Rotorua: Steaming Piles of Mud and other photo ops

Kairau Park

Maori village

Giant Pez dispenser  

                                                       

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

Thermal Energy Plant in the distance (provides 5% of nation's energy)

More boiling pots

Mom supervising baby's first hot bath

                                           

Steaming Hot   

Jello bath for the brave or foolish

                                                 

 Reflective sculpture park honoring coming home fromWWI

                                           

Rare sighting of succinct signage

                                                     

Night market closing street with food vendors in front of empty open restaurants

                               

Friends and Family

Going back to Australia was in a lot of ways like "going home." Our focus this trip was on revisiting our favorite flora and fauna but it was also a lot about seeing our human friends as well.

We spent Christmas Day with Juli and Dave's family. Didn't manage to get a picture of Juli or Dave but got plenty of the kids!

Tex waiting to do the rest of the Christmas Crackers.

Andy reading the joke from his Cracker, with he and Tom sporting their paper crowns.

Tex and Darcy off to enjoy a new scooter at the skate park.

We spent New Year's Eve with Bernie and Kristian. Turns out this is the only pic of Bernie...

Coffee with Paula and Julie and other parts of the Deakin gang.

Walk in the coastal bush with Barry.

And Rachel.

Marita and her daughter Serenity joined Paul and us at the beach.

Otha and his family invited us for tea. The two older boys had gone to a friend's to play basketball.

We had a lovely lunch with the lovely Rox.

Maureen, our former landlady, put some chips on the barbie while Andy supervised.

Melbourne friends Kate and Denham with Siena and Lulu

Melbourne friend Peta out on Southbank.

We also had the pleasure of spending three nights with Dawn and Alan and their kids and their kids' friends while we were in Auckland. So much fun playing Clue with the young people.  

Our New Zealand family

Included in these meaningful relationships are Bernie and Kristian's dog.

Izzy

And Dawn and Alan's dogs.

Ollie

Teddy

Cathedral Cove and Hotwater Beach

 Our first Hahei hike on Friday was to the top of that promontory in the background of this picture. Our hike on Saturday allowed us to look back from the other end of Hahei Beach. We were on our way to Cathedral Cove.

Andy: On that promontory was a "pa," the site of a Maori settlement. Always good to be reminded of who was here first, and still is here for that matter. Both spiritually and physically, the Maori live on and are part of the landscape and cultural scape.

A trip, an excursion, a voyage is almost always a series of reminders for me. The hydrangeas in full bloom everywhere remind me of my mom and Stone Harbor. The beach sand castles take me back there too. Visions of my daughter being here not too long ago pop up and add to the richness of the experience. The walk to Cathedral Cove is a second cousin to the Napali Cliff walk long ago in Hawaii to the beach at the end, and the vistas are reminiscent of Crete. The immediacy of laughing with Ann and excitement of each step of the way add to the timelessness of it all.

Ann: Some of the filming of Chronicles of Narnia was filmed in New Zealand (as well as Lord of the Rings...) On the drive to Cathedral Cove we had a Narnian experience when we passed this mythical looking horse. At first glance, we thought it was a unicorn. Important note: The original description here has been changed after Andy disputed the stated location of said mythical horse, Ann went to the evidence of the camera to prove the purported timeline, only to be proven wrong by the evidence. It happens... back to the mythical horse.

We took our loaner spade from our hotel room, thinking we'd have the opportunity to dig our own little spa at Hot Water Beach. We were not the only ones with this illusion as many people showed up with spades in hand just to find that the hot water part of the beach was quite minimal in size but over populated. Andy described it as Coney Island on Fourth of July. There were probably a hundred people sitting in a dozen holes and another hundred standing around thinking that could be them sitting in those holes. The novelty quickly wore off for us and we walked down to the swimming beach to people watch and take a dip.

All the "hot spots" were taken when we got there.

Andy tries to pretend he did a little digging. Actually using as support for still misbehaving back.

Hahei Beach, New Zealand

Hanging out in Hahei

After a couple days in the steamy surrounds of the thermal pools of Rotorua, we headed up to the Coromandel Peninsula. We checked in to our adorable little bungalo at the Tatahi Lodge. Andy's daughter Kate may have cleaned this very room when she worked here for a week during her NZ adventures in May. We headed straight out to the beach to explore the vistas about which Kate had gushed when she returned from her trip. See for yourself.

Hahei Beach on the left

Lots of families with tents and umbrellas dotted the beach.

Back at Ya

The good news is that Ann and I made it into the water yesterday along with our across the street neighbor Deb, good friends Paul and Marita, and our previous landlady Maureen. Ann even caught a wave and got a good ride using Deb’s boogie board.

The somewhat bad news was that I decided to go in the water even though my back had twinged rather seriously the night before (that slight bend at the sink doing dishes can be very tricky to manage). Apparently that was not the most prudent thing to do, as after coming out of the water and lying down on the beach I was  unable to get up.

Not wanting to end up like the beached and decaying whale that ended up on nearby Shelly beach, I was able to get lifted up and steadied on my feet for the slow march across the sand and through the dunes to the car.

Fortunately our borrowed house has aircon as one says here, so I have been cool while pondering what to do next about this untimely predicament. As to be expected perhaps given the community of our Warrnambool friendship circle, help was not long in arriving. 

 Ann went out and got fish and chips for dinner. Barry came by and reminded us of Voltaren. No not the fortune telling machine chap from Big, but rather magic in the form of topically applied anti-inflammatory analgesic that worked wonders. Barry also connected me with Delia, a local physio.

Delia advised against sitting, or any travel, until pain subsided, so we delayed our return to Melbourne on the morning train. It is so hot right now that the mid-day train was canceled and bus travel was to be substituted. Due to the heat the train tracks expand and bend enough to shut down train travel. Since bus travel meant having to sit, we are now re-booked on the evening train which is still scheduled to go.

The plus of the preceding is that Delia was able to come over and assess the situation in person this morning, and tape up the back for additional support.

 Also got a good tutorial on over the counter medications available here.

So, we have now had an at home resting and nesting day. Got to do laundry and use the very effective solar dryer.  Cricket is on the tele !

The bird outside in back yard right now is sitting on the grass with wings outspread on the ground and beak open. Guess that’s how they manage the heat.

Our time with friends in Melbourne has been cut short due to the forced extra day of R&R in Warrnambool. Nonetheless, slowing down, assessing and taking stock has been lemonade.