I would like to try and describe Omaha River Retreat, the beautiful place that is our home for the first 6 weeks of our stay. The property sits about a mile from the “main” road down a gravel road and is the last property on the road. Jill, the owner, and her daughter live in a converted barn with a deck overlooking a forest of Kauri trees, some as old as 300 years, plus other native trees that are full of birds. The main house which is let and can sleep up to 12 people looks out over the estuary of the Omaha river and across to Point Wells and the town of Omaha. There is a patio in front of the house where I can spend hours just watching the scenery and the incoming or outgoing tide.or reading my book.. Our self contained apartment is at the rear of the main house and has a small courtyard overhung by tall tree ferns. For most of our stay the main house has been empty so we have the run of the grounds and patio. As Jill is a good friend of Julie, Rob's partner, we were soon made to feel welcome and have spent several evenings on Jills deck with a glass (or two!) of wine and admiring the wonderful views.
The ever present, in New Zealand, Agapanthus are now just beginning to go to seed after giving us a wonderful display of their blue and white flower heads. I was amazed to discover that for gardeners here they are a bit of a pest as they spread everywhere. I did manage to grow a couple of them when we were at Carol but they certainly didn't spread and cause me a problem there and I did have to nurse them through the winters. One of the indiginous birds is the Tui and I have to admit that I have been complaining about them as they start their call about 5am! However, now that the jet lag is a thing of the past, I seem to be able to sleep through their dawn chorus.
On Wednesday we went over to explore Omaha and Point Wells as, seeing them across the estuary every day , we were curious to see what they were like. The road leading into Omaha is lined spectacularly with tree ferns, palms and native trees which were planted, it would seem, as a windbreak as Omaha is really just a spit or small peninsula jutting out between the ocean and the harbour. One visit was enough!! Most of Omaha is covered in modern, architect designed houses and seems to be more for the well off, weekending Aucklander than permanent inhabitants. I am told that the prime minister has a house there. Bizzarely there were not many people around apart from on the rather splendid looking golf course. We walked on the beach at the harbour side of the town and there wasn't another soul to be seen. We then visited Point Wells which was slightly better than Omaha mainly because it had been developed earlier and everywhere looked more mature and in place than in Omaha.where all the development is so new. We parked at the point and looked across the estuary trying to locate our “lodgings” and saying how much happier we were to be staying over there.
Our nearest village is Matakana which is about 8 miles away. Over the last decade or so Matakana has developed from what I suspect was a sleepy little place into a bustling small tourist centre thanks to investment by a couple of local entrepreneurs and the local wine industry. There are several small vineyards in the area all producing top class wines and they have become part of the Matakana wine trail. The Saturday farmers market has become well known in the region and attracts locals and visitors alike. There are several cafes, a local store, a very good bakers and the butcher. The butcher deserves praise as his meat must be the best around. In the middle of his shop there is a huge chopping block which must have seen many decades of use and I am told that he hangs and butchers all the meat that he sells. To top it all there is now a cinema complex, 3 cinemas, which show newly released films. On Thursday we went to see The Kings Speech which I believe has only just been released in the UK. The Vintry, a wine bar in the complex, sells local wine by the glass which can be taken into the cinema to complete the whole experience!!
Friday was the night of the full moon and Jill held a party, as she does on every full moon, to drum it in!! I had watched the moon rise over the estuary on Thursday and it was a wonderful sight in a clear sky. Sadly, Friday was cloudy and the moon was nowhere to be seen but that didn't stop the proceedings. The party was held in the house as there are no guests there at the present and there were 11 of us including Rob and Julie who came over and a Maori friend of Jill's. Everyone took something to eat and we all sat round the dining table chatting and eating. Then to the drumming. Three people on drums, the Maori was the best drummer of course, the rest of us shaking maracas and other varied “instruments” Quite an evening and very enjoyable.
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