From Auckland to Hahei, and then to Raglan

Hiya!

We've started our little tour around the North Island, and so far it has been lovely. We left Auckland on Tuesday morning and drove up to the Coromandel, arriving in Hahei beach at about three. Rory and I hiked down to Cathedral Cove (pictured), which took about two and a half hours round trip. After that the Stray group had a huge Kiwi barbecue (burgers, sausage, lamb, chicken kebabs, pork loins, chips) and we drank more Mac's beer with the rest of the group. There were about 25 of us, and only two Americans, so we had fun chatting with people from all over.

The pictures are from both Cathedral Cove and Hahei beach. The birdlife was amazing, we saw an owl on the trail, and then many quail and other New Zealand species. The sunset and sunrise were also noteworthy.

We got up the next morning, and then our bus broke down, so we became about two hours behind schedule the rest of the day. We arrived in Raglan about two thirty, and Rory and I decided to spend an extra two nights here, since it is a really laid back beach town. Parts of Endless Summer were filmed here and the surfing is world famous. It makes for a pretty groovy atmosphere. We stayed up at the lodge with the Strayers last night, just to hang out with everyone, but we came down into the main town for the next two nights. The hostel here is great...we used their free kayaks and bikes today, and tomorrow we are going boogey-boarding for just ten dollars. We might also golf, even though neither of us really can.

On Saturday we'll catch the Stray bus again and head to Waitomo and then to the overnight cultural stop. We'll spend the night in a Maori community house and have a traditional feast, which should be awesome. It is a bit expensive though.

I'm not sure when I'll blog again, or if Rory ever will! ;)

Love, Amy