well. as fun as working and making a living is, traveling is more so.... so with that in mind - we're confirmed for Amsterdam in a week! stay tuned. woohoooo!!
And of course, remembering my last posting, (and learning from it) we've upgraded to the front of the bus, and with no connections it's only a 9 hour flight - should pass in the blink of an eye!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
Day32-35 - Auckland /HongKong /Home
Day 32-3333 - OMG! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT do multi legs of long flights back-to-back! Airplanes are not for sleeping. 50 hours and no sleep later, we finally managed some shuteye. ....next time I will plan for a slow return with some time for sleep in between.
Day30-31 - Russell
Day30-31 - Well, well, who'd of thought! Actually, we decided we wanted a better look at the house on the water that we saw 2 weeks back, so here we are, and yes we did, and no, it was not decisive. but given the right price and a load of work.... Anyway, the weather was so good that we decided to just stay and chill and be tourists for a day, but Russell is small and here is only so much 'touristy' you can do, so we let a realtor show us around for a couple of hours...
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Day29 – Auckland
Day 29 – Got up early and cleaned out the camper as it has to go back today. Long drive back to Auckland, long wait while we swapped camper for car and then we went to the North Shore (Takapuna) to try to jog J’s memory by visiting the campsite we stayed at way back… it was different, but enough similar stuff such as the ice cream shop to work! The people there weren’t as nice as years ago, so we didn’t stay, but as we write this we don’t know exactly where we are going… just popped into the library to send this to you, as you are always on our minds… must find food and coffee, so tata for now!
sorry, no photos, as the computer won't allow that sort of thing...
sorry, no photos, as the computer won't allow that sort of thing...
Day28 - Waitomo
Day 28 - Ha! fooled you! You thought we were headed North didn't you? Well we went south - way south! ...to Waitomo for the famous Glow worm caves. Well, as luck would have it, it rained all night and all day here so the caves were partially flooded - water was too high to safely run the boats through...bugger! we thus opted for the caves that were just o
pened a year ago - turned out to be a good choice as we were able to see the worms up close and even got to see the various stages of development, including the adult flys mating...and for those of you that passed Bio30, yup, glow worms are really maggots....uh-huh, 'tis true! They do look like worms however, so the ancients that named them can be forgiven as Bio30 was not part of their curriculum. While on a catwalk in the caves we looked way down to the river below and saw people riding inner tubes (wearing wetsuits and helmet lights) through the caves...guess what we are doing next time we get here?!
Forgot to buy groceries so had to go out for dinner. Waitomo has a permanent population of 37 and on a Sunday there is only one place to eat, so over we went. Not a bad place ...Pizza joint attached to the YHA... wondered however why the sirloin steak was cheaper than the fish and chips and pizza...so we ordered 2 steaks and thus never found out why... Was quite good, but like all restaurant fare, somewhat expensive compared to what we are used to.
pened a year ago - turned out to be a good choice as we were able to see the worms up close and even got to see the various stages of development, including the adult flys mating...and for those of you that passed Bio30, yup, glow worms are really maggots....uh-huh, 'tis true! They do look like worms however, so the ancients that named them can be forgiven as Bio30 was not part of their curriculum. While on a catwalk in the caves we looked way down to the river below and saw people riding inner tubes (wearing wetsuits and helmet lights) through the caves...guess what we are doing next time we get here?!Forgot to buy groceries so had to go out for dinner. Waitomo has a permanent population of 37 and on a Sunday there is only one place to eat, so over we went. Not a bad place ...Pizza joint attached to the YHA... wondered however why the sirloin steak was cheaper than the fish and chips and pizza...so we ordered 2 steaks and thus never found out why... Was quite good, but like all restaurant fare, somewhat expensive compared to what we are used to.
Day27 - Waiwera
Day 27 - On the spur of the moment, we decided that going east to west has been soooo much fun, we should try going north to south and head back to Russell for the morning and see if we can get back here by mid afternoon to go to the hot Pools (and the water slides). That would put us ahead of schedule, so a bit 'o planning required first - must call the airline to check on what it will cost to change our tickets. We know there is a HK$500 penalty -how draconian is that? "we warned you not to change your mind, but you insisted, so, forty lashes!".. expected an administrative fee for processing, but found out that they not only charge that, but you also have to rebuy your ticket at today's price and pay that difference as well! Turns out to just change the date costs more than half of what you can buy a new ticket for! Guess we're not changing the date...so much for our dreamy little dream of spending a few days in some seriously warm weather :( which means we don't have to drive like the wind today, so we'll go to the hot pool instead...Admission can be pricey, but the campground is kind enough to give you a 30% discount!
