On to the North

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Dearest friends and family,

Hello from Napier, Art Deco capital of the world!! I will mercifully spare you accounts of my travel because nothing really uncomfortable has happened yet, and we all know that stories about nasty occurences make for better entertainment.
I have, however, left Te Nikau retreat. :-( The weather cleared up beautifully last week and it was how I imagined Hawaii would be like. I should have some awesome pictures in a bit, once the English gal Claire (who hates beetroots, sushi, hummus, spicy stuff, couscous, etc, thus giving merit to the stereotype that Brits -- hi, Roger -- don't like anything remotely exotic and tend to baby their palates with the usual grey-colored cuisine their ancestors have ground into their culture) e-mails me the photos she took with her camera. If you could even follow that digression.
So, after sentimental farewells to the gals and my comfy routine at Te Nikau, I took the three hour ferry ride to the north island. Landing in Wellington, the second biggest city in New Zealand after Auckland, was a bit of a shock for me. People, movement, stores. You know, urban life. I see it being very, very easy to be seduced into an existence of limited human exposure to the fast pace of modern life. Maybe I'm being overly romantic. After all, I do like my hot water from the tap and flushing toilets. Plus, such an existence seems boring and unchallenging.
Plans for the next week or so include the Taupo-Rotorua region which are characterized by its colorful thermal geological activity and awesome hikes. My goal is to sucker some poor bloke into being my hiking partner on the 5-day Tongariro crossing through belching hot pools and stunning scenery. Until then, maybe something wretched will happen to me and I'll turn it into yet another romantic it-was-meant-to-happen lesson of life.
Cheers and fears!
Diana

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Photos

Pancake Rocks
Limestone formations a skip up the road from Te Nikau Retreat. What horrid scenery!

Fern shoots
Sweet tender embryo-like stalks, unfurling from their warm cinnamon bun lives to be exposed to a cold, cruel world

Random sheep while hiking
It's no exaggeration. These wooly creatures really are all over the place. 40,000 sheep per each of New Zealand's 4 million human souls

Ha ha!
This is just funny.

Queen Charlotte Sound
So beautiful it's disgusting.

Weird foliage
This is a FERN, not a palm tree! Scary.

Fungus among us
Cute, aren't they?