New Zealand's Best Bits!

Ok, I know it's been a couple of weeks or so since the last blog ...! No excuses except that we've been back in Auckland since mid May getting things finalised for the next leg of our trip to Asia and planning ahead for the USA later on! We booked an apartment in Parnell, our favourite Auckland suburb, and planned on being there until we fly to Singapore on June 2nd. But it was not to be! Last Monday we found a small damp patch on the bedroom carpet. Didn't think too much about it and went out for a few hours. When we came back the damp patch had spread and it soon started to get pretty squelchy in there! By the time our landlady came home you needed your wellies on to walk in there! We spent that night sleeping on the couch and a camp bed in the living room! Seems like some sort of water source under the house had burst as by the next morning the water was still rising up and even starting to seep up through the wooden flooring in the living room! It was impossible to stay there any longer so our landlady refunded us the last week's rent and, after an intensive bit of laptop work to find another apartment at short notice, we moved to a new apartment block nearer to the city. We booked a one bedroom apartment for the same price as our refund but somehow managed to get upgraded to a swish two bedroom apartment with little balcony! That's never happened to us before and am not expecting it to happen again - but we're certainly enjoying it while we're here! It's a nice little treat for our last week in New Zealand! Which brings me to the subject of this last New Zealand blog ... New Zealand's Best Bits! We are going to seriously miss this fabulous country and wanted to remind ourselves (as much as anyone reading this!) of our favourite places! So here they are ... (Auckland Harbour shortly after our arrival in New Zealand, Auckland Sky Tower and Harbour, New Chums Beach on the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula, the bubbling Champagne Pool at Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Park in Rotorua, Mount Taranaki - probably our greatest physical achievement here in New Zealand! Followed by Mount Cook, Marlborough Sounds - the picturesque Endeavour Inlet and Snout Track, Mitre Peak on majestic Milford Sound and Lake Matheson).




































Hope you have enjoyed following us around New Zealand and please do come along with us to Asia for the next five weeks! Haven't spent much time there myself although CK has when she was in Hong Kong with the RAF. Not sure exactly what to expect although am pretty sure it will be very hot and very hectic! Looking forward to it already - Asia here we come!

The Far North of North Island New Zealand!

Leaving Napier we headed further up the east coast of North Island to spend a week in Gisborne - the first place in New Zealand to see the sun each day! (Had a very wet week though so didn't get to see too much of the sun!) So with about 3 weeks left in New Zealand we decided to take a trip right up to the top of North Island to Cape Reinga. Stopping off at motels along the way, we arrived in Kaitaia and signed up for a trip with Cape Runner which was the best way to see the sights and the only way to be able to drive along 90 Mile Beach (actually only 64 miles long! Maybe it should be called 90 Kilometer Beach instead?! Just an idea!) The day started out well with blue sky and sunshine - and then after lunch the storm clouds began to gather! As you can see though we were well prepared with our trusty waterproof jackets! (how attractive eh?!) Cape Reinga is where the Tasman Sea crashes up against the Pacific Ocean, and also known in Maori culture as the "Place of Leaping", where the spirits of the dead bid a final farewell before departing to their ancestors in Hawaiiki. Didn't mind the stormy weather at all as it added to the dramatic atmosphere of the headland! Fortunately the rains eased as we left the tip of the Cape and headed off to the huge sand dunes to try our hand at sand toboganning! The trick is (apparently!) to trail your hands in the sand as you descend as a kind of a brake. Otherwise you rocket down the dunes at what feels like 90 miles an hour! All good fun! Could have done with a bit more time there to perfect our technique but, with the storm clouds gathering again, we had to leave and return to the coach. Our trip finished with a hazardous drive down a section of 90 Mile Beach on our way home and, with the approach of dusk and the tide coming in, our guide was anxious to get going! Back in Auckland now we are planning ahead for our trip to Asia in June and then the US from July onwards. Accommodation is extremely expensive in the States which is why we have cut our trip short and will only be spending 4 months there. However we did come across an alternative accommodation option here in New Zealand which will be more in line with our budget! How do you like our new home from home?!!!