Almost Up to Date 2.

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Sat.28th.
Walked around the thermal park and watched the geysers bubbling away. Every so often the ground collapses and yet another geyser appears, hurriedly enclosed by fencing, until a more permanent defence is constructed. There are foot baths in the park where you can sit and paddle in the warm water,.. bliss. All too soon, it's time to catch our bus to Whakatane, and see what this part of the world has to offer. The scenery was ok, the lake impressive, and our home for the next 2 nights, LLoyd's Lodge, was very homely and comfortable. After dinner we walked by the river and around the neighbourhood, and concluded that this is yet another dead place. Where is everybody?

Sun. 29th.
To get to a good beach is a 3 hour walk over Koti Point hill, and to be thankful, when we arrived at Ohope beach we weren't that impressed. The weather is good though, and the taxi ride back even better! Later, sitting outside on the verandah, there are lots of interesting people to talk to. It's the only place with some life!

Mon. 30th.
Killed time waiting for our bus to Gisborne by going to the gypsy market. It's a bank holiday today, but still the locals are hibernaring, and you could almost hear a pin drop. Pam drove us downtown in time for the bus, so off we go to Sycamore Lodge, to be collected by Warwick. This place is strange. One half are backpackers and the other half a n old peoples' home, We think they had trouble deciding where to put us, so we end up in a separate wing with 4 other oldies! One couple from the Wirral and the other, a retired nato official and his wife, from York. Wonderful company.

Tues. 31st.
Yvonne, the owner, took us on a tour of the area. This is where captain Cook first set foot in N.Z. and he gave the bay its name because it gave him so much grief with the Maori conflict. Good views over "Poverty Bay" and "Young Nick's Head" without the effort of climbing a b....y hill! Had a lazy day on the beach, and then went back to an empty lodge to pack the bags yet again...

Wed. 1st. Feb.
We waited at the end of the drive for the bus to Napier for 1/2 hour, before Yvonne came out to say she had rang them, and they were running late. Luckily, she came out again, and said to look for a RED bus, not the InterCity green. Jim had to practically throw himself in front of the darned thing, or else it would have passed us by, and we would have been stuck here for another day! A very pleasant drive past vinyards, bits of agriculture, and lots of cows and sheep,.. no black ones yet. We were collected in Napier, and taken to the "Criterion Art Deco Lodge", and Backpackers, this is one to put on your list. It's an ex hotel, and it has everything. Decent sized rooms with fan, huge kitchen, dining room and lounge, with a separate t.v. room. The best bit was the balcony, where you can sit and watch the world go by. Napier itself was rebuilt in the art deco style after the 1931 earthquake, which all but destroyed the city. It's a very special place.

Tues. 2nd.
We spent a very pleasant day walking around town, doing the Art Deco tour, and then a hike up the hill, to see yet another view! It was worth it, honest. Bumped into 2 familiar faces, and had a chat, then back to make our meal and finish off on the balcony with a bottle of wine. Don't hold your breath waiting for us to say it is a buzzing kind of place, because it closes down when the shops do, about 5:30. Unbelievable. Even the backpackers bar underneath is quiet - Graeme, what did you do when you were here????

Nearly up to date!!!

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