Back to Home Base

Just back to Jo's place (T's mum) after tootling around all week and have had a wonderful time.  Visited and stayed at a b&b at Hot Water Beach on Thursday.  Absolutely magnificent beach (photo attached I hope) and if you feel so inclined, you can head down to the beach around 4:30 in the a.m. and dig some holes and plunk yourself in the midst of a hot water pool.....needless to say we didn't do that.  Drove to Coromandel, for a second time, on Friday afternoon and we went bought tickets to go on a narrow-guage railway line through an incredibly beautiful forested area.  Small little train (sort of like the one that goes through Stanley Park at Christmas time).  The fellow who owns (and who built it) never intended for it to be a public attraction.  He was/is a potter (previous to that, was a school teacher) and he used it to transport his clay uphill.  Then the bank told him he must go public and earn some money so he could pay them back. That's a photo of  T & me on it (again, I hope).

Later that afternoon we headed down to a place called Whangamata (another one of those funny sounding places)  where we met up with T's sisters, brothers and mother.  Had so many good laughs.  I grow fonder of all his family each successive time I meet them.  So fun!  We stayed at the cottage (????/not quite) of one of T's cousins.  Five minute walk to the beach (ocean).  Just love the surf and we jumped the waves and body surfed three days in a row.  You wouldn't think it, but jumping and diving into the water uses quite a few muscles (not sure if they're called muscles) that you didn't even know you had.....a wee bit tender.

Still getting used to the many round-abouts and having to 'give way'.  Also getting used to the many one-way bridges, the thousands of black house flies -- and no one has a screen on their doors or windows (think I should go into the import business and sell sliding screens) and unusual traffic signs "Look twice for bikes". Unfortunately for me, am becoming a huge fan of Hokey Pokey ice cream (yummm).

Think we'll be heading up to T's sister's place tomorrow, north of Auckland, where we'll visit with them for a day or two and on Saturday there's another huge gathering of the clan (not just immediate family), which will include many cousins. 

Seems to be at least some rain every day but it always clears up, as it has done now, and it's beautifully sunny and hot again.

Will check in again in a few.  Cheers to all.

S&T