Pointers in Paradise - Jul/Aug 24

Whakaari steaming in the background

 On our way back to the Bay of Plenty we stopped off at a friends farm south of Auckland for a successful goat hunt to add some fresh wild meat to the freezer.

We were happy to be selected for a sit just outside of Whakatane on a hill overlooking the ocean.

View from the front deck

Here, we were to keep the very good company of a German Shorthaired Pointer, Ponga.

She took care of us so very well!  She walked us down the very long driveway and back every day.

She played with us on the front lawn.

She took us to the beach.

And was very happy to snuggle the evenings away with gay abandon!

Ponga also helped us take care of her chickens, ducks and geese.

We were also asked to feed the wild birds every day with a mix of fresh fruit and seeds.  We thoroughly enjoyed watching the tuis, kereru and sundry other species.

We had a few days to spare before our next sit and went to stay with friends on the outskirts of Whakatane.  We had a lovely time baking bread, sharing wonderful food ideas and walking the dog and horse at the nearby beach.

We also took the opportunity to spend the day at the Interschools Kapa Haka Competition in Kawerau.  We absolutely love this form of Maori art/dance and these kids put on an amazing display.

 

   Next we went to a sit on the Matata straights to hang out with a German Wirehaired Pointer, Willow.

Willow belongs to friends and we had met her once before.  What a ton of fun we had with her!  She romped us around her lifestyle block keeping an eye on the sheep and taking us on adventures at the neigbours.

And we took her to the beach for a spot of fishing and a romp around the sand dunes.  We didn't catch a lot, but nobody minded.  We all just enjoyed the opportunity to get out in the fresh air.

The cats, Belle and Sammy, welcomed us with a very special gift of their own.  Oh the joys of kitty sitting in the country!

They kept to themselves during the day, likely finding somewhere warm to sleep, coming out at night to take full advantage of some willing and able laps.

Life's tough alright!!!

 

Kitties galore - Jun 24

 

Back in Whakatane, we helped a friend to put on a Roller disco event for the local rainbow kids.  We had tons of fun, and so did the kids.

The rainbow team

James was the only one of us workers willing to give skating a go.  The rest of us were keen to leave in one piece.

We drove up to Auckland to look after our friends cats for a couple of weeks.  We split ourselves between two sits, James staying back in Whakatane to hang out with the usual crew while Ollie and Snow were away.

Ruby

Clare took the bus to Auckland, arriving with friends in Cleveland in good time to spend a couple of nights of re-bonding before they left for their holiday.  She also got to attend the retirement luncheon of an ex colleague, unexpectedly catching up with quite a few friends.

The cats at the house were so welcoming and lots of fun.  The weather was lovely and we enjoyed our indoor/outdoor flow including the spa pool!

Burmese Alfie (chocolate) and Tonkinese cross Tinkerbell

The gorgeous Lilly, aka fluffy bum

James soon arrived and everyone was more than happy with the extra lap space.

We also got to spend some time with Clare's neice and her daughter who came to stay for a few days.  We also visited with Clare's aunty north of the city.  Family time which was much appreciated by all!

Frenchies Downunder - May/Jun 2024

 

The always spectacular BOP

We had a few days to indulge some favourite hobbies before starting our next housesit in Matata.

Clare was an Aquarobics instructor in Whakatane for 20plus years with her fabulous friend, Sue.  They popped along to the pools together, for the first time in many years, to attend a class.

 James indulged his passion for fishing, supplying flounder from the local river.  He caught them by sight fishing and dropping a worm in front of their nose.  Far too subtle for mose kiwi fishermen, but very effective.  Delicious!

Of course, there is always sourdough bread to bake ....

Chocolate hazelnut babka

Turmeric and pumpkin seed

James got out and about cleaning up the town aka metal detecting his way through a few hours each day.

We arrived at our housesit in Matata to much excitement.  We had previously visited and had dinner with Lynne, Pete and their furries and knew exactly what we were in for.  And we were not the only ones who were VERY excited about the next couple of weeks.

Kaia and Magoo - so much personality in two
small(ish) packages

Freya, the matching (and longsuffering) kitty

We had so much fun with these two.  Each day we walked them separately around the hood.  Kaia, younger and in full health, got to go around the lagoon everyday, sometimes venturing over to the beach.  Magoo, who had a hip condition, got to go and check out his favourite sniffs around the local rugby field.  We established a routine from the first day, which settled everyone quickly.

This did not detract from the fun times to be had around the house.  Just love the way she goads him in this video.

We just loved these guys so much!  It was all in together at bedtime too ... five up, including Freya.  Lovely big comfy bed for just that reason.

We had a lovely view of the ocean.

James, of course, caught some fish.  Kaia and Magoo enjoyed the offcuts.  Freya turned her nose up, which is not that hard for her tee hee.

Kahawai fillets for smoking

And there were certainly plenty of cuddles to go round.

This was such a lovely housesit in so many ways.  Generous and charming hosts, engaging and fun pets and a location to die for.  Lucky us!!!

We then decamped to one of our regular sits in Thornton.  We spent a week with some of our favourite farm dogs.

Glitch and Joey

There's a housesitter under there somewhere!
Bella getting in on the fun.

Tux remembered us from last time and took no time to settle in with us.

We had a lovely time trotting out with the doggies in the misty winter atmosphere.