Bay of islands and dolphins

Hi everyone,
we have driven up to the Bay of Islands for 4 nights camping in Paihia. lovely scenery but a bit like Devon.

yesterday we drove up to the far north, although not the whole way up but stopped at the bottom of 90 mile beach (its the one where you can get a bus tour and drive down it. think i'd get bored after about 5 miles) and also had a walk and visited the Kauri showroom, which is wood preserved in peat for 35,000 years. didn't feel like buying a kauri doorstop but nearly bought a small fluffy kiwi (the bird not a human)

Today we went SWIMMING WITH DOLPHINS! it was about 100 dollars for 4 hours and there were loads, although we couldn;t swimm with the first pod (bottlenose)we found because it had a baby, the 1st of the season, and it was only 2 or so days old! and they were right there underneath and beside the boat, and doing jumps. camera not taking piictures quick enough so i gave up. a bit like sunsets, a lot better to see it in person anyway. then we went out and saw common dolphins outside the bay , and we got in the water with them with snorkels on, i saw 4 but not very close. the water was very very cold quite a shock to the system as you jump in all the staff shouting GO GO GO GO! at everyone. actually a bit like surfing in easter in the UK.
quite an experience for the last day of the year.
we had the afternoon in Russell over the water from paihia, a nice posh village/town with clapboard houses and church. got the papers and read them over a cup of tea. how ironic james brown and saddam dying in the same week.

for tonight we have booked a table right on the waterfront for dinner at 9. the NZ lamb sounds good. then at 12 there is fireworks on the beach. its not too warm here but about like british summer weather really. although some of the more tarty backpackers are still parading around in miniskirts and bikinis like they haven't realised the kiwi summer hasn't kicked in yet. at least i hope it hasn't kicked in yet.
there was a freak accident on boxing day a dolphin jumped onto a boat and critically injured a woman, she;s still in intensive care broke all her ribs along with a whole load of other stuff. a 1 in 3million chance apparently.

we are camping in a hostel in Paihia, using their facilities. its a small quiet hostel but unfortunately we are hemmed in between two tents of snorers. on one side are 2 young kiwi blokes who only live for beer i think and who have the loudest voices ever. they are so disgusting it puts you right off men. oh happy anniversary honey! 2 years today. ;-)

no pics

sorry can't upload any pictures of tropical sunsets and palm trees just yet because i didn't bring the connector cable or an SD card -> USb stick. will try and buy one and upload some pictures. got 70 odd photos already, mostly of beaches!

In New Zealand!

Hi All,
sorry this is the first post to everyone - out on Fiji's islands internet access was scarce along with a phone signal. had a great 2 weeks island hopping, well i say island hopping but in the end i stayed 1 night on 1 island and the rest of the time on another. after going to octopus resort (www.octopusresort.com) I couldn't cope with anywhere less luxurious! cold showers and small amounts of food were the order of the day at the other place so i left asap. Father Christmas found us all on christmas morning (btw happy christmas everyone) and the resort gave every guest a christmas present of a sarong. the rest of the day was spent lying on a hammock/snorkelling, eating and drinking Fiji Bitter. And it was pretty much the same every day! Food was fantastic, i really reccommend the place. In fact Lonely Planet says its the best dorm in the whole of fiji. Met some great people and it was sad to leave. But here i am in NZ! after an awful last night in Nadi, Fiji last night with two weird old men, one canadian and one american its great to arrive here, my first impressions are its like Canada but greener and with roundabouts. love it already. Just met Abby, we pick up the hire car tomorrow for some partying/camping in the Bay of Islands.
on the subject of americans, after meeting a few already I have to say my opinion of them has altered dramatically. every single one thought fiji was a third world country (essay subject: whats the defintion of a 3rd world country? Ok i know Fiji doesn't have a democracy but still...) and they all seem to inhabit their own world and think that the world revolves around the US. its a pity because I'm sure some of them are nicer than that. anyway back to here i'm hoping to put some piccies up soon.
Happy New Year everyone
charlotte