20 March: Monday. We said a reluctant "see you next time" to Audrey and headed to Devenport to meet Ian and Angela Symes for lunch. Friends and neighbors when we lived in Pahiatua, Ian is the physician who delivered Kate and Laura. We had a delicious lunch at Platter, just around the corner from their home. What luck to have a great restaurant almost at your doorstep. We had a good visit and, after lunch, we went to meet their youngest daughter, Mary, and her children. After our visit, we again bid fare well and headed to Whangarei and our accommodation for the night. We stayed in the Top Ten Holiday Park...very nice unit in a crowded yet quiet campground. I think most of the "campers" were around our age. They are known here as the 'gray nomads' traveling after the kids have all gone back to school in February!

21 March: Tuesday. My mom's birthday...happy Spring! This morning we packed up and headed further north to Ahipara on the Tasman coast. It is at the southern end of 90 Mile Beach. We stopped in Kaitaia the closest large town, to get a few groceries, and came on to our accommodation called Ahipara Beachfront. If ever you are looking for an idyllic getaway, this is it. One large bed, sitting, kitchen, dining room furnished beautifully with everything you need to not have to go anywhere but the beach. And the bathroom has a great shower. The sitting area opens onto a covered patio, and the beach is at the bottom of a short stairway. We'll be here three days...a perfect way to start winding up..or is it down...this NZ sojourn.

22 March: Wednesday. Slept late, walked on the beach, read books, walked on the beach, repacked and weighed our suitcases.

23 March: Thursday. Walked on the beach. Drove out to Shipwreck Bay and walked on the beach. Stopped to talk to a guy who makes beautiful Kauri bowls. Followed a sign for a gallery that turned into a visit on the local Marae where we spoke to a young man who works with disadvantaged young people and those recently released from prison to help them find employment and stability in the fragile far north economy. In addition we had the opportunity to see some beautiful Maori weaving and painting. The young woman who let us in to the gallery told us that they are working to teach younger people the traditional arts and to help the artisans see the value of their work. I bought a beautiful kete (woven flax tote bag). We spent a quiet evening reading. Tomorrow we head south.

24 March: Friday. We drove south through Herekino to get the vehicle ferry at Kohukohu. The ferry takes about 16 vehicles and the crossing of Hokianga Harbor takes about twenty minutes to reach Rawene. On we drove south through the Waipoua Forest stopping to pay our respects to Tane Mahuta, the largest known standing Kauri tree. It is estimated to be between 1250 and 2500 years old. When we visited many years ago, there was just a dirt loop track leading to the tree, and the tree was protected by a wooden fence surround to protect the root system. Now there is a raised wooden walkway built in the last 10 years, and people are kept well away from the tree in an ongoing effort to thwart Kauri dieback disease. There is a disinfectant station as you enter the walkway to aid in this effort. We arrived at the Top Ten Holiday Park in Whangarei in the mid afternoon. I had a nap while Buzz went exploring. We have just about finished the food we bought, and we'll leave the odds and ends with the Graysons and/or the Cohens.

25 March: Saturday. The drive from Whangarei to Red Beach was as we had anticipated with a few spots of heavy traffic. We had lunch with Jim and Helen, got to see Luke, Alice and the kids, and left our chilly bag (picnic cooler bag) and a small backpack in safekeeping with them until we return. We also bequeathed to them some of the condiments we had acquired, two onions, some garlic, a piece of fresh ginger, and two apples! "See you next time", back in the car, and off to Auckland to stay with Val and Dan for a couple of days. So nice to spend the waning hours of Shabbat with these good friends. Val made a delicious dinner and Dan finished the evening serving an excellent cup of coffee.

26 March: Sunday. This morning we shuffled our belongings once again in advance of tomorrow's plane trip to California. We went to lunch at the home of Mia Lorrey and her parents, Andrew andTracy. It was a delicious meal, and we sat around the table for a long time. I showed Mia a photo of Jeannie and Marty that I have on my phone and she said Grandma and Grandpa. Very cute. From the Lorrey's, we went to the Pah Homestead in St. Cecilia Park to see a special exhibit of ceramic and other hand crafted art. There were a few pieces that really caught my eye. This evening we went to dinner at Farina, an Italian restaurant in Ponsonby. The food and the service were very good. The atmosphere was a little loud although our waiter happily lowered the volume when I asked him to humor four elderly diners. It was an excellent way to spend the last evening of our NZ adventure.