so after some serious lazing this morning and a late breakfast, we wandered outside to find the sun had presented us with quite a pleasant day. We gathered our swimming togs and moseyed over to the Waiwera Thermal Pools and Spa. sounds pretty fancy, huh? well, don't get too excited. they've added a new facade to the building, given the pools calming names like: the reflection pools (sapphire, opal) as well as some fun names: seal, tower, the fountain. temp varies from 24 to 48 degrees (even too hot for you, Len). The spa part is in the centre, where you can get the usual: massage, facials, etc and the unusual: dentistry. "honey, i'm going to the pool for a swim and to have a root canal. back in an hour"
Note to self: Avoid these change rooms at all costs. now, I'm not generally a squeamish person, and the gents may be ok with a big open room with shower heads on one wall and people in varying degrees of nakedness, but we ladies are used to a nicer atmosphere. Not here...there are no curtains, or cubbies or secluded corners. ok, I can deal with the naked people, honest. it was the filth and grossness factor that got me... gobs and gobs of hair on the soggy carpet and tile floor... mixed with toilet paper (that the infinite number of kids were tracking around) to create a hairy pulp that stuck to your shoes - or worse, your feet, if you had the courage to remove your shoes (not me). slightly reminiscent of Sylvan Lake's Wild Rapids degree of cleanliness, but without the used bandaids strewn about, but we hadn't been in the pools yet, so there was time... J says the men's change room wasn't that disgusting, but that's probably because these dads don't seem to take their tots in
there with them.
Anyhoo, as you can see, this one was the safe pool and stricly for adults (get it? no 'p')... too bad they didn't fill it with hot water... come on fellas, there aren't any babies in here to fuss...that's the idea! and one more musing.... if someone seems to be asking you if you are 'a sex offender', pause for a moment and consider if they just might be asking the kid next to you if they are 'six or under'... we were a bit shocked by the 'social director' when was telling all the sex offenders to get in the pool with those little kids... whew! these accents! you really have to pay attention!
After we'd had enough swimmin', we stopped into Woody's Pub across the street and had a pint. this made us feel quite kiwi-ish; enough so, that we tried to pronounce the beer we'd just had. tsk,tsk...pitiful...hope we didn't offend anyone... thank goodness it didn't have the word 'six' in it...
Tonight there is virtually no wind and the light of the full moon is reflecting off the calm water in the bay. it's so tranquil just listening to the water gently lap at the beach. ahhh, just add 20 degrees C and this could be paradise.
so after some serious lazing this morning and a late breakfast, we wandered outside to find the sun had presented us with quite a pleasant day. We gathered our swimming togs and moseyed over to the Waiwera Thermal Pools and Spa. sounds pretty fancy, huh? well, don't get too excited. they've added a new facade to the building, given the pools calming names like: the reflection pools (sapphire, opal) as well as some fun names: seal, tower, the fountain. temp varies from 24 to 48 degrees (even too hot for you, Len). The spa part is in the centre, where you can get the usual: massage, facials, etc and the unusual: dentistry. "honey, i'm going to the pool for a swim and to have a root canal. back in an hour"
Note to self: Avoid these change rooms at all costs. now, I'm not generally a squeamish person, and the gents may be ok with a big open room with shower heads on one wall and people in varying degrees of nakedness, but we ladies are used to a nicer atmosphere. Not here...there are no curtains, or cubbies or secluded corners. ok, I can deal with the naked people, honest. it was the filth and grossness factor that got me... gobs and gobs of hair on the soggy carpet and tile floor... mixed with toilet paper (that the infinite number of kids were tracking around) to create a hairy pulp that stuck to your shoes - or worse, your feet, if you had the courage to remove your shoes (not me). slightly reminiscent of Sylvan Lake's Wild Rapids degree of cleanliness, but without the used bandaids strewn about, but we hadn't been in the pools yet, so there was time... J says the men's change room wasn't that disgusting, but that's probably because these dads don't seem to take their tots in
there with them.Anyhoo, as you can see, this one was the safe pool and stricly for adults (get it? no 'p')... too bad they didn't fill it with hot water... come on fellas, there aren't any babies in here to fuss...that's the idea! and one more musing.... if someone seems to be asking you if you are 'a sex offender', pause for a moment and consider if they just might be asking the kid next to you if they are 'six or under'... we were a bit shocked by the 'social director' when was telling all the sex offenders to get in the pool with those little kids... whew! these accents! you really have to pay attention!
After we'd had enough swimmin', we stopped into Woody's Pub across the street and had a pint. this made us feel quite kiwi-ish; enough so, that we tried to pronounce the beer we'd just had. tsk,tsk...pitiful...hope we didn't offend anyone... thank goodness it didn't have the word 'six' in it...
Tonight there is virtually no wind and the light of the full moon is reflecting off the calm water in the bay. it's so tranquil just listening to the water gently lap at the beach. ahhh, just add 20 degrees C and this could be paradise.
...speaking of signs (see below) this is one you don't see very often..
