The Weather has settled into a nice pattern, raining every 4th or 5th day for a solid day, but otherwise a pleasant mix of sun and clouds. It is very windy here, a "southerly" breeze that blows off the Tasman Sea. But whereas it was cold and raw when we arrived in winter, Spring has been very temperate, mid-60s during the day, mid-50s at night, and the house is the right temp such that we rarely need a fire. So a pretty typical Spring as we understand it.
Our gardens continue to produce tons of silver beet (swiss chard), lettuce, kale and cabbage. I have planted tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers but the wind is not their friend, so they are not yet thriving. Our citrus trees have stopped yielding fruit, but the pear and plum trees are budding, so we are hopeful for that.
Jen had a terrible cold last week : ( which put a dent in her fitness plans. She had been working out and lifting weights very regularly at a local gym, and also doing some running, all before work.
She and Kendra went backpacking two weekends ago in the Ruahine Forest Park - a mountainous area that runs through the south central part of the north Island - and hiked in to a primitive hut at the top of the tussock in the park. I hope they will blog about that soon. The highlights were the views, and the lowlights were the crying baby in the middle of the night, and worse, the "world's loudest snorer". They were a little bitter and sleep deprived when they returned.
Lauryn and Lindsay continue to play soccer for the local "reps" team. Lauryn was able to try out to make the regional NZ team at her age group, and made it! (There was no regional team at Lindsay's age group.) So, Lauryn moves on to phase two - which is one team comprised of the central part of the north island - the Taranaki area (New Plymouth), Hawke's Bay and Gisborne on the East coast, and Wanganui and Palmerston North. There are now seven regional teams for all NZ in this Phase 2 - Auckland, Northlands, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, one for the entire South Island, and then Lauryn's team (Central Football). She will play with this regional team from now through April, at which point they select a national federation pool of players. She just played in her first regional weekend yesterday, and the level of play is very high and very pleasing to watch.
Lindsay is really enjoying her local school, Carlton. I recently blogged about the Tough Kids Challenge. On the heels of that, they also had their version of field day - 50 Meter sprint, a half km run, long jump, high jump, shot-put, and a long throw. She finished first in all the running/jumping competitions, but the force was not strong with her in the throwing comps. This Tuesday she goes to the city-wide competition for this event.
Kendra just completed the Insanity workout video series, a twelve week set of 6 or 7 per week videos that seem to be quite painful and difficult. I say "seem to be" because I have not participated but rather just watched and supported. Very proud of Kendra!
I continue to cook, golf, keep things organized, and do a little fishing. I have started to catch some kahawai at the river mouth of the Wanganui River, right at the Tasman Sea. Kahawai is the term given the Australian salmon here in NZ, and is a good sized (4-6 pound) and excellent fighting fish. From wikipedia...
Kahawai is the traditional maori name which when translated means "brave" or "strong" (kaha) water (wai). This in reference to the kahawi's tendency to jump and fight when caught. In New Zealand it is often caught in abundance at river mouths and is a highly popular sports fish that is widely regarded to "punch above its weight" in terms of challenge to land.
It can often be caught on a spinning or surf casting reel, although it is not unheard of for fishermen to use lighter lines and fly fishing rods for a real challenge.
Full disclosure: I used the surf casting reel, with a large spinner and treble hook, and I long cast and then reel in. The fish are striking a swift moving target on the surface of the water. When they strike, they typically head down but then come back to surface and jump. Its pretty exhilarating.
The first time I got one up and on land - I am casting off of a crude kind of pier, and after tiring the fish (and myself) out, I had to swing the fish overhead and flop it down on the pier - this maori guy asked me whether i knew what to do next (I must have looked at a loss...) So he walked over, grabbed my fish and ripped its throat out from between its gills, and then snapped its head back and "bled the fish" out upside down. He also pulled out the guts, and, wiping his hands on his pants, went back to fishing. That took him about 15 seconds.
I proceeded to catch another one right away, and realizing I was under pressure to perform...tried my best to mimic what he had done and indeed ripped out its throat and snapped its head back and bled it out (though I didn't gut it the way he had - a bit much with bare hands for me). It was not that easy, but made me feel a bit tougher, even though it probably took me 3 minutes. There was thankfully no comment from the peanut gallery. I then spared my pants, went down to the ocean and washed off my hands, and then drove home. Here I am with my catch...(note my awesome gumboots)
Anyway, at home I filleted them and we had more than enough meat for a couple dinners. They are a very tasty fish, firm but not too strong a flavor. So far we have crumbed and fried them in oil, and also lightly fried them in butter and lemon after my second successful outing. They would also be good grilled or smoked, or oven baked. I am hoping for a good catch this Wednesday and then to throw them into fish packets with rice and swiss chard and an Asian sauce.
As we head into Thanksgiving week, we are thinking of our friends and family! We are inviting 20 or so people over Sunday for a football game and then a feast (Thursday is a regular work day of course!)
Happy Thanksgiving!
