Going Home

We had to vacate the apartment by 10:00 so were up fairly early to tidy up, get the luggage etc down the 27 steps and to load the bikes on the bike carrier. Loading the bikes takes a while since they weigh 25kg+ each and have to be well secured before starting off. 

We had arranged to meet our very good friend Jane Maxwell for lunch at the Chesil Rectory in Winchester. Those of you who know Winchester will be aware that parking is not easy and is tightly regulated. The nearest car park to the Chesil Rectory is a multi storey and Ray definitely did not like the idea of negotiating its narrow bays and sharp turns with 2 bikes on the back of the X3! A decision was taken to use the "Park & Ride" to the east of Winchester and this worked well.

As we were ahead of schedule, we took the bus into the centre, had a coffee and cake and then took the opportunity to visit M&S where Jane had a similar idea and we met with her at the checkout.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Chesil Rectory which is a very traditional restaurant and all the better for it! Jane dropped us off and the Park & Ride and of we drove to Rackham where we arrived home at 15:45. Overall a very enjoyable weekend and Ray was delighted with his cycling progress

Sunday 10th Sunshine and ponies

Sunday lived up to its name and we set off on our bikes to explore more of the New Forest. The first section was quite hilly and the LLW had a quiet complain that e-bikes would not do all of the work!

We cycled through Hungerford, Hyde and Frogham before turning south back to South Gorley and New Town where we visited Hockey's Farm Shop which was a hive of activity. We enjoyed coffee and cakes whilst lots of children were entertained in the menagerie and aviaries. 

Eventually we ended back at our local, The Royal Oak, where we sat outside in the warm sunshine and enjoyed watching the ponies graze.

Time to head back to our apartment and put our feet up for a while. Ray was very happy with his progress in cycling since this was by far the longest distance he has cycled since late August 2025.

Both exploring on our e-bikes

Saturday 9th May, was very sunny and warm and after a good breakfast of boiled eggs and coffee we both set off on our e-bikes. The plan was firstly to head north into Fordingbridge to have a look around and to acquire a couple of items needed. As with so many towns now, Fordingbridge is looking a bit sad with lots of shops closed. Nevertheless, it was quite busy.

Having bought the few items needed we cycled south along a lovely country lane and arrived at an area of lakes on both sides of the road. We stopped at a bird hide, occupied by two avid bird watchers with very fancy binoculars and telescopic camera lenses! I spotted, tufted ducks, shell ducks, mallards and the ubiquitous coots but overall it was relatively quiet.

On the way back we stopped at a farm shop and the LLW decided that sausage rolls were required. A local pub beckoned and we ate our sausage rolls in the garden and enjoying the lovely warm sunshine.

By now we were both feeling tired, Ray because this is by far the furthest he has cycled since the Achilles episode and Rosemary has also done very little cycling recently.

Ray was keen to watch the ladies Rugby with England playing Italy in Parma. A comfortable win for the red roses but Ray was of the opinion that improvement is needed if England are to beat the French next weekend.

Arrived at Bickton Mill

On Friday 8th May, we had a very straightforward journey from Rackham to Ringwood but finding the local Waitrose was a little tricky! However, having found it the parking was even trickier. Parking with two e-bikes on the back of the car is never easy but this Waitrose car park was quite small and very narrow in places. Having sorted that out, the LLW headed off to the store to obtain the requirements for the weekend.

The journey to Bickton mill was short and very easy so in no time we were parked outside our appartment block.

We knew that there were 27 steps up to the apartment and this required 3 ups and downs to offload all that was needed.

The bikes were taken off, the carrier stowed in the boot, the bikes parked in a garage belonging to our apartment and we were soon enjoying a cup of tea and doughnuts!

Ray decided to go for a short ride and was surprised to discover that the New Forest National Park started on the eastern side of the A338 which runs north from Ringwood to Fordingbridge and beyond to Salisbury. Having crossed the main road it was immediately easy and quiet country cycling only interrupted by a few cattle and rather more New Forest ponies. It was a beautiful evening and the countryside looked stunning.

Back at Bickton Mill, Ray was stunned that instead of showing calories expended, his bike computer, showed a message saying "do you realise that was less than half a doughnut".

There was no alternative but to head back up the stairs and open a bottle of red!

