Papamoa

The week started out like any other, shows , fun , hot, Busy etc… We had no idea of the disaster about to strike.

This year Riley’s (RJ) birthday theme was superheroes! Everyone dressed up (except Riley, he doesn’t like dressing up) and watched the new Wonder woman movie. It was super! (ha,ha!)

On Monday we checked into Opal hot springs. That day we all walked up to the top of Wairere falls. See last years blog for info and views of this waterfall, North islands highest. I was very proud of my brothers because last time they only walked half way to the top. Well done boys! Dad and I stayed the night up there under the stars.

I love tramping, it always makes me feel peaceful. We walked back down to the car park the next morning. Mum and the boys picked us up and took us to the hot pools.

Here’s just a couple of the insects I found in the pool.

I had been looking forwards to soaking in the hot pools and was enraged when I found out that the pools had not been cleaned and was filled from side to side with all manner of insects. From Wasps to Crickets to Beetles. I stormed up to the office and asked the lady at the desk for someone to clean the pool. She said “Sorry honey but there’s no one available.”  “Well do you at least have a net so I can clean it myself?” I fumed “No sweet-pea we have nothing.” Sweet-pea yourself I thought as I stormed back to the pools, and there sitting in the corner was a net on a long pole! I picked it up and started cleaning the pool. Soon my arms got tired and there was still millions of insects in the pool. I ran back home crying, to lie in bed and read my book.

The next morning we got up excitedly to go have a hot soak before breakfast. When we got there the pools were empty, and being cleaned! More fuming and cursing the lady at the desk.

We headed for New Plymouth and just as we were nearing Otrahonga a hideous hissing sound and lots of steam erupted in the cab of the truck! I tiny air hose had burst! Dad fixed it and an hour later we were on our way again.

It was pouring with rain and we were just about to hit the west coast when Mum got a phone call from her sister Ellie saying that her Dad Rod had died of a heart attack on his farm. She was very sad and cried a lot, we all did. It was such a shock! We turned around and set out for Taupo arriving at dinner time. We spent a stormy night in Taupo only to wake up and find the road to Napier was closed with flooding. It opened at 3pm. We then sped to Roz’s (Rods partner) house in Hastings.

Mum, Dad the Boys and I went to see Granddad in his room, he looked so peaceful and comfortable in his silken coffin. I miss him.

On Friday all the cousins played while the adults prepared for the funeral.

A very eventful and sad week. Bye.

 

Ohope

Ohope beach is abundant with soft sand, views of White island and a fun playground.

Mum was not there, so I helped Dad in the shop a lot. That weekend I did two magic shows a day since we weren’t doing our family circus.

On the Saturday night the grounds flooded and six inches of water went flowing through our shop and the rest of the Extravaganza. It had all soaked away by the time I had woken up.

Mels , Jonas and the Ducklings (the nick name for the crew that travel with Mels and Jonas) were away at Splore festival. With them was the stage ,cafe and ice cream shop, so since there was a spare slot, a local real fruit ice cream truck joined us for the weekend. Yay!

On Monday we walked to a beach north of Ohope, We took a rotten watermellon.

Later we went to Pikowai campground (one of our favorite spots) and waited for Mum to come back. She arrived laden with chocolate mice, ducks and frogs, my favorite! At Pikowai there is a sand bank which we played on for hours, pushing each other off and sliding down.

Tuesday saw us on our way to Madame Feathers tea party in Te puke. We sat and drank dainty cups of tea, ate delicate slices and remembered Madame Feather whilst listening to Leonard Cohen, her favorite singer. Madame Feather was a well loved Gypsy, rest in peace Madame Feather.

I took some beautiful close up shots at Madame Feathers tea party.

Thursday we stayed at Motiti reserve in Papamoa.

Early the next morning we setup on the grounds. That was a nice family week. Bye!

 

Tauranga

I can do the shows! We found out that I could do everything in the shows apart from the hoop. Yay! Poor Mum having to do a pole solo by her self in the boiling heat. Secretly I was pleased that I didn’t have to do the hoop, because performing in the heat is grueling.

Because my thumb was so sore from the bike crash, I had to throw Dads juggling knives with my left hand. Unfortunately he caught the sharp point of one in the webbing between his fingers, leaving a deep, fleshy, gross hole! Poor Dad!

Finally it didn’t rain!!! Wow! O.M.G! Incredible!!

We parked for three days at Plumbers point, schooling, harvesting Avocados and playing with Tiwai and Lettie.

On Wednesday Mum left for Queenstown to M.C Miss pole dance New Zealand, and teach Yoga at the N.Z summer pole camp. She would be gone for five days so Dad, the boys and I would have to fend for ourselves!