K's rant: I really like the signs they have in NZ - no mild suggestions like we have at home. they make it really clear... 'parents: your children are YOUR responsibility. supervise them.' Hey, if people don't want to supervise their yucky kids why don't they leave them at home? if they're unsure if their kids are yucky, I'd be happy to assess them... this is just another public service I'm willing to offer. oh, and what is it with moms taking their male children, older than 6 yrs, into the ladies room? guess what... if your son is old enough to use the facilities without your help, he's plenty old enough to go to the men's room. time to cut the cord, ladies...
Day26 - Sandspit (Beach) /Snells Beach /Scotts Landing /Martins Bay /Algies Bay /Warkworth /Waiwera /Helensville /Waiwera
Day 26 - So much for well laid plans...yesterday was such a nice day we figured, sure we'll stick around and maybe play a round of golf or go kayaking, but mother nature decided otherwise. it rained the entire day with not even a small break. the only plus is that the temperature is high enough to make it tolerable. 
We took a tour around the rest of the peninsula to some great little towns and saw some amazing mansions in the process... It's crazy what people are building here! they tend to like 2 designs: the grandstand look and the half round barn (on a grand scale).
The road pops you right back into Warkworth where we took another trip down memory lane to the museum... the building and Kauri forest are exactly where we left them. The trip was just a lot quicker/nicer this time - last time we recall a VERY long walk (we were 'car free' back then) as it's a fair drive down to the site from town. The Kauri's are only babies at 800 years, but you still have to look closely to se the human! I was too cheap to pay the admission fee, as it is just a collection of the local ladies tea cups and lace d
oilies...or at least it used to be. I was unwilling to find out that it also hadn't changed...
We popped into Waiwera to secure our campsite for the night as it is the start of school holidays here. the kiwis actually take their children to the beach in this weather. NUTTY! anyhoo, the thermal pools are right next door, sort of... it is a wet walk there today...both ways... we decided that we needed a latte instead of a swim, so drove cross country (see map for definition) before we found one in Helensville. It is a good-sized town with many heritage buildings. we drove back to Waiwera (almost via Auckland) in the dark, without a proper map... again... that would be a good business to get into. making maps showing all the roads. what a concept!
By the by... they have lots of public service ads lately (radio and tv) regarding healthy food choices, as NZ is experiencing the problem of obesity... think we may have found part of the problem...stopped in at the grocery store and found these muffins in the bakeshop... choc choc goo with choc bars and choc chunks shoved into them. i had to take a photo....even I, a confirmed chocoholic, couldn't look at them, it was all too much!
now we are sitting in our cozy campa enjoying a few glasses of wine and listening to the wind howl... hope the sun pokes it's head out tomorrow... hope we don't get blown away tonight!
We took a tour around the rest of the peninsula to some great little towns and saw some amazing mansions in the process... It's crazy what people are building here! they tend to like 2 designs: the grandstand look and the half round barn (on a grand scale).
The road pops you right back into Warkworth where we took another trip down memory lane to the museum... the building and Kauri forest are exactly where we left them. The trip was just a lot quicker/nicer this time - last time we recall a VERY long walk (we were 'car free' back then) as it's a fair drive down to the site from town. The Kauri's are only babies at 800 years, but you still have to look closely to se the human! I was too cheap to pay the admission fee, as it is just a collection of the local ladies tea cups and lace d
oilies...or at least it used to be. I was unwilling to find out that it also hadn't changed...We popped into Waiwera to secure our campsite for the night as it is the start of school holidays here. the kiwis actually take their children to the beach in this weather. NUTTY! anyhoo, the thermal pools are right next door, sort of... it is a wet walk there today...both ways... we decided that we needed a latte instead of a swim, so drove cross country (see map for definition) before we found one in Helensville. It is a good-sized town with many heritage buildings. we drove back to Waiwera (almost via Auckland) in the dark, without a proper map... again... that would be a good business to get into. making maps showing all the roads. what a concept!
By the by... they have lots of public service ads lately (radio and tv) regarding healthy food choices, as NZ is experiencing the problem of obesity... think we may have found part of the problem...stopped in at the grocery store and found these muffins in the bakeshop... choc choc goo with choc bars and choc chunks shoved into them. i had to take a photo....even I, a confirmed chocoholic, couldn't look at them, it was all too much!
now we are sitting in our cozy campa enjoying a few glasses of wine and listening to the wind howl... hope the sun pokes it's head out tomorrow... hope we don't get blown away tonight!
Day25 - Pakiri Beach /Tomarata Lakes /Leigh /Ti Point /Point Wells /Omaha Beach /Sandspit (Beach)
Day 25 - Big day today - J got an early start by going for a walk on what seemed to be a fairly smallish beach, but just kept getting bigger the farther out he walked - turns out Pakiri beach is huge and another good bet for surfing... grumble, grumble... Is also home to an endangered bird that looks a bit like a fat sandpiper and walks like a mini frankenstein (or maybe penguin).
