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Waihi Beach 16 April
Arrived mid afternoon and checked into our motel after which we went to the beach for a walk. The water temperature was very tolerable and I decided to swim a bit. Much to my delight and surprise, Ed joined me! We jumped over and under the waves, and got knocked down multiple times by quite sizeable breakers in some sets. We laughed a lot and had a great time. Had a very good meal in the Bistro at the motel. It was a a lovely day.
Tauranga, 17 April
The next morning we got up leisurely, I fixed Ed coffee in the room and he began working on the blog while I fixed a cereal breakfast and packed us up. Once the blog was sent we went back down to the beach in the rain. However, within a few minutes the sun came out and it was beautiful. There were a lot of surfers and very good waves . We have been very fortunate with the timing of the rain. The heavier down pours have seemed to occur on days we have been driving. Wishing we could stay longer and play in the surf but, we moved on to drive to Tauranga to visit and spend the night with Jenny and Gavin Baxter, a lovely couple whom Ed had met previously on his Alaskan cruise. They had a beautiful home with amazing fruit trees and flowers. We took a mini hike through an old Quarry area which has been reclaimed by multiple groups of volunteers. Different areas have been sectioned off and dedicated to display specific species of flowers. Lots of quirky art has been added. It was really neat.
Heading north to Whangarei, 18 April
Early start, heading north back through Aukland. We plan to spend our last 3 days getting to the farthest point north we can. Arrived late afternoon, took a long walk to Whangarei waterfall under a canopy of lush tropical trees, did some grocery shopping and fixed dinner here at the motel.
Kaitaia, 18 April
Once again taking our time to get going this morning. Have a 4 hour boat ride planned for today through the the Bay of Islands. Some 144 islands with hopes of seeing dolphins. Will have a barbecue lunch on shore. Then we will hit the road to Kaitia, approximately an hour drive from here. We will spend two days exploring the far end of the North Island before heading back to Auckland for a Saturday evening departure.
Kaitaia , to the furthest point North we can go, 19 April
Yesterday's expedition on Discovery IV did not disappoint. We saw many dolphins, some with babies. Took a quick hike to the top of the island on which we had lunch and the views were spectacular. Enjoyed a beautiful evening sky on the way back to port. It was another wonderful day.
With Jenni and Gavin
So glad you're enjoying this wonderful adventure together! Such beautiful country!
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