The Bay of Islands

From Auckland, we headed up to the Bay of Islands in the top north east corner of North Island. Cycled the last 12km into our camp site by the river where we stayed for two nights. The following day, I did my longest cycle ever - probably around 35km. Started by taking a ferry from Paihia over to one of the islands then cycling from the small settlement of Russell to Okiato, then another ferry to Opua. The road from Opua back to Paihia was so long and steep. Ended up walking up the steeper hills! After lunch in Paihia, we were sufficiently revitalised to do the cycle back to camp. A very hot day so I then spent the rest of the afternoon comatose by the pool topping up my tan - the first time I've actually had the weather to sunbathe in NZ.

Next day, we drove to Oponoi dunes where we went sand boarding. This basically involves sliding down dunes on a boogie board. As the tide was right in, it was a case of down the dunes head first then straight into the water - such good fun! Apart from when you come off your board and end up sliding on your belly which inevitably I managed to do. Later on we did some walking in the Waipoua forest to see giant Kauri trees, then a further drive to our camp in Owera just outside of Auckland. In the evening, we went to some hot pools which was really nice. There were several outdoor pools of varying temperatures but some as hot as a good hot bath. Given I don't get the opportunity to have too many baths whilst travelling, this was quite a treat. One pool even had a movie screen so that you can watch movies whilst relaxing in the pool. There were also some awesome slides particularly the Black Hole which was great fun.

I never cease to be amazed by how NZ can literally have four seasons in one day. It was blowing a gale last night (not good when you're in a tent), then pouring with rain as we drove into Auckland this morning. I found it particularly satisfying to be stuck in rush hour traffic watching all the miserable commuters in the rain. It reminded me what life used to be like for me, but not any more! Makes me appreciate travelling so much more when I have little reminders of how rubbish working is. So we dropped off some  passengers in Auckland and picked up some more. The bus is now quite full with 27 passengers on board.

A busy afternoon with a cycle ride followed by a walk to Cathedral Cove. Beautiful beaches here - this is the east coast of North Island and the place where lots of Aucklanders come on holiday during the summer. Time for a shower and an early night as we are bush camping tomorrow. Have treated myself to an upgrade tonight. Have my own little cabin with a double bed - luxury indeed but a bargain at just 13 dollars (or about 7 pounds).