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Terri Minge
We are about to set off on our first overseas trip to New Zealand. Are somewhat nervous, but excitied, daunted but anticipating the new experiences.rayandterristravels
Travel Blog Posts
May 30th 2011
NZ- our last day Today is Monday 30th & our last day in New Zealand. We fly out at 0800 tomorrow morning......which means a wake up call at 0445 & the shuttle at 0530.....uuuggghhh- that will be ugly. BUT, on the upside, we have a 4 ½ hour flight back so can sleep on the way. Yesterday we challenged ourselves to catch the bus & head into the city centre.....armed with maps & the advice in a tourist book to buy a day link ticket- cost $10 each & you could get off & on any bus service all day- good value. They charge per ‘section’ normally, which they possibly do at home too, but I never use the bus. So a short walk & we were on our way about 10am. The driver was very ... read more
May 28th 2011
NZ day 26 & 27 Muriwai Beach & Auckland Well it would seem we timed our run down to Paihai very well- they must have closed the road soon after we went through- pretty close. Before we left I went down to the gentle stream & took some more photos- it had dropped at least 2 metres overnight, but was still running very fast. So a quick drive back through the town so that we could actually see the Bay of Islands, & we were on our way south, but over to the west coast to a little place called Muriwai Beach. This is where the Gannets (birds) breed, on a very windswept rock & cliff. They are a strange bird....well have a strange life. They breed here & as soon as they are strong enough ... read more
May 26th 2011
NZ Day 25. So, it started raining yesterday on our way back from Cape Reinga- about 2ish. Well it did stop a couple of times overnight, but pretty much continuous rain since then. We rang the national highway phone this morning to check if the highway we wanted to travel on was open. They had no reports of closures so off we set for the east coast & the Bay of Islands & a town called Paihai. Struth...has there been some rain. At first there was some puddles in the paddocks & a bit in the drains alongside the road. Then there were small lakes & then there was water everywhere....& I do mean everywhere!! I have never seen so much flamin’ water.....some of the creeks had burst their banks & it was going in every ... read more
May 25th 2011
NZ day 24- Wednesday Well here we are- a bright & early start to the day which is no mean feat after a menopausal night. We had the alarm set for 7am (bugger me, we are on holidays) so that we would be showered & ready for our 8-30 collection for the Cape Reinga tour. Given my menopausal night & the fact that it was 17 degrees overnight.....doesn’t assist hot flushes I can assure you.....I felt like a wet toe rag when the alarm went off....the first bit of sleep I’d had foe a wee while. Anyway a lovely Maori gentleman collected us at the appointed time & then we set off to collect the rest of the straggly mob....they were worse than sheep! Dead set- we collected a group of 5 Germans.............well they were very ... read more
May 25th 2011
NZ Day 22 & 23 Well, as per usual, what we decide as our destination at night, invariably gets changed in the morning.......well I am a woman & I am allowed to change my mind. Colin (the park owner) suggested that we head up the west coast straight away as the weather would probably turn foul/rain etc by Wed night or Thursday, making it a bit unpleasant. So, he suggested the Kauri Coast Park where you can do night walks through the forest etc. It would have been a big day driving from Port Waikato up to there (considering the speed we travel at), so instead we stayed at a gorgeous little park at Matakohe- where the Kauri Museum is. But first things first. Colin & his wife also advised that to drive through Auckland, stay ... read more
May 22nd 2011
NZ day 21 Port Waikato. Well what a lovely relaxing day it has been. No rush to get out of bed, get showered, have breakfast, do the dishes, pack up & hit the road before 10am. Nup, today we stayed in bed until about 8ish (well that is a sleep in for us), then we had brecky in our jamas.....I was going to have a jarmy day But Raymond thought we may scare the natives.......had bacon, eggs & tomato- yum! Then off to the showers, bit of housework & tried to find the park manager so that we could pay him. Talk about laid back...Colin is his name.....he wasn’t in the office so we rang the intercom- this connects to his phone. Well he had gone home to have the farm to have breakfast & if ... read more
May 21st 2011
NZ Day 20 Well today we made our way (via the scenic route) to Port Waikato....or Port Whakahoota, as Raymond calls it! We weren’t in any hurry to leave the Cosy Cottage International Holiday Park- cause they charged so much we thought we would get our moneys worth- if that is possible. It was one of the most expensive parks (in line with Queenstown) at over $40 for the night. You didn’t have to pay for showers (yep- still coming across that....the cheapest so far is 50 cents for 5 minutes...& not a minute longer either I’ll have you know! The dearest I think was $2 for 10 minutes). Anyway, they also charged for hairdryer usage (50 cents) & the washing machine was $3 & the dryer $4!!! Stuff me- & guess who had 2 loads ... read more
May 20th 2011
NZ Days 17, 18 & 19 Well it has been a few days since I last wrote.....I have been far too traumatised to speak, let alone write. Day 17- Wed dawned well enough- sun was even shining; tho it was a wee bit nippy- bloody cold actually! So once we had emptied out & refilled with water etc we stood in the sun to defrost & chatted to Neil & Elaine (from NSW) whilst we waited for the time to pass. Eventually we were off & lined up with all the others waiting to board vessels- was a little bit hairy getting on, but Raymond reminded me that they drove semi’s on, so there should be plenty of room for me! Once we had parked (in gear with the hand brake on) it was off upstairs ... read more
May 17th 2011
NZ day 15 & 16 Aahhh- the serenity- how’s your serenity? Ours is good to thanks. We left Nelson on Mon morning after a wee little bit of shopping- gotta love bargains. We then headed back to Blenheim & a much nicer drive it was- no water falls across the road & the land slips had been cleared- which was a good thing as we were now competing for road space with the semis again ( they had been quiet over the weekend). In fact, it should be noted, that for the first time EVER, we overtook a semi!!!!!!! Can you believe that- I couldn't I can tell you & I put it off until the semi behind me nearly pushed me past, but we did it!!!! Not once, but twicw- or more maybe. We were ... read more
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