Aged 84, Housebuser Bruce Embraces The Latest Technology To Enhance His Gypsy Lifestyle...

My friend Bruce has had five stays in hospital this year and has many reasons to be thankful for the technology that helps keep him alive.
But his liking of technology doesn't end there. His children gave him a laptop when he was a youngster four years ago and since then when he hasn't been freedom camping and kite fishing in New Zealand's Far North, he's been enjoying the challenges of the internet.
This Octogenarian has his latest smartphone seamlessly talking with his laptop and his GPS device that tells him how to get from here to there and which way the wind will be blowing when he gets there.
Young Bruce seems to be leaving many
of his peers for dead...

A Crazy Coincidence And A Chance Meeting...

Hello I'm Kim from Finland and I've been following your blog for two years he said, standing there smiling in the morning sun.
The Flying Tortoise was back at Ahipara for some kite fishing and hopefully a few flounder.
I first saw you on Lloyd Kahn's blog and then I found yours.
Imagine me sitting at my desk in Finland, 25,000 kilometres away, it's winter and I look out the window and see a carpark.
I look at your blog and I see sunshine, sea and beautiful landscapes. 
Wow it was inspiring, and so here I am.
When I came to New Zealand I had this crazy idea that we might meet and when I saw your bus sitting here I nearly drove off the road. 
I'm so glad you didn't and that we did said I, equally amazed at someone arriving and telling me they've been following the blog for two years and in part inspired by it, here they are.
Kim's an industrial designer in Helsinki, has been travelling with his girlfriend from Finland, through Siberia, Russia, Japan, Bali, Malaysia and Thailand and now New Zealand.
Soon it's back to Finland for Kim to replenish his travelling fund, build a campervan and then one day he and his girlfriend will return to Aotearoa, the Land Of The Long White Cloud.
Perhaps they'll stay...

Having Fun Fishing...

Success finally. It appears that rewards come to those who have the patience to persevere, and then some.
There are those who think that where there's water there's fish, but for awhile now I've been proving them wrong.
I'm at Uretiti Beach. Yes again.
I've been having fun but not much luck with my balloon/bag fishing but at last, now know the reasons why.
Everything's so simple in hindsight isn't it.
Especially after taking some good advice.
I've been wanting to show you the wonderful Fishing Rig that my friend Glen, the genius with aluminium, made for me.
It's got nearly two kilometres of line on it and at the end of the line is a large yellow balloon, I've shown it to you here before. In an offshore wind, the bag takes the line with a number of hooks out as far as you like.
You'll see it way out there just under the arrow.
Then, after a suitable time, you wind it back in.
If you're lucky, well, it's like all your birthdays coming at once...