OK--OK--LOTS TO TELL YOU SINCE I LAST BLOGGED!!!

Sunday afternoon, November 28, 2010 - We are camping at Mount Maunganui until tomorrow.  The wash is hanging on the clothes lines and it's a warm, sunny day--after I get this posted we are going to hike up the Mount that is next to us (it's not a huge mountain but this is a very cool location!)   Happy Birthday to my nephew, Jim--I hope you feel the "vibes" all the way from here!  Wish you were all here to enjoy this adventure--and I am only starting my 3rd week!   Enjoy these posts so you can see what Geoff & I have been up to over the last many days and miles!   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 – Kaitaia (the correct spelling!) – Our first order of business (after locating a campground at the “i-site”  and booking a trip for me up to Cape Reinga) was to find a bakehouse  since on our way here, Geoff said to me "Babe, I believe it is a “pie and sauce” day”—of course, we only had to walk a block to find a busy bakehouse and get two steak & mushroom pies—we took them back to the campervan and had our lunch in our wheeled restaurant.  By the way, the “sauce” is Heinz tomato ketchup!  Yum…these were flaky and messy pies but oh so good!   I see why Geoff is fond of them!  J  After updating my blog at the local library I actually got to chat with Jon via Facebook and see and chat with my sister, Jan, for a few minutes on Skype (she said they have 8 inches of snow and blizzard warnings—I showed her the blue sky here!).   It’s been a sunny, blue sky kind of day!  When I got finished on my computer Geoff had our afternoon “tea” ready in our mobile restaurant!  We sat outside the library and drank coffee/tea and ate cookies/biscuits! We drove to Ahipara to a Kiwi Campground for the evening and decided to stay Wednesday night, too, since I am booked on the all day Cape Reinga excursion.   We walked about 10 minutes from the campground and walked on the beach and I saw the Tasman Sea for the first time!   What a thrill for me!   We walked a little on the beach but the wind was picking up so we headed back to camp.   Chef Geoffrey made another great batch of spaghetti and we dined alfresco with birds singing (and begging for tidbits!).   I keep thinking each day is the best and how can it get any better but each day has its own surprises and rewards!   Today I saw Matai Bay and was blown away by its beauty and now the Tasman Sea followed by my own personal chef making a tasty dinner!   As Geoff says, “Life is good!”  It sure is!  Xo Sue & Geoff

Wednesday, November 24, 2010 – Ahipara – Had to drag my lazy self outta bed at 7:15 AM to get a shower and ready to catch the bus for my day long excursion!   Geoff made me coffee and cereal, kissed me and sent me on my way with my little supply of Jelly Bellies!   We head to a few other pick up points and at the 2^nd one, who gets on the bus?  Yes, you guessed it…Johanna and Sebastian, that cute young couple from Amsterdam!   Were they surprised to see me?   I think so.   I told them Geoff has done this trip already so sent me on my own since it is a “must see”.   (Update from Johanna and Sebastian: they did not buy a car yet and are doing some holiday travelling as they head towards the south island to look for work and they had a change of plan and now will return to Holland in April due to Johanna’s educational schedule, etc.  Also found out that Johanna and I have the same birthday—January 1—although she is only 23—and Sebastian’s birthday is June 12, he is 25—so they are “kids” to me! J).    We had a delightful day sharing all the sights, starting with the Maori cultural/blessing ceremony for our trip that was interesting and reminded me of both Hawaii and Fiji!   Must be that south Pacific influence!     We then went to the Ancient Kauri Kingdom (hard to believe how these trees have survived so many years—50,000+ in some cases).   The wood objects and art they make with them is very pretty and very pricey!  We travelled on up the road that runs parallel to the 90-mile beach and stopped at Rarawa Beach (the white silica sands that they used to mine for glass making up until about 10-15 years ago).  I found two pretty shells on the beach there.  We drove further north and went by lots of farmlands and through the towns of Te Kao and Te Paki.    The bus driver was a Maori who gave us lots of history about the whole area.  He was also pretty funny and made jokes and also sang Maori songs at times—he even taught us one but don’t ask me to repeat it!  We stopped for lunch at Tapotupotu Bay which was provided by Sand Safaris.  On we went to Cape Reinga and it was quite a thrill to see the Tasman Sea to the west, the South Pacific to the east then to walk down to the light house (what a great walkway they have) and see the two seas merge in a swirl of water!   Well worth every penny and minute to travel the day up here and back!!!   After our visit to the lighthouse we headed down and made a turn off and next thing I knew we were next to these mountains of sand!   We are travelling in a bus, mind you, and driving over little streams and next to these huge sand dunes!   The bus stops near a huge dune and we get out and they give us toboggans to hike up the hill and slide down the sand on.   I hold Sebastian’s wallet and camera and opt NOT to go up the hill (you have to get across a small stream of water and I didn’t want to get my shoes all wet).   Johanna went halfway up and slid down and Sebastian went all the way up and rode down!  I took some pictures.   It was fun to watch but looked like a heavy duty hike to get up to the top!   After we boarded the bus we started down the 90 mile beach for miles—probably 60-70 miles!  That was pretty cool.  The bus has to watch out when crossing the fresh water streams flowing into the Tasman Sea so it doesn’t get stuck and they have to watch out for waves when the tide is high—it was not high so we had no problem driving on the beach and went further than originally expected because of it.   Was a lovely ride.   Went inland and headed down the road we had driven north on and ended back at the Ancient Kaori Kingdom (that’s where the bus goes through a wash of the sea spray).  Next stop was my drop off by the campground.  I hugged Sebastian and Johanna goodbye and we promised to keep in touch and hopefully, meet up for a pint somewhere in South Island NZ after the first of the year!

