OPOTIKI WOOD SPLITTING AND TREK

When Kate and Lyn asked me to come and stay they said that Friday would be wood splitting day and it would be ALL HANDS ON DECK!So when the machine arrived we all got to work.
The blade just ploughs though the big bits of wood and splits them. Then I got busy stacking the smaller bits of wood in the sheds for the winter.

They even let me have a go at using the machine, but it was a bit too scary for me with the massive bits of wood. So I just stuck to stacking!


It was great fun, but I was shattered when we finally stacked the last bit of wood. Every muscle ached.
On the Saturday we had a lazy day, then went round to Kate and Lyn's neighbour, Richard, to watch the final of their national rugby tournament. All the guests brought some food and it was great fun. But you could have heard a pin drop when I said that I thought the referee had made the right decision sending one of their players off after he hit someone!!! All eyes were on me, but they decided to forgive me and a good night was had by all!!!Thankfully their team won!!
The next day Kate, Lyn and her sister-in -law Susan and I went on a hike.
The weather was perfect and the scenery was beautiful. We had a great time.



We stopped by the river in the valley for a picnic.

WHITE ISLAND

White Island is New Zealand's most active Volcano and I decided to book a trip out to the island. I got the boat at Whakatane and we sailed for about one and a half hours out to White Island.
I have to say I was slightly nervous about the prospect of stepping onto an active volcano. Especially as the nearer we got to the island you could clearly see the steam coming out of the big crater.
And as we pulled up alongside the island there was steam eminating from all over the rocky ground.It looked like a set from a Doctor Who film!!
On the main boat they then issued us with Gas masks and hard helmets. I started to wonder why I had decided to take this trip. And as they transfered us in small groups in a dinghy from the main boat my legs really were shaking.
It took me a while to compose myself when we reached the Volcano.
But it was so fascinating that I was awestruck by the fragile beauty of it all.
Stepping foot onto an active crater amid the hot thermal streams and bubbling mud pots was mind blowing enough. But then seeing the glittering yellow sulphur crystals all over the place was fabulous.
I had to put the gas mask on several times because the sulphur fumes were so overpowering.


We were shown the ruins of various sulphur factories that had been established on the volcano through the years.And where several miners were killed in the early 1900's by a landslide!
When we eventually left the island we sailed around it just taking in the beauty of the active landscape.

And we spotted this seal asleep on the warm rocks.It did not seem to be phased by the prospect of its bed erupting !

OPOTIKI CONTINUED.

I spent a few days exploring the town of Opotiki, They have a lovely museum where they have restored the original hardware store.
And they were very excited because they said a lovely lady from Lonely planet guides had told them that the museum would feature in their next edition as a must see place for backpackers. I have to agree it is well worth a visit.
I also went driving along the coastline again. The colours in the skyline are breathtakingly beautiful and so relaxing to view.
I guess you are gathering that I love this place!


For a very small town there are lots of events going on, exhibitions and fundraisers. One day the crowds were out because a famous netball star was visiting. Netball is a massive sport over here and it is actually on the television. Shame the sports bods in England do not see it like that.It is hardly ever on the telly in good old Blighty!! It was not all play and no work though. I did do my bit to earn my keep with the girls. One day I went with Lyn to her father's farm to help them chop up some trees that had blown down and pile the wood into the truck.(Some of it was very heavy!!)
I also stood up on the back of the truck as they drove it over the farm. That was great fun, if a bit scarey at times on the steep bits!
Lyn's father was great fun.





Then it was time for a well deserved rest so I spent some time sitting outside with a book and a cup of tea enjoying the view over their garden.

OPOTIKI

As promised Kate and Lyn came to collect me on the Sunday morning from the Youth hostel. We went to see some of their friends, then we drove for about nine hours to their lovely home in Opotiki. Along the way we stopped off for coffee in a place that was used in the Lord of the Rings films.
They have a lovely house out in the countryside.

It is surrounded by orchards growing Green and golden Kiwi fruits and advocados.
It was great to just go out and pick fruit from the trees. They tasted so delicious. It makes one realise just how tasteless a lot of the fruit is that we get in England.
The next day Kate and Lyn let me have the use of their spare car to explore the beautiful coastline.
I went for a long walk along the beach near Tirohanga and it was deserted. The photographs do not do justice to just how breathtaking the view of the mountains were in the distance over the beautiful blue sea. I loved it and I felt so happy and free just wandering along with my own thoughts. It made me reflect on the times I have felt so unhappy over the last few years and what I need to do to make sure that I never allow myself to feel that low again! Life really is for living. There is no time to allow people and situations to detract from the beauty of life.(No I have not been drinking, I just feel so strongly about life nowadays that I am not afraid to express what I feel and think)
I then drove for miles from Opotiki along past Te Kaha and as far as Waihau Bay.
I have never seen such fabulous coastline and there were hardly any people around. This really was what I had been searching for for so long. I felt so happy and contented just driving along and watching the sky change colour.
I loved seeing the deserted beaches covered in driftwood.



It was nearly dark when I eventually got back to the house. I was quite scared on the mountain roads at times because the massive logging trucks coming haring round the tight corners really fast.My heart was in my mouth a couple of times. So I was even more pleased to get back to the house, where I got a warm welcome from Kate and Lyn.
The log burner was on and Lyn cooked a lovely meal. I loved going to bed in my room because there were no curtains and I was able to gaze up at the stars and the black silhouettes of the trees through the window for ages before going to sleep.

