---

---

On the road again, awesome. Too long in Auckland. The early morning Stry bus and a few tired travleers being driven by Princess to Paihia. On the way we stopped at several places, one being were there was a big Kauri tree, about 500yrs old. Now your ment to hug it for good luck and make a wish. Well at 10am and hungry, drowsey and not in the mood, I was a tad angry when Madeline asked me if I would photo her hugging it and she would photo me too, so of course I smailed and said I would be delighted to. I was raining and as I jogged to the tree to get this over and done with as soon as possible, I managed to fly off my right foot and come crashing down on my arse with a rather more substaantial "thud" than I had been able to make on set a few days before. Of course I knew everyone on the bus saw and would be doing exactly what I would be, and wetting themselves laughing. So, as gracefully and as unconcerned looking as I could possibly attempt, I got up and hugged the damn thing. Lucky tree huh? Schadenfroid!

On route we also stopped at the Hundertwasser's toilets, the worlds most photographed and videod loos! Friedrich Hundertwasser designed and built them in1997 and this is his most famous and last work before he died in 2000 at the age of 71.

Like to the Hunderwasser's toilets:
Hundertwassertoilets


Later that day we got to Paihia. Rain cleared up and despite Princesses best efforts to do otherwise, we made it there alive. I ended up befriending a fellow scot, from the shetlands, Neil. A good lad that I spent a lot of the last week with and hope to see again in NZ some time. I took the first morning chilling and went fishing in the afternoon. Great day and a great catch. Although pulling in the 10kg snapper was much harder than the fight the 17kg one gave.


I booked into the trip up to Cape Reinga the following day. Our bus broke down and we spent a few hours at the Kauri tree museaum waiting to be picked up in a second bus. Eventually we got on the road and visited 3 rather cool places. Firstly was the Cape. Two oceans meet here and it is said to be the place that the Maori spirits depart NZ from. Then we moved onto sand dune surfing, so much fun, but my lungs felt like they were bleeding each time on reaching the top of the dune. managed to get up four times before feeling that I would actually be departing from Cape Reinga myself if I attampeted it again.

Video link:
Sand dune surfing
Heading down stream



At this point we were all a little excited that our 4x4 was actally tearing down the stream and onto ninety mile beach (which is incidently about 64 miles long but was named 90 mile by a farmer who walked it in 3 days and estimated 30 miles a day) where many cars have been stuck and dissapered into the sand by not knowing when not to drive it. On the way home we visited the NZ world famous fish n chip shop ( does any country not have a world famous one?!) where, I do have to say, the fish was amazing. Glass of wine, dish of prawns, wow, what an end to the day.


Its times like these that you realised how much of a privilage it is to be alive. Making the choice to do this (and I mean come away, not just this wee trip up north) was probably the best descision I have made. The next few days however were going to prove to be one of the most memorable things I have ever done. One part in particular going into my top ten of the most awesome things experianced.

---