week 11 (travel)

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mon - up at 6.30am to get the Stray bus at 7.30 with Karl. met Bruce and Jenny outside going to get the new vols from acb, had a nice chat then off to get the bus up to Bay of Islands. was raining all the way up, not a great start... but the bus ride up was fun as we stopped at loads of different places, warkworth - me and karl went looking for cvnz team as they were off up to waipoua and more than likely to stop in warkworth on their way, didnt find them - whangeri - bought a tree book eventually 😊 AND we went to the native bird recovery centre, had a look around and GOT TO TOUCH A KIWI!!!! they feel really weird, like waxy and hard, not feathery at all. he would have been released back into the wild but he had only one leg so couldn't be, the guy decided to keep him for educational purposes instead! :D i was SO excited! these are awesome birds that we are working to help save and we get to touch him and see him up close :D we also had a look around, its a pretty cool place with dedicated people helping injured native birds get back in the wild. they get all sorts brought to them, from little fantails to massive albatross! - kawakawa - to see a funky toilet - then on up to Paihia. checked into the hostel then went for a walk as the weather had cleared up to bright, hot sun, fingers crossed it will stay like this for the rest of the week. hostel's not bad, about 1 min from he beach, has a bar downstairs, just a normal young persons hostel really.

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Photos

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Sparky the Kiwi

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oh yes i touched him!

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the funky toilets in Kowa Kowa, can you see the rain??!

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inside the funky toilets (this and the next photo)

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Karl feeding the sparrows on the wharf

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these islands are shaped like two kiwis, the head of the larger one is the far right, the large bump is it's body, the smaller island behind is it's chick. me and karl landed on the larger one when we went sea kayaking :)

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Karl looking out to sea

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me under a Pohutakawa tree