Picture perfect holidays are hard to beat
Wild side
Happy New Year Everyone. Sometimes it is easy to get writer’s block late at night after more than a week of fine food, Christmas cheer, and family fun, but I’m still buzzing after a week off fishing and hunting to spend time in the beneficial atmosphere of family life.
Thousands of New Zealanders around the country traditionally take time to chill out with their families between Christmas and New Year and the Mirfin’s were no exception.
There’s always something special about turning off the phone, and heading upcountry to Nelson Lakes to hibernate at the family lakehouse with intermittent bouts of family fun out on the pristine waters of Lake Rotoiti.
The weather was near perfect with scorching days amongst some cloud and a few raindrops, but when the sun came out the heat was stifling.
With light winds and warm water temperatures it is always a perfect time to go swimming, kayaking, boating and waterskiing.
The lake and surrounds were crowded as usual with holidaymakers, many of them locals from Nelson City and Tasman.
It was great to see so many friendly faces amongst the throngs, catching up with the Sargent, Reid, Chisnall, and Anderson families among many others.
Everyone was a having a great time at the lakefront and although crowded at times, everyone appeared happy and respectful of other holidaymakers out to enjoy the sun and lake themselves.
We’d wander out for a few hours each day during the middle of the day after late nights and long morning sleep-ins to catch up on the rigours of the year before, and it seemed like everyone else was running on the same software programme.
I especially enjoyed time to read and ponder the year ahead.
Some of the international fly fishing publications I accumulate but rarely have time to read fully, are always a revelation with new fishing tactics, and inspirational fly tying techniques. And it’s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks with strategies I learn from the American, Australian, British, and South African fishing magazines.
Sometimes you catch more fish in the long run by thinking rather than doing, and it’s no different with the hunting publications like Safari Club International I was reading as well.
The moon phase wasn’t too great between Christmas and New Year, waxing into full moon which is never the best time to hunt or fish.
Leaving it to the holiday makers, I enjoyed coffee mornings with Aimee, and watching movies with the kids.
The birdlife was particularly enjoyable with flocks of native Tui’s playing in the trees overhanging the lakehouse deck.
Attending Church one morning at the Rotoiti Chapel with Aimee’s father Dave, we enjoyed catching up with many special lake friends that we have known over many years. Being half-animal I sensed the fishing coming on one evening, and convinced son Ike and fishing mate Cameron, of a cunning plan that turned into some nice fat trout, although we got back pretty late at night but it didn’t matter because we had plenty of time to sleep the next day.
Lake Rotoiti has always been a special place, valued by many Nelson and Marlborough families, over many generations, and long may this tradition continue.
Our family bach dates back to the early 1990’s and the Mirfin’s have been truly fortunate to have had a stellar quarter of a century of family fun at the lake since then.
The last few days we were joined by my brother Scott and his family, and what fun we had.
Out on the lake we would find a sheltered beach in West Bay, under the shadow of Mt Robert, and spend many hours and many litres of petrol, towing the kids around on water skis, kneeboard, and water biscuit.
Applying lashings of sunscreen and insect repellent, it was awesome fun, and best of all there weren’t many other boats out there either.
Blasting around at high speed, is always a great tonic to see the New Year in, and the kids just thrive on the exhilaration of the wind in their faces and wiping out into the clear waters in equal measure.
Sometimes it is just fun to be a kid again and enjoy what the kids like doing most.
Care is still needed though, with everyone wearing lifejackets, and adequate spotters required onboard to keep watch for obstacles, skier safety, and other recreationalists enjoying the area too.
My only summer regret is that we couldn’t spend the whole of January swimming and boating at Lake Rotoiti, but there is always 2019 to look forward to …