RANGITOTO AND AUCKLAND

Rebecca, a girl from Switzerland who was sharing my room at the YHA and I went on a boat trip from Auckland harbour to Rangitoto Island.
It is a volcanic island that is now a public reserve.It erupted from the sea in a series of dramatic explosions around six hundred years ago.
Thank goodness it is dormant now!! so we climbed to the top and walked around the crator. It was worth all the exercise because we were treated to some breathtaking views of the harbour.
I also loved the silence standing at the top. It was the peace and quiet I had been looking for for so long on this trip. I knew instantly that I was going to like this country very much. We had to take our own food and drink onto the island and I have to say that Rebecca persuaded me to have a Subway sandwich.(yes Sammie I know I said I would never eat one!! )You can see that I was not convinced I would like it, but to my surprise it was very tastly and healthy.


OK Sammie you were right!! hee hee.
Later in the day I went up the Sky tower, which is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. There was a glass floor so that one could see all the way to the ground!!
And of course there are those idiots who pay to be lowered down off the side of the building!! I just sat and watched them in amazement as they were stopped for a photo to be taken, before being lowered the rest of the way down.

The following day Rachel (who I originally met in the Australian outback)and I went to the markets in Auckland and explored the town. Then we went to meet up with Kate and Lyn, who had invited me to stay with them at their house in the Bay of Plenty , on the east coast of The north island. Kate and my friend Katy in Hull went to university together.So Kate kindly agreed that I could stop with them. They had driven to Auckland to attend the exhibition of a Maori woman called Tangata Whenua who was exhibiting some of the crafts she makes.
It was an honour to be there at the opening. The Maori community did a special performance of a song and blessed the exhibits before we were all offered food and drinks. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as they sang and recited their prayer. We left arranging to meet up with them again tomorrow to travel to their house in Opodiki.
In the evening Rachel and I met up with Rebecca and we went to the comedy club.
In the lonely planet it said that it was the best comedy club in Auckland and we have to agree as we saw some very good acts.
On the Sunday Kate and Lyn came to collect me from the hostel.

AUCKLAND

The plane from Sydney to Auckland was delayed so I eventually got to the YHA in Auckland around eight O clock at night on wedesday. I felt quite nervous about venturing into another country as I had got quite used the ways in Australia. On the plane , despite it being in the afternoon we were given breakfast. This was because they had swapped our original plane for another one that was all geared up for serving breakfast.They did say that it needed to be served as it was not good for it to sit around in the storage cartons..I should have let the alarm bells ring then!!! but I did not and proceeded to tuck into a breakfast with very dodgy looking sausages. Later that night and the next morning I spent a long time on the loo!!! and my tummy was not too good.I should have gone without the breakfast!! It is rediculous that I travel all around south east Asia and Australia without any stomach problems and the minute I fly to New Zealand I get my first tummy upset.
But I did not let it put me off exploring the city. I armed myself with plenty of water and a map and headed off for the Auckland Museum to learn all about the Maori culture.
It is the most amazing museum I have been to, there was so much to see and I got the opportunity to see a performance of the famouse HAKA.
Afterwards I visited the winter gardens and saw an amazing collection of ferns.(You lucky thing ! I hear you cry) They thrive in the climate of New Zealand, and they were very beautiful! Then I walked down to the art gallery. The main one was closed, but I went to see the latest exhibition in the new Auckland gallery before wandering down to the ferry terminal, where the views over the harbour were beautiful.
I am looking forward to getting a ferry out to the volcanic island in the Bay.

I wandered around for a while just soaking in the atmosphere, then I went to this great bar called MINUS 5.
It is all made completely from ice. I had to don some very warm clothing before I entered ,including TWO pairs of gloves!. I had a vodka cocktail served in an ice glass.(They warn you to hold onto it with two hands because people keep forgetting and let their drinks slip out of their hands because the glass is made of ice.) I was only allowed to stay in there around half an hour because it is so cold. It was a fun experience. I met a Scottish couple from Glasgow inside and we got chatting and afterwards we went for a Mexican meal together. They gave me some tips about places to visit in Auckland. That is the great thing about travelling ,other people on the road are only too eager to pass on their experiences. Most times I have taken people's advice I have found some great places I would not otherwise have explored.

GOODBYE AUSTRALIA

I took the plane from Alice Springs to Sydney and settled into the YHA in central Sydney for the last time. I have been through here so many times on my journey in Australia that I felt like I had come home for a while!
That evening I met up with some friends who live in Sydney.Katherine, Emma and Lucas. I met them some months back in Cambodia.We had a lovely meal and said our goodbyes.
We promised to meet up again in England.
The next day I went shopping for warm clothes for my trip to New Zealand. I was lucky that Kathmandu had a 40% sale on, so I got all the things that I needed at a good price.I walked along to Sydney harbour and had a nice lunch at a cafe opposite the harbour bridge and then wandered along to the Sydney Opera Hourse, where I had a glass of champagne to toast the great time I have had here in Australia!!!
Later in the day I met Carmel and we went for a fantastic meal together to say our goodbyes.
I was particularly pleased that she met up with me as she is so snowed under with work on the film festival at the moment.It was very sad saying Goodbye to her because I do not know when I will see her again and we have had some brilliant times together, especially climbing the harbour bridge with Sammie!!!
But we have hatched a plan to try and meet up again in Canada when she goes to the Toronto film festival later in the year.We will see if we can match up our dates.
Tomorrow morning I fly to New Zealand for ten weeks and I am so excited!!!!Everyone says it is such a beautiful place and I cannot wait to check it out.