...And so we took advantage of the second day of nice weather and we drove in circles, or so it seemed - at one point we drove 15 minutes west and then 15 minutes east (with a good mix of north and south thrown in) to find
we had covered a net 100 meters (all of that just to get to the other side of a stream) - I guess that is why someone invented the 4x4! Anyway, need to find out why no one lives along this coast at Tomarata. Back in the town of Leigh, it was just the same as we remembered: the general store was there and we think we even located our friend Jack's old house, although the neighbour house seemed to have grown and, of course, there were a thousand or so new neighbours... not quite the tiny hamlet it once was... the countryside and views were just as fabulous however - and the hole in the wall was still there. Omaha Bay is starting to look like super expensive suburbia for weekend surfers...but again, a really 
nice beach and likely good surfing as well. And an amazing view of the islands from the enormous beachfront. Saw a couple of properties with identical houses and found out it was a 'kit' for $250k. Found one property comparable to the one in Tinopai but on this coast it is nearly twice the price. Back in Warkworth - remember that quaint little town we visited some time back - well you don't want to be there at 4:30 - OMG! It's as bad as Auckland! Small towns should not take hormones without doing some restructuring and rethinking of the roads. Luckily, Sandspit is a 5 minute drive away and has a really nice campground on the beach. They have built it into a kind of miniature Heritage Park with tiny old buildings with great displays (a boarding house, auto mechanic, theatre, general store, hardware store, dressmakers shop, chemist shop, brewery, etc) and fun stuff to keep the kiddies (and adults) out of trouble like kayaking, golf, chess, skateboarding, petting zoo 
with donkeys and sheep.
J's rant: Speaking of kids, you really have to feel sorry for the kids today who have the urge to hot rod, but for some reason, think a Mazda3 is a good starting platform. It would probably be a bit funnier if it weren't a bit pitiful...and I'm pretty sure the kids don't understand why the 'old' folks all have that bemused grin when they drive by ...another generation gap. OY!...kids these days....
...And so we took advantage of the second day of nice weather and we drove in circles, or so it seemed - at one point we drove 15 minutes west and then 15 minutes east (with a good mix of north and south thrown in) to find
we had covered a net 100 meters (all of that just to get to the other side of a stream) - I guess that is why someone invented the 4x4! Anyway, need to find out why no one lives along this coast at Tomarata. Back in the town of Leigh, it was just the same as we remembered: the general store was there and we think we even located our friend Jack's old house, although the neighbour house seemed to have grown and, of course, there were a thousand or so new neighbours... not quite the tiny hamlet it once was... the countryside and views were just as fabulous however - and the hole in the wall was still there. Omaha Bay is starting to look like super expensive suburbia for weekend surfers...but again, a really 
nice beach and likely good surfing as well. And an amazing view of the islands from the enormous beachfront. Saw a couple of properties with identical houses and found out it was a 'kit' for $250k. Found one property comparable to the one in Tinopai but on this coast it is nearly twice the price. Back in Warkworth - remember that quaint little town we visited some time back - well you don't want to be there at 4:30 - OMG! It's as bad as Auckland! Small towns should not take hormones without doing some restructuring and rethinking of the roads. Luckily, Sandspit is a 5 minute drive away and has a really nice campground on the beach. They have built it into a kind of miniature Heritage Park with tiny old buildings with great displays (a boarding house, auto mechanic, theatre, general store, hardware store, dressmakers shop, chemist shop, brewery, etc) and fun stuff to keep the kiddies (and adults) out of trouble like kayaking, golf, chess, skateboarding, petting zoo 
with donkeys and sheep.J's rant: Speaking of kids, you really have to feel sorry for the kids today who have the urge to hot rod, but for some reason, think a Mazda3 is a good starting platform. It would probably be a bit funnier if it weren't a bit pitiful...and I'm pretty sure the kids don't understand why the 'old' folks all have that bemused grin when they drive by ...another generation gap. OY!...kids these days....
Day24 - Matakohe /Tinopai /Pilbrow Hill /Whangaripo /Pakiri Beach
Day 24 - Another coast-to-coast day (well, nearly). Sunny, warm and no wind today so we had our morning coffee on the strand in Tinopai and chatted to some locals, and then follo
wed with a very encouraging tour of a couple of wonderful properties in the hills above.
My favouate view from in the front yard of one--->
As usual, we had a few tense moments - this time with some livestock... imagine if you will, innocently 'trespassing' on someone's land and deciding to take the road less travelled to their back pasture... all is going well until you find that the road ends and is too narrow to turn around and too steep to back up on... a gate to the pasture is the only thing that will save you from dying there (of embarassment or otherwise)....for all you citified folks, who may not be aware of this phenom
enon: cows get excited when they see you coming to open the gate and come in the dozens to be let out... so your instinct kicks in and before you know it, you turn into a 'cowpoke' of sorts, unfortunately, you are one who can't remember how to discourage cows and end up making a ridiculous noise to keep them at bay (thank goodness my parents didn't see this - they would have been ashamed). thankfully, the adventure didn't end in tears... we were able to skeedaddle (cowpoke jargon) up the hill and back onto the open road with nary an escaped bovine. hope that gate got closed tight...
