Friday, 8 March 2019

Geraldine 2, Rangitata River Mouth& West Peak Dairies

After a nights sleep at the Geraldine Golf Club, along with 2 other motorhomers, we did manage to be out playing on the course soon after breakfast.
Trying my "level best"!
A nice temperature at that time although by 11.00am it was again very hot. Good to be on another flat course although it was a bit slow initially with the dew and some wet fairways. The greenkeeper was working on the fairway sprinklers so there may have been a problem.
Another brilliant shot!
Len came across lots of bunkers but there were no water hazards on this course.
Who's the shady lady in blue?
We came off the 18th in time to get friendly banter from the heat-hardy local competition men who were soon to tee off.
Time then to get to the coast for another spot of fishing as well as a reading catch-up for me so we drove east to the Rangitata River Mouth Campground, a basic council owned camp which is only $17 a night but has free hot showers, toilets and a washing machine. There were very few casual campers there with most caravans seemingly semi-permanent with only a few actually occupied. The Rangitata River has a lagoon-like entry into the sea which you can't easily get access to from this side of the river but it was a short walk to the lagoony  river for Len with his fishing rod in hand and a short walk back a couple of hours later with no extra weight to be carried. The neighbouring Scotsman who is a long stayer and keen fisherman told me that the fish are few and far between at the moment so it's not only Len who comes home empty handed!
The campground was very quiet overnight and we both slept pretty well. Today we haven't moved too far from there - just 20 minutes or so up the coast to West Peak Dairies, an NZMCA POP, in a paddock right on the edge of the sea with just a 4-5 metre drop between us and the shoreline.
Prime fisherman viewing location!
No Internet and poor phone reception here as it's fairly isolated but a beautiful place to stay.
Beach squaw!
A small step for mankind-but I needed a run at it!
Or it would be if it wasn't for the gales that are gusting through! The beach is actually more sheltered than on the bank where we are parked, the bus being constantly buffeted about. However Len has caught 4 smallish spiney dog fish, two which he threw back but the other 2 he has kept for bait. They are meant to be good to eat and referred to in shops as snow fish.
Who knows what's going on while I'm fishing!
While he was fishing Hayley, the POP owner, came by, told me to hop in her vehicle and showed me where we could park over the road, behind the haybarn, for shelter from this terrible wind which is meant to get worse this evening with the temperature dropping and rain coming in. Also it will take us away from all the dust blowing off the gravel road when a vehicle goes down it, the grader having been up and down here about 6 times so far. It's a rush to shut the windows each time! A bit of a shame as all those days we have had in the windless hot sunshine, playing golf, couldn't quite keep lasting for our day at the beach. Never mind, Len has had success despite not yet providing dinner.
Trish, Len, Claude and Barney.
And we have now moved behind the haybarn across the road where we feel much more stable and safe. I think it'll be a wild night.

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