6. PEACE ON EARTH.

The ferry was crowded. I had what I needed packed in bags on the bike. I didn’t need much. I had my small two-person pop-up tent that is really only big enough for one. I had a change of clothes and a thin sleeping bag. My wetsuit and flippers took a bit of space. I also had my diver's knife, whose only use to date was to pry open shellfish. Does that make me a fisherman? I had a little bit of food, primarily energy bars and a couple of drink bottles. I had a solar recharger for the phone and e-reader, and a good first aid kit. I didn’t forget my jandels. I planned to buy what else I needed on the island. Yes, I had the spare helmet. I am still deciding what to do about that. If I am still alive, then, of course.

The passenger ferry terminal is a bit out of the main town, so I went there to familiarise myself with it. It has been a long time since I was here. I found the supermarket and noted the takeaway shops. And a brewery and distillery that looked interesting. I picked up some extra food and some beer. I could strap stuff behind me while I didn’t have a passenger. I also had a small backpack, but too big a bag upsets the balance.

I topped up the tank and then set out on the road that would take me closest to the bay we were in. My phone map didn’t have a road going down to the bay, but there were vans there, so there was a road, but it was probably private.

I was getting close when I passed a big fancy winery. Yeah, they probably own all the land around here. I kept riding, and a couple of hundred meters further on, I came to a road going off to the side with a locked gate and a sign saying Private Property - No Beach Access. Yeah, right.

The gate was a metal bar with two posts that would stop vehicles. There were no fences, but the bush grew up close on both sides. I squeezed the bike around the post and went down to see where it went. It was about a kilometre of steep winding track before a familiar bay appeared.

All the fancy tables and barbeques were removed, and only a couple of wooden picnic tables were the permanent occupants. I pulled the bike up to them and got off to look around. I could see the rocks out in the bay. It was maybe a bit more than a kilometre out. I couldn’t feel anything different with this energy/sense thing. Nothing appeared different to my eye. The seagulls looked normal. The sea was fairly calm. The tide was lower than before, and the rocks were more prominent.

I looked around a bit more. There was a small steam off to one side. That would provide fresh water in a pinch. I didn’t have anything to cook with, so I couldn’t boil it. I would stick to bottled liquid if I could, but it wouldn’t be the first time I have drunk straight from a stream. Fresh water is also good for washing the salt out of things. Then I spied a tap. Of course, they would have some water down here for functions. It probably comes from the winery tanks.

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I set up the tent on the stream side of the clearing in the softest place I could find. I didn’t have a mattress. I then moved the bike closer. And unpacked the essentials. The afternoon was getting late, so I had an excuse to put off getting into the water until tomorrow.

I stripped off to my swimming trunks and jandels and grabbed a towel. I then went down to the part of the beach that was the closest to the rocks. I found a spot, sat, looked, and tried to see what I could sense. After half an hour, the answer was fuck all. I am becoming a bloody monk and contemplating my navel.

I got up and wandered along the beach, looking at the sand and shells. There were some small crabs. They looked fine. Normal. I caught one and poisoned it. It died very quickly. Yesterday, with the fruit, I discovered size did matter. Apple-sized objects, I could do two, maybe three. Grapes were easy, but the watermelon almost caused me to faint. That didn’t tell me anything about the toxin's potency, but it did tell me the volume I could put out and the recovery time. The crab would indicate that it is quite potent.

I reached the rocks at the end of the beach and walked out on them. I always liked looking at rock pools as a kid. Tiny sea creatures would get trapped by the withdrawing tide and have to wait until the next tide to escape. With the low tide, there were plenty of rock pools. Everything looked normal to my inexpert eye.

Everything except the crabs were too fast for me to catch. Man, I am slow. I can’t poison things if I can't catch them. It is not a very helpful mutation, but I guess it didn’t kill me.

I spent some time watching the rocks from this angle. The tide is coming in. I still can’t see anything wrong. It just looks like a normal lovely bay in the gulf. The weather is good. Summer is in full swing. Christmas is here.

I wandered back and found a place to watch the sunset. It was a lovely spot to die if that is what I would do tomorrow. There was only one place that would be better. Maybe I will see Piha again, maybe I won’t.

I ate a couple of energy bars and drank some beer. It is Christmas Day tomorrow. That must be a good day to die. I am at peace. This is a nice spot.

The Mossies came out. I practised poisoning them when they landed, but there is never an end to them. Eventually, I got up and got the spray.

I took a leak in the bush and sorted out my sleeping bag. I didn’t bother with the torch; I preferred to let my eyes adjust to the natural light. I got into the sleeping bag and lay there listening to the sounds of the night. I didn’t even get out my e-reader.

New Zealand has no large predators. Land predators, that is. If I am attacked in the night, it will be something that has mutated. There were no signs of mutated things on the shore. The scariest mutated thing, in my opinion, would be a mutated seagull. Those things can get vicious.

The night sounds normal. I find it peaceful. “Peace on earth and goodwill to man.” There won't be much of either coming up soon. Let's make the most of it.