GoldCard Gal

Your help and advice please

17 July, 2020 15 Comments

It is with a sense of failure and disappointment that when I re-read a blog post a day or so later, I see the obvious grammatical and spelling errors!! ☹ “How come I missed those spelling errors, they are so obvious”, are words that run through my mind. The quote below is helping me move on, so to speak.

“Don’t waste time grieving over past mistakes, learn from them and move on.”

While out walking this morning with the cool fresh air on my face, my mind was free to wonder and reflect on my disappointment. This is not the first time and it will not be the last time I’ve published posts with errors, but I decided I owed you my readers an apology for these errors and at the same time ask for your help. I know many of you are very articulate, and knowledgeable in the English language so I am asking you for your advice and suggestions about how I can reduce my error rate:

What have you learnt that works well when writing?
Any suggested books or websites you recommend?
What resources/tools have you used when writing?
What are your tips and tricks for proof-reading?
Any other suggestions or ideas?

One small step to improvement

One immediate step I have taken is to write my blog posts directly in MS Word, then copy and paste the text into WordPress, as opposed to writing directly into WordPress. MS Word is pretty good at spell and grammar checking, so here’s hoping. Remember I would love to hear your writing and proof reading tips and tricks.

Blogging course

I recently enrolled on a blogging course as I want to become a better writer and develop my blog.

One part of the course is about finding “your niche”. At the moment I am struggling to find my niche. Thankfully, we are being advised “it takes time”, “it’s a journey”, “just start with something”, “something is better than nothing”, and if possible “it’s better to be deep and narrow in your focus and content” as opposed to wide and broad.

As a reader and to help me find my niche what do you find most beneficial/useful about my blog posts? Do my blog posts:

inspire you to travel a different or less travelled route?
encourage you to give that long held idea/bucket list item a go?
show you that age is but a number?
provide light reading or something else?

Your feedback please

Your comments and feedback is appreciated and will help me greatly, so do not be afraid to post a comment. If you do not want your comments posted (so everyone can read them) just leave a little note in the comments section saying so. (Each comment posted must be approved before it is displayed for public viewing.)

This ‘blogging’ activity is a journey for me and something I want to be get better and proficient at. I cannot wait to receive your input.

PS: I’m hoping I’ve got it right this time!!!

Till next time –GoldCard Gal 😊

Taranaki – fill of attractions

13 July, 2020 5 Comments

According to Lonely Planet in 2017 Taranaki was chosen as the second-best region in the world to visit. Lonely Planet went onto say “that New Zealand was the second-best family adventure destination in the world”, no wonder over the previous years we have been flooded with tourists.

My reason for visiting Taranaki was to catch up with a couple of my nieces and their families and do a little exploring. I love returning to Taranaki – it’s like returning ‘home’ in a sense. I have many happy memories, adventures and experiences to recall and reflect. The southerly wind blew (coming directly from the Southern Ocean) and it snowed on Mt Taranaki and one morning the Pouakai Ranges had a light covering. Weather-wise Taranaki didn’t disappoint – yet as a child, I never remember it being that ‘cold’.

Mt Taranaki, Poukai Ranges — Mt Taranaki from Mangorei Road, New Plymouth. The Pouakai Ranges on the right. The Pouakai Crossing is a new one-day hiking trail.

Tūpare Gardens

Floss (my niece) and I walked to and explored the Tūpare Gardens. What a beautiful 4.5 ha parkland area these gardens are, even in winter when the trees are bare and little colour on display. My thought has been “if a garden looks good in winter, imagine what it will look like in summer“.

The gardens were established 80 odd years ago by Russell Matthews and his wife Elizabeth. It must have been a challenging job considering the steepness of the gully which is boarded by river flats and the Waiwhakaiho River. The gardens also include a couple of beautiful English styled homes. When next in Taranaki, I suggest you add these gardens to you “to do” list.

Oakura Beach

Oakura Beach is located 15 minutes south of New Plymouth. It is a little village built/located around the beach. Oh my, how it has grown and changed – it has been many years since I last visited this beach. When we were growing up we’d only visit the beach twice a year: New Year’s Day and our local school picnic day that was usually held in early February. I have two very strong memories of those special times:

sunburned lips and arms, both which always seem to blister, and
black sand. It was many years later before I learnt that not all beaches have black sand, that was quite a revelation for me. The black sand in the heat of summer is not pleasant on bare feet!!

Oakura Beach, Taranaki — Oakura Beach, looking north towards Port Taranaki. Notice the black sand.

Re-cycled materials

Seeing people making the most of re-cycled materials always catches my eye and imagination. When out having a little bike ride in the countryside I came across the following recycled objects including the image at the top of this post at the entrance of a property. Very clever and imaginative. What do you think?

