On the way to the start, Tony spotted an adult bellbird with a young one just above head height in a tree next to the path, so that was a good start to the day.
The courses were short today but, boy, was the going tough. It was pretty much fight all the way and difficult to stay on line. I had to relocate several times and then head back in to the bush, no fun! I dropped from fourth to sixth place today but Tony had a better day, despite having similar problems to me, and took 5th place.
After a cup of tea and yummy orange cake from the Junior Squad cake stall - that was weird - we walked to the Visitor Centre and then up to the village for a bit of lunch at the cafe cum general store (not a wide selection - PIES- and not the best either!) and then the rain started to fall.
The 'shower' turned into a downpour and we were pretty wet by the time we reached Oscar the Van, then the thunderstorm arrived so that pretty much stopped any further activities for the day. We showered and settled down to our respective downtime activities.
When the rain abated a little later in the afternoon, I went in search of Bellbirds but I think they had all wisely taken to their roosts! I did see a very beautifully coloured duck though and must find out its name. (Breaking news: Mandarin ducks are not native to NZ and it is thought that this one may have been in private ownership - it had an article devoted to it in NZ newspapers!)
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