Brooklands Country Estate Hamilton

... to stand and you were lucky to make it to the first corner. It was all over pretty quick and although i enjoyed it it didn't really last long enough. So now i've done it i wouldn't do it again. oh plus the fact we stood at the top of the hill in a cold wind for 20 minutes didn't really add to the experience!<br><br>Next stop Luging! for those who don't know what it is you head to the top of a hill via a gondala and race down various different tracks in a plastic go-kart ...

... smiles back at me. Looks alright.... He says I can throw my pack in the back, but I say I prefer to keep it with me and he shrugs jovially. (I dunno if I'm paranoid or what, kinda new to this hitching thing, yano?). I'm a little on edge for the first few minutes, but I snap out of it when I realize "I could totally take this guy"... so I relax. And have a great time! I love this guy! He tells me all about his life in Raglan, about his daughter who races outriggers ...

... deal. Ends up just over $100 for the whole month, with a pretty good cover package. Lemme know if theres a better deal though!! Other than that, just starting the lists, saving $$ to fund our adventures and learning basic phrases to "connect with the peeps" better!! Oh yeh I got the "Lonely Planet Phrase Book - Southeast Asia" for $20 and its wicked!! Will let u know if it was worth it. :)

... everywhere was full. We were advised to continue onto Manu Bay, we took a wrong road and found a B&amp;B which was a one bed apartment with a view to die for over Whale Bay and Manu Bay.We went for a swim at Ngarunui Beach, a black sand beach popular with surfers and the only beach with lifeguards in the area. Went home, cooked dinner and watched two movies back to back in the sitting room of our one bed apartment - that was a real treat.

... it was served very elegantly outdoors in the shade - but accompanied by non-matching serviettes, which very much troubled my host! This was all a part of the build up to get me to spend the next three hours working on a co-authored paper for a conference in Paris next year. Today's my last full day in Hamilton, before I set off for a week in Wellington, and I'd earmarked it for my Hamilton sight-seeing day. The temperature is in ...

... come to love her, and it's gotten to the point where I'm so used to talking to her that even when I'm at home I've caught myself saying 'Olivia...' after a sentence (yes, I often talk to myself). It's become habit to include her in conversation even though she can't answer back verbally. I know she's listening and when she really wants to, she'll open her eyes really wide which is when I wish I could read her mind. Sometimes work is tiring but mostly I've ...

... aisles and little kids were running around like maniacs. I was standing there stunned as the band continued to enthusiastically 'praise the Lord'. I felt like I was at a Christian rock concert. And then the minister, who is called Toby and not 'Father Toby', started saying that he felt there were people in the congregation who had had an earache, who had not been well lately, who had severe migraines etc. He asked those people to come up to the stage. Here's where I began thinking ...

... more avons as well as the usual stalictites and mites! We were also shown the incredbile fossils that had been found of shells, oysters (which wer HUGE) and a moa (seriously huge flightless birds that used to inhabit NZ untill they were hunted to extinction) hip bone! We then had a delicious hot chocolate, went for a walk in the bush where we went through some natural tunnels and saw more caves! And rather randomly we ...

... and after a day of relaxation, I headed out with the hostel's surf car and a few other guests. The surf wasn't as good as the previous day and it was overcast, and the rip kept dragging us to the side, meaning we'd constantly have to paddle back into the line-up. I was having a really bad time and wasn't able to stand up at all, it felt like I had no power in my arms ...

... catch up. She left the UK in December to train to be an airline pilot in New Zealand. Theresa is looking forward to the day she hears Katie's voice from the cockpit as she flies off on holiday. After finishing our coffee/tea/hot chocolate we said our goodbyes and the two of us drove on northwards through Auckland to the Northland. Love Theresa and Mark xxxxxx