Our little rental car is a Nissan Pulsar - pretty small but lots of room in the back for our stuff and the chilly bin! Stopped at the market for stuff - the markets are really good, they have everything you need, and more! Back at Jenni's house, loaded up and took off, heading for Raglan, on the west coast. It is the home of the famous New Zealand left - for those of you who surf!

Most of the trip was through typical rural New Zealand - seems most of New Zealand is rural. Cambridge is a very pretty little town, everything is immaculate, houses painted, yards trimmed and tidy, no trash anywhere. On we went, northwest through Hamilton which is a much bigger town with quite a bit of industry, then on to Raglan. Up to this point I hadn't taken any pix of sheep, so here's the first one.

Raglan is not like most of New Zealand. It is just a laid-back beach town that isn't so "perfect" looking but if I were to live in this country, I think this is where I would be. It has small grocery store, a butcher, bakery, pharmacy, surf shops and real estate offices. By the time we got there, the ominous clouds were looming again but we headed out to Manu Beach to see the waves. Wow, I can imagine what it would be like on a good day, with the waves like corduroy almost to horizon. The storm hit while we were there and the heavens opened. Headed back to town and our motel.

A couple more storms rolled through in the night. It was raining so hard and blowing with such force that the rain was hitting the sides of the buildings with such force that it went straight up and then the wind took it sideways again. This must be what it looks like in a hurricane.

The next morning was clear and we went back out to the point. If this had been Newport Beach, there would have been 100 surfers out - there were only four and one was a boogey board, and he doesn't count.

Back in the village, found a nice little jewellery store where the ladies make jewellery out of New Zealand jade, paua shells and pearls, so did a little shopping. Bakery for rolls, grocery store for odds and ends and then off towards Auckland. We needed a pit stop and pulled off at a petrol station and felt like the whole world was there. There was a school rowing contest going on in the adjacent river and there were kids and rowing shells everywhere. Camps on both sides of the river.

Navigated our way through Auckland suburbs that look gorgeous, down to the water. One thing I've noticed about the kiwis is that they get out and do stuff. There were hundreds of all sorts of boats out, people working on their boats, on the beaches and in the parks, where kids were playing ouch rugby and cricket. Groups of kids out learning to kayak and people just enjoying the weather. And lots of young people, so different from Washington.

At a boatyard, Chris found some guys sailing Aussie 18s, the dinghy that takes a gymnast and dinghy mechanic to sail - they go a million miles an hour. There are only four in NZ so when one was towed in with a broken mast, the competition was significantly reduced.

Finding a motel turned into a nightmare. Saturday evening at the start of the summer holidays. We crossed over the bridge to the northern suburbs thinking we would be more likely to find something. Every place we went, and there aren't a lot of motels out there, were full. Finally, we headed back towards the city and the North Shore. Again, everywhere we went the places were full. Finally, an innkeeper called around for us and found a place in Takapuna Beach. And we made out like bandits. It's not cheap, but it's perfect. Full kitchen, tv, everything we need so booked two nights. Even wireless internet, hence this blog.

Once we were settled, I went for a walk on the long beach. Again, people out running and walking, sailboats out - and ominous clouds looming. Not wanting to repeat my former drenching, I spun it and walked fast back to the room at the Emerald Inn. Just in time - the heavens opened again and we had torrential rain again. With the vegetation around the room, it really felt tropical and it wasn't that cold.

This morning, Sunday, we are going to explore Auckland a bit and maybe go to a craft place out of town. Chris wants to go back to see the Aussie 18s again as they will be sailing at around noon.

Pix at shutterfly link on the left