Ash Grove Motel Paihia

... Einheimische erzählt mir in einem Cafe in Kerikeri, dass einer der Maori-Chiefs mit dem Schiff sogar bis London gefahren sein sollte. Der ganzkörpertätowierte entschlossene Krieger war eigentlich auf Waffen aus, denn auf jeden Fall wollte er nicht klein beigeben. Er schaffte es, die englische Elite zu bezaubern und kam mit einem Berg Rüstungen, die er als Geschenk bekommen hatte nach Neuseeland zurück. Hier verkaufte er die Rüstungen und ...

Since leaving the Tauranga area we have had the best weather! <br><br>We took our first bus in NZ towards the Coromandel Peninsula, to a small town called Whitianga. We stayed 3 nights there and enjoyed the sandy beaches and the huge limestone cliff views. We did some relaxing and pretended that it was warm enough to lay on the beach with our books. Didn't last long. The weather is getting alot colder now... once the sun goes down its really ...

... Bay, an isolated Bay, and spent 40 mins chilling in the sun. From here we head north, continuing up the east coast to Cape Reinga. We got off and went for a 45 min walk to check out the famous light house at the tip of New Zealand and look out point where the Pacific meets the Tasman Sea. Maori people believe that their spirit transcends the land and passes through to the other world here, through a tapu (sacred) Pohutukawa tree growing from the cliff. The final ...

... and exploring Robertson Island and looking at the amazing views. I also tried freshly caught mussel lip and bubblegum (the stuff that sticks the mussel to the shell) and sea urchin eggs (apparently a Japanese delicacy if you fancy paying $500 but probably not worth it - interesting and not entirely unpleasant but I wouldn't waste my money!) I also did a spot of kayaking around ...

... Bay of Islands since we included them in our New Zealand itinerary. Paul's friend had recommended them, and the area was described as an area with natural beauty and the best area for sailing and dolphin encounters - both of which we wanted to experience! When we awoke the first morning in Paihia, the first thing on our agenda was to book a boat trip. We chose Carino Dolphin and Sailing because it combined both of the activities we had come ...

... we had lunch at. We had 1hr on the island so there was plenty of time to have a dip in the sea as well. It was pretty cold! After we returned, we were going to have a BBQ but in the end we couldn't be bothered to cook so went out for a curry instead. On Monday we headed back to Auckland and after checking in to Jet Park Hotel by the airport we headed back into the city centre to browse round some shops ...

... showed, a white land cruiser pulled up and parked in the bus lane. at first I thought this was odd, and then just plain selfish, but when I looked again at the SUV I realized it had been extended! I knew trying to explain this story to my Dad would never be enough to capture it, so I just took a picture instead. I've seen a lot of Toyotas but I've never seen a land cruiser like that and I wondered if it was a one-of-a-kind. maybe it was ...

... a kiwi, a banana, a glace of juice and a cup of yogurt. Then I washed up, brushed my teath and lay back down to listen to the rain fall on the roof of our building. We spent a lot of time reading that day, I finished "The Secret Life of Bees" and started "The mermaid Chair". Once we'd lounged around for harlf the day we headed over to the grandparents lodge to ask them if they wanted to come with us to book the dolfin tour that included a visit to the Hole in the Rock ...

We are really enjoying out time in the Bay of Islands and we are delighted with our accommodation in Kerikeri, Our accommodation is very compact ,clean and private. Our host Graeme is very welcoming and helpful. Groceries are the first order of business and we set off on foot to explore the neighbourhood and to find groceries. We probably should have brought the car as we get very carried away at the grocery store. We buy enough ...

... Bay and stopped off on some lovely empty beaches where I chilled out and relaxed! Lovely stuff! Then a few dirt roads, and a dodgy bridge which I nearly crashed into, I reached Matai Bay. It was an amazing secluded golden sand bay with a few fishermen and great views! This is what New Zealand is all about! I was finally happy and getting sunburnt, so back to Fran and off to the top of New Zealand to a place called Spirits Bay. I walked ...