8th again?

So I am completely lost as to what day it is, well I am up to Saturday but have no idea of the date. We awoke very early on the veranda, up with the sunrise and the temperature was beginning to drop. Amazingly we were out the door by 8.30 some what of a record unless we are travelling.
We made a very dodgy trip to Waipawa with the petrol gauge showing 3kms of remaining travel as we pulled into the station. Counting down on the way there was exciting in a warped way. On to Heathers first recommendation the Paper Mulberry. I have trouble with the name as I keep wanting to say purple mulberry and the building is purple. It is in a building that has been in the community since European settlement and was originally a Sunday school. My grandad went to Te Aute college across the road and so I felt a connection.
The owners are a couple who have heart and a real commitment to the community. At the back of the cafe is a bookshop that has second hand books donated and then sold on. The proceeds go toward supporting local adults into further education. A roast night is held once a month for those in the community who do not have children at the school. They figure the school is a place where social interaction is inevitable and those outside of that group can easily become isolated in a rural community. Fantastic!! While in the cafe we met a woman who has moved down from Auckland and she has taken advantage of the social get togethers. She is an outgoing woman who travels for her work and would not I think suffer fools. She said the whole experience is a blast.
When talking to owners I often ask what drives them. For these two it is providing work for local women and putting back into the community. I was touched by their passion for others.
Much conversation was had in the Paper Mulberry and it was nearing lunch when we made our way into Havelock North. This place has an overabundance of cafes and a couple of fantastic delis. We went to the corner deli whose name escapes me and chose some lovely bread, cheese and salad goodies for lunch which we had in the playground across the road. Then a trek around a few of the cafes. A couple that had been recommended were closed but we had a great coffee at Adam and Eva's which is one of the four cafes in the area run by the Bay Espresso roasters.

Once we had done the rounds here we went into Hastings and met Jennifer at Opera Kitchen. Jennifer has a history in Auckland's cafe scene that on its own is impressive. However once we tried the food and coffee at Opera Kitchen we found that her history has translated into food that is sublime and a quality of experience that is a cut above the run of the mill cafe. Jennifer intentionally named her establishment a kitchen rather than a cafe or restaurant, with the aim that the customer can make use of the premises as they would their own kitchen. Putting together the food that suits the mood and moment from casual sweet rolls to a more formal corporate lunch. This place and the conversation with Jennifer were a treat!!

By now Ruby had well and truly had her fill of adult cafe dwelling. We had been aiming for and promising Splash Planet for a number of days and this afternoon was the time and place for promise delivery. We arrived thinking that we were going to a swimming complex with the addition of bumper boats...no not quite. This place is a full on amusement park with a cost to match. On arriving and discovering the financial hemorrhage that would be had for all of us to go in, we chose to send Ruby and Matthew while I did some work. As it happened I ended up visiting some family friends from way back and that was lovely.

Ruby and Matthew had fun until they bashed heads on the way down the slide. Nothing that an icecream couldn't fix. On to some last minute cafe chores and then back to our cottage.
Matthew went out after dinner to take some sunset scenery shots and came back with one of my favourite photos so far.

Too cold for the veranda tonight so very mundane inside sleeping it shall be.