Just stopped at Thames, south of Auckalnd.

To go back to New Year's Eve. I know it was ages ago but I haven't had time to get on here since then. Went to the Treaty Grounds at Waihiki and saw the house where the first governor for the area
lived. It was originally only a one bedroom, one parlour, house. It was planned to be bigger but the Governor had a row with his counterpart in Sydney and they cut the budget for the house. As the
Govenor had six children it was a bit tight for space, to say the least. The meeting house is quite brilliant, lots of different Maouri carvings, each one telling a different tale and woven panels,
each different made from flax. There was also the longest single hulled cano in the world. It takes eighty men to paddle it and it can hold up to one hundred and fifty people. It is now used for
cermonial occasions and will be out on the water on 6th February which is the anniversay of the signing of the Treaty. Another bit of info (if any one is interested!). NZ is the only country in the
world to have two national flags. Met up with a friend from England who now runs a backpackers over here and then went on to '39' , a very nice restaurant on the quay. Had a super meal and then
watched the fireworks herald in 2008. Eventually got to be about 0130. A tad tired...

Tuesday, 1st Jan

Spent day travelling by coach to Cape Reigna, the most northerly point of New Zealand. On the way stopped to see the Kauri trees. They can take up to 2000 years to grow to maturity.They are now
protected as they were fairly decimated in the past for their timber. They are very tall. One of them came down in a storm in 1935. It was used to build ten houses. Went on up to the Cape via 90 Mile
Beach, but it's not 90 miles it's actually 64 miles. Haven't worked out why they call it 90 mile beach yet. The coach we were on drove all along the beach regaling us as he did so about the number of
tourists whose cars get stuck in the sand or overtaken by something called a sweeper. It is a hugh wave that floods the beach at high speed and heaven help you if you are in the way. Saw some awesome
photos of cars, 4 wds and even a car towing a caravan that had been turned over and ripped apart by the sea. Quite glad we didn't take our hire car up there! The lighthouse on the point was moved
some years ago as it was on an island but didn't protect ships from the rocks on the Cape. On the way back down we stopped and did some sandboarding. I'm having so many goes I should master it one
day. It's not the coming down but the climbing of the sand dunes that does me in. If they had something like a ski lift I could play all day. As it is, one walk up the dunes and one slide down and I
am somewhat (fill in your own word here - begins with k and ends with d!).