This last few days have been a flurry of socialising, and therefore an excess of alcohol. The NY's gathering, that I thought was for 17 of us and me in a t-shirt and pants, grew into a full blown party with the girls in their glad rags. I felt very underdressed but a few gins and that was soon forgotten. I spent much of the evening talking with Chloe, Emma and Andy. This is complicated pay attention (or skip the next few sentences) Juliet has a brother Paul (very rich eligible batchelor type until he met current girl friend, wedding in June). Chloe and Paul are long time friends. She is on a big OE and has just spent months working on a game range in S.Africa. She is in NZ for a year, is very pretty, has a model figure, eats like a horse, is charming, adored but all the children, intelligent, and I could help but really like her!! Emma is her friend, a civil engineer, petite and lovely, holidayed in NZ a few years ago and is back forever she hopes. Cloe and Emma have been traveling here for a few months. Andy, Emma's boyfriend, arrived a few weeks ago and planning to travel here. The girls are back to Christchurch this week where they will be living now. We have offered Andy the cottage whenever he wants and I think he will take us up on our offer so expect more news on this bunch in the future. Anyway, back to the party. We met lots of people J+K have spoken of, neighbours etc, and had a good time. Eric from 10pm kept asking if he could go to bed, the sociable animal that he is! He finally got there at 2.30am. The jolly one was as happy as expected. She either sat staring into space with a long face or was talking to someone who had approached her. The girls all slept in the den, apart from Stephanie, of course. One neighbour had a couple of trendy boys, 9-ish and 11-ish, and it was quite amusing watching all these young girls flirt aound him. Not harriette of course, she'd be mortified at the thought that she would flirt!! The following day J+K tried to pursuade us to go with them all back to Ann and Mike's (her parents) in Te Puru (near Thames on the Coromandel). We decided that we would came back for the night, feed animals (we had taken Inca and Rust with us) then travel up on the 2nd to join them. This we did, traveling first to Cathedral Cove (about a 2 hr 30min drive, then a 45 min walk). This place was packed, well packed by NZ standards not Margate ones). It was lovely though and with the first of the good weather we had seen since the 28th. Unfortunately we arrived at the car park and realised I had only packed a 5 litre drinks container with squash and had taken no water bottles. Very bad planning. I did have one 200ml bottle of non alcolholic drink, which we took and rationed ourselves. We were only planning to spend an hour on this beach anyway. It was really stunning, 2 beaches divided by a huge rock archway, very cavernous inside, clear blue sea, sandy beach and islands dotted around the coast line.
We were just thinking of leaving when J+K,E+H,2 happy ones and Mike arrived. They had also come drinkless having beed dropped off from the camper in a hurry!!
The walk there was very pretty but I worried at how downhill it was (down's obviously mean up's on the way back).It culminated in about 7 flights of steps!!!! I am supremely unfit and knew the return would be a struggle. I hated passing these fit young things coming up as we walked down who were breathing quite noiselessly!!! I made excuses for the others to go ahead and told Alice to put her jeans (she refused to take shorts when we left home) and H+A to put their trainers on for the return climb. Of course they knew better. Half way up the steps we met H+A who had decided not to go ahead with the others as they did not know which route we would take back (there is a short section with 2 options). So the 4 of us struggled on. Alice was hindered not only by her lack of fitness but the chest infection she had. That I did have some sympathy with. I must say though I think it cleared her lungs well as she has coughed decidely less since! Anyway a short way up the slope I said 'Alice I really think you sould have put your shoes on'. As the words came out she tripped and cut her toe!!!!! I sent the others ahead and sorted her wound out, and made her put her shoes on! Later she was pushing her sarong in between the thighs, the salt water and heat now taking effect so we stopped again for her to don her jeans.
It took us 55 mins to make the return journey and boy did we polish off some drink when we got back. I am going to stop now and continue later as I want to speak to Mom and Daddy, (I think H is talking to them now) and get ready for a lunch date with the Scott-Mackies. Back soon.
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