Move to Tauranga, Bay of Plenty

We left Ash Ridge on 8th May, bound for Tauranga and laden with goodies: an Ash Ridge 2007 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc and 2006 Cabernet Merlot, two bottles of Quaffer, plus 2 Ash Ridge caps which we love and will wear with pride - thank you Jon and Emma.

The journey itself was notable for two reasons. The bus driver (I don't know where they find them!!!) was the sweetest old boy who had his speech perfected "those of you leaving the coach at the next stop please check that you haven't left anything behind. Check the overhead shelf, check underneath your seat, please check down in between your seats to check that nothing has fallen out of your pocket, a wallet or keys. Check that nothing has been left behind in the pockets in front of you, etc, etc...." Did I mention that it was roughly one word every 30 seconds? No? Priceless, bless him.

The other reason was that for the first time since we arrived in New Zealand, we passed through Rotorua, one of the main tourist hot spots (pardon the pun!) on North Island. You can smell Rotorua long before you arrive, that delightful whiff of rotten eggs and strange landscape, a mix of boiling mud, hot streams, and bubbling, sputtering vents, in a combination of barren areas and native bush. We can't wait to go back to explore the area and sit in some of the hot pools, in fact I could use one right now, but that's another story!

We arrived in Tauranga late afternoon, and loved the feel of the place immediately. It is a port city in the Bay of Plenty and central Tauranga is surrounded by water, be it the ocean, harbour or one of many estuaries. It's a lovely place to wander around with a thriving cafe scene and plenty of wonderful walks nearby. Opposite is Mount Maunganui, a suburb of Tauranga, which juts out from the mainland and is joined to the central area via a long bridge, not the prettiest area, a mass of industrial port stuff, but once you get past this you reach the mount itself, a sacred Maori place with beautiful walks and stunning views.

We weren't able to get our preferred accommodation at first, so checked into TCB, Tauranga Central Backpackers, which was an absolute dive, though run by a lovely, if permanently wasted bloke called Tony. Our room had no windows, a bunk bed, very bright lights, and a sink, which we were initially excited about, until we realised that some of the lovely kiddies here were using the hallway as a toilet at night, so if they could do that we decided it best not to actually put our toothbrushes down in the sink!!! It was also attached to a nightclub, which was pumping until 5am every night, so we worked on moving out the next day! But at least it was central and we did find a delightful Turkish cafe courtesy of Tony, so it wasn't all bad!

But we were so lucky to finally get a place at Just the Ducks Nuts, which we'd been trying to get into long before we arrived here. And we got lucky. When we arrived we were given the choice of a small twin room with a chest of drawers or, for the same price, a double room in a quiet house, with a walk-in closet each, chest of drawers each, and a window the size of an entire wall with a view over the harbour. No brainer! Now Su & I spend our nights cosied up in the most comfortable bed ever!

Su's Birthday

Happy 35 Birthday Suzanne!!! We decided, quite reasonably to make this a 2-day celebration as we moved on the morning of Su's birthday, plus Su had wanted to go to the Mount for her birthday, but buses don't run in this city on Sundays, or after 7pm for that matter!

Su awoke to a birthday breakfast in our crappy windowless room and after eating and opening her cards and presents, we got the hell out of there, moved to our comfortable palace, and took off for a walk along Waikareao Estuary. The sun shone for Suzanne (actually the first day since before we arrived here!) and we had a delightful stroll, taking in the views, checking out the bird life (we saw so many kingfishers, plus herons, shags, pukekos, and a few waders), and saying hello to lots of people - it was Mothering Sunday here so there were lots of families out together, plus a lot of people out running. And you know, Su managed it all without a walking stick!!!

In the evening Su had her heart set on eating at a fresh fish market on the port, a delightful basic place that sells wet fish, plus the best fish and chips I've tasted in a long time. It was a fabulous place; we took along the Ash Ridge Sauvignon Blanc, plus plastic glasses to drink from and ate terakihi and chips from a tray on a wooden bench - the best way to do it! And the evening did turn slightly surreal: on a table next to us was a large Kiwi family, out celebrating Mother's Day, and they'd obviously done this before - they arrived with a tablecloth, candle, wine and proper glasses. Before long we were drawn into their merry circle, Su was given the candle to blow out to a raucous rendition of 'Happy Birthday', before they insisted on driving us home, rearranged their cars in order to make this possible, then promptly took us the wrong way to Mount Maunganui! When we finally got out of the car at our backpackers, we were crying with laughter, wondering what the hell had just happened! But thanks guys, wherever you are.

