A blast from the past

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Very excited today because I'm catching up with Janine. I feel a day or two of proper reminiscing coming on - and I can't wait!



Having been picked up from Ray's and having met her son, Joe, 3 years old and incredibly cute, we headed off for some sightseeing while the rain was holding off. First stop of the day was a viewpoint - the Michael Savage memorial - which gives beautiful views back of the city. It is also a fantastic hide and seek point, as it turns out, as the three of us ran around hiding from each other, much to the amusement/bemusement of the tourists pouring in to take photos. There'll be a few comedy snaps in their albums of one or more of us in the background of their shots without a doubt...



We headed around the beaches and parked up at another viewpoint however we didn't stay long. One of the downsides of travelling in a campervan or minibus in NZ is that you leave yourself open to thieves decided to ransack your vehicle. NZ is not a dangerous place - far from it - but tourists get very complacent about leaving their valuables in their cars while they hop out to grap a few snapshots. A van just around the corner had just been attacked and had left 8 people minus their bags. Poor Janine - trying to show me the highlights of her home city...



Undeterred, we then headed off to Devonport, a cracking little place where you can get the ferry back into the city. The sun had come out so we made the most of the day and sat outside on the boat to take in the views of the city. Once back in the city, we headed for a quick beer in the sunshine and a catch up. So many stories from the last 10 years that we had to talk about, and we could probably have been there all day if it wasn't for the parking limit on the car...



Still, sushi on the beach back in Devonport when the heavens decided to open. We still had one place to visit on the schedule and that was Piha, one of the many black sand beaches on the Auckland coast and not too far from Janine's house. Piha was stunning - it's a dangerous beach as the waves are huge and the rips are even bigger, but it makes it all the more breathtaking. The tide was heading out so the three of us did some exploring around the cliff faces, taking in the rocks covered in mussels and starfish and watching the 12ft high waves crashing over the rocks on the next door beach. Absolutely beautiful place - especially in the late afternoon.



We were shattered so picked up pizzas on the way back to Janine's, where Dave had probably been patiently waiting for hours while we went exploring. The rain returned so the Xbox came out - full of wine and pizza, I tried my hand at a few olympic sports. Long jump, javelin, hurdles - you name it, I did it, before then taking to the dance floor for a dance marathon. You've got to love the Kinect - I seriously need one of these in my life! Wees all over the Wii, so to speak...One of the many things that will make my shopping list once back in 'nam, that's for sure. That, and the now not so new Zelda game. Well, I think it would be rude not to avoid the world of work for just a little bit longer when there's so much fun to be had...

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