It'sSaturday so it must be Paihia, New Zealand!

Saturday, November 20, 2010 - We just rode the car ferry back from Russell after looking at the views from Flagstaff Hill--just spectacular...I don't even have words for the beauty I have seen.  And I don't think I even mentioned the birds that seem to sing all the time...there is one that sound like a flute and I thought someone was playing one the first time I heard it...just lovely and especially during the night when I make my nightly "loo" run!   Love hearing the beautfiul sounds of the birds here...seem to go on all the time!   The ecological films we watched yesterday had a park ranger looking for tagged Kiwi birds (they only come out of their burrows at nighttime) and he uses a dog to track the.   He found the one he was looking for and her name was "Shelley...and isn't she a beauty?" the ranger said!   So I have seen Shelley the Kiwi bird!   And yes, she IS a beauty!!!   :)  So we just stopped in Paihia to hav Geoff's favorite meat pie:  peppersteak and we lucked out becase his favorite bakery had two left!   We sat in the park and had our lunch and the pie was sooooo good...I think it is the best one yet!   So, here are the posts I have been saving for you over the last few days (I write even when I can't post so it's fresh in my mind.)  And, today's disaster was that I could not find my wallet when I was getting ready for my shower.   We searched the campervan from stem to stern and did not find it.   Then I said the last time I saw it was in The Pub when we stopped for a drink yesterday afternoon...so while I showered, Geoff drove downtown to The Pub and YES! some honest soul that works there found it and they put into the safe and they gave it to Geoff for me.   There was nothing missing...not a red cent.   Geoff gave them a $60 NZD reward (although they did not want to accept it) for it's safe return and I was so happy to get it back!   Geez, never a dull moment with Sue Z around, is there Geoff???   What's next?   Hopefully just more fun times and  lots to see.   Okay, on to the other posts for your reading enjoyment.    Have taken over 200 photos, too!  xo Sue and Geoff

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 – 6:30 PM – Orewa Beach.  Just a note, my computer dates my posts as if it were on Pacific Daylight Time rather than the day and time it is here in New Zealand so it will always be one day wrong—we are 21 hours ahead of Washington State time!

It has been just eh most beautiful day…we have been in the general area and been to a few places Geoff has never seen, such as Red Beach, Stanmore Bay, Arkles Bay, Little Manly Beach, Matakatia Bay, Tindalls Beach and Big Manly Beach as well as along the Weiti River.   I saw downtown Auckland from Matakatia Bay—could see the Sky Tower and another silver high-rise shining in the sun!   This whole area is just beautiful.   Stopped and Geoff made us a cup of coffee at Tindalls Beach.   Took a lot of pics and hope to post some with this.   Getting ready to walk from the beach to the town and have dinner at Geoff’s favorite Mexican restaurant called “Hola”!   Will check out the Tuesday evening night life of Orewa!!!   Still no word on my bag but we move on in the morning!   Nothing can hold us back while we are down under!!!!  J   Love Sue & Geoff xo  p.s I have been spelling Orewa wrong—it’s “Orewa” and the Mexican restaurant was closed so we had a fabulous dinner at the “Thai-Orewa” restaurant (chicken satay and King prawns in pepper and garlic sauce—yummy—got back from our trek to town around 11:30 PM.   xo S&G

Wednesday, November 17, 2018 – 8:00 PM – We are in Whangarei for the night.   Followed the coast line and stopped at Weiwera Beach, Mangawhai Heads, Lang’s Beach, and the scenery has been so interesting—green pastures (lots of cattle, diary cows and sheep), lots of heavy treed areas (“the bush”), and then there are the sand dunes and beach—just beautiful, beautiful country.   I am truly impressed because Geoff rode his bicycle on this route 4 years ago and it is very, very hilly so he was going uphill a LOT!   I can’t even imagine trying to ride these hilly roads!   J  The people at Auckland Airport still report there is no news about my suitcase and so I asked about filing a claim since it has been over 5 days now.    They are to call me back to let me know where I can get a claim form since we are on the road.   Geoff and I found a “Wherehouse” store here and  I bought toiletries, curling iron and blow dryer!   It cost $120 NZD (about $90 USD)!!!    And I didn’t get everything replaced but at least I don’t have to bum Geoff’s stuff from him now!    We had a nice dinner here at the campground.   We are having some issues with the electrical connection in our campervan which Geoff will get sorted out tomorrow before we head for Whangarei  Falls and further north.   It was just a beautiful day here—sunny and warm…warmer the further north we drive.   Seeing lovely islands out in the water and  lots of beautiful views along the road.   Saw an unusual tree house that was built around a tree and circular.    Didn’t get a picture—just saw it from the road as we were driving.   Took lots of pictures of the beaches we stopped at and have to say they are all just beautiful!   Some have lots of shells and some don’t.      Nice campground and in the kitchen we met a young couple from Amsterdam (Sebastian & Johanna) who just arrived a few days ago on a “working holiday” for 10 ½ months!   They both spoke English well and Geoff gave them lots of info about NZ.   They are going to go find a car to buy to get around.   They are touring north island and plan to work somewhere on the south island primarily.  We wished them well.   Our campervan neighbor, Geogre, was from Newcastle so a “Jordy” as Geoff called him…a bit hard for me to understand but a nice man.  He is leaving in morning to return campervan and fly down to Wellington.  xo S&G

