One thing after another today!

We had arranged to go out on the boat for a spot of fishing and meeting up with NandS. Lloyd spent a couple of hours yesterday getting everything ready, filling petrol tanks, making sure the engine started and generally getting the boat organised for it's first outing of the season.

We headed off to Waitangi and got the boat into the water with no problems. I jumped on then Lloyd started her up  - the engine roared into life and off we went - or so we thought. The steering wheel just went round in circles while the engine stayed in the same position. We had absolutely no steering! Oh joy.  It was obvious the steering cable had snapped and if it's going to do it then just off the slip is probably the safest place, so lucky there - but we were heading towards a huge post thing and lots of moored boats. Lloyd put her into reverse and we glided back to the shingle shore - no harm done, but our boating day came to a rather swift end!

As I was coming back up the slip a lady who was just launching her boat said that we could come out with her and her husband if we wanted - how lovely was that, and Hone, who runs Taiamai Tours was just launching the Waka and came over to see what the problem was. So we wouldn't have been stranded - thank you lovely people!

Hone
© Taiamai Tours

We phoned the boat garage and took her straight there, lovely Rob took out the cable and is coming over to the house tomorrow to fit a new one. What amazing service.

Then on the way home the jeep over heated big time! The temperature gauge went off the scale and loads of smoke belched out of the bonnet. We got home and have just abandoned the jeep in the middle of the yard with the boat still joined on! We'll think about that later... we're going to look at some alpacas for Lloyd's birthday. Determined to make the day a bit better!

Boxing Day Fish Bonanza.

Lloyd and I took our Christmas presents out on the boat today. Lovely fishing rods, new soft bait and some jiggers. Even with all the things you are supposed to catch fish with, we still didn't. It may be time to face facts ~ we can't fish, we are rubbish and we may never catch anything for as long as we live!

However, it's still really lovely to be out on the water and wee Ladybird is getting used a lot so all good really, but would be nice, just once, to catch our dinner!

Anyway, I am now heading to the veggie garden to pick a load of broad beans for dinner, so we won't starve ( as if!)

 

 

This is a jigger - allegedly the best thing out there for catching fish, everyone that uses these is catching fish, the world and it's dad is catching fish with these,  Santa Clause himself could catch a fish with one of these babies! But not us, no, not us.

Stupid Jigger.

 Day on the Bay

Glorious

No fish as usual

Who cares!

It was another stunning day, so we took Chelsea and Dustin ( our lovely helpx people) out on the boat. We did warn them that we never catch anything - I think we have a fishing curse or something! True to our word we didn't catch a thing, so we're defrosting some scallops for tea!

The pohutakawas are flowering already, I hope there's some left for Christmas day!

WARNING
very scary fish!

Went fishing again yesterday, another glorious day on the Bay, fish were caught, but as usual none were taken home and all were returned to the sea!
Some very odd looking things. ( Click on the pictures to make them big, this makes the fish look even more freaky!)First fish being caught!

Ladybird's first outing of the Season
Gorgeous
We went out with Nick and Sara and fished for about three hours. But first we had breakfast of egg and bacon rolls.
We started off at Black Rocks but got nothing so moved to near Whale Bay. The fish finders were saying there were loads of fish but could we catch something for dinner? Nope!
N&S caught a couple of Kingfish but they were too small, Sara caught a whole lot of snapper but they were all babies, so everything got put back.

Lloyd got a Gurnard - prettiest fish ever - it was legal size, but was pretty small and we didn't want to kill it anyway, it was too beautiful so back it went.
Ages later I caught a trigger fish - we didn't know these were good eating so we put it back too.



First weekend of spring and Nick has his top off! It was hot - the weather!




the kingfish
and back it goes!

So fillet steak for tea then!

It really doesn't matter at all, it was a stunning day!

Just Beautiful
It was one of those amazing winter days today, the skies were blue, it was cool, but not freezing and the water was crystal clear and flat as a pancake so we all went out on the boats.
When we first launched there was an eerie mist over the bay and we could only see about 100m in front of us. It was amazing, but only lasted about 10 minutes.

We did a zoom over to Russell for brunch then for a wee scoot around the coast and stopped in the middle of the bay and had a feast of maltesers and hot ribena. I absolutely love days like this in the winter and really hope we get more of them.


The 'blue' boat speeding in to Russell

The blue boat speeding out of Russell!

And Ladybird speeding into Russell ( and out again!)

It's a Scorcher
Too hot to stay on land so N&S and us made our way out onto the water. First stop was Russell because the earth race boat is there. We had a wee look, got some coffees and juice then decided it was far too hot there too and we should really head further out into the Bay and just swim, so that's just what we did. And it was absolutely lovely.
EarthRace moored over in Russell.


Our Private Swimming Bay


Sara and I in the shallows, basking





( I'm draped over the back of the boat, honest!!)

Boiiiiiing!

Damn you, time delay!



Got home to find that it's even hotter then it was when we left : 38 degrees and humid.
Off to the beach tonight for a barby, maybe it'll cool down a wee bit.

Not too Shabby!!

We've just had a lovely day. Everyone made up picnics, got their boats out and then spent the day at Robertson Island. It was scorching. Some went water-skiing, some went for a walk up the hill and some of us just stayed down at the beach with the children.
The water got a bit of chop up on the way home and it was great!
Base camp


where we were


Happy children