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A very good day to you all.
Welcome to the next part of our adventure. Unfortunately our potential WWOOF up north fell through. However this spurred us on to take the time to enjoy the Bay of Islands and we now have a new first WWOOF scheduled to start on Monday in Cambridge!
First stop Whangarei (pronounced Fungarei, so Whangarei Falls is actually pretty cool. Bonus points for unexpected alliteration). Terrential rain pretty much the whole time. However, it eased up enough for us to get down to the waterfall 2 minutes from where we were staying.
Then off to Paihia for scorching sunshine. What a difference just an hour up the road. We currently reside in the 'Pickled Parrot' (Double bonus points for alliteration and inebriation). A tiny little tropical paridise run by the scatty yet wonderful Rose and her 3 gorgeous dogs.
Today we took an ExploreNZ ferry to Urupukapuka Island in the Bay of Islands. The trip out there was great, with added dolphins and a really good running commentary. We were loaded on to our own private little boat and taken to the Island where we went for a swim in Urupukapuka Bay, which we had all to ourselves. This was the first of several times where we felt like we were the only two people there.
We tagged along on a brief walk with one of the ExploreNZ staff, A Maori Woman who grew up on the neighbouring island. She blessed us and asked permission from the realm of the land to welcome us. The chant was beautiful and she regaled us with stories of both the Island's past and her own.
Lunch was a huge fish & chips and salad in a cool bar and restaurant called the 'Waterfront.' We also had a cheeky glass of Marlborough Sauvingon Blanc, a delightful 2009 from Full Circle Vinyard. After lunch we went for another explore, finding more hideaways and stunning views before trying our hand at Kayaking.
There our story ends (for now). Probably a lazy day on the beach tomorrow and then a long old bus journey down to Hamilton to start WWOOFing.
Until next time,
Mike and Lou
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