Professional horse saddle fitting

Watching a large feisty horse getting a saddle fitting was a first for me. Floss’s horse is big (tall and big boned) and whenever Floss got on to ride him he was never happy. She invited me along to watch this event which meant loading the horse into her truck and driving to Egmont Village (another journey down memory lane) to meet with Phil. He is a Certified Saddle Fit Technician, Equine and Saddle Ergonomist – that is a long title! Phil had a very well equipped van which contained a workbench; a stand of beautifully made Italian leather saddles with an eye-watering price tag; and shelves of horse equipment: girths, bridles, halters etc. He was on his way to Invercargill via the East Coast of the South Island doing similar work to what he was doing that morning. Watching Phil at work was fascinating, how he handled, talked, and settled the horse (who was jittery and nervous) down. Phil placed on the back of the horse a variety of saddles with different padding lengths and widths etc until he felt he’d solved the problem. Fortunately for Floss it didn’t involve buying a new saddle but he gave her a few workable solutions.

It was an interesting and expensive half hour – but I guess that is what you do when you can’t solve an issue yourself. All my nieces in Taranaki are passionate about their horses and do very well with them – though it’s not part of my DNA I’m still interested.

Lepperton

My next adventure was to stay on a dairy farm in the Lepperton distract and catch up with my niece Robyn, and her husband Paul. Their gardens and farm are quite stunning, very picturesque and in immaculate condition with plenty of grass. During Covid lockdown Paul and one of his son’s Carey constructed a mountain bike track in a stand of bush near their home. It is amazing, what an asset to have on your farm especially so as many of the family are into mountain biking, even the little grandchildren love having a go. My excuse for not trying it out was I heading home and the surface was slippery!

But the great news is Lepperton now has its own cafe called Lepperton Store and Cafe and from all reports it is well visited by cyclists as the roads around this area are either up and down or flat circuits.

I cycled around to Brendan’s (Robyn & Paul’s middle child) farm, he was off snowboarding on Mt Taranaki as it was the first day the ski field was open and only days before his cows started calving. He was determined to make the most of his free time and enjoy a day off the farm.

It was great catching up with my great nieces and nephews and watching them living their lives and rowing their own boats so to speak. A few days away was restorative and a break from the daily routine. I like the following quote about family.

“Though our branches grow in different directions, our roots remain as one.”

Can’t wait to visit Taranaki in the not too distant future, walking the Pouakai Crossing is sounding like a great adventure – anyone interested?

Mt Taranaki, looking stunning the morning I left Taranaki

What are your favourite spots in Taranaki? I’d love to hear about them.

Till next time, GoldCard Gal 🙂

The Forgotten World Highway

30 June, 2020 5 Comments

Monday morning dawned dull and overcast with heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast later in the day. But I was excited – nothing was going to dampen my enthusiasm today because I was going to drive the Forgotten World Highway through to Stratford and then onto to New Plymouth to visit my nieces. It has been many years, actually over 10 since I was last through this special place and that was on my bike, sharing that adventure with good friends Margie, Virginia and Isla – that is another story.

Today it’s going to be just me, my thoughts and memories. An ideal time to reflect and dream. Can those two activities go on together? In my mind they can.

Map of road trip from Hamilton to New Plymouth via Forgotten World Highway — My road map

The Forgotten World Highway (State Highway 43) officially runs from Taumarunui through to Stratford – 185 kms of sealed and unsealed road surfaces with many many twists and turns. There are four saddles: Tahora; Whangamomona; Pohokura and Strathmore all offering spectacular views at the top of each.

The Tangarakau Gorge road (includes 12 kms of unsealed road) is quite magical – more so on a bike as you have time to take in the magnificent podocarp forest. But even in a vehicle you can get the feeling of how magical this drive is.

Joshua Morgan

Part of the way through the gorge is a memorial to Joshua Morgan and many other pioneers who sought their fortunes in this remote area. Joshua was an early surveyor who lost his life in 1893 – he was only 35 years old. This time I made sure I visited his grave, which is only a 2 minute walk off the road down through some beautiful native bush, and over a little stream – a peaceful resting place.

As I drove through this rugged country side, my mind often went back to memories of previous trips I had with my Dad when I was very young. My Dad loved travelling these back grounds and knew many of the local farmers through his horse wheeling and dealings! Even though I’ve never been a horse person I always enjoyed the opportunities to explore of these remote areas with my Dad.

This was another sign I had seen before but always in a hurry and didn’t explore. Not so this time, as I was travelling by myself I thought ‘why not explore this narrow gravel road’ and see what is at the end of it – after all 6 kms isn’t that long in a car! What an interesting side trip this turned out to be, a newly built ‘Pouata Honey’ depot, and a beautiful Ghost Town Camping Ground with several small wooden weatherboard cabins strategically placed for privacy and shade, plus ample area to put up your tent or park your RV. It looked a great place to chill out, relax and enjoy the peacefulness of the surrounding hills.