Later on, we happened upon Pilbrow Hill, just south of Whangarai and on a clear day the view wo
uld be really spectacular - today was a bit hazy but still the views were pretty incredible. Nice place to stop and have Devonshire tea - delish!. Took a few more roads less travelled and came across a really creative modification to an old tree stump... One nice acreage deep in a valley which was somewhat reminicent of 'The Ranch' in Fish Creek. Not a lot going on in these parts, a lot of big farms and that seems to be it.
We tried to post more blog stuff today, but the silly internet booth was some kind of Linux so, so much for USB drivers! We found out today that our little Mouse passed her drivers exam. Yeah, mouse! good going!
wed with a very encouraging tour of a couple of wonderful properties in the hills above.My favouate view from in the front yard of one--->
As usual, we had a few tense moments - this time with some livestock... imagine if you will, innocently 'trespassing' on someone's land and deciding to take the road less travelled to their back pasture... all is going well until you find that the road ends and is too narrow to turn around and too steep to back up on... a gate to the pasture is the only thing that will save you from dying there (of embarassment or otherwise)....for all you citified folks, who may not be aware of this phenom
enon: cows get excited when they see you coming to open the gate and come in the dozens to be let out... so your instinct kicks in and before you know it, you turn into a 'cowpoke' of sorts, unfortunately, you are one who can't remember how to discourage cows and end up making a ridiculous noise to keep them at bay (thank goodness my parents didn't see this - they would have been ashamed). thankfully, the adventure didn't end in tears... we were able to skeedaddle (cowpoke jargon) up the hill and back onto the open road with nary an escaped bovine. hope that gate got closed tight...Later on, we happened upon Pilbrow Hill, just south of Whangarai and on a clear day the view wo
uld be really spectacular - today was a bit hazy but still the views were pretty incredible. Nice place to stop and have Devonshire tea - delish!. Took a few more roads less travelled and came across a really creative modification to an old tree stump... One nice acreage deep in a valley which was somewhat reminicent of 'The Ranch' in Fish Creek. Not a lot going on in these parts, a lot of big farms and that seems to be it.We tried to post more blog stuff today, but the silly internet booth was some kind of Linux so, so much for USB drivers! We found out today that our little Mouse passed her drivers exam. Yeah, mouse! good going!
Day23 - Matakohe /Kauri Museum /Pahi /Maungatoroto /Whakapirau /Matakohe
Day 23 - started out the day with a marathon drive to the highly regarded Kauri Museum (had a recent mention in the Lonely Planet) of about 400m. Thought we would stop in for a quick peruse....but soon found it may not be so quick... Absolutely fantastic! ...and that is from someone who avoids museums at almost any cost! This was no Charlie Russell! and Heritage 
Park could learn many a trick from this place. So, like, three and a half hours later, we stumble out to find a bright sunny day well under way. Just a note to those of you taking notes... this Kauri Museum is the good one and it is near Dargaville, not Waipapakauri....oh, and the big beach by Waipapakauri (90 mile something...) is pretty big, but you can drive further on the one(s) east of Dargaville (think it may be called Ripiro Beach) and may in fact be longer as well. Anyway, after the museum, we needed a drive to see the country we missed the night before (but that is another story for another time). Needed a coffee as well, so, based on a tip from a day back we headed for Maungatoroto (the less travelled route - of course!). Picked up the local real estate listings from the local offices and sat down for that coffee (and some free savories!)....it was a good tip b
y the way. Noting a couple of interesting listings to add to the ones we noted on our earlier wanderings, we went to see the agent(s). Cold calling a real estate agent is like doing an interview. Anyway, this guy turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Very helpful and didn't feel he had to babysit us...so we kept his card. Of course, as seems to be the way, all of the properties of interest were back the way we had just come... well, at least we know a good place to stay the night. If you have to retrace ground, might as well pick a different route...and it should also be on (another) route less travelled. Managed to find a couple of the properties and then the sun went down. Guess we'll get the others tomorrow. The lesson for today is, 'if at first you find nothing but ____, then try again'. To be brief, todays offerings looked much better than yesterdays!
