A vacation within a vacation

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In my last couple of days here, I've decided I need a vacation. So I left most of my stuff in Auckland and went up to northland to have some aquatic fun.
The weather wasn't very cooperative, but most of the heavy rains stopped the day before I arrived so I managed to both dive and take a cruise. It was a welcomed change of pace - I haven't dived in more than a year, and it was really different here. No corals but a lot of fish, eels and even sting rays. And a lot of sea weed, feels like diving in a jungle.
The cruise in the bay of island was also a nice relaxing experience. 3 hours in a big boat, some historical commentaries regarding early Maori and European settlement in the bay, going out into the sea to pass through the famous "hole in the rock", and we even got to see dolphins!
But what gave me the strongest feeling of a vacation was the hostel I was staying in. It was actually an holiday park, which is something pretty come here. It's mainly suitable to families on vacation with a caravan, that just need a place to hookup to electric power and water. Still, this was a nice one, and it had a nice living room, a small kitchen and a BBQ, a little pool and a spa. Had a very nice relaxing time in the spa after the dive, and a good old barbecue dinner later.
What I found most perplexing is the fact that some of the residents in that park weren't on vacation but actually living there while working around in some odd jobs. Had a interesting conversation with an electrical technician about religion. Lesson of the day - even on vacation, keep looking for the weird and unexpected. It is always there.

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