I said goodbye to Sian and her family to catch a bus to Thames with a rucksack full of clean clothes again. Yah
Having spent all of my life living so close to the river Thames I had to come and see what Thames is like in NZ. Captain Cook arrived here in 1769 naming the Waihou River the Thames as it bore some resemblance to that river in England. Gold mining started here in 1867, boom soon turned to bust which resulted in forced land sales and debts.
It's full of dinky wooden buildings from the gold rush. It felt like stepping back into another era. I managed to find Richmond Street and also a place called Richmond Villas, which looked like a retirement village.
Just down the road is the home of L&P - Lemon & Paeroa. Lemon and spring water a national drink in NZ. I haven't tried any yet but it seems to come in a range of flavours not just lemon.