Perhaps the first safari

I'm often amused at how the memory works.  I know the first time I met Graham (GB, Eagleton Notes) it was a Friday.  I think it was 2009.  As I waited for him to arrive at Whangarei Airport I ran into the chief executive of the polytech where I worked and he asked where I was off to on a Friday.  I had great pleasure explaining I didn't work on Fridays and was then a bit embarrassed when I realised he was just being chatty and not censoring me in any way.  

Graham, was it that trip that we discovered the flat tyre on my car when we went to leave for the airport for your return?  That was a record breaking tyre change.

Was it that trip that my granddaughters offered to teach him to ride the quad bike?  Can't remember.

So many details lost.  But there are some highlights that will never be forgotten.

You know, when you hear of people who wouldn't be alive were it not for ... (fill in the blanks).

I think it was the following year that we had our lucky escape. When Graham drove north in Dora the Explorer, a Ford Explorer and we ventured to the very northern most point of New Zealand, Cape Reinga.  We'd travelled over some rather treacherous dirt roads, including the steep and winding road down to Tapotupoto Bay.   Had Dora flown apart on that stretch of our journey we would have been in serious trouble.  Instead something broke with very loud bank under the bonnet (can't remember the details) and we lost power on a long straight downhill section of road and could roll to a gentle stop and pull off the road beside a letter box.  Often you will find a house near a letterbox but not in this case.  Here an access road lead to houses at a distant beach.

Here's Graham's photo of our plight.

But, all was not lost.  Graham's vehicle insurance covered not only the rescue of the vehicle but of it's passengers, too.  (I changed my vehicle insurance as soon as I got home to include that service.)

The bad news was the tow truck we needed was busy elsewhere miles and miles away and it would be hours before it would get to us.  It was very hot sitting there beside the road.  After a while I decided to ring my niece who had a holiday home not far from where we were stranded on the off chance that her family was there that weekend.  Our luck was in, she was visiting some distant relatives who lived even closer to where we were than her own home and within minutes she arrived to whisk us away for a birthday family barbeque in that family's new home high on a hill overlooking Doubtless Bay.  We enjoyed a glorious, warm evening and a stunning view.

Finally we received the phone call telling us the tow truck was at the scene of the accident and the driver was not amused to find us not there also.  He was a bit grumpy but Graham's friendly chatter had him relaxing as he ferried us and Dora back to Kerikeri where we were staying (over an hour's drive away).  

I remember that part clearly but the following couple of days are a bit of a blur.  We were given a vehicle to use while repairs were being done to Dora.  How did we get it?  It must have been delivered to where we were staying in a nice Air Bnb on a kiwifruit orchard just out of town.  The next day we drove back to my niece's beach house to pick up Graham's sunglasses which he'd left at the house on the hill in our rush to return to the vehicle.  Somewhere along the line we had coffee at a bustling cafe in the middle of Kerikeri.  I've been there many times since and always remember that first visit.

The repairs couldn't be started until the damage to Dora could be assessed and I think there was some delay getting that done.  Graham had to put off his return home while repairs were being done and I returned to work.  He probably missed a game or two of croquet.  No wait, I think he visited a croquet club in town one day to fill in the time.  

Then he had to drive back up north to pick her up before heading back to Napier.  I think Graham did a bit more driving than he'd reckoned on during that trip.  Oh, hold on a minute, I think Graham was following his Sat Nav for directions to my place when he arrived and it took him on an unfathomable route, miles and miles longer than it should have been.  Yes, he sure did do a lot of driving!

I'm pretty sure this next photo was taken that trip but can't remember whether it was before or after Dora's misadventure.  I'd guess after, the next day.  After we went back to pick up the sunglasses we must have taken the long way back - surely not! - as that looks to me like the beaches around Te Ngaere Bay.  

So thankful to have so many memories that make me smile.