We went camping at Simpson’s beach for a couple of days over the weekend with my friend Robyn and her entire family. Our families used to go camping together when Robyn and I were kids. It was just like the old days, except 30 years later and the kids are the next generation.
They had a cool set up. Chris had his converted bus;
Robyn’s parents had their caravan with the cookers and banquet tables in the middle.
And the tents around the edge. Here’s our little tent next to our messy car.
They even had the facilities to bake a cheesecake for Peters birthday.
There was no power or toilet facilities so we made do with a solar shower tent and a portapotti tent. A bit like our parties at
Putney (except the toilet was emptied regulary so it didnt overflow!)
We went out in the boat fishing and caught loads of undersized snapper. Look at this pathetic thing that Mike caught!
I caught a Gurnard (a very pretty fish with wings that flys) and this was the only thing worth eating.
The second lot that went out caught 10 Kowhai (not fair). We smoked them and we ate them for dinner. YUM.
On Monday we drove up to Matarangi to play around in the surf. I tried the surf ski out on bigger waves but they were a bit dumpy. It was good for boogie boarding though.
Amigene said she had spotted sharks there last week, so I was on the lookout. We did see something black in the water, so the odds were is was a shark as there were 40 spotted the day before. pretty scary.
We all had a go in Chris’s land yacht, which he built for $600. The bought ones are $4000. It was loads of fun and a great way to see the beach.
There are more photos at: