The side of SH 2 between Wairoa and Gisborne.
Woke up to the sounds of the ocean. Oh ya! Hope to hear a lot more of that these next 3 months. I wondered down to the beach having camped behind the dunes to meet ______ (didn't get his name) who was from Napier and slept miserably in his SUV last night to fish here this morning. While we were chatting along came Willy K, a delightful character. Wish I'd had my camera, but alas I did not. He's Maori and I'd guess my age. Beautiful caramel skin. White moustache. White dreadlocks piled on his head. And a mostly toothless grin. And he knows his local birds and their migration schedule. A jewel of a guy!
On down the road, I pull into a crossroads checking my map when Pete walks over.
"My brother's building one of those." Mullet haircut, tattoo'd everywhere I could see, but a kind voice and good energy. Checking out his tats, turns out 4 were the names of his kids. As we were talking, Ann buzzed by on her electric scooter. On her way back from the store she stopped and invited me in for coffee. Yes! So I followed her down the road. What a sight we were!!! I'd have loved a picture of us!
Ann is 77 and lives alone. She's scared to death someone from a gang of young hoodlums will harm her on a dare. And she said she makes dolls and sells them at a local craft shop. When she heard my name was BagLady, she said she had made a Bag Lady doll. Will you make me one? So she's going to, and sending it to Wellington. I didn't know what these dolls were like until I stopped down the road at the place that sells them. They're about 10" tall and quite sassy. I have to send her some funds for this doll. They sell for $40-50. All hand made. Can't wait to see BagLady. "She was an ugly doll, but you're not!"
Hot springs. Yup. Up in the tropical forest. Ahhh! And there I met Lloyd from Auckland, a landscaper on a mini vacation touring the East Cape because even though he's a Kiwi, he's never been here.
And a shower! $8 dip in the hot water and free shower:)
I forgot to water up. Rationing tonight. Luckily dinner was a salad, just like last night. And since I had the shower a couple if hours ago I don't need a sponge bath. Coffee in the am I hope.
I'm listening to The Omnivore's Dilemma. Wish I'd read this book when it first came out. What an eye opener about our food chain in the USA. And I thought I was knowledgable. Ignorant. Very ignorant. I think this should be required reading by everyone who eats. We all should understand where our food comes from and what's done to it all along the processing and delivery chain. It's a wonder any if us our healthy. Enough on that.
New malfunctioning equipment is my solar charger. I carry a Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel to charge my iPhones and iPod directly from the sun. And until today it was working magnificently! And with sun every day, I was hunky dory! Well, today my iPhones have decided to not accept its power and they shut off the connection. I also have a Guide 10 battery pack that recharges rechargeable batteries and holds power for charging stuff at night. That has not operated consistently for a year. They sent me a replacement in England, but it worked no better. I use the batteries in my headlamp and that's not bad, just have to change them frequently. It also charges my iPod well. But the iPhones...a big maybe. Sometimes they'll actually gain 30% of power before they close the connection. Goal Zero says the issue is Apple's. But they sell the charger saying it will charge the Apple devices. It's suppose to do my iPad to but that has never happened. I'm looking for a new portable solar charging device and if anyone has any suggestions please pass them along.
BL
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