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Published: December 25th 2007
Early drizzle clearing to sunny periods
Wandered into town to get some replacement binoculars for Christmas, since I suspect that the originals I brought along are still in Hong Kong. Nice bright image and there's $20 off as well.
Continued on to Mount Manganui and walked around the mount, an ancient volcano at the entrance to Tauranga harbour. I save the summit for a post Christmas treat. There was a circle of sunshine around the Bay of Plenty now - everywhere else remaining cloudy - and there were bright views of uninterrupted tree-backed beaches north along the coast across the harbour entrance. A 3km walk around the base, then went south to Papamoa Beach for the afternoon. Good surfing on a great beach - getting more crowded as the afternoon wore on and people stopped work for Christmas.
Unfortunately, when about to leave, I found the car keys were no longer with me. I suspect that when I went back to the car to get a sun hat I left the keys in my shorts when I next went surfing.
What to do now, late on Christmas Eve afternoon with everything shutting up for the holiday.
Went along to the surf guard shack. They said the keys are likely to wash up anywhere along a 3 km stretch of beach at the next low tide. However, they kindly let me use their phone. The car hire company were still there and I had their number from the car number plate, but everything else they need to know is locked in the car. Eventually, they found they had spare keys in Nelson, on South Island, about 600 km away. They would courier them to me, but it might take days over Christmas. The car still has everything I need locked in it, and the hotel is 10 miles away. I called the AA, who said they would come out and open the car, but what then, it being in a car park on a public beach.
The AA patrolman who came found they could arrange to tow the car to the hotel and leave it there - unlocked but somewhat safer.
Back at the hotel, it's difficult to find out what the car hire company has done with the spare keys. From the Auckland office who told me to contact the AA to cut some spare keys (
Duh!) to the more helpful people who discovered that the Nelson branch is now closed for Christmas, they don't know. So the spare keys might get to me at some time.
I made dinner in the motel, then went out to Midnight Mass over the road.
St James it isn't, being a large modern church with cinema style comfy chairs. An interesting service with Midnight Mass presented as a modern Nativity Play. Computer display screens rather than a printed service sheet.
Merry Christmas!
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denise harper
non-member comment
I'm not really jealous ...
ntipodean trip - sorry pressed send by mistake I think - you seem to be having more rsin than we did, though. I have lovely memories of dozing in the hot sun on the beach at Hahei on the East coast of the Coramandel, and the day we did the Tongariro crossing was magic - but they kept telling us how you can have all 4 seasons in one day. Where are you going next - assuming you get replacement keys before too long? Also - club dinner, Feb 29th - will you be back?? Best wishes for 2008 from Denise and Eric in damp Reading