Whangamomonoa Hotel was my lunch destination. When I entered through the front door there was one other person in the bar enjoying his lunch. Guess that was a reflection of the day and number of people travelling this route – very few. The publican informed me as he was giving me my much anticipated ham, cheese and onion toasted sandwich, “We’re not normally open on a Monday”. I thought to myself he could have said that when I placed my order!! He wasn’t much in the mood for chatting when I asked him if he’d had much response to the sale of the pub. But he was more than happy to chat about the Post Office next door which he and his wife have done up and converted to an Airbnb, along with the old butchery next door to the Post Office. I must admit the little township was looking much more “loved’ than when I last visited. And guess what, I forgot to take any photographs. 🙁

The rest of the highway through to Stratford (including two saddles) was mainly through sheep farming country then dairying as the land became flatter. Many of the road names brought back memories of friends who used to live and work there but of whom I no longer have contact with. The closer I came to Stratford the heavier the rain got, the window wipers were turned on to double-speed to cope with the amount of rain. You would never have guessed there was a mountain directly west of Stratford!! So it was with much relief I arrived at my destination just outside New Plymouth – the heavy rain never easing. What a day it has been, the memories have been wonderful, and the journey rewarding. Knowing I’m going to write a blog has made me take more photographs and be much more aware of places and people.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring! If you have travelled the Forgotten World Highway, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Till then – take care GoldCard Gal 🙂

Additional snap shots

Moki Tunnel (180 m long, built in 1936 and known as “Hobbit’s Hole”. It has a timber gabled roof and hand carved walls.)

I noticed these green coloured bee hives from 8 mile junction right through to Ohura – I think one very large business.

Did you know huntsman loose their skin?

18 December, 2019 13 Comments

“Did you know huntsman loose their skin?” Connie said to me as she was watering the various small native plants under the little shade cloth tables as I sat drinking my flat white inside the Drake Resource Centre yesterday. “They need to do this to grow. I love all animals, especially carpet snakes” she said. “Snakes are fine if you don’t corner them. If they come inside my home, I leave them alone and when they are ready they will eventually go outside again”. These words are reassuring to a Kiwi visiting the land of the deadliest snakes and spiders in the world.

Connie is five foot nothing, slightly built – quite petite. She must be in her 60’s, her skin has that soft light tanned look, not from the sun, she’s just blessed to have that type of skin, few blemishes or wrinkles, a picture of health and happiness. She has a couple of bottom front teeth missing, which she doesn’t appear self-conscious about! Her soft grey hair is tied up into a bun on the top of her head, with little wisps of grey hair softly falling down each side or her face. Her voice tone matches her size, quiet and slightly pitched. She’s somewhat a funky dresser, wearing ankle high black Dr Martin boots; black knee length linen tailored shorts and a white blouse with small blue flowers printed on it. Her blouse has ¾ length sleeves, small stand up collar with 4 buttons down the front. Her blouse falls lousy over her shorts enabling a good air flow.

Connie is one of several volunteers working at the Drake Village Resource Centre, which is the hub of this small settlement called Drake. The Resource Centre is open seven days a week, mainly from 9 am – 5 pm. Drake is approximately 2.5 hrs drive inland from Byron Bay, with a population of 345 (2016 census). I’m visiting Drake to catch up with my daughter Tracy, her husband Phil and babysit my granddaughters Delilah and Poppy while their parents have a couple of nights away.

Image may contain: car, sky, tree, house and outdoor — Drake Village Resource Centre

Back to Connie, she loves her three days working at the Resource Centre which involves many different tasks: making coffee and tea; sorting mail for the local residents; manning the library; supervising computer and Internet access: photocopying; providing tourist information; and general goto person for the local community. I even noticed a sign on one of the door’s “Shower available, $4 for four people, 15 minutes time limit”. Recent fires and continuing drought have left this community and surrounding areas very short of water.

Tracy & Phil’s house (they’re converting a 12m x 12m shed into a rustic home)

Tracy and Phil live at the top of a steep hill with fabulous views over surrounding hills, now covered in scorched ground, burnt and partly burnt eucalyptus trees. Bush fires went through their valley in September leaving much destruction and damage to property and bush, including the much treasured ‘rain forest’ down the road. Fortunately for them their home was spared, mainly because they do not have trees up close to their home. Others were not so lucky some of their neighbours and residents along Long Gully Road lost everything. Wayne and Jennifer their closest neighbours (part way down the hill) lost everything. What a heart-breaking sight to see their mangled corrugated iron home, years of memories and hard work all gone up in smoke as the fire ripped up the valley destroying virtually everything in its path. Some say the bush fires are random in their burning, and sure enough not 5 ft from their destroyed home stood their compost toilet completely untouched and further along the section their covered shade houses still in tack and untouched. Tracy & Phil had one of their retaining walls burnt but the building on top of the wall untouched – hard to fathom.

