Back in 2019 Sarah and I spent a few glorious days staying at the DOC camp at Whakaipo Bay in Taupo. In what now seems a lifetime ago we rode our E Bikes up the K2K track to where it summits before descending to Kinloch. I must confess to being seriously unfit in those days and the prospect of riding down the other side of the hill to Kinloch and then having to climb back up, even with battery power was too much for both me and the bike. Having used up almost all of my E Bike battery just getting up the hill that we did summit. So, the halfway point at the top of the hill was as far as we reached that day before blazing back down the hill.
Step forward in time to our travels in late 2023 when we stayed at the Kinloch Marina. Having read about this place on multiple Facebook posts we decided to spend a night or two there. Had it not been a quiet time of the year there is no way we would have fitted into the “camping area.” Since this place is really nothing more than empty or unused car parking spaces. That’s also why the spot is not available over the Christmas, New Year period when the carpark is full. It’s also not designed for a vehicle nine metres in length although there is no restriction on vehicle length. Thankfully, there was a large grass area behind where we were parked allowing the rear to overhang. Really anything longer than about six metres would struggle here. +
Big pluses here are the fact that power is available as is a dump station and fresh water. The water pressure is almost non existant so you really don’t want to be trying to fill a big tank but for most campers it would be fine. Given the weather only a few boats were coming in and out of the marina on our visit but I would imagine on a nicer day there would be lots of movement.
The weather gods weren’t exactly smiling on us, but neither was it pouring with rain. We wandered down to the lakefront and then along the shoreline pleased to have found such a pleasant place to stay. From the beach we followed one of the paths to the housing area where there are some very flash places and still a couple of original baches. Quite the mix. Lunch came in the form of a really good pie from the takeaway/dairy/general store, across the road from the marina, and really was very good.
Crossing over the bridge to the otherside atthe marina we decided to head the otherway along the beachfront. Where we stumbled upon the start of the K2 Trail back to Whaikipo Bay and decided to follow it. This side is a much easier climb than the Whakapio Bay side or maybe we are both just much fitter. Before we knew it we had climbed four kilometres up the hill. Knowing that it was only another three kilometres to the summit we decided to complete the walk we had started four years previously. The only real concern was that we would meet a cyclist or three flying down the hill and we would need to dive into the bush to get out of the way. But that was a fear that was never realised, maybe the fact it was a weekday and not the nicest weather detered them.
As we got further up the hill the weather started to pack in, the light rain that had been falling for a little while became more persistant. Not wanting to abandon the quest to complete the track I increased my pace as we got nearer the summit. Thinking that the faster we made it to the top the sooner we would be walking down. With maybe only just a couple of hundred metres to go and seven kilometres into the track I heard Sarah cry out behind me. She had been almost running to keep up with me and slipped on the wet leaves. The natural reaction trying to break any fall is to put your arm out and that’s what Sarah did. It was immediately obvious that she had broken her wrist. The fact that we had started this walk unplanned meant that we hadn’t put on proper walking boots which may have prevented the fall. As they say hindsight is a wonderful thing.
We now had something of a dilemma about what to do. Sarah assured me that she was alright to walk back down the hill, not that there really was much choice. (she really is very brave) No sooner had she told me this than she slipped again. Thankfully, this time she had the sense not to put her arm down. So, there was nothing more than pride hurt the second time. Sarah was wearing a long sleeve top as well as the raincoat and we used this to fashion a sling to support the wrist. I also put my arm around her waist to help support and balance her. We then made a terribly slow trip seven kilometres back down the hill never having made it to the top. We did slip a few times on the way down but maintained sufficient balance to stay upright.
Once we had made our way back down the hill and to the motorhome I helped Sarah change into warm dry clothes. We then drove to Taupo Hospital who were fantastic seeing Sarah almost immediately and after an Xray confirming the break took her into a private room before knocking her out to pull the wrist back into place and placing it in a cast. Afterwards they told us that the wrist needed to be properly set and that most likely a plate would be needed. We could either drive to Rotorua the following day or return to Auckland. We made the decision that we would return to Auckland in the morning.
Once Sarah had been discharged, we debated spending the night in the carpark at Taupo Hospital, there was certainly enough room for us. But in the end decided to return to the spot we had paid for in Kinloch. When we got back there was one other vehicle in the carpark and I tried to manoeuvre as little as possible, so as not to disturb their sleep since it was now past 10pm.
Waking in the morning I helped Sarah to get dressed. The hardest part for me was trying to put her hair into a ponytail since she couldn’t do this herself and I am all thumbs. Before we drove off apologies were made to the other camper for disturbing their sleep and then we started the long trip back to Auckland for the first of multiple hospital visits. Strangely enough there is no referral system between hospital boards so Sarah’s usual doctor had to be the first port of call so she could then get referred to the orthopedic clinic at Greenlane Hospital.
Sure, enough once we had waded our way through the bureaucracy that is the medical system in New Zealand an appointment at Greenlane Orthopedic clinic was secured a couple of days later. Another Xray followed, then a long wait to see one of the doctors who confirmed that the wrist had been badly broken but the extent of the break would require a CT scan which could only be done at Auckland Hospital. Fighting the motorway traffic we arrived at Auckland hospital thinking that everything would be in place after the referal from Greenlane, but no, another hours long wait for the CT scan and an even longer wait for another doctor.
Once this had finally been done and analysed and checked by a senior doctor, it was confirmed that surgery to fit a plate was required. The next discussion was whether the surgery would be done at Auckland or Manukau hospital (where there is a specialist hand unit). In the end they opted to do things at Auckland Hospital. At which point they sent us home for the night with instructions to return the following day for the surgery.
The surgery proceeded as planned but with Sarah’s forearm now in plaster for another six weeks we were both a little reluctant to take off in the motorhome again. But we did manage to sneak a few days at Shakespear Regional Park this has become one of our go to places before Christmas. With the Pohutukawa trees in full bloom there is nothing that compares, this close to Auckland in terms of handy camping spots. We did a number of the walks in the park and on one of them followed the path through a sheep paddock. This is where the two sheep pictured aproached Sarah, maybe they sensed impending doom and wanted to be rescued from their fate. As the following day after the arrival of a large truck the paddock was empty.
Summer then just seemed to vanish in a blur of physio appointments combined with Sarah also undergoing a second cataract surgery (she now has had both eyes done). Somehow life just seemed to get in the way of us enjoying the motorhome but now that I have finished writing about our adventures in late 2023. It’s time to start bringing the blog up to date with our more recent travel, including a trip to the UK to see my ancestral home.
