THERE WILL BE NO CRAPPING IN THIS CRAPPER!*

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010 - GISBORNE -11 am - We are at the local library doing our "internet chores" before we head out of town.   I was thinking as I was folding up the bedding and Geoff was showering that I wonder if the UK couple made it to the sunrise at the East Cape Lighthouse the other day--well, as things happen, Geoff comes back from the shower/loo and says guess who he ran into???   Yup, the young woman and they did camp and climb up to the lighthouse for the sunrise as planned!.   You never know who you will run into travelling around here!   Later, as we were leaving we chatted with them and I found out that their names are James and Emma.   They were going to go to the Library (but leave their car at the camp) so we gave them a lift.  Very nice to run into them and get to find out what they have been up to.   So, here are some thoughts and pictures from the last several days.   You will have to read my blog to find the meaning to todays headline about the crapper!  :)   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

Thursday, December 9 – On the road from New Plymouth to Opotiki – Saw many things along the road—always a delight to see a new area of this country and we travelled a roadway that Geoff had not been on before so it was all new to him.   It was nothing like the Forgotten World Highway but beautiful, nonetheless!   It was way less curvy but lots of cows to the left of me and sheep to the right!  We stopped alongside a lake after passing through Rotorua (we decided to keep on truckin) and I think it was Lake Rotorio.   There were lots of black swans swimming along the shore and several came ashore while we had our lunch.   Geoff was checking something and I took many pictures of one black swan that came up close—she was preening and cleaning herself and I was amazed at the flexibility of their long necks—it was a delight to watch and record!  

We stopped in Whakatane (I spelled it all wrong in my blog) and then headed onward for our campground as we start the East Cape road adventure!  I loved the small town of Whakatane—it was pretty and near the water!   S & G xo

Friday, December 10, 2010 – East Cape – Tokomaru Bay  - 9 PM – Had my first cold shower today before we left our Opotiki  camp…not sure why but it wasn’t much fun to try to get my shower gel off while freezing in that water—I would have settled for luke warm even but not a drop!   Oh well, such is life.  We drove through the little downtown area and I was impressed with its look and the lovely Christmas decorations they had up for such a small town!   Off we go….

So we are driving and I am seeing the Bay of Plenty aka Pacific Ocean and the sun is shining and the water is various shades of blue and just lovely!   We are winding up and down hills, as per usual, and we stop at a high pull off place to check the scenery of the coastline.   In the distance we can see White Island, the active volcano, spewing white clouds!  We chat with a young UK couple who have been touring the north island for almost 2 months now—they are headed the same direction we are but are planning on staying at the East Cape lighthouse overnight and seeing the first sunrise of the day tomorrow at 5:30 AM on their 2^nd anniversary of being together!   She invites us to come and camp tonight there and see the sunrise…I told her we might see them along the road but I doubt that we would.   We carry on and one of the highlights for me is to see the oldest Potukowa Tree there is and Geoff remembers where it is located so we stop and I take photos, of course!   It’s “in excess of 350 years old” and is the oldest tree of its species!   It was brilliant and partly in bloom:

Geoff asks me if I want to take the “dirt road” to the East Cape Lighthouse and I tell him I would love to if he thinks the campervan will make it!   Geoff has never been to the lighthouse so it will be a first for him, too!   We head down the 20 km gravel road—about one fourth of the road is actually paved and most of it is really just one lane but it was NOT bad and the scenery was fabulous and worth the side trip.   I swear there was an area that I thought looked like an Oceanside golf course…but it was just a huge pasture with sand traps and water pools.    There was lots of livestock along the way and the most beautiful horses grazing near the sea.   At first there was not any beach but the tide was out and the rock formations were, in my opinion, beautiful and very interesting and diverse—I took a ton of pictures of them!   After lots of turns and seeing lots of beautiful mountains and sand dunes, we round a curve and there on top of the mountain ahead is the lighthouse!   We drive to the end of the road past a couple houses and lots of fields of corn and pastures with sheep (Geoff says there was a “Leisure Station” there since it was way out in the middle of nowhere—I kept looking to take a picture of the “sheep tied to the lamppost” but never saw it!  J   At the end of the road was a public restroom (glorified outhouse to me) and you can walk up to the lighthouse but it was way too far of a hike for me or Geoff to want to take.   We wish our UK couple a happy night’s camping there and a very early trek up the hill to see that first sunrise tomorrow—we will be tucked in bed somewhere snoozing!

Onward after our return trip on the one lane, sometimes paved but mostly graveled road…we head away from the sea and see lots of trees and hills and lots of curves in the road.  I did see two emu and am not sure they were part of a farm or escapees…also we saw lots of domestic turkeys at one area…all in all it was beautiful country but what do I expect?   I haven’t seen any ugly part of this country and we have been all over this island!   Geoff says we will stay near the water and we are heading back near it soon.   We plan to go camp where he stayed almost a year ago and stop at the local pub for a cold beer—sounds good to me and I am ready!   We pull into the pub and the manager is walking out and walks over to us and tells us it’s closed until noon tomorrow for refurbishing and we are welcome to camp right there if we want!   We chat with him a bit and thank him for the offer but head to the camp site nearby.   It’s a lovely area and very quiet and getting quite dark outside…may be a starry night tonight!   We are trying to use up our food items since our days in the camper van are numbered now, so Geoff is going to make a noodle goulash for the first time (to use some pasta noodles, canned tomatoes, and onion along with some “mince”—uh, that’d be hamburger for us Americans) and as he is getting things together I say to him “you know you have to cook those pasta noodles first before you add them to the other things, dontcha?”  Geoff looks at me like I have lost my mind (and I guess I have given the excellent items he has cooked me these last several weeks) and says to me “yes, I KNOW THAT!”   At least he has a sense of humor—we had a good laugh about that one although I think I may have insulted him and his capabilities!   Sorry Chef Geoffrey, I will NEVER question your cooking plans again—I PROMISE!

