Sail Inn Whangarei

... at, there was 2 and we had booked in to the wrong<br>one! So we tried to get a room booking in the closer one, which we<br>did, but still costing us the price of the other room too!<br><br>2.5 hours later we were on the super 8<br>transfer bus. We were both pleasantly surprised by the hotel room, it<br>was huge... just like everything else in USA, ( except the Super 8<br>towels as Michelle soon discovered) and was really confy. So pleased<br>after our very very long day travelling. <br><br>

... for 5 hours one day....the views were pretty special and it was well worth pushing through the burn of the uphill climb. We parted company for a couple of days so that I could go to a Maori Cultural Evening in Rotorua and Black Water Rafting in Waitomo and Dan could go and visit a friend in New Plymouth. The Black Water Rafting (a pretty extreme way of describing a leisurely float down an underground river on a big rubber ring in the dark) was sooooooooo cool. The ...

... 10 campsite around 9pm. We were really tired from driving around, had a long chat in the van and slept like babies. Next morning we drove to the city for internet and spent 3 hours there. As we were really hungry afterwords we went to a cafe called Amici and had a pizza and beer. We didn't do a lot after that, just went to the Alpha Park campsite to wash our clothes and stayed there the night. Um 9.15h stiegen wir in den Katamaran namen's "Great Sight ...

... was 'Panorama, Parking and Price - have it all'. It went on to say 'Panoramic harbour and mountain views. Parking for boat, cars and campervan. 2 minutes to Urquhart Bay for easy board launching, swimming and scallops. Plus unique 3 bedroom home with turret, rimu kitchen and workshop.' There are four photographs: a large one of the view/bay (actually, it looks straight onto the oil refinery, but apparently even that ...

... later. The sea on the east of the islands was encouragingly smooth. We stopped and anchored at Cave Bay, had the briefing and kitted up. There were I think nine of us doing "straight" diving as opposed to training or snorkelling; we were all going in a gaggle, but loosely buddied-up. My buddy was Aaron (I guess that's how he spells it; pronounced "Oren"), who had about 30 dives. Aaron and I went ...

... Kauri Park for a walk round. It was the best time to go, I saw no one on my walks. The town of Whangarei is ok, after 6pm the place is dead. The hostel wasn't the best. The location and rooms are good but it could do with hiring a decent cleaner for the bathrooms and kitchen. Two nights was plenty in this town and certainly in the hostel. I'm now back in Auckland for a few days until my brother heads out to visit me.

... schon Angst seit wir es gekauft haben. Gott sei Dank keine grossartigen Maengel, nur Kleinigkeiten: ein neuer Reifen, den Sicherheitsgurt auswechseln und ein bisschen Rost ausbessern. Das ist ja noch mal gut gegangen! Wir bleiben heute noch in Whangarei, bei George, (der letzte Woche mit dem Auto im Sand steckengeblieben ist) Er hat hier ein schoenes kleines Haeuschen am Lande. 08/05/2008 Bei der zweiten ...

... enough to let you use helmets and shoes when exploring the caves. Being the keen cavers we are we didn't waste any time getting to the caves before dark. Not because we wouldn't be able to see in the cave but to ensure we would our way back to the lodge ;-). The first cave we arrived at had a steep climb down to the mouth and had quite a bit of water streaming into the cave. I was a little apprehensive at first and Inge-Marie was not sure ...

... was a huge cruise ship docked there - the P&amp;O Aurora. I have never seen a cruise ship up close before, it is beautiful ship, absolutely massive. Dean took a picture of it. We headed onto Princes Wharf to try and find a bar called Minus 5 which I have seen a picture of in the Lonely Planet. This bar is a copy of the Ice Hotel which can be found in Sweden. The whole bar, all the fixtures, seats and even the glasses you drink from are all made of ice and it looks like ...

... a fraudulent misrepresentation. I'm sure that back in my Sea Scout days we used to row around Lindisfarne Bay just as quickly. Perhaps I&#8217;ll recommend the operators rename the jet boat 'The Monotonator' in order to promote truth in advertising. In any case the rocky outcrops, caves and the Hole in the Rock itself were all very nice and we also drew alongside some seals basking lazily in the afternoon sun, so it was a good trip.