The weekend with camping and Patuna chasm

Hi,

What an amazing weekend - with stunning weather.  We had a slow start to the weekend though.  It was hard to get going on Saturday morning.  I thought we had to get away early for the Kaitoke camping part of the weekend.  But it turns out we only needed to be there in the evening.

I did have a migraine again Saturday morning.  Doh!

We got a few things done around the house, before packing in the late afternoon and heading away.  Got to Kaitoke, found the blow up sheep on the car (Julian's car) and pitched our two tents in a nice quiet spot.

Toby and I chilled out in our respective tents while Mike socialised.  Someone actually called him "Big M".  OMG.  Who is that man I married?

Anyway, I had the best sleep.  Unlike Mike and Toby.  I think they really missed having a pillow.  Please note the smug sound to my words here.  I may have mentioned them needing to pack a pillow before we left the house.

Up early.  Often.  Mike didn't have a watch or a phone and kept thinking he had slept in.  But he woke and asked me the time at:

5.30am
6:00am
6:10am
6:30am
6.45am

Well, I am sure you get the picture.

We got up at 7am.  Struck the tents, shoved everything in the car, including a very sleepy Toby.  And left at 8am.  Wow!  Got to Martinborough at 8.30am and tucked into brekkie at The Village Cafe.  Left there at 9.30am and headed to Patuna Farm for the Patuna Chasm walk.

Iced coffee @ The Village Cafe in Martinborough

A wonderful, wonderful day walk.  If you haven't done it, go and book in.  3 hours.  Nothing too strenuous.  A couple of ladders to climb.  But you get to wander through a river, usually only up to your calves.  I managed to get to the bottom of my shorts a few times.  And the colours are stunning.  Limestone carved by water.  The green of verdant forest.  The clear, deep pools of river water in a variety of blues and greens.

Mike in the trailer

 Yep, I was completely taken.

You drive out towards White Rock from Martinborough, but hare off on a gravel road into the Haurangis (towards Waikuku Lodge).  About 11 kms in, you see Patuna Farm on your right.  There is a lovely farmhouse.  You sign up and the farmer gets a trailer with two rows of auditorium style seats that you sit in.  Some pile into the Landcruiser.  21 of us this time.

We wander through the farm for a while before stopping and climbing out of the trailer.  The farmer will come back here to collect us in 3 hours.   From here we go through a track for about 20 minutes to the start of the gorge part of the trip.  This has a section of the walk that has a wave-like rock formation that we all pose on.  Beautiful.

Me standing on the rocky wave outcrop

Toby climbing down into the river

From here, we descend a slippery part to an Ullrich aluminium ladder that is tied to the bank.  It's a two stage ladder and gives us a stable entry into the river.  We walk about 300m upstream to see a lovely waterfall.  Then back past the entry point, and enjoy the views.

Toby and I walk upstream

Why do I look so small?  And why is he standing so weird?

Waterfall

The water isn't cold at all.  I am wearing new HiTec boots.  They get heavy, and I get stones inside them often.  But it is way better than Toby's old sneakers.  He has grip issues.  And constant stones inside his shoes.  Mike is wearing his tramping boots and has no bother at all.

Selfie!

We see fossils in a huge limestone boulder in the middle of the river, and another ladder to descend from there.  We eat lunch on the riverbed in a sunny section.  Mike did well packing lunch.

Limestone

Fossil

Selfie

Just - wow!

I have seen the light!

Gorgeous

Mike also sees some light

We left at 2pm on the back of the trailer again - with Mike inside the 4WD this time.  Did a toilet stop at the farmhouse (they let me into the house - maybe I looked desperate) and headed back home.  Via Super Cheap Auto in Lower Hutt.  Toby and I fell asleep in the car on the way over - I remember most of the drive up from Featherstone to the top of Remutaka Hill.  Then - nothing until Super Cheap Autos.  Poor Mike.

Got home and loaded up the trailer and the car with the motorcycle gear and mowing gear.  Jase decided to join them all - so around 6pm they left.   They have lovely weather for their camping, mowing, motorcycling adventure.

And I sat on the couch, exhausted.  However, I had forgotten the BBQ to send off Prasad and his family.  Sreejith texted me and I got changed and headed out.

Such a lovely time at Ebby's place.  Yummy food.  Lovely company.  We celebrated Anamika's birthday too.  11 on Tuesday.  Wow.  The guys had been fishing and caught loads of awesome fish.  They BBQ'd that and lots of veges.  I was well looked after.

Home at 10pm - and fell into bed.  Woke at 5.15am with a migraine.  Aarrghhh!  Had it with those now.  4 since last Wednesday.


Hope your day is a good one - and the last working week of the year for me.

Love,
Angela