Wednesday, October 19, 2011

17th Oct – Fire and rain


Still feeling rubbish, I took an aspirin, left Auckland and headed north to the Bay of Islands. I had had a site recommended to me by a bloke on a bus on the way home from the game against France. ‘Stay at Hururu Falls campsite’, he said, ‘the place is magical.’ He was right. It is magical. My camper van is parked facing a horse shoe shaped waterfall, with a river that rolls into the sea. Stunningly beautiful. Last night 2000 yachts, tonight the relaxing sound of water. No rows and rows of white caravans on sites here, 30 vans max., and sights that would win awards, if taken as photos.


It’s been a busy day again. I stopped at Kawakawa to go to the toilet. Not just any toilet though, the Hundertwasser toilets. I wouldn’t normally mention bodily functions in a blog, but this hippy Austrian ecologist used ceramics, cloured glass bottles, a grass roof, to construct a public toilet block, almost Gaudi style. People travel from all over the world to use them.



I arrived at Paihia and booked at the local i-site for that afternoon’s Hole in the Rock and Dolphin cruise. We saw a pod of bottle nosed dolphins, before going out to see the famous ‘Hole in the Rock’ at Cape Brett. It was touch and go whether we’d go to the Rock, as a forecast of 30 knots wind (gale force). Luckily the wind held off long enough for us to do it, so we did see it although it wasn’t safe for us to sail through it.  The sea was choppy to say the least, and on the way back, probably due to the fact that the aspirin was wearing off, I fell asleep, due to the rocking of the boat, while others were beginning to look a little green. Annoying though as I missed some of the scenery.



Fire and Rain – James Taylor – because of a forecast of a further 3 days rain.

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