Bickton Mill

As you may recall we are members of Holiday Property Bond (HPB) and they have a tenancy programme in addition to the properties they own. We liked the look of a new addition to the tenancy programme which is in a converted water mill on the Hampshire Avon, named Bickton Mill so Ray booked it tout de suite!

We are off there for a 3 night stay on Friday 8th May and taking our e-bikes. This is the first real cycling  test of Ray's repaired Achilles tendon so we will take it gently.

The site is south of Fordingbridge and north of Ringwood and is very close to the New Forest National park.

Tuesday 31st: Gisborne

 The two nights in Hastings proved to be a big success. The sun shone most of the time, its was warm and no rain in sight.

Ray had a good ride through the vineyards and even managed a couple of short but steep hills.

The weather and traffic updates were consulted and it seems that the worst of the weather has now moved to Northland. The decision was taken to drive further north up the east coast and we have booked for two nights in Gisborne, or Gizzie to the locals. The drive was slow in parts with some windy roads up and down mountains. We stopped in Wairoa for our customary flat whites. It was unusual as there seemed to be a total absence of tourists, apart from us.

We settled in to our sea front camp site and whilst fairly cloudy, it is very warm. Ray went off for a cycle ride and found the statue to Captain Cook who made his first landfall in NZ at Gizzie. Ray was also instructed to check out the propose dinner venue - an Indian restaurant named Bollywood Star.

The restaurant was pronounced suitable and we had a walk along the seafront before enjoying a very good meal. The LLW was particularly impressed by the Okra and Peshawari Naan

We will continue to review the traffic and weather updates but currently plan to spend another 6/7 days south of Auckland before making the journey to Northland.

Sunday 29th: Hastings - a Monsoon!

 It was certainly a good idea to have a cycle ride on Friday as it started raining shortly after I returned to the camp site. This was not any rain, it was sub tropical rain and we heard about the flooding in Auckland, and  realised that this was coming our way. I'm sure you will all have seen the reports of the dreadful flooding in Auckland but the rainfall was quite extraordinary. They experienced 26.7 cm (10.5 inches in old money) of rain in 24 hours which is the highest quantity ever experienced in NZ. This is even more extraordinary since parts of Fjordland (around Te Anau and Manapouri on the west coast of the south island are amongst the wettest places on earth.

To put it in context with West Sussex, Amberley's wettest month is November and the average rainfall for November is 11cm or 4.3 inches. Auckland experienced 2.5 times that amount in one day.

Very sadly lives have been lost and a national emergency has been declared.

There was no alternative but to hunker down and we were, and are, very comfortable in our Motor Home. Hawkes Bay is known to have the best overall climate in NZ so I guess we are in a good place. It rained, rained and rained - not just torrential but monsoon like. The biggest issue was that the camp site was becoming waterlogged and Ray was becoming concerned about our ability to drive the Motor Home out.

Regular checks were made on the weather, and the roads, and we concluded that it was sensible to stay a few more days in the area. However, we decided to move to another site in Hastings 20 minutes south of Napier where there is a good site in parklands and which is very close to the centre and therefore all of the facilities. Our site north of Napier is a good one, but it is very close to the beach and exposed to Pacific weather.

Ray studied the forecast and rain was predicted to stop around 3 am with a much brighter morning. The decision was taken to leave about 09:30 which would have given a few hours for water to drain away. When awoke, we were very surprised at how much had drained away and getting out looked promising.

After extensive consultation with some charming and very helpful Maori ladies, it was decided that the best option was to reverse out across 30/40 feet of fairly waterlogged grass. Ray had little choice but to agree to execute the plan and the LLW joined the Maori ladies in pointing and shouting as the 8M long and very heavy Motor Home lumbered backwards. Miraculously it worked and Cara was soon on terra firma. We waved goodbye to our new found Maori friends and tentatively headed out on the the Napier/Hastings expressway to travel the few miles south.  We had heard horror stories about the state of the roads but this particular road was in excellent condition, in spite of considerable flooding in the fields to either side, it was clear of water apart from one roundabout which had one lane closed.

In no time at all we were in Hastings and first port of call was Countdown to stock up for a day or so. The restocking was quickly completed and dinner tonight is roast chicken with a very nice pinot noir. The camp site was only 5 minutes away and as you can see it looks very serene. We had a short cycle ride through the park and are now settled down with an aperitif.

I will report tomorrow on the weather outlook and what our plans are next!