Centabay Lodge Paihia

Finally i booked a bus tour with Stray, not really happy with bustours but for the limited time and the lack of liftoffers i'll be on the bus the next two months. We went with a mini van with three people into direction Cape Reinga. The guide told us alot about New Zealand and how it was formed and what the people on the bank notes mend to NZ before. Not too bad and the people i travelled with on the bus weren't that bad after all. On the way we visited a village build by an austrian architec...

We arrived in Paihia to find lovely weather and the beach! We dropped our bags off at Centabay Lodge, and headed straight to the beach to go for a paddle. On the way back to the hostel, we walked around the tiny town and found the 2 supermarkets - one of which was selling peppers at the cheapest we have seen them yet (75p). Vikram would starve here! Our room was also really nice. Things are looking good! On the saturday (29th), Marc went off diving on the Rainbow Warrior (the Greenpeace Boat)...

Up with the birds again. I have decided to leave the Rock, more of a girlie than I thought. I need water and electricity. Dean had mentioned that the BBH hostel that he was staying in needed cleaners in return for accommodation, sounded perfect, so I spoke to Peter, packed and headed back to land and a hot shower. A short walk up the main road and I found Centabays hostel www.centabay.co.nz. A lovely white wooden painted building with green shutters and verandas. An instantly welcoming buildi...

As you can see from the map, I have covered a lot of distance over the last couple of days!!! The last couple of days in Paihia were really nice, as was my whole time there. It was such a relaxing place and I met some great people in such a short space of time, and became quite close friends with a few of them. Therefore it was quite difficult leaving them behind, but I'm sure that this is something I will get used to in time. It's just a fact that you'll make some great friends for a short t...

It's not really that significant but I just thought I'd share this as it's just superb. Paihia is a beautiful little village that feels very much like being on holiday. Water activities are in abundance here with many boat trips available, and there are lots of charming little shops, bars and restaurants. It has a warm, small community feel to it and once again everyone is completely friendly. I moved out of the Pipi Patch yesterday and in to the 'Centabay Lodge' which is over the road from t...

Dean and I had been chatting the other day about taking advantage of the cheap scooter offer at some point in order to see more of the Bay and it's surrounding areas. Today the weather was hot and clear and as we had both got the afternoon free, we hired ourselves a couple of scooters. We had a slow tootle around the back roads and up into the hills to start off with then we rode through Waitangi, past the Treaty grounds and up to the Haruru Falls. After a short stay there, we headed back ove...

It was Micky's last day in Paihia today and the weather was absolutely terrible! This morning as the rain was thrashing down outside, we all sat and watched 'Shrek 2' on DVD. Micky had bought it in Malaysia - an excellent film with a lot of laughs. Dean and I saw Micky off with a couple of beers at the Beach house this afternoon before she left. We said our goodbyes and headed back to the lodge. I know it's all part of the lifestyle with people coming and going from your path all the time. It...

I'm absolutely knackered but what a fantastic few days! Here's a quick run down:- There are six of us on the course which is being instructed by a very professional PADI diving instructor called Warren (or 'Waz' as he prefers to be called). He's very clear and concise and explains things perfectly, so I knew from the outset we'd got a good one. The first couple of days was split between the classroom and the swimming pool. The classroom work consisted of completing five chapters of coursework...

PASSED! Did the final two deep dives today and passed. It was a bit more difficult than yesterday, but nevertheless achieved. I had problems equalising on the first descent as I had difficulty clearing my left ear. But after a bit of patience and perseverence, I got it sorted and carried on to the bottom. We went to about 18 metres/60 feet today and had to complete our skills again sitting on the bottom. It was a lot more involved this time with underwater compass navigation thrown in and the...

After some consideration, I went back to the diving school today and booked myself on to the 'Advanced Open Water Diver' course. This one's only over two days but covers five 'adventure dives' giving greater experience and confidence. I was kindly given a $50 discount as I'd just passed the Open Water course - so 'can't grumble'. I was also given another manual and told to read through and select three elective dives that suit my interests. There are two compulsory dives though that must be c...