Advertisement
Published: April 21st 2010
Last night we camped by a huge rock, and John was out quite early taking photos. Unfortunately the day has been sun and showers - everyone seems quite happy that they’re getting rain at last - it’s been 5 months since they had any decent rainfall and they’re using ‘tank water’. We just wish it’d hold off for a few more weeks...!!
Last night John had tucked his wallet away safely, so when we stopped for petrol and while he was turning the van upside down looking for it, I toddled in to pay ... Amongst the Sunday papers and popular magazines I noticed one called ‘More-Pork’, with a wonderful cover picture of a chap with a huge shaggy black pig - the cover story was ‘Getting an Old Fella Keen’ and the Product Review was on ‘Emergency Pig-Dog Stitching Kits’. I rather suspect that one day we may see this on ‘Have I Got News For You’! I do wish I’d bought a copy - it would look wonderful framed!
We really drove a long way today, past some wonderful sights as usual. It really is lovely to see the white churches looking so quaint against the green
hillsides - they all look very similar, we rather suspect they only had one plan for a church and shared it around! The houses all seem very similar too - one storey, wooden boards, normally painted white, maybe a tiled roof.
We stopped at various viewing spots, and actually saw a couple of really good mailboxes (we were really relieved - we’d begun to worry about the Kiwi sense of humour!) and worked our way round to the Coromandel Peninsula taking in a bird reserve on the way. We also stopped at a ‘market’ in a village hall. I came out with a book on quilting and a piece of fabric and John came out with some fudge, so it was a great success all round! I had a long chat with the stallholder and got some good tips for fabric visiting on South Island. She was also lamenting the damaging effect that cheap Chinese imports are having on the arts and crafts markets, which are fairly large both here and in Australia. It really is a shame, although I have to say that I rather thought her mohair teddy bears would have given a child nightmares!!
Our
resting point tonight is a spot right by the beach. The sand is almost black and mixed with literally millions of small clam like shells. We were treated to one of the finest sunsets of the whole holiday and are now settling down for the night with the waves crashing no more than 15 yards from us!
Finally, congratulations to Norwich City on your promotion to the Championship - it coincides with our 100th blog entry so well done to us too - and of course to you if you're still with us dear readers!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.655s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 12; qc: 60; dbt: 0.573s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Maureen Staines
non-member comment
Still with you - with pleasure!
I can't get over what you and John are doing - filled with admiration. Want a 'customised' postbox, want a little penguin from under the bridge in Oz, want that view of the beach and sea every morning - and am so tickled by your sense of humour Val - or John - laugh out loud many times. Especially your digs at John Val, Val John. The flip flops and the spending money and the dangers of the sea - keep em coming please - love, Maureen.