Day 62, Level 1: (Sunday 9th August) Tranquil bays, wayward lambs, and home-baked bread

Today NZ ticked off 100 days of having no community transmission. There are 23 cases in managed isolation. There is no room for complacency. 

It was a lovely morning, although it had rained overnight. I spray-painted my little step stool (a deep chalky teal colour) and primed another small table from an old nest of tables. Stained and tatty, that, too, will become teal when the primer coat is complete, as will it's larger sibling. There's another table nest of 3, from the 1970s - it's brown and naff yet highly functional so has survived. These tables will also become teal in time but will require more prep work as they have nasty brown formica tops!

I decided I'd bake a loaf of bread today, so did the mixing of flour, salt, yeast and water, covered it in cling film and left it in the sun to prove while I headed out to do a few things. 

I wanted to get a laundry basket and a few bits from Snells Beach, a reasonably-sized seaside township not far away - it has The Warehouse (for those outside of NZ, it's the type of store that sells everything you can think of). 

But first, I felt like a stroll along a nice tranquil bay so drove onwards towards Martins Bay. En route, I saw the sign to Scandretts Regional Park - it's a place I've always wanted to visit but never have. Owned and run by the Council, I knew it had an historic farm, but really didn't know much else about it. Now was my chance to find out. 

So I turned onto the narrow dirt road and headed off on a little adventure. I had no idea whether Scandretts was a few kms away or many. I drove over the ridge, with the most magnificent views down to the bay, cows grazing by the side of the road and paddocks of sheep in all directions. In the event it took less than 10 minutes to get down to this gorgeous little bay.

Down at Scandretts Bay, I was intrigued to read of the pioneering Scandrett family who once lived here with 8 children. Generations lived here. The old homestead and associated barns and farm buildings became rather neglected during the 80s/90s but were purchased by the Council and have now been restored for the public to enjoy. The house itself was closed to the public today (presumably during winter) but, no matter, I had a wander around the gardens and a peek in some of the windows. Fascinating. What a spot! Situated a stone's throw from the water's edge, the homestead looks across the bay and, whilst living here would have been tough back in the day, in many ways it would have also been bliss - with this bay as your playground, and horses and animals on a small farm, it would have been relatively lovely back in the 1880s, compared to what some pioneering people endured. Supplies came by boat until a road was built in the late 1940s. So it was indeed remote for very many years. The homestead was also one of the very first houses built from concrete in NZ.

I walked along the beach, looking out to the various islands, and way across to the other little bays I'd explored a few weeks ago (Buckletons, Baddeleys, Campbells). Stunning.

This whole area is full of peninsulas, like long gnarled fingers jutting into the sea, and Scandretts Regional Park covers the point of this particular finger peninsula. In fact, the point where Scandretts lies looks like a human appendix! This "finger" topology accounts for the remoteness of many of these places, as you have to drive all the way along the various fingers to find the treasure. 

Map of Local area - Omaha to the north east (long spit).
Scandretts is south-east of Snells Beach on the same coastline - see the pointy appendix bit!?
The island to the east is Kawau Island. 

I am so utterly ashamed and disappointed that I have never visited this beautiful place before. But I guess it's because there are so many other beautiful places to visit and explore in the vicinity and when you have a pristine beach on your doorstep, just a few minutes walk away, and others much closer than Scandretts, you get a bit lazy about going further afield to enjoy other ones. Even though it's not far as the crow flies, the road is a winding one.

Oh how I enjoyed an hour or so wandering along this fabulous piece of coastline. It was 1 o'clock on a beautiful winter's Sunday - and there were about 6 people there! Truly. There are three little baches on the waterfront - you can rent them. They were occupied and the people were having a fine old lazy old Sunday with paradise outside their door. 

There were shags and gulls and dotterels and oyster catchers having fun in the sunshine. And even some ducks. I walked around the rocks to the very end where pohutukawa trees hung low and the cliff face rose high. There was a bit of a chilly breeze, but nothing to worry about. I had a windbreaker on and the sun was warm. It's winter. It was heavenly. 

