New Zealand Roadtrip

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Day 35 - Thursday 24th May 2007

Up 8ish. Quick shower and then porridge. Walked down to pick up the car. Even got a mp3 tape adaptor so we could play music from the phone if we wanted/needed! Our new ride was a silver (not so shiny) Nissan Sunny.

Left Auckland via route 1 to turn off on route 18 up the west coast of Northland. Stopped a t Muriwai beach for a wander. Cool black black sand!! Sar saw parrots in the trees! Next stop off was a random one along the way at Helensville where we got a stamp for gina's birthday card (that we bought weeks ago!) and posted it. Only the post office sold the stamps we needed and we never seemed to find one open!!

At Wellsford we stopped to pick up some bits and bobs to make lunch and fill up with petrol. Stopped at some picnic tables in Paparoa to eat our picnic. Was nice and sunny sitting outside but started to turn a bit cooler at that time in the afternoon.

Were planning on staying at Dargaville but after food shopping for the eveining and next day we decided to drive on up to Kaihu and stay there as it was early enough. Dargaville also didn't really seem like somewhere we wanted to spend much time.

We booked in at the hostel just outside Kaihu around 5/6 at dusk. It was a small holding nestled in by the trees with the hills behind. We were given a cookie when we arrived he he! Yum yum! It was quite a picturesque place with the countryside and forests surrounding. There were two pigs right outside in the garden! They also had some 'chooks' cows and a dog called Buster who was very friendly!! Sar smoothed it and he wouldn't leave her alone then!

There were an older couple who were staying there also. They lived in Blenheim in the south island. He was 83 from christchurch and she was 50 something from the Phillipines. They were very friendly but also very talkative!

As we made and cooked dinner, music blasted out playing Paul McCartney, The Beatles, New Zealand Choir and Billy Holiday!!! He didn't have the best hearing!

The lady who owned the place put our washing on....we weren't allowed to do it ourselves i think! She put some stuff in the drier that weren't supposed to go in! Kind of strange having your washing done by a stranger! Sar wasn't so keen on it, she likes it done properly!

Anyway, we were ready for bed after writing some postcards, but thought we had better go back to the couple who had offered to show us a route we should take when back in the north of the south island. So...there we were an hour later, eyes on stalks waiting politely until we could get in the goodnights and go to bed!!

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