I have been pleading with Dad for months for a real fruit ice cream. Finally the planets aligned and he actually stopped at a real fruit ice cream shop. I was in heaven!

Some of the Gypsies suggested the looking glass gardens for a visit. So we went to check them out. Google maps took us on an adventure, up a steep, winding, gravel road with low hanging trees and imminent slips. People had to reverse so that we could get past. We finally ended up at the looking glass gardens.

The looking glass gardens are an assortment of fairy tale and nursery rhymes displayed as statues, structures and installations all set in many acres of sloping forested landscape. It was wonderful! Apart from Dad playing a nasty trick on me. There is a huge flight of steps running from top to bottom of the garden. Dad walked down half way to look at a structure to see if it was interesting. He called out to say it was great and I should come down. It turned out to be a simple roof to rest out of the sun. Sweating my way back up the steps, I was not impressed as you will see in the video.

 

New Zealands own Stonehinge

Pikowai campground was our host for Wednesday and the fair-grounds in Ohope for Thursday night. Then it was setup. With Mum away, Dad and myself would be doing all the work.

Well that all from me for now. Bye!

 

 

Hamilton

Frogs! Frogs! Frogs! The one good thing about the fact that it was raining, still was all the ting green frogs hopping around. The Gypsy kids filled buckets with water, grass sticks and stones making habitats for the frogs that they caught. Mine was sir hops-a-lot. Can you see my handsome prince in the image above? Look closely. Thanks Julia!

 

The best part was… we actually didn’t get stuck!!! I know your probably clapping your hands and saying “Wow” with a touch of sarcasm in your voice, but I mean really it was “Wow!”

There’s a card game called Magic, its all the rage on the Extravaganza and I finally learnt how to play! Its very complicated. On Monday Mum and I went to get a deck for me. That’s when she got the phone call… saying that her Dad, my Granddad had Cancer and would have to be put on Chemotherapy! So she sped off to Auckland to go see him, leaving Dad, the boys and I going the opposite direction, to Rotorua.

We met up with my Cousins Dominic and Samantha and my Aunt Daniela and Uncle Brent at a holiday park in Rotorua.

My cousin Samantha. So cute.

We stayed there with them for three nights. It had three hot pools and one big “cold pool” which was really very warm.

On the Tuesday we visited Wakarewarewa the living Maori thermal village. They actually live on a geothermal field with steam vents, boiling hot mud pools and crystal clear murderous waters where they cook their Kai (food).  We enjoyed sweetcorn cooked this way. Occasionally a geyser bursts from the ground inside someones house, forcing the residents to abandon house. Maori have lived there since early times.

Awesome hosts, beautiful songs and dance.

The next day Dad persuaded us to go for a walk in the pouring rain through the red-woods. I got soaked It was horrible! But I have to admit very beautiful. Afterwards we quickly jumped into the hot pool back at camp to warm up. mmmmm!

Mountain biking was our next adventure for the week, at the Rotorua mountain biking park. We had so much fun until I fell off going down a very steep bumpy root covered hill. There was an ear splitting scream, then I realized it was mine! I had sprained my thumb and heavily grazed my elbow and knee, Owww! I had to walk my bike all the way back to the car-park from the middle of the humongous bike park. I was not impressed.

Next we moved off to Tauranga. I wonder if I will be able to perform in our shows this weekend? Oh well. Bye!

Orewa

“Rain rain go away, come back another day!” Orewa trickled in by dribs and drabs, wielding umbrellas and raincoats. Very brave of them!

Needless to say  Orewa was not our best fair. We got stuck in the mud again on our way out. And again a tractor had to help us.

We spent Monday at Orewa beach drawing mazes and playing in the sand, it was lovely! On the way back to Mim Dallas found a baby bird, but he had to let it go, so he cried, a lot!

Most of the other Gypsies headed to Hamilton, we went back to Auckland and stayed with the cousins again. On Tuesday we went to the Zoo and bug exhibition with my cousin Elsa. At the bug exhibition my favorite part was the Orchid Mantis dome and the Dragon fly dome. The huge model bugs were made by Weta workshop. An Orchid Mantis camouflages itself in beautiful Orchids and pounces on unsuspecting prey as it drinks nectar from the flowers. Dads favorite is the Jewel wasp, who when ready to lay its eggs, finds a cockroach, stings the part of its brain that controls its front legs so it can’t run away. It then does brain surgery on the cockroach removing its urge to run away, pretty much Zombiefying it. It then lays its egg on the cockroaches leg, so when the egg hatches, the larvae feasts on the living cockroach, leaving the vital organs until last to keep it fresh. Soooo disgusting! Yet fascinating. The Zoo was incredible too.

