Plenty o' Fun

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Greetings from Paihia, a town on the Bay of Plenty. We're back on the N. Island for a short respite before heading off to Bangkok.

Today we took advantage of free items activities prov. by the hostel. We kayaked, individually, out into the bay. We both managed to get our bums pretty wet. After eating we then took mt. bikes out for a spin on some paved and dirt roads to a somewhat disappointing waterfall. After a tasty meal of fish sticks, canned beans, and rice (I was responsible for 2nites menu), we headed across the steet to watch rugby. The good guys won! The All Blacks beat Aus. clinching the tri-nations championship.

We plan to stay 1 more night here to actually relax (that was today's plan before the activities got the best of us). We'll motor out early on Monday AM, hopefully finding a bookstore where we can buy guidebooks for Thai and China. We'll see.

Some things I've taken note of over the past few days:

• re: NZ coffee. the menu looks diff. down here. you have a 'flat white', which is like a latte. you have a 'long black' which is like a double espresso I think. then you have a 'long drop'. this is where you might find yourself after consuming too many of the above. it's a pit toilet/latrine.
  
• The walking wounded were well represented in Queenstown. Saw many arms in slings and casts. Explanation: several nearby ski resorts.
  
• A kiwi invented the jet boat to navigate shallow rivers in the 1950s. We road on the 'Shotover Canyon Jet Boat' in Q'town. The power was 2 Buick engines. 500 HP total. 80 liters PER SECOND pushed thru 2 jets to propel us.
  
• In flight magazine had article about Norfolk Island. Once a prison colony, prisoners had to get together in 3s and draw straws for a chance to escape. The loser was killed by the other 2. They were shipped to Sydney for trial, their best chance to escape.
  

Bye for now.

-Cory and Sherry

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Comments

[fav,aunt]

move on already.want to see asia.