Wildboy Brando Yelavich Arrives At Tokerau Beach In The Far North Having Nearly Completed Walking The Entire New Zealand Coastline...

My young friend Wildboy Brando arrived at one of the most beautiful places on the planet yesterday afternoon.
I'd been waiting for him there.
It wasn't any hardship, it's a place where The Flying Tortoise chooses to spend a lot of time. And why not.
Brando arrived with his dad Todd who'd taken a few days off from work to continue the wonderful bonding that this father and son enjoy.
Brando has now walked over 8,300 kilometers on his epic journey to become the first person to walk the entire New Zealand coastline.
He hasn't got far to go now and will be spending a lot of time in the coming days pondering on just what he's going to do next.
He's due to complete his historic journey where he started in February 2013 at Cape Reinga, on August twenty three.
The Flying Tortoise will delight in being there to congratulate him...

A Very Impressive Mobile Office And Holiday Home On Wheels...

I recently caught up with Grant, Miriam and their children Luca and Jake on their maiden voyage in their new pride and joy here at Tokerau Beach.
This most impressive rig had been finished that morning after eighteen months of hard work and here they were, enjoying the fruits of their labours just a couple of hours later.
I first saw it from a distance and it looked as though a spaceship had landed. Its massive bonnet, the solar array reaching for the sky and the popouts, well, popped out.
The tractor unit is a 2002 International with a 450hp engine with all the bells and whistles, an eighteen speed gearbox that I guess you could play with all day. The finished rig is eighteen tonnes and is twelve metres long, two and a half metres wide and 4.150m high. It carries 1500 litres of water, the black tank will contain 500 litres and the grey tank, 900.The fuel tank holds 400 litres which is just as well because the beast is a thirsty one consuming one litre every three kilometres travelled.
The hydraulically tilted solar array consists of four 220 watt Sharp Solar panels which feed four 260 amphour state of the art batteries. The original tractor unit was a mere six metres until it had a surgically induced stretch procedure as you'll see below.
The windows are all double glazed and  the complete structure is totally insulated with natural wool batts installed between 50mm refrigeration paneling and 25mm ply.
This marvellous mobile office and motorhome is an engineering masterpiece and of course one of my favourite features is the state of the art food defroster shown in the bottom photo...

This Visiting Mammal Gives Freedom Camping At Tokerau Beach The Seal Of Approval...

It's not often a seal pays a visit to Tokerau Beach so when one does, it's quite an event.
My friend Harvey interviewed and photographed this unusual visitor.
My name's Sydney said the seal and I left home in the Southern Ocean a few weeks ago.
I'd heard about the beauty of New Zealand's Far North and the wonderful fishing here in Doubtless Bay, so I've stopped off for a feed and some freedom camping.
Then I'm off to Melbourne Australia for a nephew's barmitzvah.
Harvey was impressed but personally I don't believe a word Sydney said... 

A Magical Sunrise To Wake To...

Yesterday was one of those magical mornings at Tokerau Beach in New Zealand's Far North.
You know, the sort of morning you're so relieved you didn't wake ten minutes later.
It would've been another day in paradise but you might've had the feeling that you missed something but didn't know what...

Kitepowered Kayaking. The Innovative New Zealand Way To Adventure On The Water...

It was blowing twenty five knots at Tokerau Beach as I watched brothers Ewan and Geoff make their way to shore at high speed in their five metre long, sit-in kayaks.
Powering their rapid journey through the choppy water was the kite they've spent years perfecting and one of two Ewan and Geoff use on their forays around the coast of New Zealand's Upper North Island.
This time they were using one kite to power their two kayaks but sometimes they use one kite each.
They are fairly easy to deploy but like anything, it's only easy after a lot of practice.
Made from Polyester Rip-Stop kite fabric, the five square metre kite can be used in anything from ten to twenty five knot winds.
Another great example of Kiwi ingenuity.
From the bridle on the kite a line is attached by a carabiner to a line athwartships on the kayak.
Kite kayaking is not for the fainthearted but for the adventure loving Thompson brothers, it's one they look forward to at least twice a year...

Big Brother Got Me...

Well it was Big Sister actually.
Last evening was Census night in New Zealand and Jean was going to make sure nobody was left unaccounted for in her area.
It wasn't the first time I'd been in an isolated part of the country on census night and they've always managed to catch me in their bureaucratic net.
Not that I went to great lengths to avoid them.
I was just living my life and doing what I do.
One night many census's ago I was on my yacht Sofia in the beautiful Bon Accord Harbour at Kawai Island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.
The sun was going down and friends and I were toasting the fact that we had escaped the census when there was a put-put-put of a little outboard motor and sure enough, in the tiny dinghy was an intrepid census taker with their reams of paperwork. He came aboard, we had a few laughs and he went away happy and satisfied with a job well done.
Last evening I was sitting once again with a few friends at Tokerau Beach and we were wondering if we were going to be counted.
They were voicing their concerns about not existing. I'd just said they shouldn't worry,
someone will turn up.
And moments later someone did.
It was Big Sister Jean.
So I guess I'll continue to exist as a statistic.
Until next time...

The Flying Tortoise Talks Tiny House Living On Television New Zealand Tonight...

Well known TV personality and one of the three hosts for TVNZ's new Seven Sharp programme, Alison Mau, came to Tokerau Beach the other day to film an interview with me for a programme about living large in small spaces.
And amongst other things, downsizing - the big trend in living smaller, self sufficiency, and how to live well on a small income.
It was a fun day with The Far North turning on stunning weather for Ali, Paul the shows producer and Richard the sound recorder and cameraman.
They tell me the programme's looking great and it will go to air at seven sharp tonight.
I've got my fingers crossed that the segment will be more than a gratuitous look at the subject and give the topic some decent airtime.
The programmes job is of course to entertain, inform and inspire.
It's been unkindly slated by reviewers and armchair critics so I hope they produce something better than they have over the first two days of the programmes life.
You're now able to view it by going here.
It's very brief so try not to blink...