November 18, 2010 Thursday – We drove the Tutukaka Coast as we left Whangarei (we bid Sebastian & Johanna goodbye as well as George who gave us his leftover provisions!).  We stopped at a beautiful place called Mangawhai Heads for lunch and to hang out my handwashed clothes (my other outfit!)  J  Had a nice walk around the area and the views were spectacular as usual!   I just can’t believe all the beautiful beaches we are seeing!   We drove into a little city called Ngungura and used the pay phone to call about my bag—I left a message for the baggage people in Auckland to call me re the status and to get a claim form.  Have decided to call Sue B tomorrow and ask her to start being the “squeaky wheel” about my bag…someone needs to track it down and I know it’s not in Auckland so must be in US or Sydney.    We drove just a while further and I got a call from “Yo” at Menzies (baggage handlers at Auckland) and she is going to email me a claim form so I can get the process started.   Just as I hung up, Kevin, also from Menzies called and said they found my bag in Sydney and it would be arriving on a later flight—if it gets here in time they will get it to me tonite!   So excited to know it is found.   Kevin says it’s been in Sydney all the time!   Geez, you’d think someone would have tripped over it!   Anyway, I am happy to know I will have my stuff soon.   Later Reggie, from Menzies called and said they would send it on the Kerikeri airport in the morning and have it delivered to me tomorrow!  So, that’s one less thing to think about but I have discovered that I can do without a whole lot of things IF I HAVE TO!  

We drove on to a town called Kawakawa and Geoff said we had to go see the public toilets in this town—it’s actually known for them!    So we stopped near the toilets and went to use them…they are quite unique in their design—designed by Freidrich Hundertwasser (an Austrian immigrant) who won an award for these bathrooms.    It is his last claim to fame since he died a few years ago and the public toilets were built in the late 1990’s.   I was quite taken with them and they style made me think of Gaudi’s artistic style in Barcelona!   They really are a “must see” and it is a cute little town, too.    We left there and just a few minutes down the road we were on a car ferry across the bay to Russell and drove to a lovely beach called “Long Beach” that is up and over the hill from where we are staying in Russell.   The weather turned from beautiful and sunny to overcast and it started to rain lightly.   It stopped and we walked into town and went to the Duke of Marborough Hotel and sat on the veranda and had a beer while watching dolphins play in the water and just enjoying the view of the sailboats in the harbor.    The foot ferry from Paihia come in and left while we were sitting ther…it was very pretty.   It’s a lovely little town.   We went back to camp for tea and Geoff made me my first “beans on toast” and I have to say they were quite tasty and I enjoyed them very much!   We sat in the campervan and listened to music until bedtime…twas wonderful;!

Friday, November 19, 2010 – 8:30 PM -  Woke up to a good downfall of rain but it turned to mist by the time I had showered and dressed.   The view is a bit clouded so we aren’t going up Flagstaff Hill since it won’t show off the views of the area like Geoff wants---we’ll wait until later today or tomorrow for that.   After we had some lunch we walked into town and spent some time looking at a few shops….there is a very nice art gallery that had lots of beautiful glass, wood and other media works.   The prices are not inexpensive!   We ended up down by the museum and library (it was closed) and then a Maori Heritage House that had a gift shop but even better was the videos we spent around a hour looking at and learning about the history of Russell (it was the first capital city before it was moved to Auckland), about some of the endangered birds, the Hector dolphins and some other interesting things about the Abell Tasman Park (South Island)—all done by the New Zealand Conservation Department!   Afterwards we walked back through town and stopped at “the Pub” and sat and enjoyed the Red Bulletine magazine articles while enjoying a drink.   We walked back to the campground and lo and behold, there was a sight for sore eyes--yes, my long, lost suitcase!!!   The ladies in the reception area said it had been delivered only 5 minutes before!  I hugged that bag!   Geoff drug it to the campervan for me (I say “drug” because it is heavy but has wheels, the road is uphill and is made of cobblestone-like rocks so not an easy feat!).   while I started unpacking my bag, Geoff started fixing our tea!   I found my tea tree oil shampoo had opened up and managed to get out of the ziplock baggie so was on a few things that I needed to rinse off (fortunately it was stored in the individual compartment of my suitcase with other toiletries and away from all clothes so not as bad a mess as it could have been)>   Stopped unpacking to go eat tea with Geoff and then finished the chores and just having a quiet evening in the campervan catching up on my laptop.   Hope  to have wi-fi  access soon to download this and maybe add some great pictures!   Off to bed soon…wonder what tomorrow will bring to us in the land down under!  Love, Sue and Geoff xo