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15
Tropicana to Miranda
03-Dec-05 to 08-Dec-05

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Monday has been a wet day and we had to be up again early as Turbo Snail, our motorhome had to be re-tested for his Electrical Fitness. We got up and Fergus is now full of cold and has a problem with his voice. Talking is painful for him and he sometimes is simply not able to speak.

We got to the testing station at 7:50am and this time Turbo Snail came through with no problems. We drove back into town, did a bit of shopping and then had a blow out breakfast. It was very good but I do not think we need to eat again today. The rest of the day was spent writing and catching up with emails and doing the accounts. Diana, Fergus’s daughter, who is also visiting New Zealand, has been in touch today and it was great to catch up with her. We will meet her just before Christmas in Colville and we both look forward to that.
Tuesday was also spent at Tropicana Holiday Park, as Fergus was still full of a cold. We took it easy in the morning, watched a movie in the afternoon and then headed out for a walk along the coast. It is hard to walk along this estuary, it is full of broken oyster shells and other shell life. Part of the beach is simply bleached white broken shells and some of it is razor sharp. In places it is also soggy and there is no way you can walk along the waters edge bear foot letting the weaves lap over your feet. During this walk we decided to move on tomorrow, as I really need to go somewhere where I can swim and walk and have a bit of exercise.
Early next morning we took off back to Whangarei, and down towards Auckland but on the coastal road. This took us to a magical beach called Mangawhai Heads. When we got there I could not wait to get out of my seat and run down to this wonderful beach and walk along this heavenly watery edge. Wonderful white sand, interrupted with black iron sand. To our amazement this coast is totally different again from any other we have seen so far. Completely different shells, stones and foamy looking well sanded down rock formation which make for a most wonderful landscape. The water too comes in and forms a lace like pattern on the sand and all of it was just fantastic. After a 90-minute walk we climbed back up to the top and got there just as the rain arrived. We had a simple lunch inside our comfy Turbo Snail, watching the drama unfold of wind, sky and sun.


Mangawhai Heads


Mangawhai Heads

We then got a phone call from Auckland and the shipping agent asked us to report tomorrow morning (Thursday) at 11am to sort out our belongings and collect the things we wanted to have for Turbo Snail. We decided to drive back to Auckland, drop in on Geri and Colin, provided it would be convenient and then find a camp site on the South side of Auckland making the drive to the shipping agent easy.

Geri and Colin were delighted to see us and spoiled and us us with coffee and home made chocolate goodies. They were so wonderfully rich, made out of almonds, macadamia nuts, marsh mellows and chocolate, decorated with glazed cherry on top, one could only eat one piece and at the very most two. From their lovely garden they gave us freshly picked broad beans, onions and a big iceberg salad, plus fresh lemons for Fergus’s throat. It was lovely to see them and catch up with their news. We also collected the post and guess what, the instructions for Turbo Snail have arrived for us so he has now no more secrets from us.
We drove to Manukau City and tried to find a campsite. Hey what an experience. The first site was abundant and the 2nd was a think a Maori site. The owner, a big woman, was surprised at our arrival and the site looked very run down, shabby and most definitely unsafe for us to stay in. There was also a hand written notice painted onto a board warning that there should be no drug dealing on this site or the police would be informed. My skin just curdled and I told Fergus that there was no way that I would stay on this site. So I got out and helped Fergus to re-trace our steps, all the time being watched by the Maori women who was not quite believing her eyes and telling us that we had to reverse to get out. Wrong place, at the wrong time, let’s get out of here fast. We did and Fergus drove on very tired and still full of cold, East to Clarks Beach.

Judy and Murray (which we had first met at Tropicana) where delighted to see us and were surprised that we had come already. They did not expect us until much later. But hey, who cares, we were here now and after we put the dinner on we had a drink with Judy and Murray to celebrate. It was lovely to see them. They are running this site as a holiday reliefs. In other words the owner is away on holiday and Judy and Murray are running the site for them for two weeks. It is quite a nice site but there was no soap in the loos to wash your hands with and the site looks run down and not as clean as we have accustomed to. I do not think that our friends are happy running the site if it was their business it would be a different ball game all together.

The main street, Thames
on a Thursday afternoon		 On Thursday morning we drove back up to South Auckland and the shipping company. We got there in time and had to sort through lots of boxes to find the one with all the invoices in them. It took quite a bit of time and as always it was in the last box. Then the person who wanted the receipts was not there so we do not actually know what invoices he wants. So we left this person with 9 years of receipts for him to sort through and hope that he will simply give up and pretend that all is in order and we do not have to pay any import duty on the things from Fergus’s workshop. Then we sorted through the boxes allocated for the motorhome and just took out the bear essentials. The job was over by 1pm and we drove back down south to a lovely place called Miranda. The Holiday Park bears the same name and has a hot pool with thermal springs in it. Just what the doctor had ordered! It is a lovely site, soap in the toilets and modern facilities all round, spotlessly clean, friendly and well laid out, a perfect spot for Fergus to recover from his cold and for us to catch up with things.
Friday morning was spent catching up and going swimming in the lovely hot pool and then after a late lunch we drove to Thames. A very lovely old one street Town! We parked Turbo Snail and walked and to my surprise walked up to what looked like the perfect hairdresser. The lady sat on her veranda, writing her Christmas cards and I asked her if she could cope with my kind of hair which has a habit of turning into crop circles, is very thick and a pain to deal with. The lady explained that she had been cutting hair since she was 15, had worked as a stylist for many years in Auckland and had trained others to become hairdressers. "Walk right in you will be ok with me. Cutting hair is not a problem for me!" I had to have a go and as I stepped into the building I knew I was ok. A very old lovely house 170 years old and one of the first in Thames, and beautifully set out in an oldie worldly way or do you call it antique. Anyway I felt comfortable and I tried to explain what I wanted. Basically what I have already got, but shorter. She had a good look and then got out the electric shaver to start at the back. I sort of yelped and she explained that it was a number 8 comb up the back of the nape for two inches only, allowing an even cut making sure that there will be no duck's tails. Then the rest of the cut was done with a barber’s razor and this technique is called feathering. Well she did a fantastic job and Fergus too was impressed. The price too was amazing, NZ $ 15.00 only which translates to £6.00 English Pounds. I used to pay £36.00 for a hair cut. I paid her in amazement and we left. I kept thinking that I would like to thank her for putting up with me and doing such a good job. I found a lovely small bouquet of flowers, which I bought and then brought to her. She was delighted and over the moon as she loves flowers and I was pleased to be able to show my appreciation.

We came home again to Miranda Holiday Park, where we are staying for one more night and on Saturday we will move on towards Raglan.


The Junction Hotel, a pub, in Thames


A New Zealand "Villa" in Thames

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