A Relaxing day by the Sea

I am writing this with some rather sore bits! The UV is deadly and this morning I got burnt even though it was cloudy. We are having an easy day and started with a very nice breakfast sitting outside on the terrace at the B&B. The view is just lovely and we lingered a bit. When we did go out, it was only as far as the beach where we sat for quite a while reading and watching the surfing dudes. It was lovely, although quite cloudy. Before we went out one of the other guests asked Nigel if he would like to go for a walk with him to see some local waterfalls. The path was very well maintained and drained. No fear of getting lost, bitten or falling over. This worked well because Nigel was able to go on a longer walk than I can manage with some company. I’m afraid I fell asleep for most of the time he was gone. When I woke up I rearranged the suitcases a bit so that we now have one that doesn’t need to be opened for 5 or 6 days and can stay in the car. Then to the beach again where the tide was right out and Nigel had a lovely run along the sand. Delayed somewhat watching the owner of one of the beachside houses taking off in his helicopter! It was great sitting there watching the families having a swim and the younger surf dudes who were probably in school earlier!

We then had a take away and played a not very competitive game of Scrabble which Marion won. I would say that she had the better letters but that would be an untruth. Tomorrow we are off to the springs at Rotorua and a mud bath, do not know what to expect, there may not be pictures so as to preserve modesty and decorum.

One amusing item on the radio which I overheard today. There was a debate on how proud New Zealanders are of their country, on the eve of their national day. One caller lamented the state of the nation and then said that New Zealanders should look to the example of Australia for a united nation with a strong sense of identity.

Random New Zealand Thoughts

I am waking up at 6am like clockwork and then feel wide awake. If that is the only impact of jet lag then that is good. As a result now is a good time to gather my almost lucid thoughts. What are my first impressions?

First of all there is a lot of cultural similarity, the sports pages could come from the Yorkshire Post (cricket, football etc....) Everywhere seems familiar, yet there are differeneces that shout at you. Driving is like being in Canada that strange mixture of kilometres withAamerican signage. Everybody we have met is very polite and very anxious to talk. Service so far is excellent.

The scenary is fantastic, and that is before we have seen the five star sites. Again becaause we are out of season there is no pressure on parking, the roads, restaurants etc...The atmosphere is very clear and unpollutted.

Already I have had one of my great runs, along the beach last night was heaven, great firm sand, bright blue seas, and a great temperature. This will sound pretentious it is up there with the Charles River in Boston, and Cloughton to Ravencar along the coast.

The food we have had so far is excellent, mostly it has to be said seafood. The mussels are huge, and we have yet to try mussel fritters which seem to be a delicacy. Also you can pies everywhere, yet to try those.

Importantly we are very relaxed, very quickly, although it is good to keep in touch via Twitter, blogging etc.. it is a pleasure rather than a chore. I am now uploading the photos to Picassa (www.picassa.com), not sure how you access this, but I am sure that Thomas can add a comment.

Here is the last pretentious cliche, it is also great to blog for ones own sanity. Perhaps I am discovering the benefits of keeping a diary at a late stage in life. You can collect your thoughts and summarise the day, My apologies for boring the readership.

Must go now as Marion has had "oooh Nigel" moment as she steps onto the balconey to look at the coast (we are about 200 feet up 2 miles from the sea).

The Day Before

We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland..... See photos. Marion was unable to go quilting as at 9am the roads were white and a blizzard was raging. New Zealand seems a very enticing prospect.

When we are all packed, excited, and a little tense worrying that we have forgot something critical.

Please follow us on our tour, this will not be great literature but our thoughts after every hopefully exciting days. We shall also post a few photos. Please feel welcome to put your comments on the blog so we can see what is going on at home.