hate to have anything that's (shudder) 'common'.  Oh, that so reminds me of  snobby Penelope Keith in either "To the Manor Born" or "The Good Life" where she was absolutely horrified to have a 'common' cold. 

(Oh dear, I am trying to put in some photos of Worser Bay but when I hit the little scenery picture at the top it says something about uploading JPG,  GsomethingF or PNG files..  I used to be able to just go into my 'pictures' area and choose the pic I wanted.  Now I don't know how to get into my 'picture' area.   Without being able to get into my pictures, I may as well stop this blog - sigh.  I'll try again another day.  Maybe miraculously it might have sorted itself out. )

Christmas Day 2012

Hi there.   My goodness, wasn't Christmas Day in Wellington hot?  (and I do mean the weather).   29c.  It was the second to hottest Wellington Christmas day ever.  The hottest Christmas day had been in 1934 apparently.  I went for a swim at 9 a.m.  Then I went for another swim at 5 pm and Hataitai Beach was positively crowded.  People were trying out their new bikes, kayaks, paddle boards.  I drove to the beach via Oriental Bay and I could hardly see a gap in the sand, there were so many people.

On Boxing Day it was 27c, and  I did the same thing -   I went for a swim in the morning and another one later in the afternoon.  I figured that  by 3 pm, I probably wouldn't get a park at Hataitai Beach - I wished my foot was better and that I could have walked there - so instead I drove over the hill behind my place, to Worser Bay.  For years I used to swim at Worser Bay until they fashioned in the flax-covered dunes.  Because of those stupid dunes, picnic-goers who want a sea view are now scrunched into one little end of the beach, quite a way from the changing sheds.  The water is colder at Worser Bay than at Hataitai Beach because it' s more outer harbour.  But I relished in the colder water yesterday.  Oh yes, jellyfish at Hataitai Beach (one slithered over my leg) and also, too, Oriental Bay.  The saucer-sized transparent ones.   Apparently they were about on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day last year, too.  Hope they're gone soon.

So much for all the pundits and forecasters saying for days that Christmas Day was going to to be storm-ridden, eh?

Some conversations are more weird than others.

A friend said to me the other day, "Odd things always seem to happen to you."  And I had to think hard about this because she was right.  Is it that I can read odd things in happenings that other people can't?  Am I more alert to what's going on around me?    Who knows?

 In my rush to catch the ferry at Seatoun Wharf the other day, a guy stopped me as I was storming across Worser Bay beach.

"Excuse me, do you know where the troll is?  It's supposed to be here somewhere."

"Um, no, " I said.  "The last troll I saw was at Wellington Airport."'

"Oh, well, thanks ...." 

We both went our individual ways.

What a conversation!   It could only happen on the Miramar Peninsula, home of Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop.  Any stranger listening in would have thought we were completely mad.


PS:  7th swim for September.........Done!