Wandering along a bay like this is quite a different vibe to walking along an ocean beach like Omaha. There's a "pottering and tinkering" aspect to a bay (I'd almost call Scandretts a cove), whereas an ocean beach is more "high energy". Old man as opposed to young whipper-snapper. 

In fact, it reminded me a lot of Oban on Rakiura/Stewart Island - tranquil, special, remote but civilised, with the most glorious light reflecting off the sand and sea. The natural colours of nature at their best.  

When I'd had my fill (I could have stayed all day), I headed over to Martins Bay, which is the bay on the other side of the appendix. But first, I thought I'd better head to the loo - well, what a treat the Scandretts public loo is! A wooden building kind of camouflaged into the hillside, it's quite striking in its own right. Clean, airy, accessibility-friendly and one of the nicest remote loos I've ever been in! It was a long-drop - but cleaner and fresher than most public loos and way better than most pub loos!  

Scandretts - I adore you, and I will return! 

And then, onto Martins Bay. It's been too long since I was here and I was looking forward to enjoying its splendour and isolation again.

As I drove up the ridge, a flock of sheep was being herded from one paddock to another on the other side of the road. I came to halt towards the brow of the hill, and watched with amusement as mama sheep looked out for their wayward baa-lambs who had no idea where to go. It was utter chaos. The lambs were romping and baa-ing and leaping in all directions with their parents chasing them this way and that trying to get them to go in the right direction. Sheep were all over the road! I couldn't see any farmer or sheepdogs doing any rounding up and the lambs weren't listening to mama sheep. Instead they were bounding towards my car, trying to hurl themselves through the wire fence but the gap wasn't wide enough and generally running amok whilst baa-ing madly. They couldn't spot the open gate just a couple of metres further up the road!

It was hysterical but, at the same time, I was rather alarmed and put my window down to call out to those little lambs stuck roadside and try to cajole them towards the open gate. All they did was romp  and bound and boing and run amok even more! 

Then the [female] farmer came along and I knew all would be well, so on I drove. This used to be a common occurrence on NZ roads - slow down and stop for a flock of sheep crossing the road. Sometimes it could take 10-15 minutes. Today the whole spectacle is a rarity. I loved it!

It was like stepping back decades.

Actually, this whole Scandretts experience was like stepping back a century!

Lambs running amok!

Martins Bay was in top form today - and no one there! I spotted 6 people and a dog. It was 2pm on a sunny Sunday. The tide was at a stage where the light bounced beautifully. The islands out to sea are a spectacular backdrop. Tranquility at its best. 

There is a large campground here (very few houses) but you'd never know it, the caravans and tents are tucked away over yonder. It really is a best kept secret. 

I only spent a couple of hours at these two bays - but talk about therapy for the soul! Oh how I loved my wee adventure. I headed back to Omaha smiling and enriched.

I called into The Warehouse and got my laundry basket. And a few other things besides - including another $39 Dyson-style vacuum cleaner (for home) - as well as one for a friend who was keen on one when I told her about them! Also a stock up on Wispa bars - my favourite, but you cannot buy them in any shop or supermarket or dairy. Always my fave choc bar in London - made by Cadbury, but hard to find in NZ. Available at Snells Beach Warehouse - in bulk. Bulk is good, but also dangerous!

Back to Omaha - and it was starting to rain as I got home. Damn, I was planning to finish my spray painting, but no good with misty rain swirling around. Finished making my bread - see below.

Had a great catchup with friend Lyn in Dorset tonight - chatted away about all sorts and lamented we weren't on each other's doorsteps. Alas, it may be some time before we can see each other in person - but thank goodness for technology ... it means we can natter and chatter and chuckle to our heart's content across the miles. And muse on what a strange old world we live in.. 

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Hearty home-made bread ...

Once I got home I tended to my bread which had doubled in size nicely sitting out on the sheltered sunny deck while I was out. A few folds over and over (this is a no-knead recipe) and then into the oven. I'd used plain and wholemeal flour, and thrown some pumpkin seeds on top. 

Slice, add butter, heaven!

What a truly heavenly Sunday I had today - sunny skies, beautiful deserted bays, and fresh hot home-made bread and butter!