Week 8 Omaha River Retreat

After the school holidays it was a time for rest and relaxation and a time to recharge our batteries! We spent the weekend just enjoying life here in our beautiful surroundings. The weather was good and I spent time, on Saturday and Sunday, sitting down by the wharf reading my book. I usually take the short but steep path down there and return the longer way by the estuary and then a short walk through the natural bush before rejoining the path up to the barn.
I went shopping, to New World in Warkworth, on Monday morning. After 15 years of shopping in Leclerc in France it feels quite a treat to have access to things that I miss when we are there. Sliced bread, pies, bacon, cheddar cheese and golden syrup to name but a few! We are though missing the various duck products and the free range, maize fed chickens that we get back home.

By Tuesday I was feeling revitalised and in the afternoon we went to Ti Point, about a kilometre away as the crow flies but a few more by road. We had never been here before despite its proximity to our home and we were pleased to find such a beautiful place. We left the car at the end of the road, by the boat ramp, and followed the footpath signs. It was an interesting walk at times along the side of the ocean and at times climbing up the hill into the bush, taking care on the narrow and slippery path and watching our for the roots of the huge and ancient Pohutakawa trees. We turned back after an hour or so and retraced our steps always looking out at splendid views to the ocean, the estuary and the harbour of Whangateau (pronounced Fong a tea ow!)

On Wednesday I managed to persuade Nigel to go for a horse ride on Pakhiri Beach.http://www.horseride-nz.co.nz/index.html The long beach and the white sand dunes are so beautiful and much easier to explore on horseback even on just a short one hour ride. Although Nigel rode as a child he hasn't done much riding since. A short ride on Chippie back in Devon and the last time in Ariege when Galaxy soon decided that she had had enough of him and dumped him on the ground! It's an interesting drive to Pakhiri, the first bit after the village of Leigh climbs steeply up the hills on a tar sealed road. Then the drive down to the beach is on a steep gravel road where there is much evidence of landslips.
As we were waiting to be allotted our mounts we chatted to Lee and Jackie and Lee's daughter Annika who had come up from Auckland. They were very pleasant and as they had forgotten their camera I took photos for them and will e mail them to them later in the week. Nigle was allotted Phantom but after 5 minutes or so he was asked to change to Missy a solid looking bay mare. I was given Pinky, aptly named as she had a pink nose and was a very light strawberry roan -more grey than chestnut. Eventually everyone was mounted and we set off towards the beach fording a river and riding through the dunes. There was only a couple and there dog on the beach which stretches for miles. The sea was pretty rough and the waves were pounding the beach as we walked along, in single file at the water's edge. After half an hour we left the beach and rode up into the dunes. We then split up into 2 groups, the walkers and the "canterers". They don't normally canter on the beach as the horses tend to race each other but on the dunes it is easy to stay on the paths in single file. It was just Lee, Jackie, Annika and I who went with the canter group but, sadly, Annika wasn't very confident and soon asked to stop so we had to walk back the rest of the way. Back at the stables I was reunited with Nigel who had enjoyed his ride but had been somewhat hindered by the person in front of him who had difficulty stopping his horse from grazing as he went along.
 I dismounted and Pinkie was lead away but then our guide came back with her and said would I like to go, with her, for a canter along the beach to make up for the lack of one in the dunes. So I mounted again and set off once more for the beach. Pinkie, although looking quite unprepossessing, had been a good forward going ride and as we neared the beach I felt that she was looking forward to having a canter. The guide, a really friendly, chatty girl from Auckland, said just get on the hard sand and let her go, if you want to stop steer her towards the dunes. She had barely finished speaking when Pinkie, displaying an unsuspected turn of hoof, took off like a bat out of hell along the beach. There's not much one can do at a time like that apart from enjoy the speed and the freedom of the sand stretching out in front of one. All too soon I saw the entry to the dunes looming up ahead of us and by standing up in the stirrups and heaving with all my might I managed to turn her towards the softer sand of the dunes which soon slowed her down. The couple with the dog that we had seen previously were lying at the edge of the beach and seemed somewhat shocked to see this aged woman hurtling towards them at such a speed!I haven't been that fast, on horseback, since my hunting days! We made our way, back through the dunes, more sedately to the stables where Nigel was waiting with some trepidation and was pleased to see me arrive unscathed. The adrenalin was still coursing through me and I was so pleased that I had been able to cope with the thrill of the headlong gallop.
I had planned, the next day, to ride out with Rachel but, perhaps fortuitously, she called to say that she wasn't feeling well and could we delay our ride until next week. Although I would have gone had she been OK I felt that bearing in mind the state of my bones after the previous day that it was a good thing to delay our ride. Nigel and I went into Warkworth to take Jill's car for it's warrant (MOT) and had a walk around the town and by the river before having a big breakfast at the Kowhai Dairy which is fast becoming one of our favourite haunts for a brunch in town.
On Friday afternoon we went to the Matakana Cinema to see "The Exotic Marigold Hotel" a film which we both enjoyed before going into Warkworth to pick up the car. Rob called in for a couple of hours on his way home from work, a good end to our week.
More photos on https://picasaweb.google.com/104448180741806380792