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J: Epic travelling by car from Lake Taupo in the middle of North Island to the northern tip of the Coromandel peninsula on the north coast (though not the far west-north where the Bay of Islands is.). Some very long flat stratches and nearer the end the hairpin bend roads through the volcanic hills. Oe of the flat plains had the equivalent of Newmarket stables all along it. As usual the tiny settlements offering a shop with a cafe and one or two other amenities look like those streets you'd see in a western - single storey with decking and a porch.
Set off around 9am to get to a specific volcanic centre in time for the 10.15 geyser to shoot up... well worth the effort. It seems that the addition of a block of soap breaks the tension between the cold water surface layer and the 170 degree water beneath so that the geyser erupts on demand rather than at some point every 24-72 hours.
Hope you find the photos interesting - the colours were amazing of the various metals coughed out all around. And seeing bubbling mud on such a scale really took us to that centre of the earth awareness. And the small of course ...
Now we're at a really relaxed B & B where the wife is away for her grandaughter's and of year dance show in Auckland, leaving grandad to cope with the four guests. He made us lovely scrambled eggs and followed his wife's check-up phone call to ensure we had everything, change the beds, clean etc! The breakfast table is in the window which has a panoramic 150 degree view of an enormous bay, the beach below us and islands.
It was sunny yesterday evening so we saw it all at its best. A wander on the beach meant another half dozen shells to bring home - flat scallops, one really small and pretty.There are also tiny green sea urchins in the tideline but the occupant is still at home. The birds are different and their calls too - tuis are common.
Today is warm but breezy with the occasional shower so we've driven up and down the coast a little before coming back to enjoy the view from our room. We did watch a bird of prey dive then chased off by 4 or 5 smaller birds for quite a distance!
Absolutely no pressure here - heaven. We can buy our evening meal and bring it back to eat with our view which is lovely. We'll stay tomorrow as long as we can until we need to set off for Auckland to drop the car by 5pm - hopefully around 2,30. Then it's the Americas Cup yacht trip to look forward to on Monday. May go back to see the fantastic photos of them in a gallery. Of course everyone's happy to ship stuff home. The cost of shipping 12 bottles of wine was about £70!
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