Monday, 28 March: We left Audrey with our customary "see you next time" and headed north. The traffic was steady and the rain intermittent but no too bad until we got just south of Auckland and didn't ease until almost at our exit for Silverdale. On our next trip we will try to be more cognizant of holidays and the attendant traffic! Easter Weekend is a four day holiday! We arrived at the Graysons to find Jim hard at work cutting back the hedge along the driveway, Helen getting lunch ready, and Luke and Alice with an unhappy baby...everyday living at its finest. We gave them the American flag we asked Jeannie and Marty to bring out, and Jim flew it to show there were Yanks in the house. We had a lovely lunch and a good visit...enhanced by the arrival of Hannah with four year old Leo and four month old Eva. After lunch we headed to Whangarei Heads...with a promise to call in on our way back to the airport in a week.

Tuesday, 29 March: The Fish and Jandal, our home for the next week, is the perfect spot to finish this stay in NZ.. It is a flat in a private home across the road from the beach of McLeod Bay. Our hosts, Jacquie and John have thought of everything. The kitchen is stocked with oils and spices for cooking as well as cereals, tea, coffee, etc. In the fridge we found milk, eggs, butter, jam,yogurt, croissants, and a platter of fruit. The bed is one of the most comfortable we've had, and you can see the bay from the bed. Whangarei is about 25 minutes drive from here.

We slept late this morning , and then took a drive to Ocean Beach at the end of this peninsula known as Whangarei Heads, It is a beautiful golden sand beach, and an area surfers frequent. We had our usual walk along the beach and watched the surfers. Later we drove into Onerahi to get some groceries for the week. The rest of the day was for reading and relaxing.

Wednesday, 30 March:  Today we drove out to the Tutukaka coast...stopping at as many beaches as we could find along the way. The favorite was Matapouri where the estuary reserve provides a very safe swimming area with water almost bath warm. Over the hill, but still at Matapouri, there is open sea and some surfing.

Thursday, 31 March: We drove north to Paihia and Waitangi today. Waitangi is the place the Maori and the British signed a document that became known as the Treaty of Waitangi. There was an English language version and a Maori language one. As in many treaty situations, each side thought the other understood what was meant by the language in the document. That was 1840...discussions are still taking place. We were at the Treaty Grounds about 43 years ago when my parents came to visit us. It has changed greatly with an excellent museum and guided tours of the grounds. Our tour included a short cultural performance by a group of Maori. Back in Paihia, we had our sandwich on a bench along the beach before heading south. We stopped in Kawakawa to see...and use...the famous Hundertwasser toilets (for more info see: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/7817/kawakawa-public-toilets)

Friday, 1 April:  The weather man has predicted rain for the rest of the week. He is wrong about today. We went into downtown Whangarei where I found a nail salon for a pedicure and Buzz had some time to wander without me. We visited the Quarry Art Center a cooperative endeavor with several studios. Unfortunately, not many were open. It sort of reminded us of Ein Hod in Israel. It is the luck of the draw who is open on any given day. A quick stop at the grocery, and back to McLeod Bay for a rest! In the evening we went to the Parua Bay Tavern for dinner. It is obviously the local meeting place, and it was full of people beginning their weekend with friends. 

Saturday, 2 April: No rain today until late afternoon. In the morning, we went to the Onerahi and Whangarei Saturday markets before heading to the Kiwi North Heritage Park. There is a museum and a kiwi house which we did not visit since we had seen the WWI exhibit in Wellington and the kiwis at Mt. Bruce. The rest of the park, owned by a trust and not exactly staffed, has historic buildings, a miniature railway and full size railway - both offering rides, and the club headquarters of a number of groups. Unfortunately, only the railways were in operation while we were there. We did get a look into the vintage machinery club building which had more of those machines than we had seen anywhere else. We drove on to Dargaville and out to Bayly's Beach where we had our picnic and a walk on the beach. On the way back to McLeod Bay, we took a lesser traveled road...just for fun.

Sunday 3 April: Daylight saving time ended overnight; so we gain an extra hour of this holiday. We drove about 15km to Pataura South where we found the locals digging for shellfish. The beach is a crust of shells. Even three months of toughening his feet by not wearing shoes was not enough for Buzz, and I returned to the car to get his sandals...and a bag for some pipis we'll have for a snack later. We read our books and had our lunch and packed up just as it began to rain. Back at the flat we did some packing and organizing and weighing of luggage. We have one more bag than we had when we arrived..no surprise there. It rained for a while; so we have resorted to reading and relaxing.

Monday, 4 April: This is our last full day at McLeod Bay. Tomorrow we go to the airport in Auckland for our flight to SanFrancisco. We'll stop at Red Beach to leave some things in storage with the Graysons for our next trip. We have decided to return next summer and not skip a year. 
Next years trip will be different...not so much traveling. We are planning to do some house sitting and day trips...we'll see how it plays out.

Tuesday, 5 April:  Last night, our hosts at the Fish and Jandal, Jacquie and John, invited us to have dinner with them Jacquie made a Kiwi/american meal: lamb chops for the main, and pumpkin pie for dessert! It was a lovely end to a wonderful holiday. We stopped in Rd Beach on the way to the airport and bequeathed the last of our groceries with Jim and Helen. We also left our picnic cooler filled with supplies in storage with them for our next trip. 

In the early afternoon we turned in our rental car having driven just over 11,000km (6,600 mi). The idea of sitting and reading at the airport for a few hours was more appealing than sitting in late afternoon Auckland traffic! We left NZ on Tuesday evening and arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon...great thing the international date line! A quick shuttle ride to our hotel and a rest before meeting Lanie and Jay Keystone for catching up and dinner. It is always wonderful to catch up with these friends, and tonight was no exception. Six am flight home tomorrow means getting the 4:10 am shuttle. so it will be an early night.

Wednesday, 6 April: Well, it was lights out at 9pm...but I awoke at 12:30am...not sure what time zone I am operating in! Two bumpy flights and we're home. Back to reality..whatever that holds. I hope you have enjoyed this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it.