*This is the part that goes with the title for the blog—I can’t even begin to tell you what a shit hole the camp was that we stayed in and I think the sign and pictures are self explanatory (we did have some great laughs about how Geoff might find a pile outside the campervan in the morning—hope you enjoy the “poop” humor, too (by the way, the sign had been there for quite some time!):

                        Take this crapper and shove it! Ick!

On to Gisborne, normal crappers (and perhaps a haircut and my nails done) tomorrow!   Love, Shaggy Sue and Geoff xo

Saturday, December 11, 2011 – Gisborne -  Had a nice drive here and saw a great surf beach, too!   We go get a spot at the Top 10 Holiday Park and it’s right on the beach!    Love it!   We drive a short distance into town after stopping at the i-site and park and I check with one salon and they are booked until Monday morning so I go across the street (Geoff spotted the place) and they can take me in 10 minutes so I go tell Geoff and we have a quick bite to eat in the campervan—he will explore town while I am getting my hair done!

So here is my new “sheared look” and the salon “the Little Hair Shop” at 217 Gladstone Road, Gisborne,New Zealand was run by a delightful  guy and the hairdressers were the BEST (mine was Karine)!

We went back to camp and set up things then walked into town to a place called “The River” that Geoff had scoped out.    I had a  hard cider and Geoff had Steinlager then changed to Gisborne Gold (a local craft beer that’s very good)!  We had a ½ order of nachos (yummy) as a starter then we shared an entrée of Guinness pie (it was wonderful)!   I forgot my camera or would have taken pictures!   I noticed the pink sky outside and told Geoff to have a look and the sky changed into just a fabulous display of colors—one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen since the ones in Fiji!   Geoff got some great photos.  

(above picture courtesy of Geoff's iPhone!)
We finished our dinner and walked through town (the middle of town had a pretty lighted Christmas tree so I started singing “walking in a winter wonderland” which made Geoff laugh!  We walked back to camp and called it a night.   Tomorrow some wine tasting is on the agenda!   It doesn’t get any better than this.  Love, Sue & Geoff xo  P.S.  I didn’t get my nails done but I will before we head to Oz on Thursday…somewhere along the adventure trail!

Sunday, December 12, 2010 – 5 pm – Waikanae Beach Top 10 Holiday Park, Gisborne – It’s been a beautiful day…sunny and warm and warm even when the clouds come!   We are up earlier than usual because it is too warm in the campervan to stay in bed past 8 AM!   Showers and breakfast followed by washing the weekly laundry!   While the clothes are washing I call and have a nice chat with my Mom via phone.   Sounds like things are the usual wet/cold winter type weather back home.   Enjoy talking to Mom and Geoff takes off to go hang up the clothes on the clothes lines….I follow to help and let him chat with Mom while I get the sheets out of the washer.   We say goodbye to Mom (Geoff was talking to her while holding a pair of my “knickers”) and go back and close up the campervan and head out for a wine tasting adventure—and what an adventure it was at the “Gisborne Wine Centre” (the staff are delightful and we sat looking at the boats in the nearby marina).  I forgot to take pictures (dammit) but we had samples of 12 different local  wines along with a lovely platter of cheeses /bread/ spreads and had ourselves a fantastic lunch!   We each picked one wine to have a full glass of—Geoff picked  “TW Chardonnay 2009” which is described as “brilliant clear pale straw in colour, this wine shows vibrant aromas of yellow peach, tropical pineapple and jasmine flowers.  Lovely ripe flavours of peach and pineapple show throughout the palate, which is long and elegant.”  I liked it as well but I had the “Brunton Road Gewurztraminer 2008” that is described as :  “A full-bodied wine made in a dry style, with exotic aromas of rose petal, ginger and lychees.   The palate has lovely weight, ripe fruit and spice flavours, with balanced acidity and a long finish.”   I also got another sample taste of the  “Longbush Gewurztraminer 2008” which I liked, too.   Honestly, ALL the wines were good—loved the pinot gris, too!

So Geoff bought a bottle of the Chardonnay that he likes and we just finished drinking the whole bottle after wandering back to camp.   So I am a bit toasted and Geoff is passed out on the bench across from me!  LOL—well, he is taking a “nap” and NOT sleeping but just “resting his eyes while listening to the music”!  J  It’s been a lovely day and it’s not over yet—I think we may go for fish n chips at Captain Morgan’s which is right by the entrance to the camp park and right near the beach, too!   We will see how the evening goes.   We leave Gisborne tomorrow to head towards Auckland—have to return the campervan on Wednesday and we fly to Oz on Thursday for the next phase of this adventure!   Ta for now, sending sunshine and love from Gizzy (Gisborne), Sue and Geoff xo