Marty made some lovely oatmeal for breakfast that we had with bread and honey.
The breakfast spread
I spent the morning cleaning out the fridge and pantry from the mouse invasion. We have caught quite a few but there are still a LOT left. He says they don't have to worry about the hanta virus in New Zealand, but it still felt better having things clean. Either way, this would at least allow us to see any new traces. I threw away old and "mouseified" food and tried to organize things.
I then went for walk down to the end of the peninsula end to do some more filming. The trail was quite hidden. I made my way to the end where there were some old, worn down residences. I headed down to the beach and walked around as much as I could. The tide was coming in so I couldn't go out to the tiny lone tree island (which is possible during low tide).
"Mares' Tails"
Beauty and the beach
From the tip of the peninsula
I came back to the house then walked in the other direction along the Nydia Trail. I went as far as a small beach then started the walk back to be in time for lunch.
The small island
The cool and shady path
The incoming tide pushed its way over the reeds... which were smart enough to "bend like a reed."
View from the beach
I turned a corner and in the middle of the path was a small pig, probably the same one from the beach since I was only a minute or two from the house. It looked up at me, unimpressed, and continued eating. It then trotted into the shrubbery. So I quietly walked up to where it had disappeared. Apparently the larger pig was also there and was none to pleased when it suddenly realized I was only a few feet away from it, unbeknownst to me. It let out a large squeal and I saw them both run off in an explosion up the hill into the deep bush.
When I told Marty about the pig, he was amazed. It's rare enough for people to come close enough to even hear them, not to mention take a picture of them. They are so hunted here that they are extremely wary. I guess I didn't have the "killing" vibe... either that or the little guy was still too young to know better.
We did a short walk out to his garden. It was a large area fenced off with a tall fence (to keep possums out, but it apparently didn't work) but was completely overgrown. There were still a few viable trees but weeds dominated the rest. Clearly a job for some sturdy workawayers!
Another lovely evening... filled with delicious food (a multi-course meal of tortellinis in a cheese sauce, an omelette with veggies, and broccoli), beautiful evening clouds, and watermelon on the back deck.
Marty does it once again!
A view through the bay window... now spot-free thanks to Marty's excellent cleaning job. I had to admit, it made a remarkable difference that you wouldn't have expected.
Wispy clouds above the house
Oooohhh... a dragon... or maybe one of Ella the eel's cousins!
Once the light faded, it was an equal lovely atmosphere of impressive stars (the swath of the Milky Way was even visible), candlelight by the warm stove, and, of course, an even larger weta in the outhouse.
Orion.. but upside down!
Something we can't see from the northern hemisphere... the Southern Cross
This is only a medium-sized weta.... but it was plenty big for me!
NYDIA BAY (Day 32)
It was a nice quiet night. Again I watched the sun rise from my bedroom window. The water was very glassy.
From pale blues...
... to warm beige tones...
... to kaboom!
The water was glassy so we took the boat out for a short quick run around the bay to try to get some footage. The water was exceptionally still and flat... but only briefly. We only made it out of the immediate bay before the ripples started to appear. But we were still able to catch some striking images with the light.
The dock
Stillness
The angle of the light made some pictures almost black & white.
Our wake through the calm water
Once out of our bay, the breeze kicked in and the ripples begin to appear, so we headed back.
Catching breakfast
We had a quick breakfast of toast, yogurt, muesli and fruit. Marty loaded up the boat and headed off towards town around 10:30 am. I now had the day to myself.
Making toast on the stove
Head off to town... leaving the mouse to play.
I washed some dishes, did a bit of laundry by hand and hung it up on the line outside to dry, recorded some bird sounds in case we wanted to use them as background in the video, and then began my big editing project.
A Bellbird was gracious enough to land right next to me and give me a beautful song.
After a couple hours, I took a lunch break... a cheese and hummus sandwich with a ginger snap cookie (ok, three. I'd' like to say they are small... but they're not). I sat at the large window overlooking the incredible blue of the bay. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was bright and a deliciously cool breeze floated up from the water. I watched the bees do their thing for a bit. They seem almost too big for the flowers. Each time they landed on one, their weight would just about pull the poor thing to the ground.
I spent a few more hours on the video and at last had something that I felt conveyed the serene feeling of the place.
I then started on a second one which was going to focus on the accommodations. But the more I played with it, the more it felt that it didn't lend itself as well to video. Perhaps it should just be pictures on the website (also easier to change).
Marty pulled up in the boat around 6pm. We chatted for a bit, then he went down to mow the lawn by the bach. The sun began to fade, casting a purple hue on the hills and transforming the water in a deep, shimmering patch of blue. Large fish leapt out of the water. It was all QUITE magical. All we needed now was for a unicorn to appear from the bush!
We had a simple dinner then sat by the stove talking. The plan was to go to bed early but before we knew it, it was 11 pm!