The following day we made it up the Mount and were rewarded with another perfect day. We started walking around the base track and were instantly struck by its beauty. At the start of the walk you could almost be in the English countryside, with rolling green hills around you, but walk a little way and things change. It soon became obvious that the Mount had risen from beneath the seabed as there are layers of shells in the hillside, and at every bend we were hit by another stunning view, the sea was sparkling in the sun and so, so blue, and the trees along the coast could have come from Greece, until you look up and see the native ferns. Another bend and we caught sight of Matakana Island, something Su described as a defining moment of our trip. Never before have we stood, looking down over lush greenery to the sparkling deep blue sea, then onto the white sandy beaches of the island, with huge Pacific waves crashing over the shore, which gave way to thick pine forest - it was simply breathtaking! We kept our eyes peeled for whales, dolphins and penguins, all seen here, although they didn't join us for the birthday celebrations! We then climbed to the summit, a rather steep climb, along a track filled with native bush and birds, before coming to another incredible view - a perfect 360 view across Tauranga, along the surf beaches of the Mount and over to the East Cape, then up across Coromandel and as far as Auckland.

After our walk we decided a little treat was in store and took a trip to the hot saltwater pools at the foot of the Mount - wow! There are 3 pools there, an active pool, which we did do a couple of lengths in, then a passive pool at 39.4 degrees, with 4 large jets of water which you could angle to your back or shoulders (yep, could use that now as well!) and two spa pools at 39.8 degrees, so hot you could barely stay in them. And all of this was outdoors, with views of the Mount and the people paragliding around it. We shared our time between the pools, grinning manically - the perfect way to end a walk. And then we did something disgraceful - we went back to town intending to eat at the lovely Turkish cafe, Zeytin, again, only to find that it was closed on Mondays, as were most other cafes in our price range, so we went back to the fish markets and had fish and chips for the second night in a row - this time we ate red gurnard which was absolutely delicious - a very sweet delicate fish. Yum-yum!

Kiwis!!!

And then we came back to earth with a bump! You see the thing about travelling around and having lots of fun is that you reach a stage when you need to earn some cash, and we came here to get work kiwi picking, so kiwi pick we did. For a couple of days.... Actually Su quit on the second day, finding that while her back wasn't a problem, she wasn't yet strong enough to carry the hods. I kept going but found it tough going. Kiwis grow on vines which are strung over a pergola and you carry a hod on your front while reaching up to pick above your head, all the time being shouted at to pick faster and use both hands, picking 2 kiwis in each! Which did hurt! Factor in a horrible woman who wouldn't let us drink for over 3 hours at a time, a long drive to and from work for which we are obviously not paid, and a slow group and I soon realised that it wasn't going to make me enough money, so I left on the fourth day! So now we're both working in the packhouse, which is a 12-hour shift every day - who says travelling is glamorous? But we're going to do it for a couple of weeks to boost our cash flow.

Which bring me to another point - while our backpackers is fabulous, it does have very slow, very expensive computers and town is a 20 minute walk away so internet access is not going to be terribly frequent for a while. I'm aware that this probably isn't my most exciting blog as I'm tired and trying to do it quite quickly, nor have I have time to really check spellings, etc, so apologies for any mistakes! And don't be alarmed if we don't write for a couple of weeks - we're just packing fruit for 12 hours a day and probably won't have anything terribly exciting to report!

And finally, because I don't have time to send lots of emails:

Many, many congratulations to Helen & Neil who are expecting their first child, and Pris & Robert who are going to be grandparents. Robert, I know you're always teasing Dad as the oldest cousin, but you're going to be a granddad first!!!

Danie - thanks for the photos - love them! And as for the 'heaven knows why' - I was curious to see your bump - couldn't imagine it. You still look teeny though! Good luck with the birth and keep me posted.

Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary Mum & Dad!! And enjoy your holiday in Majorca.

And happy birthdays to Lars William (13th May) and to Don (21st May) - Su says you can join her ole farts clubs any day! Hope you both have a wonderful day.

Lots of love to you all, Jo & Su, xxx