Road trips are great but they can be rather tiring.

I wanted to take the west coast road back so we could see the kauri tree forests, but we both were getting punchy so decided to cut across the island and head home. It's amazing how much farmland there is. The little towns that dot the roads are minute and you wonder why they are really there.

It was fun at the rest stops - there are so many chickens there! And they aren't just ordinary chickens but bantams. I have no idea where they come from but they know what we're there for!

On the way home, I discovered (or thought I discovered) that I had lost my purse! Well! Total panic, call the states, cancel cards etc etc. Trying to find an internet connection to get online for phone numbers was not easy here. Not many places have wireless and they - the hotels - charge for it. And internet cafes are few and far between. I actually found one in a MacDonalds of all places. I refused to buy anything while I was there!

Anyway, we got home and unpacked and sure enough, my purse had fallen into the food box so all that panic and drama for nothing.

So here we are back at Jenni's and getting ready to leave this morning for the Coromandel where we have a bach, or holiday house for 5 days. It's apparently on the beach and there's lots to do there - or we can do nothing.

The weather is great. Even more wonderful when I read today that the Pacific Northwest is under siege with a huge wind storm. Huge winds of 75 mph and the Hood Canal Bridge closed and thousands of people without power. Boy, am I glad I'm here.