Captain Mark Dexter

I had no idea exactly what the back to basics rally was actually all about. How basic exactly was ‘basic’ meant to be? I knew I needed a tent and sleeping bag so accommodation would be basic. I knew I was going to camp in a paddock and not a nice and comfy motel room somewhere. That was fairly basic. I knew that some of my riding mates would be telling some fairly basic jokes after a few beers in the evening. They are always basic in content. Would I need a trowel to dig a hole in the paddock for the morning constitutional? Did I need to take some tinned tucker or the sort you buy in camp shops that look like cement and upon adding boiling water turn into a roast dinner for three? I had no idea. There was only one way to find out. Get on the bike and go.

So one fine Friday morning in late February a group of Cantabrian Ulyssians gathered in Amberley for the run north to Kaituna near Havelock.

 

It was a beautiful morning. Warm and sunny. With Sate highway 1 still blocked our route took us through the Lewis Pass to Springs Junction, up the Shenandoah Highway to Murchison for lunch. 

From there we passed through the Wairau Valley via St Arnaud and made for Blenheim.

Despite the many roadwork’s and stop/go boards the scenery is superb, the riding easy but exciting and the company was superb. A couple of our party broke off at Hanmer to take the Molesworth road.

Having bought dinner courtesy of Subway Blenheim we arrived at the paddock in Kaituna. Actually it’s on a sheep station and having been held in the same paddock by the river for a number of years the place was well prepared for us. Tents were erected; chairs rigged and cold beers were proffered to clear the road dust of the day. That Friday evening we sat and watched the sun set behind the hills to the west of us, sprays were passed around to keep the sand flies at bay and the stars came out in a crystal clear sky. We sat there in the pitch dark chatting, laughing and listening to the oh so basic jokes. It was as a relaxing evening as you could imagine and I loved it.

Dawn broke. A basic breakfast was taken. Bevan and I decided we were going to take the Queen Charlotte road to Blenheim via Picton to get him a decent camp chair rather than the ridiculous thing he was trying to perch his bum on the previous evening. On hearing our plans the rest of the group decided that was a great idea. Now there is a road worthy of any motorcycle. It twists and turns and snakes its way along the sounds to Picton and offers sublime vantage points to view the scenery for which this place is known. If you have not done it, give it a go if ever you are I the area. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Back to the paddock. That evening we had a dinner that was totally unexpected. We gathered in the woolshed with the Marlborough Ulyssians who had organised this whole rally together with a few members from the West Coast. Dinner was outstanding for the farmer and his team had put together a meal that satisfied any hunger. It was hardly basic at all. In fact quite the opposite. The beer and wine flowed, as did the conversation and music from Grumpy on the spoons. Then it was back to the tents to continue the festivities. What a cracking evening it was.

Sunday morning broke. The weather had turned cooler. We packed the bikes ready for the run home. There was one final event that was again totally unexpected for Grumpy had cooked up breakfast for us all in his bus. When facing a long ride home on a cool day that breakfast was highly appreciated.

So, was the rally basic? Yes and no.  No need to dig a hole in the paddock! There were toilets and a shower with hot water (the most basic thing about the entire weekend) Would I do it again? Absolutely.

Special thanks must go the Marlborough group for organising the event, the farmer and his team for cooking that amazing dinner and Grumpy for the breakfast. Finally to my riding mates without who none of it would be so much fun.

Bees will be buzzing around our garden once again in the not too distant future.

I bought a Langstroth hive from the UK when we moved back to New Zealand. It is made from Red Cedar which is naturally rot resistant. Hives in New Zealand tend to be made of pine or similar and need treating and looking after much more than red cedar. On our household declaration to the Ministry of Agriculture we had to declare we had a beehive even though it was still in kit form and contained no bee products, just wood. That rang the alarms in New Zealand who are quite rightly very protective of their own flora and fauna. The kit was inspected top to bottom and released.

Here it is after having been assembled and painted in undercoat. The red cedar can be left but will go grey in the sun. It can be oiled with boiled linseed oil. In New Zealand boxes are dipped in paraffin wax to treat them. We decided to paint ours to become a garden feature.

