Back to the future

Hey, it ain’t all bad with this doleful person. 

I slept last night.  That’s a good sign.  Intermittently, but slept better than I have done for a long time without the aid of sleeping tablets.  So it’s a good day.  It’s a lovely day.  Not too hot, not too cool.  

Have done a seriously steep bush walk this morning, down to a most glorious beach.  Met a full faced tattooed man on the track on the way down.  He was running up.  Quite a feat if you could have seen the narrow, winding and seriously steep track.  I was having trouble going down and wondered at my foolhardiness for doing so and not letting anyone know where I was.  And this solid Maori fellow comes bounding along looking as though he’s in serious training for the coming rugby season.  It was a “phoo-nah” moment.  I was impressed.

Chuckled afterwards though; as am sure that had I not had some native heritage in me and some understanding of things Maori, meeting up with the tattooed man in the middle of the bush with no one around would have scared the bejesus out of any other female pakeha stroller.

He was lovely.  We exchanged a few words.

Down on the beach, there was no one there when I first put foot on sand.  A beautiful coved beach on the other side, the southern side, of Hicks Bay beach.  Wonderful stroll along and minor jog for all of 20 seconds before my body said, “Yeah, nah.”

On the way back along the beach met a local lady, Paula, with her dog.  That was weird.  It’s the East Coast, it’s Ruatoria country, it’s Maori sovereignty country, and Paula who was in her 50’s and clearly tangata whenua, had a Pomeranian dog!

We chatted.  It was nice.  My first real chat with anyone for days.  We chatted for a good half hour.  On this beautiful beach, with no one else except the Pomeranian dog.

Turns out Paula knows someone I know.  Turns out Paula went to Bruce Springstein and is returning for The Rolling Stones.  Turns out her husband is a local crayfisherman.  Turns out lots of other things; we had a delightful half hour.  She told me to stay.  I was tempted.

But. Am leaving Hicks Bay today.  I love this place.  There is almost nothing here but it is full of everything interesting.

Today has a good destination though, going to spend time tonight with a couple of lovely friends so that calling is great as figure it’s time to enjoy other peoples company.  Talking to Paula confirmed that.  Especially special people.  So Whakatane is the destination today. 

Supposed to be home tonight and massaging a fine set of legs.  Am hoping dear friend Shelley can contact Terry today to let him know the beer and hugs, and knuckle in calves will have to be put on hold for a few more days. 

Interesting place Hicks Bay, should have spent one less day on the coast and 1 or 2 more nights here. 

Guess there is a double reason for my finding this place and today brighter than the past few days.  I have travelled the roads that Tony and I never travelled together over the past week.  Walked some walks we never walked together.  Seen some sights we never shared together. But we have both been to Hicks Bay, together.

Not just the two of us, but he, me and Mattie.  Indeed, that will tell some that it must have been a few years ago.  It would have been late January or early February as Tony and I were camping at Te Kaha, on one of our annual 2 week Ironman training weekends somewhere different.  Mattie had come down to train with us and the 3 of us cycled from Te Kaha to Hicks Bay and back.  It was quite a cycle.  Yesterday as I steered the car along the Hicks Bay shore front that the 3 of us had cycled along, I could visualise us and our bikes, stopping at the one and only store in the bay and buying something refreshing for ourselves for our rest stop.  An ice cream each, if I recall correctly.

The visualisation was nice. Not negative.  It felt good.  I had hit the point of the road, the meeting point, the junction where the two of us had travelled together.  It feels like I have done the full circle and it feels good.  And feels right to head home now.  I think I can handle the rest of the roads back to the city over the next couple of days without the forlornness of the past two weeks.

No doubt I will be gobsmacked by the roads we had cycled.  It is jolly hilly up here in this part of the country.  Very big and long hills.  Lots of tail gaiting trucks too.  Big ones. 

Anyway, could ramble for hours on this place and this journey, but figure it’s late morning and time to get off this bar stool in this dark bar, pack the car, head down the tar sealed road and look forward to the future.

I’m coming future.