Into the city and right back out again...

G-Day from Harry's Cyber-Cafe!

Jen always wants to sleep in, but gotta make the most of the day

Well, we've been to a few new cities since our last blog... after the quick, but memorable stay at Kathy and Wayne's outside of Auckland, we took a train into the city and found our way to a hostel downtown. We got a lot of funny looks as we lugged our huge packs 20 blocks up the main drag, but it's easy to see that this area is very backpacker friendly and they were likely impressed by the size of our loads (that can be good or bad). Unfortunately, I ACCIDENTALLY reformatted the camera disk and lost the photos from the first couple days of the trip, but the memories will live on in our hearts and we will make up for it by posting as many photos as we can down the road.

Auckland was a fun city, but a bit touristy for our taste... and a wee bit expensive as

View of the SkyTower

well. We wandered around the main strip, stared up at the Sky Tower and hung around the Harbor a bit. The main highlight was the purchase of "Lucille", a 1985 Toyota Van that we will live in for the next 2 months. After looking more into public transport, we decided that our own wheels would allow us to camp more freely and cover

Jen loves you and misses you - from Nelson NZ

more ground. I just about fell over as we withdrew the money to cover the (unplanned) purchase, but we think it will save us money in the long run and has been the perfect shelter for the rain. It's been RAINY and OVERCAST the last few days and it's driving me crazy to be on the beach and not be able to lounge in my bikini... I am so pale that no one believes we are from California!

After grabbing a few groceries at FoodTown, we left Auckland and drove a couple hours

A cute little harbour town in the Bay of Plenty

up to Thames - it was late when we arrived, so the town was pretty much shut down. We stopped for a tinkle and found a spot along the highway to camp in the van. After a quick breakfast, we headed north to Comorandel - a quaint little harbour town. We stretched our legs for a few hours and lounged in the van reading to wait out the rain. Then we headed to Hahei along a scenic, but very bumpy dirt road (Tim was not pleased).

In the cave at Cathedral Cove- near Hahei (Coromandel Peninsula)

We hiked to Cathdral Cove and had a snack on that beach, then to Hot Water Beach, which was, well... a little unimpressive. Here, you can dig your own hole on the beach at low tide and "relax, share a bottle of champange and watch the sunset" according to all the guide books... but there were a zillion people there and we decided to skip the $5 shovel fee and move on. Tim and I seem to agree that the overly crowded spots aren't for us and that we prefer the mellow little towns rather than the city scene. If we were 25 and single, things might be different, but we are pretty happy to lounge in the van together after some sight seeing, a hike or a coffee at a locally owned cafe.

After a long drive down the coast and a quick overnight stay in the van outside of

Mt. Maunganui town from the top

Tauranga, we headed for Mt. Maunganui, a spot where a lot of the locals go to holiday. We found a killer campground on the beach and set up camp for 2 days. We relaxed in the hotwater salt tubs next door, walked around town, did some laundry and a few errands, took a hike to the top of the mountain and got to know the coming and going neighbors a bit. So far, we've chatted up folks from London, Australia, Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Santa Cruz of all things... I saw one guy with a "Pizza My Heart" shirt on and the manager at the hot tubs is a former UCSC BananaSlug!

We are now in Tauranga... after logging off, we will walk "the Strang" and giggle at all the holiday craziness - not as crazy as it is in the States, but you do see quite a few runners with santa hats on and have walked into many establishments with the Christmas CD spinning. Next stop is Rotorua - home of the Maori people and another great hot springs spot. We plan to stay 2 days and catch a Maori cultural event of some sort. We are also hoping to catch some live music soon and some beach time for sure... I can't wait to dig my buns in the sand and cuddle up with a good book.

We miss our family and friends, but are really enjoying the beauty of the country and are

With the rainy weather comes a gorgeous rainbow - this one's for Brian and my Dad...

trying to live in the moment. Tim and I get in a few spats a day, but we are quick to make up and try to give each other space to breathe. We both get a bit irritable at times, usually because we are tired, hungry, dirty, or short on caffeine (never thought I'd really get caffeine headaches). We hope to have at least one day a week were we can stay put in one spot and refresh - that should help. Oh and coffee - that should help too, and thanks to our friend Bob from the campground, we've got a new french press! Ask and you shall receive....

So we gotta give Harry a few bucks for use of the internet and move along... thank you all for the e-mails and we are thinking about you... and be sure to check out our photos!

written by

TwoSouls on December 21, 2007 from Tauranga, New Zealand

from the travel blog: New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas

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