I got back to camp and Geoff heard all about my day and I said “You have to see this picture of this cute Maori couple I met today>” and showed him the photo of the Dutch kids and he laughed—thinks it’s too funny that I ran into them again!  Who knows, we may see them somewhere along the adventure trail in North Island yet!   My personal chef got busy and made dinner for us…wow, it was just the best Spanish omelette I have ever had—maybe it’s the fresh air that makes food taste so good, OR maybe it’s just that Chef Ceoffrey is just one damn good cook!   Another day to write home about!   Yes, indeed, life is fantastic down under!  Love, Sue * Geoff xo      P.S. On a sad note, we have been anxiously waiting and hoping  for good news about the 29 NZ miners and heard the news today of the 2^nd explosion—our hearts and thoughts are with their families dealing with this ongoing tragedy.  We mourn along with this nation.

Thursday, November 25, 2010 = Piha – 8 PM – We got up and had showers and breakfast then headed south on the west coast of the north island!  We ended up heading east later so it’s been an all directional kind of day with roads that were windy and with lots of ups and down and down and up over and over and all I can think about is how Geoff and his wife rode loaded bicycles (with camping gear and provisions) these same roads 30 years ago!   I am very impressed.     There is NO WAY I could do what they did!   The views were not of water for the first half of the drive but of rolling hills and beautiful green pastures with either dairy cows, steers, sheep or horses.   All along the roadways since we left Auckland there have been wild flowers and the more remote we are the more prolific the wild flowers are…just makes the scenery that more picturesque!   We drive through many small “one horse” towns that may have a tavern or maybe a couple buildings.   I never get tired of looking because I never know what I will see around the next corner.   I am grateful that Geoff doesn’t seem to mind driving so I can be sightseeing!  We get to Kohukohu and wait for the car ferry across the Hokianga Harbor—it’s huge and beautiful in spite of the overcast skies!   We eat our lunch while travelling across the Harbor.   We get to a town called Opononi that is really a pretty little town near the mouth of the harbor where it meets the Tasman Sea and you can see the giant sand dunes across the water.   This town’s “claim to fame” was a dolphin they named “Opo” that stayed in the harbor for at least 6 years swimming with the boats and people of the area (Geoff thinks there was a movie made about it, too).   Nest we drove into the Waipoua Forest where the old living Kauri trees live.   This was one of my favorite places to see—we stopped to see “Tane Mahuta” the “Lord of the Forest” a humongous Kauri tree and it was mind blowing to see it/   The Forest is similar to a rain forest but with this very, very old Kauri trees here and there!   They are magnificent trees.   I took pictures of every one I saw until the battery on my camera was used up and I had to stop snapping pictures!   The trees changed as we came out of the forest and now we are driving and looking at rolling hills.   It’s getting to be late afternoon and we start seeing the dairy cows lining up and heading towards where ever they get milked…it was kind of cool to see them in long lines…sometime they had a tunnel under the road they would take to the other side… it would be sort of cool to see if the same cow is always the leader and if the last stragglers were always the same.   Not sure if cows have a hierarchy like dogs and other animals do.  Just a random though.   