Seeing the destruction of these fires and experiencing the severe water shortage has been an unforgettable experience for me. Fortunately for all Drake Village residents fresh drinking water is available the Resource Centre for free. Can you imagine saving every drop of water that comes from your taps?

Seeing the results of the bush-fires has encouraged me to research and seek further information about the regeneration of some of the burnt species. Eucalyptus are expected to regenerate in time as they have evolved adaptions to withstand bush-fires. What has been remarkable is how some of the burnt and blackened eucalyptus trees are already sprouting new green leaves which are known as juvenile leaves and will soon be replaced by adult leaves which are larger. How they sprout depends on the type of eucalyptus they are, for example, the Red Stringy Bark and Messmate eucalyptus have dormant growth buds deep beneath the bark which are protected from the fire. When the tree is burnt, and the outer foliage destroyed these buds are triggered into life and start to grow.

Lignotubers: Never heard that word before, this type of eucalyptus regenerate from underground lignotubers which are large roots from which the tree can sprout new growth. Although the above-ground part of the tree may not survive being burnt, the lignotuber and root-system remains alive. In time these trees will often develop multi-stem trunks and provide important habitat for local wildlife.

Regrowth: Many of the indigenous plants, including Grass Trees reply on fire to remove the build up of leaves and dead material. Once burnt, the flower-spikes development numerous seeds and is often the first sign that the Grass Tree is alive.

Seed storage: Other plants may not survive bush-fires but have developed ways to ensure that their species will still persist into the future. A number of smooth barked eucalyptus species, such as Mountain Ash rarely survive bush-fires and have instead evolved other ways to regenerate following fire. These seeds are stored in capsules (gum-nuts) in the tree canopy and are released following fire, to germinate en-masse once conditions become favourable, ensuring the survival of the species.

It has been a learning experience seeing the results of bush-fires and drought-stricken country side; highlights the harshness of the Australian landscape and what a tough environment to be a farmer. When I went to stay in Byron Bay it seemed another world, no bush fire destruction and no saving every drop of water. It felt a very privileged life style. Returning to NZ is always appreciated and welcomed. Till next time, Goldcard Gal.

PS: The purpose of describing Connie in such detail was to “show” her to you as opposed to ‘telling’ you about her. Has it worked, would appreciate your feedback. 🙂

360 degree views

8 March, 2019 2 Comments

On a clear day you can get 360 degree views across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty from the summit of Mount Te Aroha. You might also be lucky and see Mts Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Taranaki. I think these views alone are reward enough for sweating and puffing your way the 939 meters mountain surrounded in native bush.

This walk is one of my favourites. I walk it when I need free head space to let my mind wonder and have a good work-out. There is something very special about walking in the bush – it seems to restore my soul (if there is such a thing) and bring a sense of peacefulness to both body and mind.

Where to start?

You start the walk in the Te Aroha Domain next to the Mokena Geyser. They (DOC, Department of Conservation) suggest 45 minutes to the Whakapipi Lookout which offers views over the Hauraki Plans. This lookout is a great opportunity to stop, catch your breath, quench your thirst, and take in the views before the real climbing begins. DOC suggest is it another couple of hours or less to the summit. After the lookout the track becomes quite steep and the surface is described as “rough”.

This track ascends almost 1 km. Not always on a smooth structured track; you are often walking over tree roots; scrambling over large boulders or slogging your way up steps made from the half round post. But by letting your mind wonder, or being mindful these obstacles seem trivial. (Yeh right!!)

The Summit

You can return to Te Aroha via the same track (most direct route). There are other route options displayed at the summit. I used to walk down the road and across the ridges back to The Domain before I got new knees, but now I go slowly down the most direct route. It takes me as long to go down and it does to climb up!! Better to be safe than quick is my theory.

If you are feeling tired and need a little pampering why not have a soak in either of the hot tubs or slipper baths at Te Aroha Mineral Spas .

When’s a good time to walk to the summit?

Any time of the year, but may I suggest you do this walk when there has been several days of fine weather, otherwise under foot is inclined to be slippery! We don’t want any injuries.

Be aware you may experience alpine conditions on the summit. Ensure you take the appropriate clothing as it can be extremely windy, wet and cold.

Remember to take plenty of water and food; a good excuse to stop for a snack, to catch your breath and enjoy the bush.

There are a number of other walks based around the base of Mt Te Aroha, check out the Department of Conservation website: other walks.

Your feedback: How do you restore your well being? Where is your special place or what is your favourite activity? I’d love to hear your story.

Be safe out there and enjoy our natural environment. Until next time, Goldcard gal! 🙂

GoldCard Gal