Steamin Along

After staying at Okaihu for three days, spending time with my cousins & aunt, I moved on down to Hikurangi to see yet more cousins (huge extended family) & then another friend in Kamo for a few days. I even got to go to an unexpected steampunk stash swap...groan 😂 Now I have stash to share 🤩 I got a few good pieces for my post apocalyptic costume too 🤩 That dear lady took me into not only her driveway 😂 but also her home, fed & watered me, & let me use her facilities, then took me into town to show me the town basin & an amazing piece of architecture. Not to mention lunch 😋 There are some absolute angels in this world.   I took pics of the Hundertwasser Art Center, but there wasn’t much to see, with it being contained behind the safety  fences. I did snaffle a few tourist pics tho 😉 What will be Now A random room. Stage 1 About the building The artist Back of the town centre by the water Whangarei is a hustle & bustle of a busy city these days, so...

 Today I’m stopped at my cousins in Okaihau, near Kaikohe & Whangarei. I still have a week or so until I need to be in Thames, so I’ve got time to rest, regroup & visit family. A cool piece of art in Okaihau The driving has been tough in the far north, so I want to fix & check things, to make sure all systems are good. The truck took a beating yesterday when I drove through the  Herekino Forest, as the Mangamuka Gorge was closed for upgrades, & I wanted to see Ahipara. I also wanted to go to some of the out of the way towns, but that means going off road onto a rough gravel road, that’s poorly maintained. How sorry I feel for the locals, whose vehicles have to be tough to live in that environment. The amount of care graveyards I saw was crazy! The Real view before I clean it😉 I really noticed the difference between the European cultures way of living & the Maori up here. I’m not sure why there’s such a difference in our ways of living, but it’s very eviden...

 Today I set out for the very top of the North Island, Cape Reinga Lighthouse. It was a fair hike but I made it by 1pm ish. It was really surprising to return there after many many years, as a mature adult.  A welcome entrance to the lighthouse Now I just have to walk down 😂  Looking down to the right of the lighthouse Far right view A bit of history Where to next 😂  I love the modern additional info The two seas meeting A view of the Beach This guy beat me to the top 😂  The highest peak It’s quite a climb There may have been souvenirs The place has changed hugely, like every other place. There is a really good zig zag paved pathway down to the lighthouse, with seats along the pathway. It was crazy hot there! Not sure if it was because a part of it was sheltered from the winds on one side, or the volcanic soil & rocks? Or perhaps the winds from across the ocean? Try as I might, I couldn’t quite see you Melbourne 😂  Mind you, I had driven through a f...

 Went to visit a cousin, & naturally stopped along the way... Te Kao Store 6am Sunrise at Rawarawa A very typical gravel road Rut roh...sand & no turning area. A 5 point turn later 😂  Rawarawa Beach. Whitest sand ever! Walking now So beautiful I’m almost there. A trough full of gold🤩 Awanui Seen on a side road to a hotel in Houhora Houhora Hotel next door Paua Pies 😋  The Paua pie shop In a cream sauce Only $10 🙃 Houhora The Kiwi bach ~ very rustic 😂 Awanui Pukenui Awanui  Landscape & cattle in Awanui  Gorgeous green pasture in Awanui Avocados as far as the eye could see, bringing industry to the area, but wiping out everything in its path with insecticides. Awanui  Ahipara Shipwreck Bay Fish cleaning station Composting toilets Beautiful artwork around the showers Hot showers! During the day anyway Shipwreck Bay Ahipara The shipwreck. See the pipe? A local surfer told me a hilarious story about this. A local didn’t like the European name of...