Park could learn many a trick from this place. So, like, three and a half hours later, we stumble out to find a bright sunny day well under way. Just a note to those of you taking notes... this Kauri Museum is the good one and it is near Dargaville, not Waipapakauri....oh, and the big beach by Waipapakauri (90 mile something...) is pretty big, but you can drive further on the one(s) east of Dargaville (think it may be called Ripiro Beach) and may in fact be longer as well. Anyway, after the museum, we needed a drive to see the country we missed the night before (but that is another story for another time). Needed a coffee as well, so, based on a tip from a day back we headed for Maungatoroto (the less travelled route - of course!). Picked up the local real estate listings from the local offices and sat down for that coffee (and some free savories!)....it was a good tip b
y the way. Noting a couple of interesting listings to add to the ones we noted on our earlier wanderings, we went to see the agent(s). Cold calling a real estate agent is like doing an interview. Anyway, this guy turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Very helpful and didn't feel he had to babysit us...so we kept his card. Of course, as seems to be the way, all of the properties of interest were back the way we had just come... well, at least we know a good place to stay the night. If you have to retrace ground, might as well pick a different route...and it should also be on (another) route less travelled. Managed to find a couple of the properties and then the sun went down. Guess we'll get the others tomorrow. The lesson for today is, 'if at first you find nothing but ____, then try again'. To be brief, todays offerings looked much better than yesterdays!Day22 - Kai Iwi Lakes /Dargaville /Matakohe
Day 22- let us not even discuss the weather anymore. a storm front is a storm front, be it from the north or south, and here it brings lots of rain and lots and lots of wind.
Today we drove to see the Kai Iwi Lakes, noted for the fact that they are only fed by rainwater. Looks like a nice place to play in the lake, as there are very strict rules of what areas and how fast you can go in your motorcraft...no running over people like in Utah, hey sis? It is likely more impressive in the summer, but today was to dank to appreciate fully. There is a campround at one end of the largest lake that supposedly holds 500 campers. Looks like it must be just a huge free-for-all, as there are no marked sites, only grass. Best part is this: the boat launch that we found is all the way at the other end of this lake. So, you'd have to drop your boat and a driver and then drive like mad to the campsite and hope you got a spot... otherwise, you'd both be driving back and forth wondering what the heck was going on. AH, Keyto, you sneaky devil, I know what you are thinking, 'why not just use your cell phone to advise the situation?'... if only there was service in the area.
Anyway, more backroad exploring found a B&B for sale, and 2 beaches
that were pretty remote. One village looked like hippie central, but had no views of the ocean. Once in Dargaville, we met an eager realtor who decided we must see 2 of her properties (both with lake views). they sounded ok, so we agreed: one with a spring-fed pond and 5 bedrooms, 2 paddocks, swimming pool, solar heating... the other with many windows, gardens, 4 bedrooms, and a jetty. We piled into her car and away we went.
The first was on a decent enough piece of land - just off the main road, and at a level that obscured the view of traffic from the road... the pond -appperently spring fed, looked like it could be nice enough if cleaned up. The paddocks were very mushy, so couldn't really get a good look, but they're pretty standard aren't they? Once inside the house, the horror set in... If only i hadn't taken my shoes off as a courtesy to the homeowner - now my socks were going to be very dirty... does no one in NZ own a vacuum or broom?? Anyway, I digress... The house was finished almost entirely in plywood except for the open timber beams holding up the second storey. Oy! Is that a kitchen?! There are only 2 cupboards! The house boasted one very frightening bathroom (sis, you would have fainted). ...clearly no building inspection or permits are issued, nor are any codes enforced, so appears you can build whatever you want here - and these people did! Up the staircase to the second floor (no railing, so the realtor braced herself on the walls going up, and we braced ourselves in case she lost footing...) You'd expect to find a bedroom or sitting room up here, as this was the 'view' room... not so, it was just an unfinished room with a bit of junk strewn about... and the windows were small! ignoring the obvious peril, we quickly headed back to the main floor, through the living room (wonderful pink ceiling, guys) to the bedroom addition... down a few narrow stairs to gaze upon more unfinished rooms of differing sizes and shapes (some walls didn't even go to the ceiling). At the end of the hall was the 'crowning glory', the master bedroom. Woohoo! they had used drywall in here - too bad no one bothered to finish the job in any fashion. also, someone had been honing their artist skills on the walls. from this window, we got our first glimpse of the swimming pool. oh my! I'm pretty sure that something HAD died in there recently (where was the goat that should have been in the paddock and what was that chicken staring at?). i couldn't get out of there fast enough; The realtor just had one more thing to show us - the laundry room. knowing that it couldn't get worse, we followed her... it did... we suppose you could take your laundry there, but at home, we call this 'outside' and 'a rusty washtub'. guaranteed that putting your clothes in that sink would NOT make them cleaner. perhaps you just pour petrol on them, set them alight and head to town to buy new... i wonder if the dear realtor noticed me sprinting to the car... oh, and about the solar power...it ran 2 lights in the kitchen when the other power went off. on to the next property!
