view43 & Citylights Waiheke Island

... His name was Les. We talked of travels and endeavors, as I learned a lot from him and his "things fall into place when you take open doors" life experiences. I also hitched with an old surfer bum that day out of Greymouth down to Hokaitiki, the land of Greenstone. Did some greenstone shopping, before heading to the Franz Josef Glacier. I was now at a point where the ocean gives way to lush forests that creep up the mountain sides into craggy, steep ...

... a crazed tool man and the last 140 amp fan cooled arc welder. I've never seen a fight escalate so quickly, with so many handy weapons within easy reach I suppose it was only time until an enraged shopper flips and turns nasty. Escaping the carnage with all limbs still attached and only minor flesh wounds it back to the house for or own DIY mania. As Rob got stuck in to aged tank I went into the surrounding brush in search of any more small slices of pine tree that I had missed ...

... beach but Doug wouldn't take our rental car on the beach although we did see a few 4x4's driving past! It was the most amazing sight and took my breath away and I was pleased to be able to say I had walked on the beach! We took a very scenic route back - the stunning Maungataniwha range of the Northern Forest. Our last day in the north we took a book trip out to the Hole in the Rock where I had hoped to be ...

... feature in the parks fountain. A very vibrant atmosphere overall. Sat 7 Feb - Auckland Started the morning with the aim to get the last two weeks of my activities posted on my blog. Didn't get very far - the computers at Magic head office are archaic to say the least. The library was not yet open and then finally found a café to connect into. So with limited time as had agreed to meet Jen, (I now need to compromise) I didn't get much done at all. At least the coffee was good! Went ...

... Saturday morning at an alter of local flax poles followed by lunch for a select few (including us!) at a picturesque winery. Then followed a dip in the sea with the bride and groom before the evening do at the 'sand bar' involving the obligatory wedding Bon Jovi. A great time was had by all. The groom especially liked his album of photos and messages from home and the evening live ...

... Because we have so little room in our backpacks, Jeremy and I were forced to finish all of our bottles while traveling through New Zealand, which we've been more than happy to do. We took the ferry back to Aukland, but frankly, I don't remember anything about the ferry ride or what we did when we got back. I heard the ferry rammed the pier, but apparently I slept through it. It was a very good day of wine tasting indeed...

... arrived back with her just as we were all settling down on a variety of scatter cushions in the studio. A chap called Michael, something to do with the organising of the evening, said a few words of thanks to the gathered crowd, then the man of the house, whose name escapes us but whom we think was called Peter, stood up and began to annoy the hell out of us. He took deep breaths, smiled, paused, breathed deeply again, seemed deep in thought about what he was about to say, then ...

... a variation of tether ball outside the entrance to kill some time. It consisted of a iron pole set in the ground about fight feet high with a tennis ball on a string attached to small circular rings. Instead of using your hands, you have little paddles slightly larger than a ping-pong paddle. Sad to say, I think Tris beat me even though we weren't savvy to all the proper rules. After that we went in and ...

... and Tara and I seem to be getting on really well, so for the time being we have decided to stick together until one of us decides to go our own way. So tomorrow we are heading off North towards a place called Paihia, which is in the Bay of Islands, it should be good and warm!!! We decided to use a company called Magic Bus, which is one of the hop on - hop off bus companies, they seemed like a good deal. So in the morning the travelling starts for real...

En daar ben ik weer, terug op mijn eiland. Ik had altijd al wel gedacht hier weer terug te komen, het is toch echt een van mijn favoriete plekken in NZ. De rust, de mensen, het subtropische...

Na in Auckland nieuwe slippers gekocht te hebben, heb ik weer de ferry gepakt. Dit keer niet de spinnen boerderij, maar een gewoon hostel, de Hekerua Lodge. Een eindje lopen van de bushalte (vloekend, het was warm, ik een beetje chagerijnig ...