Grafton Cottage and Chalets Thames

... to drinking a lot of. We made it to Thames just after 1 this afternoon and quickly checked in and dumped our bags before getting back in the car and exploring this town before dark. Its tiring work this driving and exploring work but its worth it. So the bloke from the hostel who kind of was alright but was also a bit of a cheese at the same time but he suggested we go up the Coromandel Range and try find a walk to do. he also told us how to ...

... face of volcanic rock. I plunged deeper into the forest and was overwhelmed when a light drizzle began, unlocking the heavy, fragrant air of my surroundings. The birdcalls were splendid company, especially that of the tui, which is a chaotic blend of chirps, clicks and melodies.

After fighting my way through mud pits that threatened to swallow my shoes, I made it back to the road, completing an 8-hour hike three hours early.

I drove back to Thames with trembling knees for the ...

... even have HOT showers! This takes a bit of getting used to as both Alasia and I have always carried everything with us whenever we go for an overnight hike.

The Pinnacles hut was amazing, as was the views, there was actually no other people up at the hut besides the warden (park ranger) so we had this huge structure to ourselves. We woke up before dawn for a trip up to the top to watch the sun RISE over the Pacific Ocean!
The next day when we ...

... is just outside of Whitianga on the east coast of the peninsula.

Not suprisingly, Hot Water Beach gets its name from the affect of the thermal activity just below the surface of the shore. If you time it right with the tides (and as ever we didnīt) you can dig a hole in the sand at low tide, whilst you and your speedos sit in your own mini-spa whilst the occasional freezing cold wave rushes in from the Southern Ocean to cool you down.

Thankfully, for the ...

... in again we decided that we would just go to Cathedral Cove the next morning and started watching a movie...but then the sun came out so we were off! The walk there through the bushes was demanding as I had been warned...lots up uphill and downhill sections (the reverse on the way back so no letting up there!!) but WOW when we got to Cathedral Cove (as seen on Narnia, Prince Caspian!!) Truely awesome how the rock is shaped like that and the sun was shinning beautifully on it all ...

... starke Stroemung. nach 2-3 stunden bin ich den muehsamen Weg wieder zurueck und hab den letzten Shuttle nach Hahei beach bekommen. Hab da ne nette englaenderfamilie getroffen, die vorher schon auf meine Sachen aufgepasst hat. Und, man merkt, dass die in Neuseeland leben, waren voll nett und haben mich eingeladen mit ihnen zu sprechen. Und der Vater meinte, ich spreche ein: very good english. sicher ...

Auf Coromandel hatte ich mich besonders gefreut, weil ich hier die Pinacles machen wollte. Eine 2-Tages-Tour auf die Pinnacles, das sind so super zerklueftete Steine (700 irgendwas Meter hoch). Als ich in Thames, von dort aus ging die Wanderung los, angekommen bin, war das Wetter allerdings mal wieder ziemlich schlecht und weil ich nicht wieder so einen Reinfall wie beim Cape wollte, habe ich beschlossen, lieber erstmal durch die ...

... storms, prior to ditching our campervan home in favour of the comfort of a nice hotel in Auckland. The last 10 days or so or our time in New Zealand have been very wet. The news is full of floods, road closures, land slips and effects of the extraordinary amount of rain that New Zealand has experienced - the highest rainfall for 16 years. Snow has closed some of the roads that we have recently driven along. Certainly driving up to ...

... Piet had also invited us to see a band at the local pub, and as that was a bit later on in the evening we figured we'd go to both. Most of the pubs here offer a free pick-up and drop-off, which I think is a great idea. We had a few beers there, watching the band belt out classic rock covers, and headed home at about midnight. Saturday 26th April Our first job today was to collect up lots of debris from around the new fence. After that we had to move ...

... drag across the beach and into the sea. We followed the coast round to Otara beach, a deserted strand of golden sand almost inacessible by road, with scenic rock formations off shore; glorious. Our kayaking knowledge is pretty minimal, so we didn't worry too much about two foot waves; until we were picked up by the surf and whizzed into the beach. Amid cries of 'whee!' I suddenly found the kayak on a steep slope down; the ...