Poets Corner Lodge Waihi

... didn’t bring our bikes on this trip. Bob did do some beach running when we arrived at our campground this afternoon. We had a pleasant drive to Waihi Beach. We stopped to buy veggies and strawberries at a roadside “honesty stand” and they were delicious with our lunch, dinner and dessert. Our campground is on a beach but it isn’t as big as Mt Maunganui’s ...

... total interessant war (ist): ein Bild, in dem gezeigt wurde, wo Gold in unserem Alltag vorkommt: Zum Beispiel wird ein ganz duenner Goldfilm in Feuerwehrhelmen eingebaut, um vor der Hitze zu schuetzen. Oder in modernen Wolkenkratzern kann man mit nur ganz wenig Gold in den Fenstern erreichen, dass im Sommer die Waerme nicht reinkommt, im Winter aber schon. Und was fuer Basti und mich auch neu war, ist, dass ...

... 5 uger med masser af oplevelser. Ungerne er vilde med swimmingpoolen, som er varm nok - selv for Peter (ca. 30 grader). Og så jagter de et par unge danske fyre, der arbejder her på campingpladsen. Den ene ligner LOC i sine yngre dage og er absolut ikke  indstillet på at tage imod Tobias og Anders' udelte beundring. Men drengene synes det er fedt at der er nogen de kan tale lidt ...

An amusing incident at Waihi beach was Yvonne's encounter with a possum - no photos though! Yvonne was heading over the narrow little footbridge across the stream that went through the campsite, where in the early evening you could see eels waiting to be fed by campers, and she met, half way across, what she thought was a cat. She gave it a quick ssshhh to move it on, expecting it to scamper but it stood there. As Yvonne ...

... colourful volcanic area'! The previous night, we woke, not only due to cold but to the smell of rotten eggs - not uncommon you may have thought knowing all three of us, however this smell persisted longer than normal! It turned out to be the smell of the volcanic activity which is common in the area. Having suffered the smell we decided that we would look at the cause. Holding Steven very carefully, in the pushchair if possible, we embarked on the shorter walk ...

... mountain. Early start?! So with my bag inside out and clothes everywhere time to go pack. At least I'll get things ordered again. It is always amazing how over time the bag expands even though nothing extra has been added. Plus now I had bits and pieces food wise to try fit in as well - shouldn't have done the shopping yet. Oh well... Mon 2 Feb - Mt Maunganui Got up early but not early enough to get to the top of the mountain. Oh well, I did see it. With ...

... almost pleading to be moved to greener pastures too! Around the farmhouse there are seven chooks and their rooster, Julie has taken to calling him Hugh, as in Hugh Heffner, as he struts around with his harem of hens like he owns the place! The chooks have taken to playing hide and seek with their eggs! Julie goes out religiously hunting them down; a few days ago she cracked one of their hiding places (pardon the pun) amongst the agapanthus plants. Jude has a ...

... man designed, narrow gauge train that was built to bring potters clay down from the nearby hills. It is now used to carry tourists up the hillside to a viewing platform over the Coromandel Peninsula. Any profits are being used to develop a kiwi sanctuary, another of many initiatives that we had seen, to improve the survival of the endangered bird. We continued on the Pacific Coast tourist route, through fields of cows ...

... pouring rain. I still haven't had a good night sleep in this country. I'm hoping that changes tonight. It is beautiful here. Looking out on the land, the sea, the hills, the trees, this place might very well be enchanted. It is so amazingly green here. The trees look like they're going to come to life at any moment. It really is lovely. I've made a really wonderful friend. Despite the crazyness of the last several days, I'm really happy...

... The hot water beach is a beach where volcanic vents give rise to warm water coming up in the sand. I pottered about searching for a good spot only to scold my feet in the 65 degree heat. Ouch! So I soothed my wounds with a bit of shopping :o) There's a fab art gallery opposite which hosts space for local artists and jewellry designers. I picked up a lovely ring made of silver/shell with the ...