Over to the other coast

This morning was the first time this season that I've felt a definite chill in the air.  I think it was there yesterday morning too as I took a photo of the fog lifting from the mountain.  That's it in my header.  Today, however, I was out of bed a bit earlier and before leaving home to drive to Dargaville to watch Georgia play ripper rugby I wandered out into the paddock to get a different shot of the fog from out the back of my house. 

I didn't have a timetable, hadn't gone far before I noticed the sun just touching the pampas on the roadside in places where the hills shaded the road.

Luckily I wasn't in a hurry because this individual wasn't either.  I had to wind down the window and speak to it quite harshly before it would get out of my way.   

 

I have a few favourite spots for taking photos on the road to Dargaville.  This is one of them, not far from here.  Gosh, those hills are dry!

 

Just as I was telling myself there would be no more stops or I wouldn't get to Dargaville before lunch time, I rounded a corner and was surprised to see more fog.   I stopped to write down where I was and the time - on the corner of John Wilson Road (I have a cousin John Wilson, so that is easy to remember) and it was 10.10 am.  I sure wouldn't want to live around there in winter.

Today was my introduction to ripper rugby.  It's been played by primary school children for a while now but I'd not seen any games.  It was introduced as a safe, non-contact game for both boys and girls alike.  It's fun and kids seem to love it and it gives all kids a chance to participate in our national game. 

 The rules are simple, the objective is to score a try by placing the ball with downward pressure behind or on the opponents' goal line.  To prevent a try being scored the defenders must rip a flag from the belt of the ball carrier.  The flags are attached with velcro.  When a flag is ripped the ball carrier must stop running and pass the ball to a team member.  Six rips in one set of ball possession results in the ball being turned over to the other team. 

You can see the red flags on the belts of the kids in this shot of their 'team talk'.  That's Danny is blue setting a good example of listening carefully to the coach. 

In their last game Georgia's team played the other team from her school.  I think it was only the kids playing who knew what was going on half the time.  

This is my favourite shot of the day.  Wouldn't you love to know what they are saying to each other?  

Not long after I took this Georgia was smacked in the eye by the head of a boy in the other team.  Ah well, it's intended to be a non-contact sport.  What happens when kids get competitive is something else.  

It was a lovely day; you can get an idea about the weather by the dress of the parent supporters.  Tricked you there.  Not five minutes after the last game finished, the skies opened and it bucketed down.

I really wanted a photo of our mountains from the west but this was the best I could do in the rain.  The Northern Wairoa River is often called the upside down river by locals - the mud is often on the top.  

I didn't stop too many times on the way home but a couple of bulls caught my eye and I just had to say hello.