We continued south through Dargaville and on around the  Kaipara Harbor to Wellesford where we stopped for fuel and bought some bags of oranges, apples and tomatoes right at the gas station!    We continued on with through Helensville and continued towards our goal of Piha.   It was quite a windy road uphill then downhill to this town—at one point we could see the Sky Tower of Auckland from a view point so we aren’t far from there and Geoff says people can live here and commute into Auckkand to work,   We winded our way down the mountains and saw a spectacular view of the beach right next to this small town (it’s supposed to be a popular surf area).   We are at the Piha campground 5 minutes walk to the beach.   We got in sort of late so we went to the local RSA (Returned Soldiers Association) for dinner.   Geoff says he has eaten at several RSAs and RSLs (Australia) and the food is always good, plentiful and not too expensive.   So my sort of unofficial Thanksgiving meal was chicken snitzel, roasted baby potatoes, a lovely spinach type salad, red wine and some ice cream with chocolate sauce!   Delightful!!!   Along the roadside two times today we saw birds that looked like wild turkeys with babies!  Gobble, gobble!!!   Love, Sue & Geoff xo

Friday, November 26, 2010 – Cormamdel Town – 8 PM – We just had dinner at our campground—a lovely bbq’d steak with a mix of peppers, onions and sliced potato grilled with it, served with half a fresh avocado and some NZ wine!   My personel chef outdid himself tnight.  Oh yes, we ate fresh oranges for dessert!  So today we broke camp and visited the beach at Piha and saw a few surfers and a bunch of schoolkids wearing Santa hats on the beach!    Just a reminder that Christmas is on its way!  We left beautiful Piha and as we drove up the mountain we stopped to take a few photos looking down on it—just beautiful!    We stopped at the Arataki Visitor’s Center and looked around there, got some info about how to skirt Auckland and go south and headed on our way.   We drove through Titirangi and into some suburbs of Auckland, across a bridge and then stopped at a motorway service stop for lunch and so I could make some calls home.   While Geoff made our lunch I called and wished my Mom, daughter, son in law, niece, sisterin-law, grandson a very Happy Thanksgiving as well as to those who I didn’t chat with!   It sounds like they were having a very nice meal in spite of the cold weather.   We are in sunny and warm weather ourselves.   I ate lunch and then called my own house to wish my friend, SueB, and her son and sisters a Happy Thanksgiving, too.   Everyone sounds well and happy so all seems to be good on the homefront.   It was nice to talk to everyone that I did!  Our next stop was Thames where we replenished our supplies (the important stuff like my wine and Geoff’s beer!) J   We then drove towards the Coromandel area—around the Hauraki Gulf.   We were right on the edge of the water for many miles.  Then we turned and went up along a very curvy, winding road that has spectacular views of the bays below—just fabulous but I felt bad for Geoff having to deal with such winding roads again!    He is such a good sport about it.   We got to Coramandel Town and walked around the small town and went into a local pub and had a beer (that Monteth’s Radler is very, very good—probably my favorite!).   We walked back to the campervan and headed to the camp we are in.   After a fantastic dinner, I am just chilling out while Geoff is cleaning the bbq!   What a guy!   Tomorrow we head over the mountains and I see what is over there next!   Never a dull moment!   Love, sue & Geoff xo  P.S.   I hope everyone back in the USA had a wonderful Thanksgiving—I am thankful for all my family and friends and to be with Geoff on this incredible adventure down under!

