Slowly travelling in the North

A bit too busy for us!

We left Greytown and pottered slowly up the road to the DoC camp as recommended by Mr Talkative, we had stopped to look at another one on the way, but it was full of outward bound kids, so we carried on and that was where we ended up, he’s right it was fab!

The O.B. kids preparing to raft down the river

Holdsworth campsite

We managed to avoid him as we arrived and collected our registration form, even though they were parked just by, however as they drove round the campsite there was no avoiding them! We had a chat and off they went, we then had to walk back towards them to pay our fees (having got some change from the couple we’d parked close ish to who hadn’t looked too pleased on our arrival, then Mr Talkative had talked at them and they’d decided perhaps we weren’t that bad!). Couldn’t get away without having a glass of wine (beer for B with them) and a chat. Discovered that people have lied – there are biting sandflies in the N Island too! 

The 'Stonehenge' of NZ - its a modern wooden construction, sadly closed on the day we visited

Dinner with our unexpected hosts, Alan and Jackie

Went back to cook supper only to be asked by the other couple if we’d like to share their tea with them! She must have leaped into action the minute we walked off – there was Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute Thai steak, dauphinoise potatoes, marinated onions and bean salad followed by Ainsley Harriot’s caramalised pineapple with rum butter sauce! Rude to say no, and we felt like real social butterflies! Hadn’t the heart to tell them that we’d also got steak, though ours was with chilli and garlic butter and stuffed mushrooms (and jolly good it was too, last night, though I do say so myself!) B did wake up slightly fuzzy apparently – small can of beer, our bottle of red wine, then some homebrew wine from the other couple….. They were so friendly, we’ve got their address to visit them in the north, and some recommendations of other places to go. All that we were told in the south about them being friendlier than those in the north, hmm not sure!

Holdsworth Lookout - not a bad view!

Went for a bit of a walk the following morning, though not to the lookout we’d intended as they were doing track repairs there, and not in the peace and tranquility we’d expected as the helicopter kept flying overhead. Good bit of exercise none the less, though it was ruined for me by the wizened old person coming down the track towards us, man or woman? Oh God, man definitely man, wearing loose shorts, and nothing else! I really didn’t need to see that!

But a bit of a noise from the helicopter, about every 15 minutes!

Hold on, whats that he's got there?

Today we left another odd campsite to see the worlds longest place name – a small hill, but what a name, and to look at the beach, the waves were wonderful, so quick paddle with lunch and off we went!

Ready? Altogether now........ (apparently 'wh' is pronounced 'f' in Maori. The hill in question is directly above the sign

The only other news is we have a 9 day house sit from 10^th March in Wanganui for an outdoors cat, so won’t be at all the same as the last one, but looking forward to it even so. In the same email we saw that one advertised though, John was advertising for sitters for the last ones we sat for! It was horrible, they are my surrogate pets, I wanted to do it!
 
For those of you interested, the placename is said in the song 'Lone Ranger' by Quantum Jump, as identified by my brother, well done Jonathan, it is strange though as the whole song is about the Lone Ranger and Silver and American Indians, so why start it with a NZ place name? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzJtK3c9fl8