The next day we went wholesale crystal and fairy shopping. Crystal shopping makes me feel tired and starving because of all the crystal energy in the atmosphere.

My uncle Matt is the right man to stay with if your starving, he’s an amazing cook. Feeling well fed we headed for Hamilton and setup.

More rain on the way!

Auckland Anniversary weekend.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Ahh! I got shot… With a Nerf bullet! We had a massive Nerf war at the Extravaganza in Auckland. It was a hot and busy three dayer. Because the weekend was three days instead of the usual two day fair, we had a shorter week off, three days to be exact.

We spent two days at Shelly beach where we had another failed fishing attempt and only caught a small hammer head shark. It was useless to us but fascinating to see. We let it go.

On Wednesday night was the super moon, Blue moon, Blood moon eclipse! A super moon is where the moon becomes 14% bigger. A blue moon is when there are two full moons in a month. A blood moon is when the moon appears red and an eclipse is when the Earth gets between the sun and the moon so the moon is in the moons shadow. All this happens together every 150 years. The last time it happened was in 1866. Unfortunately it just had to be raining and cloudy so not many people in New Zealand got to see it.

The next day due to the super moon causing high tides and the wind and rain causing waves, the sea came right up the bank and onto the grass beside us. It was scary!

Super moon high tide at Shelly beach. Partial finger eclipse.

That evening we went to Puhoi to met up with Tiwai, Lette and Simone for dinner at the Puhoi pub. I love pub food, meat and chips!

That night I danced in the rain, thunder and lightning, got soaking wet and had lots of fun!

The next day we headed for Orewa to setup. Bye!

Whangarei

Burning heat, hot humidity, singing Cicadas and Pohutakawa trees by the beach. This is summer in Whangarei.

Whangarei was a hot one. Unfortunatly we did not put the pool up because we did not know it would be so hot, so in our shows (and after) we boiled! After our shows on hot days we all take turns at leaping in our blow up pool.

That weekend we had a J party for Jamal’s birthday. I went as a Jenie (a Genie with a J in front). There were so many different costumes; Jesus , Jellyfish, Jaguar, Jedi, Jose as in Spanish name (man wrapped in a hose) and many more.

On Monday we went to see the worlds greatest showman, an inspiring circus movie. That evening we arrived late at our park up at Taurikura bay by the base of Mt Mania with a few Gypsies.

Mt Mania looks so mysterious and unconquered. So we immediately had to conquer her. The walk up was a hot, sweaty, stair-filled, beautiful forest walk. Well well worth it. The three sixty views from the top were incredible!

Whangarei heads from summit of Mt Mania

After that we spent the next few days on the beach.

Waipu caves here we come! We spent a night in Waipu, then explored the amazing Waipu caves filled with luminescent glowworms. I highly recommend this activity.

That evening we waited in Orewa for the rush hour traffic to calm down, then made our way to Auckland and Craigavon park for setup the next day.

Wow! That week was a mixture of busy and calm, quite nice actually.

Good news! We have finally added an option to subscribe to my blog. You can tick the box at the bottom of this page under the comments box or use the option on right side bar. Then you will know when I put up a fresh post! Bye!

 

Matakana

Matakana Fair was as hot and busy as ever. I got sick again. This time we used natural remedies instead of antibiotics. It really worked.

Mathersons bay was our two day haunt after the fair. There was a track leading up a magical leafy valley to a Tea colored pool at the top of a waterfall. We swam, a little freaked out after seeing some slithery eels. The submerged rocks were a hazard for unsuspecting knees. The rope swing was awesome till the boys (who were spectating) had a punch up so it was time to go.

Strange rock formations at Mathersons bay.

A man came to talk to us claiming he was from the council. He said since we were already there we could stay the night but would have to leave in the morning due to our truck being 12m in length instead of 9m. We stayed two nights and found out he was only an old fart who lives up the road and comes down to harass  people. Beware of S.A.M (self appointed managers). Well rested we headed for Whangarei, stopping in why poo, whoops I mean Waipu for a rainy night.

On Thursday we sped to Whangarei to get there in time to see a movie, but when we looked online it was sold out! No wonder, we hadn’t booked and it was a grey rainy day. Never-mind because Dad, Ella and I went to see the new Star Wars movie that night at eight thirty. It was incredible! Friday morning the boys finally got to see the movie they missed out on, Ferdinand. Then it was setup for Whangarei Extravaganza. What a nice relaxed week. See ya!