Saturday, November 27, 2010 – 9 PM – Mount Maunganui ( next to Tauranga) – As an addition to yesterday, after I wrote my blog, Geoff and I walked into Coromandel Town to listen to some live music and at the “Admirals Arms” we listened to The Audio Smiths who played some very entertaining hard rock for a few hours.   It was a small crowd in this one horse town but all ages were enjoying the music!   We wandered back to camp around midnight and in between the bright streetlights we marveled at the bright stars that we could see—made us think of the night we met in Fiji!

So today we headed up a steep and winding road out of town across the mountains and at one point we were able to pull over and look back down at the town we just left—it was quite a view!   We drove on and now I can spot Kauri trees when I see them and same some younger skinnier versions along the road.    We crest the mountains and there is another huge body of water—known as the Bay of Plenty!   We stop  at Kuaotunu to look at the water and beach and Geoff tells me just how big the Bay is—gigantic!  It’s another gorgeous day, by the way, so the colors of the water are various shades of blue and very pretty.   We drive on to Whitiangi and enjoy the beautiful scenery—more rolling hills with little streams and Geoff says that reminds him of England.  Lots of cows, sheep and horses.   The towns we drive through are all very neat and clean looking.  There are some beautiful flowers in bloom, too.   We get to Taitua and decide to stop for lunch at a park by the bay.  After lunch Geoff goes to get a newspaper and sees a dozen or so hotrods parked on the main street—I go look at them and take pictures to share with my brother-in-law, Jim.   They seem to be all American cars.   We get back on the road after that great respite and head to Whangamata for a fuel stop.   Back on the road and heading to Waihi.  Geoff says there is an operational gold mine in the town so he drives to a spot near it and we climb some steps and next things you know, we are looking at a giant hole in the ground that is tiered down so far I can’t even see the bottom.   Since it is Saturday the mine isn’t operating but you can see the trucks, etc.   There’s also an tall old building that was used as well as a tall wooden rig that was used to mine in the “old days”.   It is poignant place since this nation just lost 29 coal miners recently.  We leave the little town and head to Waihi Beach—Geoff has never been there although he has been past the road leading there several times.   It’s a nice beach community and we stop at a public beach access point to walk out and look at the beach.   There were two boys around 10 years old laying in the sand in the sun and smoothing sand into piles.   I told Geoff that it would be nice to go back to those easy days when you could just lay in the sand enjoying the feel of it.   We bought some fresh avocados from a street seller and headed on our way.  There are lots of kiwi fields—you can see the tall windbreak bushes or screens to protect them.   I hope to get some fresh kiwi fruit very soon!   I didn’t realize Kiwi grew on trees that are sort of low to the ground like grapevines…I need to look at one up close some time!!!  We went through a town called Katikati and made our way to Tauranga then Mount Maunganui—you can’t miss it—it sticks out and is fairly high!   The town is a beautiful beach type town with lots of little shops and it seems odd to see Christmas decorations hanging up everywhere.   We passed by the first Starbucks and Burger King I have seen here!   We drove to the campground and it is huge and very nice (also very popular during the “peak” season which is Christmas, etc.).   we are on the harbor side and have a nice grassy power site.   We walked to the beach and it is very pretty—Geoff says that this a a popular surf location.   We walk the boardwalk for a ways then head over through the residential area and then we are on the main street we previously drove down.   I said Geoff deserves a night off from cooking since he has been contending with all the windy, up and down roads so treated him to a pizza at an Italian restaurant.   Afterwards, we walked through town, stopped for a drink at a trendy bar, LBC, done all in black and then walked back to camp just in time to see what sunset there was.   It’s been another wonderful day.   We are staying here tonight and Sunday night (plan to do some laundry tomorrow) and just take it easy before be head to Rotorua on Monday.   I really like this town and the look of it.   I hope to be on the beach for a while tomorrow, too!   That’s it for now…hopefully will post this tomorrow for your amusement and update!   Love, from the happy travelers, Sue & Geoff xo