Thursday, May 14, 2020

A wonderful day of firsts

Firstly, we dropped to alert level 2 today, we're still not out of the woods but we've certainly found the pathway out. Well done New Zealand, let's just keep kicking Covid-19's ass.
I feel very privileged to live in a country with a government that is putting it's people first, today's Budget did just that, many won't like it but if gets children out of poverty, people back to work and looks after the environment I'm all good with that.
The second first was confirmation of our being connected to Ultra Fast Broadband on Monday, it's the first time we've been able to get it, living in town has it's advantages.
Now for the third first! Well that was just something really special. We've been in New Zealand for just over 16 years and in that time we have never seen whales, I intend to remedy that. We knew that Orca, aka killer whales and not really whales at all but large dolphins, came into Raglan harbour occasionally hunting for stingray.
I belong to the local Facebook page and a post just simply said, 'Orca in the harbour'. I wasn't even dressed at that point but I flung on some clothes, jumped in the car and shot down to Lorenzen Bay as someone had posted they were heading that way. They were there but quite a distance away and I couldn't really see them. A little girl, who after telling me all about the cast that had come of her arm that morning, had attempted a jump on her scooter which ended badly, at the beginning of the lock down, it was very annoying and boring! she was all of six or seven years old..... anyhoo...she told me she saw the spray from the blowholes over there, where? there, next to the boat! Boat? What boat? And I had my zoom lens on!!
Finally I saw them and after a while they headed in our direction, phew, no more relying on a six year old to be my eyes.

Taken in Lorenzen bay, I've not edited them or taken any out, they're all here
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Then I went back to the car and drove to the bar, where the harbour entrance meets the sea,
the plan, to see them swim back out to sea




























Seeing them was just magical, someone said it was a blessing, I'm not religious but seeing the joy on everyone's faces certainly made it feel that way.

Joe was home early enough for us to take the dogs to the beach just as the sun was going down.








Take out fish and chips from the wharf was a perfect end to a perfect day