Plan F

I am now onto Plan F.

The weather just isn’t right for tramping at this time of the year. There is still snow at low levels, lots of rain and wind and the resulting high rivers. Therefore I have given up the idea of doing Te Araroa NOBO for now.

At the stage of my last post I was heading into the Taraura Ranges but the weather wasn’t going to be good. I made the right decision not to go s there was 2 rescues of people who were stuck by the ferocious winds up there. One was lucky to have his dog to keep him warm as rescue had to wait two days until the wind dropped.

My little adventure in the wind up on Colonial Knob was okay as it was rolling farmland with places to shelter. The worst that could have happened was for me to be blown across a paddock through cow and sheep shit and getting caught up in a gorse bush. There were plenty of sheep in sheltered areas happily munching away on the grass. They weren’t flying through the air! I could have joined them in a sheltered area and put up my tent for the night.

Being homeless and jobless I had changed from being a Tramper to a Tramp. I spent a few days in Paraparaumu with some friends getting fed well then off to Napier to stay with my Mum for a few days in the Retirement Village. That is a good life style I think. Happy hours, long lunches with friends, Thai Chi, Petanque and exercise classes, a nice café on site, a reading room with all the daily newspapers, rubbish collected at the door and meals delivered if so desired. Definitely something to look forward to.

Back to Palmerston North to stay with another daughter and son in law, and spend time looking after my grandchildren . I have got through all the jobs on their list except paining the bathroom, but they are okay for me to take a few weeks to complete that one.

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I toyed with the idea of flying up and over Auckland to Kaitaia and staring Te Araora again from Cape Reinga as early October is a good time to start up in the winterless North. There would be quite a few others staring this week too. Auckland is in a Covid-19 lockdown, hence the need to fly over the city. Most people seem to be starting with the hope that the Auckland borders will be open by the time they arrive.

But an accounting job had come up that for 6 weeks so I start work on tomorrow 4th October at the Rangitikei District Council. I may as well earn some money and fill in my time until I can start the Te Araroa NOBO of the South Island after Christmas. The borders to Australia may be open again by the time I have finished so I may be back on track to do the Bibbulmun Track in 2022.

Therefore you won’t be hearing form me for a while. I know that us accountants get excited by excel spreadsheets, debits and credits, Funding Impact Statements and Statement of Changes in Net Assets/Equity, however I do also know that most other people don’t.