These 'holiday' entries are being transcribed from a written journal and I have promised myself that I will alter nothing. If a web-log is a blog then is a written/paper log a wlog (no), a plog (better)?
We left on Sunday getting away at 8.15am, only 1hr 15min later than planned but I kept telling myself 'we're on holiday, time doesn't matter'. Which is just as well as we don't have a watch between us and we generally leave our phones off. It's only when we get to the car that we become 'time orientated'. The journey up took 5 and 1/4 hrs and I did all the driving as Eric got dust in his eyes on Saturday and they were still red and sore. I envisaged a trip to the doctors on Monday but he seems to be over the worst now. I am amazed at how little traffic there is up here, until you get into the 'towns' and that's were everyone is. Paihia and KeriKeri are bustling but not heaving. The tourist industry, particularly on the camping front has been hard hit by the diabolical weather over Xmas/NY. I, on the other hand, am gloating. Today is the first overcast day since my holiday began last week. It has been seriously hot with not a cloud in the sky. Despite being careful Eric has burnt his legs (the sun moved his shade he thought he was in from a pohutakawa) and I am a little red on my back.
Once we had arrived, pitched the tent, had lunch and a swim we jollied around to get a bit orientated. This is a major fruit producing region famous for it's oranges. There are also signs everywhere for sweetcorn, plums, watermelon and tangelo's (a cross between an orange and a tangerine).We plan to take sacks of oranges and tangelos back from this orchard when we go. I'll juice and freeze lots.
Monday, our first full day was, coincidentally, Stan's birthday. We jollied down to Paihia (20 mins away) and found him, land bound for the day, at the dive shop and arranged to meet later. After a coffee on the pier we found a beach, laid under a tree and read while the girls played in the sea. They repeatedly asked/begged us to hire a kayak but the sea was quite choppy and even adults were struggling. We later met up with Stan and went to his 'tree house'. He is renting a room in a house owned by the parents of a young lad he met diving on a previous trip to Paihia. Ty Ray's parents have recently taken over management of a motel in Paihia and moved in there. This house is amazing. You enter it from a conventional, nice residential area. We parked on the road and walked down an unbelieveably steep slope. The house is built on 4 levels on the steep slope down into the bush. You can hardly see it from the road.
Stan took us up to Bledisloe Point for, probably, the best view of the Bay of Islands.
On the way he dropped in to the motel to pay his rent and we were introduced to Pam and Aubrey, Ty Ray's parents. They very kindly invited us to supper and for Stan's birthday had cooked snapper (2 delivered by a neighbour) and birthday cake. They bought him a pressie and did the whole toot. I later took the girls back to the campsite and left Eric and Stan to go drinking. I guess they had a good night as they didn't get in until after 3am.
The weather today, as I said, is a little disappointing as it has clouded over. The girls and I picked Eric up and came back here for some breakfast and for Eric to get showered. We then drove up to explore the coast line out to the north. We stopped at:
Matauri Bay. A long steep, hairpin bend drive down to the beach which was very long, straight and golden. In fact every beach has golden sand so I won't repeat that! At one end was a run down caravan site, a Maori pikey site is the most apt, if not PC description. At the other end was a huge, packed campsite. We have been assured that it is a lovely bay but the 'caravan site' put me off.
Te Ngataere Bay, lovely, quiet, just a few holiday baches.
Wainui Bay looked small and quiet but access seemed to be through Wainui Whanau campsite and Eric refused to park leaving the car with maori who had seen us head off! Raiding holidaymakers cars in remote spots is a problem here (?everywhere really).
Tauranga Bay. A popular tourist destination. Lovely beach but busy (we're talking 'NZ busy' here, not to be mixed up with 'Margate busy!) due to the large campsite, maybe 100 baches dotted around village-style and a motel.
Whangaroa harbour. A very quiet harbour with lots of 'proper' boats. Very pretty. Here we had an icecream from the little shop and then made the return trip to KeriKeri.
By now Eric was fading so we shot into town for provisions at the new and quite large New World, and headed home. Eric then slept, OK we both slept! But, I am now wide awake writing this. Tonight we will BBQ, in foil packets, the fresh trumpeter, lemon fish (or rig, or dog fish) and gurnard we bought to have with salads, pull apart bread and cherries for 'pudding' - and am I looking forward to that - I'm starving!
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