Biking

Me not wobbling

Malcolm on the boardwalk

Drove to Tauranga this morning.  Went into town for coffee and looked around then tried out my new bike on the Tauranga estuary cycle/walkway this afternoon. Was a bit worried on the boardwalk bits - didn't fancy disappearing off the edge - but survived the experience.

First swim of the season

Me swimming

We are parked part way down this peninsula

At the Gypsy Fair

...listening to music

Our bus parked, photo from dunes to surf beach

We thought today was supposed to be rainy but luckily it is still hot and sunny. 25 degrees on the bus at 8.00am. We drove from Miranda via Karangahake Gorge to a car park between Waihi Beach and Anzac Bay.
We took the car and I went for a swim at Anzac Beach while Malcolm walked around the hills and pa site. Last time we were here we were the only vehicle - today, being the middle of the summer holiday period, it was chock-a-block.  The water was freezing! 
There is a gypsy fair across the road from our parking spot - which made our bus seem really conservative - we spent some time browsing the stalls and listening to the music, which was very cruizy :-) 

Two go twitching

Malcolm in the fennel forest
 

Godwits taking off

Godwits

Outside the Shorebird Centre

Street scene in Thames

Today we walked to the bird hide from the Miranda Shorebird Centre. The walk is about 45 mins each way - we saw no-one till we got near the bird hide then we saw lots of twitchers with tripods and they scared all the birds away from the beach to a lagoon. These were mainly the famous godwits which make annual migrations - flying to NZ then to Alaska, via China. 
Then we went to Thames - always love this little town, full of quirky things like these wheelchair-bound dogs looking in a window.

Hunua and Miranda

Malcolm at Miranda

Hunua Falls

Hunua Falls

Beach sculpture from the bus

Buses and vans at Ray's Rest

Today we got to walk bush and beach. First was the Hunua Falls. It actually took us longer to get to the Falls than we spent there because we took a 'shortcut'. We did a bush walk loop which we thought would be at the top of the Falls but was actually a high point looking at the Falls in the distance. Then we took the bus via Clevedon and the coastal route around the Firth of Thames to a freedom camp site we often go to near Miranda called Ray's Rest. We walked up and down the beach this afternoon looking at the birds and the mountains on the Coromandel opposite.

Botanical Gardens

Malcolm in the rose gardens

Lots of sculpture...

...these are called 'girl buoys' ($1,600 each)

 

camouflaged

 

 

Today we went to the Auckland Botanical gardens which are about 10 mins drive from Ardmore.  There is a lot to see - you could spend the whole day there - but we saw some of it.  Also spent 3 hours in the café catching up with friends who we met up with there.

Boxing Day

We left Whangarei this morning and drove south through Auckland to a Motorhome Association camping ground at Ardmore airport.  We had a walk around this afternoon and saw some spitfires and a bi-plane taking off and flying around.  There is the warbirds museum here apparently. 

Christmas Day

First light, Xmas morning

Boat houses across the river in the morning light

The bus in it's Christmas spot - beside the loop walkway

funkily painted boatshed on the walkway

 

Malcolm at the town basin

Xmas tree in hot, sunny weather with boats

bauble reflection

Salmon just been smoked

 

Christmas day dawned sunny and warm.  After breakfast we walked the loop.  It was fairly quiet and was strange to see the café area of the basin deserted.  After coffee back on the bus we headed over to Onerahi where we spent the rest day with our friends and their family.  Jo's brother in law smoked the salmon Malcolm is carrying to the dining room.  We managed a walk between lunch and tea then watched QI. 

Ake Ake

Rainbow Falls this morning - our camping place is just on the other side of some trees

Opito Bay - for non-NZers this is the traditional way to launch boats

Me at the viewing platform at the pa site, Ake Ake.  Bay of Islands behind me.

Me and Malcolm with part of Te Puna inlet behind us - sorry can't prevent it being sideways

The headland with the pa on it from a beach on the Te Puna side


Today is another sunny, hot day.  We drove out to Opito Bay and walked up the track to Ake Ake, which is about 20 mins.  From the top there were panoramic views across the Bay of Islands and up the Te Puna Inlet.  We took a side track down to a beach on the Te Puna side of the ridge.  I fancied a swim but didn't have my togs.  Looking like another lazy afternoon under the bus awning.

Kerikeri

A nice day enjoying the sunshine.  We drove down to the Stone Store basin again and then walked a track we spotted yesterday which goes through the biggest forest of gum trees I have seen in New Zealand.  The track came out at Kerikeri and we walked to where we could join the track from Rainbow Falls alongside the river back to the basin.  We got ice creams and sat on the hillside overlooking the Stone Store and Kemp House in the shade of a big pohutakawa tree.  We had lunch back at the bus and then put up the awning and whiled the afternoon away reading and relaxing.

Sorry it is sideways - Malcolm and gum trees

part of the view from shady pohutakawa

rear of Kemp House - this is where the missionaries came and established themselves in the early days

Goodbye to this...

...hello to this :-)

Off again for 3 months - day 1.  Left King Street after lots of tidying and cleaning of house ready for house-sitters.  1 1/2 hours later parked at Kerikeri at the NZMCA camp ground at Rainbow Falls.  Walked beside the river to the Stone Store basin and had coffee and scones and jam then sat enjoying the view at the basin.  back for rum n coke then I risked driving down the road for fish n chips.  Good start to the trip.

Rainbow Falls

Stone Store basin

Last pool

After walking beside the lake a bit on a cloudy morning we set off north.  The weather improved when we got to Parakai NW of Auckland.  We stayed at a camp ground for once as it was beside the pools and gave half price entry.  Unfortunately it was packed!!!  Not so relaxing.

Can you see me?  You can click on the photos to enlarge - you might spot me then!!!

On to Taupo

The next day was dullish but there were sunny intervals.  We went to DeBretts (we went there with you Janet and Michael) for a soak.  Jo and Al headed off west, we looked round the town.

Sideways again

 

not too crowded - compare this to the following day!

 

Morning walk around the lakeside the following morning

 

Glass sculpture, Lake Taupo

Back to those pools

The next day was sunny.  We went for an amazing walk with Jo and Allistair through a thermal valley, then went to the Polynesian Spa in the afternoon.

Steaming Cliffs

 

Steaming couldron

 

Volcanic activity

 

Lake at the end of the walk

 

Polynesian Pools with Jo Allistair and Malcolm

 

Pretty relaxing!