Castle Rock Coromandel

... at the pharmacy for my visa application for Thailand. Upon viewing them, I returned to the cafe and shaved off a disturbing moustache that I had not noticed until seeing myself in photographic form. I guess we all kind of just let go on vacation. Ha.<br><br>This afternoon I decided to follow the road passing the cafe to the other side of the peninsula. I wove through dense bush on a gravel road up to the crest of the ridge that rides along the center of ...

... viable. He also told me that I had one of the most positive combinations of sign and house or planet (I'm not really sure how it all works, still - ask me in a few weeks), meaning I have just a generally good personality. Once again, I'm not sure about all of this, but it sure sounds nice. He told me I would find specific value in spritual practices but should steer clear of hallucinogens. I would like to hear a more thorough ...

... recycled or salvaged materials. I spent a long while cruising the roads photographing the buildings. There is everything from a two-story octagonal home to a yurt-like cob hut that looks like it was pulled out of a child's fairy tale. There's even a semi-outdoor camp-home that has a drawbridge over the stream. It's all quite inspiring.<br><br>Wed: I woke up this morning with moderately sore muscles from yesterday's work. We arrived at Steph ...

... bay.<br><br>After the train we stopped off to see Glover Street... nothing exciting apart from a good photo opportunity.<br><br>Next up was the 'Whimsical Water Museum'. This was a strange kind of park full of gadgets operated by water. There was a man cycling over the lake (operated by water on the wheels but his feet peddled); a couple of bikes where you could peddle to squirt water out; a clock operated solely by water; a boat race with tiny ...

... The water temperature averaged 35 degrees and where the spring came from was too hot to touch. It was a little tacky but very nice all the same. They served fantastic food and the place was just so relaxing it was hard to leave. Luckily it wasn't until the day we were leaving that the bad weather and rain set in, but there would be plenty more of that to come too.

... files and books piled everywhere, a desk smothered in papers, rugs strewn haphazardly, photos taped all over the walls, chinzy curtains, it was crazy place! The room she showed us was as big as a cat basket and had about as much warmth and enticement as a cat basket so we thanked her and said we'd think about it. At this point she immediately dropped the price to $20 less! We said we'd still think about it, even more! She was still in her socks! The next place we went to was ...

... back I spent an hour potting plants with Katrin before lunch. Piet has found me an old mobile phone handset to use - I can only use it within New Zealand but it's really nice to feel connected again. It poured down with rain all afternoon so we stayed in. Tuesday 27th May The rain continued again today, so this morning Katrin and I were potting plants in the shed, and raking leaves during the gaps in the rain. The afternoon was a lazy one due to the ...

So, after an uneventful 6 hour flight we arrived in Aukland, in the dark due to the 2.5 hour time difference. Jo's uncle had hired us a car which was waiting for us. With a map bigger than both of us we somehow managed to navigate from the airport down South, to the North Shore and we only got lost twice.. Aukland roads are crazy!! You look at the map of central Aukland and it looks like a roller coaster, roads going everywhere! This I can understand in somewhere ...

it has begun. packing, that is. which means that I'll really be leaving to go back home this Friday. this afternoon has been a process of editting what I think I'll actually need back home vs. everything I brought with me/accumulated. I'd rather not have to pay extra for my baggage if I really don't have to. what's left is one 2-day trip to the Bay of Islands (I ...

Leaving our centrally heated motel in Rotorua, and the resident bagpuss, we extricated ourself from the town's confusing road system and headed north. As it was the end of the school holidays, NZ was on the road en masse - not exactly a traffic jame but there was plenty of socialising on the picnic sites. We stopped in Thames to elbow our way round the supermarket, then it was up the ultra-twisty road that snakes along the west coast of the Coromandel peninsula. <br><br>Coromandel ...