January 27, 2009
Happy 85th birthday to Doug’s mom
Happy 85th birthday to Doug’s mom
Happy birthday as well to Pat's brother Bob!
Auckland to Napier
The Mac-0-Van or Rhoda the Road Maggot is chugging right along except for a clogged pipe in the loo which was fixed today in Napier. After leaving Auckland we travelled up to the Coromandel Peninsula east of the city, an area ignored by many tourists, visiting the Hot Water Beach where at low tide you can make a hole in the sand and soak in a hot tub. Problem with the one we felt was that it was too hot! We also took a bracing hike to beautiful Cathedral Cove, so named for the arches formed in the coastal rocks by the ero
ding action of the sea.
Miscellaneous I: No, NZ doesn’t have sheep on each hill, in fact it is the grape vine which is taking over a lot of former grazing pasture. We did see a sheep shearing demonstration in Rotorua and learned all the various breeds used for the wool or meat.
Rotorua area is mega geothermic with geysers, boiling mud pots in the middle of town, and sulphurous steam vents all over the place. It is also a cultural area for the Maori and we spent quite some time taking in a tour and cultural show presented by Maori performers
. You will be happy to note that Doug was appointed Chief for our group and was able to go up on stage and rub noses with some fierce warriors.
Miscellaneous I: For our star gazing readers, no, you cannot see the North Star from NZ, you can see the Southern Cross. And Orion is high in the sky. For the amateur geologists, the hills are much more pointy than ours because they are a good deal younger. For the animal lovers, the seagulls are much prettier. For the fast food buffs, there are McDonalds and Burger Kings and Subways.
As for our bikes, Doug’s red beauty climbs pretty well, but Ugly Bikey Piece of Shit, as Pat now calls her, refuses to do more than clunk along. Going downhill is an adventure where she only hopes that the bike will not fall apart before she reaches the bottom. Pictures of our two-wheeled treasures will follow.
We are into a routine now, breakfast in the van, lunch of sandwiches on the road and then either dinner out or cooked in RRM. There is not much room, but thankfully we are both tidy creatures who keep things shipshape. The campgrounds are great, and the Top 10 Holiday Camp network is inexpensive with great facilities. We are meeting lots of people on the road: Brits, Australians and Kiwis mainly with a few Germans and such thrown in. Canadians here and there, hardly an American in sight. The large attractions receive the buses of tourists from the Orient.
Tomorrow it is on to visit Doug’s aunt and then stay with friends in Palmerston North before heading to Wellington and thence to the South Island. HolHh
Auckland to Napier
The Mac-0-Van or Rhoda the Road Maggot is chugging right along except for a clogged pipe in the loo which was fixed today in Napier. After leaving Auckland we travelled up to the Coromandel Peninsula east of the city, an area ignored by many tourists, visiting the Hot Water Beach where at low tide you can make a hole in the sand and soak in a hot tub. Problem with the one we felt was that it was too hot! We also took a bracing hike to beautiful Cathedral Cove, so named for the arches formed in the coastal rocks by the ero
ding action of the sea.Miscellaneous I: No, NZ doesn’t have sheep on each hill, in fact it is the grape vine which is taking over a lot of former grazing pasture. We did see a sheep shearing demonstration in Rotorua and learned all the various breeds used for the wool or meat.
Rotorua area is mega geothermic with geysers, boiling mud pots in the middle of town, and sulphurous steam vents all over the place. It is also a cultural area for the Maori and we spent quite some time taking in a tour and cultural show presented by Maori performers
. You will be happy to note that Doug was appointed Chief for our group and was able to go up on stage and rub noses with some fierce warriors.Miscellaneous I: For our star gazing readers, no, you cannot see the North Star from NZ, you can see the Southern Cross. And Orion is high in the sky. For the amateur geologists, the hills are much more pointy than ours because they are a good deal younger. For the animal lovers, the seagulls are much prettier. For the fast food buffs, there are McDonalds and Burger Kings and Subways.
As for our bikes, Doug’s red beauty climbs pretty well, but Ugly Bikey Piece of Shit, as Pat now calls her, refuses to do more than clunk along. Going downhill is an adventure where she only hopes that the bike will not fall apart before she reaches the bottom. Pictures of our two-wheeled treasures will follow.
We are into a routine now, breakfast in the van, lunch of sandwiches on the road and then either dinner out or cooked in RRM. There is not much room, but thankfully we are both tidy creatures who keep things shipshape. The campgrounds are great, and the Top 10 Holiday Camp network is inexpensive with great facilities. We are meeting lots of people on the road: Brits, Australians and Kiwis mainly with a few Germans and such thrown in. Canadians here and there, hardly an American in sight. The large attractions receive the buses of tourists from the Orient.
Tomorrow it is on to visit Doug’s aunt and then stay with friends in Palmerston North before heading to Wellington and thence to the South Island. HolHh
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