This one was also right beside the highway, but had nothing to obscure the traffic. instead, it had been landscaped with 3 gardens in the front yard, with 3 different themes: Mediterranean, English, and Canadian. Even while the realtor chirped on and on about the 3rd garden being made just for us, I could see that J was unimpressed. there was a carport at the front of the house, right in front of the door, so we had to negotiate around the parked car and then courteously remove our shoes outside on the mat. the front entrance was cramped, but it had 3 doors and a flight of stairs. I could hardly wait to see what was behind door #2! but i would have to wait. the realtor led us up to the 2nd floor. The house was being painted so the walls were 2 different colours (did u know that u can just paint the wallpaper to spruce the place up?). Obviously, they didn't have a ladder to reach some higher areas. There was a bright living room, with a good view of the lake. the kitchen was a good size with an adjoining laundry room and storage. there was a large amount of cat and dog food on the floor - no worries, my socks were already dirty... so far, so good.... down the hall and things got UGLY. the main bathroom was just dreadful, and the 'ensuite' bathroom was worse. had someone been dumpster diving at the local plumber's shop, or how did they get such mismatched fixtures?? the toilets were both running... the bedrooms were small (not unusual) but had nice patio doors opening on to the deck. Funny thing, though... there were no windows to speak of at the back of the house... AHA! there was no backyard, as the site was a steep hill. Finally, it was time to discover the basement! door # 1 was the garage - we didn't look at that. door # 3 was under stair storage...boring. oooooh! the ANTICIPATION!!! finally a turn of the key! Yikes! let's go back...why did i have to ask to see this? what is the matter with me? this was a cinder block foundation with rooms that made me think 'oh, so this is what it's like to be in prison'. now I can see why Paris was so reluctant to stay there... Anyway, there was a large room that these folks were in the process of turning into a B&B suite. It was complete with another 'ensuite' bath. If you've never seen the downunder idea of what a shower should look like, imagine a room with a showerhead on the wall, a drain in the floor, no curtain... This particular shower had one extra. it was a 'Les Nessman style' (remember him from WKRP? - he had tape on the floor to show where his office walls would have been) they had been kind enough to run a very small bead of red caulking (?) on the floor to show us where the shower base would be if there had been one. the bedroom itself was very large and sunny, with 2 sets of patio doors. too bad the view for the future guests would be that of their car... (remember the carport?) the owners had photographed the room with a lovely wicker patio set just outside the opened patio doors so, presumably, as a guest you would have the added bonus of being able to sit on the blacktop, sip wine and enjoy the 'new car smell' of the Corolla. I guess you would be encouraged to use the gardens... Outside we were shown the rest of the site... many paths had been created to go up and down the hill. there was even a small sleepout for one to have quiet time or use to watch tv without interruption. the property also included 'one smelly cat...what are they feeding you???' much to the disappointment of the realtor, we declined putting in an offer on either place. Maybe further down the road would be a better selection?
We spent the evening at Matakohe near the water. it was raining and windy all night ...but tomorrow the weather person says a high will arrive, and with it, the sun!
If you ever have the chance, try to watch the tv show 'Man Stroke Woman' -it's British. You may need to watch a couple of episodes to 'get it', but really funny- if you like that kind of thing.
Today we drove to see the Kai Iwi Lakes, noted for the fact that they are only fed by rainwater. Looks like a nice place to play in the lake, as there are very strict rules of what areas and how fast you can go in your motorcraft...no running over people like in Utah, hey sis? It is likely more impressive in the summer, but today was to dank to appreciate fully. There is a campround at one end of the largest lake that supposedly holds 500 campers. Looks like it must be just a huge free-for-all, as there are no marked sites, only grass. Best part is this: the boat launch that we found is all the way at the other end of this lake. So, you'd have to drop your boat and a driver and then drive like mad to the campsite and hope you got a spot... otherwise, you'd both be driving back and forth wondering what the heck was going on. AH, Keyto, you sneaky devil, I know what you are thinking, 'why not just use your cell phone to advise the situation?'... if only there was service in the area.
