The end of 2017

Since Jill and Rua aren't coming to Ohiwa this year we are trying a new layout on our site. This involves putting one of the caravan tyres up on three boards to level it, and inching forward until we got good  TV reception. We are now facing the other way.
When we got our gazebo out in Hamilton we found it was torn and frayed, so we tried to put Jill and Rua's Event gazebo up but it only had 3 legholders. It was our lucky day as the Sports Good store in Opotiki had one with $100 off.

Finishing touches

Not the best table - but I'm not lugging one from the other end of the camping ground

Selfie with Christmas decoration. Must practise those selfies.

Settling in dinner

WE had a quick trip to Gisborne next day to water the trees. Hopefully it will be the last time, but the ground was still in water deficit at this stage.

An inflatable Santa bobbed up and down in a dinghy - and there he stayed for the whole length of our stay. We met up with Odette (Robyn Arthur's sister) and Warwick Thompson and had drinks with them on a couple of days. We had a very unusual - but quite pleasant - lady (Sue Bunce) park in the site behind us. She seemed to include in every conversation, "I'm not well you know. I've got M.E." and yet walked to the glow-worms at night, up the Pa, around the estuary leaving us with instructions to watch out for our return. On Christmas Day she took off to drive the Motu Road, and was quite late back. She began to tell us her story of heroic driving - except that Warwick and Odette used to farm up that way and were very familiar with the road. Sue moved on to tell her story to the people on E5 - and stayed one and a half hours.

Christmas dinner

Christmas dessert

We experienced a little bit of wet weather so I got into the jigsaw puzzle. Unfortunately I had forgotten by green mat and had to contend with the hole in the white table - covered it with a piece of white paper.

And here is the completed scene

We had a bit of ponding in the awning - which we fortunately solved before the big storm hit.

Lyn and Heather duly arrived and Carla and Craig came and camped on our site. The weather was nice and summery.

Me, Lyn, Craig, Carla, Heather

Carla and Craig left on Saturday the 30th and were replaced by friends from Gisborne, Sandie and Dave Mettrick. They were very impressed with the camping ground. Next day the guys went fishing

Sandie gives Dave some advice

Duncan cheeks his bait for the umpteenth time.

Dave manages to land a whale. We put it back to grow a bit more

On the way back from the fishing spot we see the kids sand building competition. Really good entries.

We had a joint dinner with some games in between courses (yes, of course, I was organising this)

Lyn, Dave and Sandie

Sandie, Heather, Duncan and Jude

Managed to stay up to mid-night and have a toast to 2018!!