Blogs from Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 68

Well, we finally got out of Auckland! A few mishaps after the last entry but we moved on. We moved up North to Paihia (Pie Here!)which was beautiful. We stayed in a hostel which was pretty much right on the beach and the weather was scorching! The first thing we did was book a trip on a Catamaran. We sailed for a whole day around the Bay of Islands right near to the famous 'Hole in The Rock' where we anchored between islands and had a barbecue on the boat. During lunch we did our usual snorkelling and kayaking and tried our hand at a bit of waterskiing-except on our knees!!!! Loads of fun and I (Natalie) managed to stay on!!! Less than could be said for Paul...haha!! From the boat we sailed alongside dolphins and ... read more

Cruising Bay of Islands, a composition in digital photography - Day Two... read more

Hello friends! It has been another lazy lovely day here in sunny NZ. Woke up, had coffee and breakfast, went to the market, came home, read, had lunch, read some more. I had all these plans for things I was going to do while I was here, but really it isn't possible. Mom said that every country they have been to so far on this trip has had siesta (nap in the middle of the day) except NZ, and they ought to have it here too! It is so warm in the afternoon: clear sunny skies, light cool breezes, the gentle rocking of the boat - it is a perfect recipie for naps! I am trying to be more solid about my chanting. I did a half hour this morning and it was like pulling a ... read more

Last night, before I went to bed, Mom warned me that there was one cockroach that they had on board. Supposedly it is the large kind and so is a lone cockroach, and in the south pacific, where they've been everybody gets at least one. Well, my little bed is right by the hatch to the outside. And in the bathrooms, there were a bunch of little black crickets for some reason. Yeah, bugs. Ick! I didn't think I'd have to face that here in NZ. As I was chanting right before bed, one of the things that I was chanting about was a BUG FREE ZONE all around my bed. I slept about 8 hours, but it was a bit fitful. A boat is NOISEY! Creeking, rocking, clicking, all kinds of noises, not to mention ... read more

Wow! What a trip! It was amazing - delay after delay after delay, but thru it all such grace under pressure, if I do say so myself! I am rather proud of myself, since patience is not exactly my strong suit. The journey door to door (or rather door to dock) took 32 hours!!! Some highlights: G was AMAZING at helping me get ready and pack - truly deserves the Most Amazing Person and Partner in the Entire Universe by A LOT Award!!! Especially as I got really ill and lost 24 hours right before I had to leave (and she was amazingly wonderful at taking care of me too). Not only did I have all my stuff for a three week trek across New Zealand, but also all the stuff for Mom and Brian too! ... read more