The Bay of Islands Day 73 December 13, 2008 We’ve got this place a little more figured out now. In my opinion, the Bay of Islands is one big water park for tourists and Kiwis on vacation. There are about 150 small mostly uninhabited islands to explore, nice beaches, lots of nifty accommodations, shops, cafes, golf courses, hiking tracks, the warmest climate in NZ, and it’s pretty. There are dozens of variations of boat trips that run the gamut from fishing to swimming with the dolphins, etc. We think it would be a great place to have a sailboat or at least a kayak. The people are over-the-top friendly and we can see why it's such a popular place. We began the day a few kilometers from our caravan park in the little town of Paihia. ... read more

Somewhere North of Dargaville in Trounson Kauri Park December 11, 2008 We were up early but had to hang around Coromandel town until the Coromandel Smoking Company opened so we could buy smoked mussels (incredibly delicious and addicting) for me and three different kinds of smoked fish for the both of us. It was inexpensive and now we wish we had bought more. The numerous pohutukawa trees on Coromandel Peninsula are starting to bloom and the deep red blossoms are beautiful to see. The pohutukawa is called the NZ Christmas tree for obvious reasons. We stopped again near Miranda at the Shore Bird Center (this time the guy greeted us with our names) to see if there were any new migrants lurking around. There were none, but Joe bought a hat and we chatted a bit. ... read more

Worms, Birds, and a Good Hot Soak December 9, 2008 Rotorua may not have the best thermal features in the world, but it’s a good place to get an oil leak fixed. Our caravan camp manager sent us off to the nicest mechanic in NZ who found a “wee hole in the oil filter” and had us off in no time. The Jucy company paid for that, of course. On the way out of Rotorua, we stopped at the Zorb place to watch the people roll down a hill in a giant plastic bubble ball with water inside it. It looked like a lot of fun and Joe was very willing to pay to see me become a wet ragdoll flopping down the hill in a ball. I have to admit I was tempted, but passed ... read more

Hello Everyone, Somehow this entry never got published...this was back on Dec. 7. Don't know what happened. Joe and Judy vs. the Volcanoes December 7, 2008 My tootsies hurt tonight! The Tangariro Alpine Crossing may not be the “greatest day hike in the world,” but it has to be one of them. The shuttle bus picked us up at our hotel door promptly at 5:45 and delivered us to the trail near the Mangatepopo hut. It was a rugged uphill to the top of Red Crater and Emerald Pools that are the highlight of the trip. Most of the trail’s ascent was over steep volcanic terrain. This hike had a little of everything: mountains, volcanoes and craters, steam vents, lava flows, sulphur smells, hot springs, pools that are a pretty green from minerals leaching from thermal ... read more

Marlborough Sounds, Interislander Ferry, and Wellington December 5, 2008 Joe was busy early this morning helping the Havelock women lug boxes of junk for a charity garage sale. He saw they needed help as we walked out of the bakery after our coffee and muffin. We really like this little town. It would be a great place to keep a boat to explore the Marlborough Sounds. I don’t think a boater would ever run out of inlets and coves to check out. The town has a wonderful harbor and I’m pretty sure there are more boats (some very nice ones) than there are people. The few businesses in town have some cute names…Soundz Interesting, Slip Inn, Mussel Inn. This is where Jack and Rose (the people we met in Karamea) live and we didn’t try to ... read more