Haruru Falls Motor Inn Paihia

... which were fairly big. <br><br>* After being knackered and completely walked-out, we went in the hot tub (yeah, we are obviously roughing it here!) at the hostel to soak my ever-increasingly-swollen-OAP ankles. Yum. <br><br>Yesterday we had to again get up at stupid a'clock for the bus to take us north to Cape Reinga, where the Pacific and Tasman meet - you can actually see it!!craaaazy. Maori people believe that their spirit transcends the land and ...

... back to Cape Reinga to<br>hike. It was full of amazingly beautiful scenery, a good workout<br>(lots of steep hills) and even better, we had an up close and<br>personal meeting with a seal! Walking on 90 mile beach (it's<br>actually 64 miles) was surreal too as there was absolutely NO ONE around &#8211; all we could hear was the sound of the surf hitting the rocks (check out the ...

... is hopping between sunshine one minute and rain the next - th**e are sheep on the hills, green pastures - it just is home away from home. Until we arrive at the Bay of Islands - which is beautiful. Paihia would normally be a sleepy little seaside town at this time of year. Howev**, we're so lucky this weekend that it is home to Bay of Islands Country Rock festival - now that doesn't mean some hippy cool Sh**yl Crow type of country rock ...

... to catch it in a glass, which he managed successfully after a few attempts. He lifts the glass to show me and I'm rather taken with the little beastie - until I tell him that he's let it out and its on his hand - oh the screams!! LMAO!! He was braver than me tho, I would probably have screamed AND dropped the glass! Not to worry tho, the wee guy was swiftly caught again and thrown out the door! Nothing like a little adrenaline before bed! LOL!

... a spacious living area. We chose the bungalow, which was the same price as the single bedroom and small living area we had booked. We were pleased with our choice noting that the "luxury rooms" next door were more presentation than substance, typified by the small infinity pool that was only about 40cm deep and designed to look nice rather than be swam in. The other benefit of the bungalow (Harura Hideaway) was the ...

... of the cliff and up the hill nearby or down to the lighthouse. I went up the hill first, and the view was just breathtaking. I can't do it justice, though I've got a million pics of it - I could have sat there for hours watching the sea. I actually did sit for a little while doing just that, but my trousers were still wet and I was starting to get cold not moving, so I continued on to the lighthouse. Funny Hill Interlude ...

... the summer time.. They way back in the evening over the Harbour Bridge into Auckland is stunning aswell. Colors all over the place and the skytower rising high above the city. Maybe the best skyline of a city by night I've seen so far. Back in Auckland and a time to do an introductionary with Stray along the city of Auckland. Starting with a trip to the harbour, not too interesting now the rain is pooring out. After heading to the the skytower which is the tallest alone standing ...

... while it poured down rain with gusty winds! The night was also pretty interesting, since our room jined the kitchen and those three English girls were chatting at the top of their lungs.... really wolrd chaning stuff, I might say. Yeah!! So, of course, no doplhin swimming today, since the sea was so rought, they wouldn' t let you into the water. And just dolphin viewing.... well, no ...

... on. Tillukeses kaptenisillas oli tõenäoliselt kummagi suuna jaoks eraldi juhtimine. Russell on NZ kõige vanem valgete koloonia. Seal on vanim kirik, hotell ja tõenäoliselt palju muudki. Sadamast oli linna ca 5km mägist ja ilusate vaadetega teed. Tilluke linnake koosneb kahest paralleelsest peatänavast (500m). Sattusime ühte kunstipoodi, kus sai näha väga omapäraseid ja huvitavaid skulptuure. Sealt leidus väga efektseid värvilisi klaaskuubikuid, mis keerlesid tipu peal (hind 230000EEK ...

... bay, it was a bit boring though. Russell is the longest continually habited town in NZ - and has the oldest church... Christ Church. You can even see old musket balls in the side of it, was slightly creeped out though because of the grave yard - sent shivers down my back. We were going to be going up to a view point, but I didn't make it - I am so unfit, and my ankle was so sore that I thought I was going to fall over. Heading back to Auckland tomorrow though. So for now c'ya xxx