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.
...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...
realize how much time has passed...) I will start by picking up some of the missed events over the past few years. (This post is mainly to remind myself how to make this work and the new functions that are now provided.) 
realize how much time has passed...) I will start by picking up some of the missed events over the past few years. (This post is mainly to remind myself how to make this work and the new functions that are now provided.) 