Anyway, more backroad exploring found a B&B for sale, and 2 beaches
that were pretty remote. One village looked like hippie central, but had no views of the ocean. Once in Dargaville, we met an eager realtor who decided we must see 2 of her properties (both with lake views). they sounded ok, so we agreed: one with a spring-fed pond and 5 bedrooms, 2 paddocks, swimming pool, solar heating... the other with many windows, gardens, 4 bedrooms, and a jetty. We piled into her car and away we went.The first was on a decent enough piece of land - just off the main road, and at a level that obscured the view of traffic from the road... the pond -appperently spring fed, looked like it could be nice enough if cleaned up. The paddocks were very mushy, so couldn't really get a good look, but they're pretty standard aren't they? Once inside the house, the horror set in... If only i hadn't taken my shoes off as a courtesy to the homeowner - now my socks were going to be very dirty... does no one in NZ own a vacuum or broom?? Anyway, I digress... The house was finished almost entirely in plywood except for the open timber beams holding up the second storey. Oy! Is that a kitchen?! There are only 2 cupboards! The house boasted one very frightening bathroom (sis, you would have fainted). ...clearly no building inspection or permits are issued, nor are any codes enforced, so appears you can build whatever you want here - and these people did! Up the staircase to the second floor (no railing, so the realtor braced herself on the walls going up, and we braced ourselves in case she lost footing...) You'd expect to find a bedroom or sitting room up here, as this was the 'view' room... not so, it was just an unfinished room with a bit of junk strewn about... and the windows were small! ignoring the obvious peril, we quickly headed back to the main floor, through the living room (wonderful pink ceiling, guys) to the bedroom addition... down a few narrow stairs to gaze upon more unfinished rooms of differing sizes and shapes (some walls didn't even go to the ceiling). At the end of the hall was the 'crowning glory', the master bedroom. Woohoo! they had used drywall in here - too bad no one bothered to finish the job in any fashion. also, someone had been honing their artist skills on the walls. from this window, we got our first glimpse of the swimming pool. oh my! I'm pretty sure that something HAD died in there recently (where was the goat that should have been in the paddock and what was that chicken staring at?). i couldn't get out of there fast enough; The realtor just had one more thing to show us - the laundry room. knowing that it couldn't get worse, we followed her... it did... we suppose you could take your laundry there, but at home, we call this 'outside' and 'a rusty washtub'. guaranteed that putting your clothes in that sink would NOT make them cleaner. perhaps you just pour petrol on them, set them alight and head to town to buy new... i wonder if the dear realtor noticed me sprinting to the car... oh, and about the solar power...it ran 2 lights in the kitchen when the other power went off. on to the next property!
This one was also right beside the highway, but had nothing to obscure the traffic. instead, it had been landscaped with 3 gardens in the front yard, with 3 different themes: Mediterranean, English, and Canadian. Even while the realtor chirped on and on about the 3rd garden being made just for us, I could see that J was unimpressed. there was a carport at the front of the house, right in front of the door, so we had to negotiate around the parked car and then courteously remove our shoes outside on the mat. the front entrance was cramped, but it had 3 doors and a flight of stairs. I could hardly wait to see what was behind door #2! but i would have to wait. the realtor led us up to the 2nd floor. The house was being painted so the walls were 2 different colours (did u know that u can just paint the wallpaper to spruce the place up?). Obviously, they didn't have a ladder to reach some higher areas. There was a bright living room, with a good view of the lake. the kitchen was a good size with an adjoining laundry room and storage. there was a large amount of cat and dog food on the floor - no worries, my socks were already dirty... so far, so good.... down the hall and things got UGLY. the main bathroom was just dreadful, and the 'ensuite' bathroom was worse. had someone been dumpster diving at the local plumber's shop, or how did they get such mismatched fixtures?? the toilets were both running... the bedrooms were small (not unusual) but had nice patio doors opening on to the deck. Funny thing, though... there were no windows to speak of at the back of the house... AHA! there was no backyard, as the site was a steep hill. Finally, it was time to discover the basement! door # 1 was the garage - we didn't look at that. door # 3 was under stair storage...boring. oooooh! the ANTICIPATION!!! finally a turn of the key! Yikes! let's go back...why did i have to ask to see this? what is the matter with me? this was a cinder block foundation with rooms that made me think 'oh, so this is what it's like to be in prison'. now I can see why Paris was so reluctant to stay there... Anyway, there was a large room that these folks were in the process of turning into a B&B suite. It was complete with another 'ensuite' bath. If you've never seen the downunder idea of what a shower should look like, imagine a room with a showerhead on the wall, a drain in the floor, no curtain... This particular shower had one extra. it was a 'Les Nessman style' (remember him from WKRP? - he had tape on the floor to show where his office walls would have been) they had been kind enough to run a very small bead of red caulking (?) on the floor to show us where the shower base would be if there had been one. the bedroom itself was very large and sunny, with 2 sets of patio doors. too bad the view for the future guests would be that of their car... (remember the carport?) the owners had photographed the room with a lovely wicker patio set just outside the opened patio doors so, presumably, as a guest you would have the added bonus of being able to sit on the blacktop, sip wine and enjoy the 'new car smell' of the Corolla. I guess you would be encouraged to use the gardens... Outside we were shown the rest of the site... many paths had been created to go up and down the hill. there was even a small sleepout for one to have quiet time or use to watch tv without interruption. the property also included 'one smelly cat...what are they feeding you???' much to the disappointment of the realtor, we declined putting in an offer on either place. Maybe further down the road would be a better selection?
We spent the evening at Matakohe near the water. it was raining and windy all night ...but tomorrow the weather person says a high will arrive, and with it, the sun!
If you ever have the chance, try to watch the tv show 'Man Stroke Woman' -it's British. You may need to watch a couple of episodes to 'get it', but really funny- if you like that kind of thing.
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