DAY 19 ROTORUA to MT MAUNGANUI

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A very leisurely get up and go this morning.

Weather threatening, however, there was still much clear sky and the sun was warm. Our aim was to make it to Mt Maunganui and catch a few sites along the way.

Waterfalls in every country one visits seem to take pride of place and NZ has numerous falls which attract people from around the world. It’s probably the combination of the greenery, usually forest, that surrounds the falls, the enclosed tracks leading to the falls, the gathering of momentum of the river as it cascades with a roar over the usually steep drop, the mist rising from the continual volume of water hitting the base, whatever it is, we still love them, and the Okere Falls were no different. The river feeding the Okere Falls also fed the Tutea and Trout Pool Falls, only about 15 minutes apart from each other, so for the price of the advertised one, we enjoyed three.

However … the peacefulness stops there … it takes humans … us … to spoil it. A sign showing a different route taking us to where we had parked the motor home was taken by me (us) … without consultation it is said … It was a very long hike … up the mountainside, rarely down … with no carpark in sight. We had been going approximately 40 minutes when Jane (I want to say panicked, cracked a wobbly, but won’t) refused to go on and said that the track didn’t lead to the car park (it did). So, WE retraced our steps … the mood was not great. I kept emphasising the positives … we worked off the calories from dinner last night, saw views we wouldn’t have seen, sweated like pigs, we were doing (suffering) it together … all to no avail. Life on the road … it is the 19^th day and only a minor hiccup … well I think it’s minor.

Eventually we reached our destination, Mt Maunganui, where we will stay for three days. Beach time and recharge. We walked the Main Beach and part of Mt Maunganui Beach taking in the magnificent surf club, Moturiki and Motuotau Islands which are only a short swim from the shore. We are camped at the base of Mt Maunganui.

From 6pm we catchup with Canadian friends who have been staying in Mt M for the past three weeks. We have been friends since1986 when I was on teacher exchange in Vancouver.

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