After a few coats of Lavender paint the main nest box called the brood box, lid and legs looks like this. The sloping platform to the right is the landing board. The bees land here before walking up into the hive entrance.

It sits on its own sturdy legs next to the lavender hedge and veggie patch waiting for the bees to arrive.

Our local club has a bee breeder who lives only 20 minutes from us. We have ordered a queen and bees from him. Bees used to the local environment should settle in nicely. They should arrive towards the end of the month. So now we wait. 

We won’t get any honey this year. 2015/2016 will be all about establishing the colony and getting it strong ready for winter. Dont forget this is the southern hemisphere. We are approaching summer.

In the meantime I have been reading up in my books and of course Youtube contains much beekeeping information to watch.

Come back later to see how we progress.

The town of Kaikoura lies around an hour and a half from where we live so approx 2 hours north of Christchurch on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Due to the shape of the seabed combined with the ocean currents in the area, Kaikoura is the whale capital of New Zealand. Being so close to home we had to visit. In the seven years we were here previously we never did.

We set off on a warm and breezy day and had lunch at the NorthWest cafe in Amberley which is a small town only about 20 minutes north of our house. It was recommended by a friend of ours. It did not disappoint. Clams known as pipis in New Zealand served on spaghetti with chorizo and chillies and accompanied by crusty bread was the lunch order for two. It was wonderful.

The road north is state highway one. It sounds grand. It is a two lane highway that meanders through the magnificent scenery. This is no autobahn, freeway or motorway. In Britain we would call it an A road but this is the countries main artery running the entire length of both islands. I love it. It follows the railway line on the coast. There is very little traffic in either direction.

By late afternoon we had arrived at our B+B, Inn The Bay and were warmly welcomed by our young and newly wed hosts Luke and Kylie. They proffered hot tea and much good advice about local places to visit and eat. They are really lovely and I would recommend them to you if ever you are this way. Kaikoura esplanade is festooned with places to stay such is the popularity of this place in high season.

The Whaler pub and restaurant won our money for dinner. Again there are many places to eat. The Whalers did for us. 

First thing this morning we followed Luke and Kylies recommendation to go and sea the New Zealand Grey Fur seal pups playing in a waterfall at Ohau creek which lies around 20  minutes north of Kaikoura. We were in for a real treat.

This place is passed by most motorists totally unaware of what they are missing.

A path leads through some ancient woodland, along a narrow brook to a waterfall and pool. In the pool around 20 seal pups were swimming around and playing having made their way up from the sea some 300 metres away. It was fantastic just to sit and watch them play. No sealife centre here. No zoo or safari park. This was as nature intended and we loved it. My photos do not do the place justice.

Back at the car we crossed the road to see where the pups would enter the creek from the sea and there in the carpark was an adult basking in the sun. 

After a stop at the Ohau lookout point to see the seal colony from where these pups come from we went on to our next stop also recommended by Luke and Kylie to get a taste for fresh New Zealand crayfish. 

One thing that is evident here is the lack of protection from the railway lines. If this was the UK there would be fences 6 feet high. Here is just does not matter. This is the main railway north beside the state highway.

Our destiny with a fresh crayfish and I mean fresh was at a caravan beside the main state highway. Nins Bin, once described by the great Rick Stein as the best crayfish in New Zealand did not disappoint. Follow the link for more information. The crayfish was simply fresh, sweet and juicy. The setting was equally as divine, sitting on a bench under an azure sky with the sound of the surf for company.

What to do next? Well, go whale watching of course. We arrived back at the booking centre for Whale Watch Kaikoura which is beside Kaikoura railway station and arrived just in time to get on the 11:00 departure.

The sea was calm. There was a low swell from the North East. For the next two hours we were treated to 2 sightings of sperm whales and on the way back to our berth we detoured to see Dusky Dolphins leaping and playing. All the while albatrosses and petrels wheel around us.

It has been a magnificent day. We have been blessed with amazing weather, creatures great and small and food beyond comparison. All this lies an hour and a half from our doorstep. How lucky are we?

Having snapped away all day I ran out of battery power in my camera. No dolphin photos. You will have to take my word for it. But then again there is an excuse to return to Kaikoura as if I ever needed an excuse.