Day Five

Feest isolation days – 19 March 2020

Thank you to so many of you who have responded both on the blog itself or via email!  We have heard from people in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, South America, USA, Europe, Turkey and of course, from here at home.

The overwhelming message from everyone is that we are all in the same boat.  Sometimes we’re all rocking a bit in our boat as we all try to deal with the next wave of information that appears.  That’s quite normal.  It’s a lot to process and the situation we’re in is changing quickly. 

Today I thought I would share what Terry and I were up to just last month.  It does seem a lifetime ago now…

We were in New Zealand on the Rangitikei River. We drove four hours South from Auckland and  stopped a night enroute at a B&B above Lake Taupo, a volcanic caldera that is the largest lake in New Zealand. Our home for the night was well above the lake and the views from our bedroom window were magical.  New Zealand is full of people with connections to Britain and our hosts at this lovely place were no exception. Stephen was born in Britain and still has family here.  We had dinner together with he and his wife who produced  a delicious home-style three course meal.  After a plentiful breakfast we said our goodbyes and promised when we get that way again we would stay with them. 

Our next stop was for coffee at Turangi.  Anxious to get to Taihape (if you saw this place you wouldn’t believe I just said that!) we soon got back on the road.  You know you’ve entered Taihape because the sign next to a large corrugated iron statue of a faded multicoloured Gumboot tells you so. A Gumboot throwing contest is held in this place annually!  Like most towns in New Zealand, there’s a great place for coffee and lunch.  The important stop for us in town though is the New World supermarket where we’ll buy food for the next four days. We’re headed to a remote lodge on top of the gorge above the river on a half hour, mostly unmade up, twisty turny road. Our car is now filled to the brim with food supplies as well as a ton of  fishing gear.  We leave the  “metropolis” of Taihape for the Tarata Lodge. We’ve  been there so many times it feels familiar. Stephen and Trudi who run the place welcome us like the old friends we’ve become.  This time we’re staying at their three bedroomed newly built home which is ten miles or so away from the main lodge. Because they were fully booked, they let us stay at this accommodation which will one day become their retirement home. It sits on top of the gorge and has spectacular views down the river.  We are here to fish. Terry for trout me for words.  I don’t fish.  I spend my time writing as we are taken down the river.

The red inflatable we’ll spend the next ten hours in is kitted out with chairs – the height of luxury. We do two days of fishing and see no one on our journey.  Ten hours and no houses, no power lines, no roads, no people. It is blissfully remote.  For a woman who once lived in New York City and likes her creature comforts, it’s a revelation that I love it!

Terry has been tying and using his own flys for some time now, and our second day on the water our guide, Stephen and Trudi’s twenty two year old daughter Mikala is thrilled with his success.  She reckons it’s the best guiding day she’s ever had on the river.  He caught eight trout.  This is sport. They all go back.

I caught a few words.  Please see the photos of our trip below and a story I wrote while on the river. Hope it fits with my promise to inspire – I don’t have anything funny to share today, but if you missed it look at yesterdays posting for a couple of very amusing videos!

See you tomorrow.

With love,

Kathy x

• 

•