Another festive season

Phew! Those were some crazy six weeks! Can you believe it? Six weeks, one and a half months without writing. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

The first fair of this post is Wellington which was as busy and windy as usual. Then we turtled over the hills to Masterton for a mini Christmas with Dads side of the family. I got a gift voucher for the warehouse! We all had a lovely time.

Waverly beach was our next stay, a beautiful rugged cliff lined shore.

Waverly beach. More cliff than beach.

When we were playing in mountains of wind whipped sea foam a Blue bottle stung me. We immediately raced to the truck and bathed the sting in vinegar. This did not help at all! So we looked online and found “Definitely do not apply vinegar. Bathe in water as hot as the victim can manage. Use vinegar on every other jellyfish sting.”  So we quickly heated up water and soaked the sting for thirty minutes. The stinging sensation went away.

That weekend was New Plymouth and the Festival of light. Together our family, the Nudge crew, Simone, Tiwai, Lette, Aden, Riley, Kieren and Heather went row boating on the lake at night, when all the lights were bright and shimmering. We raced, collided and gazed at the beauty of the light displays. What a splendid night! The weekend was not crazy busy but definitely busier than last year.

After that we had a ten day break! On our way to Auckland for another mini Christmas, we stopped for a night at Tongaparutu. The highlight of Tongaparutu is the three sisters who are three columns of rock jutting out of the sea. Its very beautiful.

 

One of the three sisters at Tongaparutu.

Then we moved on and dropped our car of at Purple Iain’s house in Pirongia.

We arrived in Auckland to be greeted with a flurry of hugs and kisses from my cousins Charlotte and Elsa and  Auntie Ellie and Uncle Matt. Mum’s side of the family. The next few days we spent swimming in pools, playing and celebrating another early Christmas.  I got an inflatable lilo.

It was a lovely family gathering. We also did a day trip to Rangitoto island and climbed to the summit.

A rare Saddle back on Rangitoto island. Plenty of bird life no pests or predators.

On the way back to Pirongioa to fetch the car we got stuck in the morning traffic going out of Auckland. It took ages! Finally we got the car and sped to Raglan. The next day was Christmas day and I got a compound bow!!! Unfortunately I also got strep throat. I spent the weekend in bed, no shows 🙁

We had one day off before moving on to Waihi Beach and New Years. Dallas got sick and better within one day and night. Very suspicious!

On New years eve I sat on Mum and Dads shoulders as we did the countdown, 10! 9! 8! 7!  6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Everyone whoops and cheers, hugs and kisses each other! Its so exciting. I love New Years!

The next week was Whangamata, oops! I just remembered Whangamata was cancelled because the forcast was for very heavy rain and the grounds keeper didn’t want us to ruin the school field. But it turned out to be incredibly sunny! We had seven days to spare. Those seven days saw us through Te Aroha, Opal springs hot pools, Auckland and finally Matakana extravaganza.

Well that’s the end of another festive season, very busy!

 

Nelson to Wellington

We set up at Tahunanui Beach in Nelson. That Weekend was a flurry of screen printing, cooking classes(both thanks to Nico from Uruguay) and shows. I even got a visit from my Inspiration Andre Vegas the Illusionist, who watched my shows and gave me some ideas. He even spent a couple of hours sign writing the trolley I use in my Magic show.

While all the other Gypsy’s headed north we went back to Kina beach. We decided we were definitely coming back to Motueka for winter. It felt like coming home. On Tuesday I preformed my Magic show for the Motueka Steiner school. I was super excited to see my old school friends again and happy to know I would be going back there for the winter. After the show we went to Toad hall for real fruit ice-creams although I am dairy free so I had a coconut real fruit ice-cream. Yum! Then it was off to the resurgence for an icy cold dip.

The next day we spent a long boring day at riverside community while Dad fixed the truck, poor Daddy! That night we left for Graham river but just before we got there we came around the corner and slammed on the brakes. In front of us there was a terrible car crash. The whole front of the car had been smashed and the driver was badly hurt. Dad rushed to the scene and helped the man because he knew some first aid. It left me feeling shaken.

The next day we moved on from Graham river to Blenheim where we visited Cherry land. Cherry land is a cherry orchard where you can pick your own cherries for about half the price you can buy them from the supermarket. While you are picking you can eat as many as you want for nothing!

It was amazing how quickly we chewed through this bucket of cherries!

After that we drove our beautiful Mim onto the ferry, said good bye to the South island and hello to the North island. Wellington here we come!

 

 

A New Zealand travel blog By Dylan Daisy