Christmas at Mt Maunganui

There were some random things turning up! It's amazing what you can get for $10! I got Helen a table tennis set (which we tried to play on the beach but the ball kept flying away!), lots of chocolate (which melted on the beach!), a photo album containing pics of her best bits of New Zealand so far (including highlights from the drunken night in Rotorua!) and a truly bargainous hair removal thing bought from the $2 shop! Nick's presents to Hayley included a ceramic money box (hardly light when you're backpacking!) and an old lady blouse he bought from a charity shop!

We spent about eight hours on the beach, cooking the BBQ, going in the sea and generally lazing about. We then walked up to the top of the Mount, which had some fantastic views and took some amazing pictures. Helen and I walked to the bottom of the Mount together but got lost! It was getting darker and darker and then Helen was telling me comforting stories about people getting killed in the Mount which helped! Finally we reached the bottom and we were in so much pain and realised that the eight hours we'd spent on the beach might not have been such a great idea!

We got back to the hostel and tried to climb up to the top of the bunk but it was a struggle because our legs were so swollen. It was 24 degrees outside, yet I was freezing and had to put my coat on under the duvet! I've never experienced pain like it, we both had to stay in bed on Christmas Day night because we couldn't physically get out of bed!

Meanwhile, a drunken Hails was out with the rest of the hostel and returned back in the early hours scrambling up to the top of her bunk muttering, "where's my phone gone, oh... no I've left it downstairs" She just kept giggling!

written by  Susie Sue on December 24, 2005 from Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand
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