We took just over five hours on Tuesday to make the two hour trip from Auckland to Tauranga stopping in the requisite antique and op shops along the way. The highlight of the drive was finding a beautifully developed reserve/rest area in the Karangahake Gorge. The area was not developed when we came through two years ago. We had our picnic lunch there and took a short walk over two suspension bridges. This type of bridge is not my favorite, and I was pleased to be back on solid land after each crossing. When we got to Pyes Pa just outside the city of Tauranga we were once again greeted by a friendly face. This time our dear friend Audrey Bowyer. She is in her early 80s but seems ageless to us. Buzz says that if he were ten years older and Audrey ten years younger he might consider leaving me! We settled in and caught up on family news. Audrey lives in a lovely retirement village. Her next door neighbor, Ed, has internet, and we Skype with them from home fairly often...catching up in person is so much better. Ed is a great guy, and has generously let me use his internet connection . On Wednesday Buzz did a few chores for Audrey in the morning. In the afternoon we went in search of plumbing supplies and then to the movies to see The Iron Lady, a film we all enjoyed...once again Meryl Streep brings herself fully into a character. From the theatre we drove down to the Tauranga wharf to have dinner at the Fish Market. The Fish Market is just that...with beautiful freshly caught fish similar to haddock that is fried on the premesis and served up either on a big tray to eat at one of their picnic tables or wrapped in a neat newspaper packet to take home. It is purported to be the best fish and chips in the region, and there was a long line. It only took about 20 minutes to get our food, and it was well worth the wait. Dinner for three with more food than we should have eaten for NZ$22 (about US$17.50). Wehad a walk along the wharf and then home for a quiet evening...I was asleep by 8:30 PM...I think it is all the fresh air! On Thursday we drove to Waihi Beach to visit Phil and Colleen Bowyer, cousins of Audrey's late husband, Noel. They have a beautiful home which they have just completely renovated. The front deck looks out onto the ocean, and the back deck overlooks DOC (Dept. of Conservation) land which can never be developed. Waihi Beach has been in the news here because the container ship , Rena, which ran aground on the nearby Astrolabe Reef has broken up, and the debris in the form of containers has been coming ashore on the beach. The containers are removed from the beach as soon as possible, but it is a herculean effort. The bow of the ship has not yet sunk, and it still has hundreds of containers. The salvage effort has been hampered by the weather and high seas. We heard a story about a family from Christchurch who decided to move to Australia after the big earthquake only to lose all their belongings which were on the Rena bound for Aus. There are hundreds of similar stories, and it is heartrending. On Friday we did a bit of shopping in the morning, and I found the clothes pegs I was looking for. I know that may not seem inportant to most of you, but it was one of my goals for this trip!! After lunch, we packed up the car and headed south to Ohope Beach and a reunion with Cathy and Max Black. We spent the late afternoon and evening catching up. The Blacks have a beachfront flat in Ohope, and I found great pleasaure in sitting on their deck in the early morning to write in my journal, have a cup of tea and just listen to or watch the waves roll in. On Saturday we went to Whakatane for the Berry Festival...the usual street fair with crafts and jewelry and one booth with berries. It has been a very wet season, and the berry crop was adversely affected. After the festival we went out to the airport to visit Catghy and Max's son-in-law, Mark at his helicopter office/hangar. He and Anna operate a tourist helicopter business with tours to White Island. Mark hs a helicopter flight school as well. The facility is beautiful, and they have both tourists and students from all over the world. We went to a pottery, checked out the local gallery, and had pizza for dinner. On Sunday, Buzz and Max went on a walk for about 2 1/2 hours. I read my book and then took a walk to mail some letters and walk down the beach for a while. I finished "Caleb's Crossing" in the afternoon, took a nap on the deck, and in the evening we went out to dinner. Today we packed up and headed to Feilding our true home away from home. On the way we stopped in Turangi for lunch and in Taihape for a walk around the town and to check out the 2nd hand stores (a must) . We got off the main road at Mangaweka and took a narrow road Buzz occasionally traveled for work when we lived here. It used to be a winding, one lane metal (gravel) road and very adventurous...now it is a winding, two lane sealed road..still fun, but not nearly as adventurous! The highlight of that part of the drive was stopping to watch a farmer and her three sheep dogs herding a paddock full of sheep. The herding dogs are truly a sight to behold. We got to Feilding around 5PM, unpacked, had dinner, and got connected to the internet for the first time in a few days. I thnk we are all caught up. The next few days will be ordinary everyday stuff as we get ready to leave for the South Island on Thursday.