Best Western Colonial Mtr Ldg Gisborne

... man at the Pinnacles Hut had told me about Mt Maunganui (it as where he & his family were from) so we decided to stop there. It was beautiful & the beach fantastic. We made the most of the coastal drive & stopped whenever we had desire. Also stopped in Gisborne the final night, but really didn't see much of the place. By adverts & literature, it seemed to be quite a hot spot for surfing. Some of the waves we saw on the East ...

... So fab! So a total of 4 nights in the car. We decided we would treat ourselves to an actual bed and a warm shower...and some Thanksgiving food! Well, sort of. We got a roasted chicken from Pakn'Save, a cheesecake, and some pineapple slices for me. There were also some Canadians at the YHA (Youth Hostel Association) we were at who made some cranberry sauce! YES!!! It was a very lovely meal. A little different to spend Thanksgiving outside, but it was nice!

... but we did have the advantage of a guitar player on board, so were able to practise en route to our next overnight stop in Rangitukia. I'd opted to do a bone carving and indulge in the horse trek, so after quickly choosing my designs it was time to saddle up and roll with the rest of the team on our 2hr horseback adventure. Not sure I'll ever make much of a horsewoman (although my progress was slightly impeded by my ...

... t asleep. We lit a fire down by the beach last night. It was apparently Jaimy's first "bon-fire". I showed him how to light one without paper. Everyone should light a fire under the stars at least once in their life. We packed in the dark and managed to leave by 4:30. The drive was a tough one; dark gravel winding along cliffs. I saw several live possums, or at ...

... de vitesse...Décidement! L* ville de Gisborne et*it donc notre première destin*tion. Gisborne est l* premiere ville *u monde * voir le lever de soleil tous les m*tins (un *ttr*pe ****ud pour touriste?). Après un burger et un petit tour d*ns l* ville, nous *vons décidés de continuer notre route, Gisborne n'ét*nt p*s l* plus jolie ville que nous *yons vu jusqu'* présent! Nous *vons trouvés un super endroit pour p*sser l* nuit. Derrière le club de ...

... hole was actually a nice room. The nose of the bomber was a LOT less comfortable. Mike slept upstairs in the cockpit. The still fully equipped cockpit with all the gauges, switches, controls, radios, etc.. Talk about a thrilled 4 year old. We slept downstairs in the bomb bay. BB's claims this is the last allied plane out of Vietnam before the fall of Saigon. Well maybe. BB's also runs a kind of cornpone hick sheep farmer history of NZ show daily which is actually ...

Hello everyone! WOW, the last few days have been absolutely amazing, just the kind of experience I've been wanting! Jenny and I left Taupo and ended up picking up another solo traveler, a Canadian named Josh. He's been the perfect addition to our little travelling group, as he has the same sense of adventure as I do. And, the weather has been great, so that helps as well. We've gone on some amazing hikes (off the trail of ...

... is also the Shawn the Prawn driving range. People drive golf balls off a tall tower into the prawn pools. There are yardage markers in the middle of each pool. Each marker has a hole in it; if you get your ball in any one of these holes, you win a cash prize. The prawn fish and pay area is thankfully located away from the prawn driving range. It's ironic that after all the hours Mike and I spent fishing for trout at ...

... maar vermakelijk genoeg aangezien het buiten toch regende. Even later brak de zon door. Ik besloot het museum te laten voor wat het was en eindelijk weer eens naar het strand te trekken. Maar ai... een paar weken terug hadden ze vloedgolven gehad, waardoor het hele strand vollag met aangespoeld wrakhout en andere troep... Nou, surfen zou het dus niet worden de komende dagen. Ze waren bezig met opruimen, maar waren nog niet echt ver.
Maar al dat aangespoelde had ...

... towns where the main attraction was a pier! We were also going to go to Whangara where they filmed Whale Rider but there was a Tangi going on so we couldn't get anywhere near the place. It is also sacred anyway so we wouldn't have been able to go into the village. When we finally got to Gisborne, we did a bit of shopping and then went to the surf lodge. It is really nice, almost like a house. I have made myself comfortable, checked my e-mails and done my laundry.