Woke up this morning feeling just a bit dopey. Indeed, for the first time in ages, I rolled over and went back to sleep. Odd considering I'm halfway though my chemo-free week. Anyway, couldn't lounge around the house all day so, after a latte and an apricot pie with George in downtown Waihi, it was time to hit the road. Plan A was to head for Whiritoa, then to Tairua and back to Waihi via the back roads. As I knew my way to Tairua, I hadn't bothered to charge my phone much. Besides, there was a Tomtom GPS in the car. Sometimes belt and braces just ain't enough as the charger in the car wouldn't charge my phone and the TomTom had decided to turn the brightness up to unreadable level and mute the voice.
On arriving in Whiritoa I was greeted with much arm waving by a gentleman who I took to be telling me that I was driving too fast (I was) so I slowed down and waved back. It turned out that he was trying to tell me that his rental car was dead (more specifically, it wouldn't start after they had gone for a 10 minute stroll, leaving the lights on). I had no jumper cables but a quick look under the bonnet revealed some nasty rusty battery terminals. Tut-tut. Anyway, I drove around Whiritoa until I found someone with a jump box and we got our visitors on their way. I hope the rest of their trip was uneventful. I was also a bit surprised that NZ Car Rentals would let them carry a fullsize surfboard in that car - didn't do a lot for visibility or comfort. The pic above is the beautiful Whiritoa beach. I would have liked to swim but it didn't have "Swimming here alone is a good idea" written all over it. Still, the fun with the car and the walk on the beach woke me up completely so I headed north to Whangamata and Tairua. At which point my phone battery went flat so my planned return to Waihi via the backroads didn't happen - I largely retraced my steps from earlier and the day with a bit of a diversion along yesterday's route.
Wednesday - Valentine's Day. Feeling much brighter this morning, I wandered off first to see the poor overworked lady at the local med lab who seems to have been deserted by her colleague. She took an armful of blood and, with a bit of luck, will actually send the results though I think I can guess some of them. After yesterday's carbound day I had to stretch my legs starting with a walk along the Ohinemuri River near Waikino. The Waikino pub is closed for renovations and, by the look of it, has a long way to go. The last event posted on their calendar board was May last year. The river was well up, nowhere near flood level and not too high to stop one brave soul (aka nutter) taking a swim in it. You can just make him out, bottom left.
Tomorrow brings a short drive to Rotorua to say "Hello" to the bubbling mud after which George and I will meet up for the night in Taupo. She then heads home and I go to Wellington to visit the national museum, Te Papa, at last.
Woke up this morning feeling just a bit dopey. Indeed, for the first time in ages, I rolled over and went back to sleep. Odd considering I'm halfway though my chemo-free week. Anyway, couldn't lounge around the house all day so, after a latte and an apricot pie with George in downtown Waihi, it was time to hit the road. Plan A was to head for Whiritoa, then to Tairua and back to Waihi via the back roads. As I knew my way to Tairua, I hadn't bothered to charge my phone much. Besides, there was a Tomtom GPS in the car. Sometimes belt and braces just ain't enough as the charger in the car wouldn't charge my phone and the TomTom had decided to turn the brightness up to unreadable level and mute the voice.
On arriving in Whiritoa I was greeted with much arm waving by a gentleman who I took to be telling me that I was driving too fast (I was) so I slowed down and waved back. It turned out that he was trying to tell me that his rental car was dead (more specifically, it wouldn't start after they had gone for a 10 minute stroll, leaving the lights on). I had no jumper cables but a quick look under the bonnet revealed some nasty rusty battery terminals. Tut-tut. Anyway, I drove around Whiritoa until I found someone with a jump box and we got our visitors on their way. I hope the rest of their trip was uneventful. I was also a bit surprised that NZ Car Rentals would let them carry a fullsize surfboard in that car - didn't do a lot for visibility or comfort. The pic above is the beautiful Whiritoa beach. I would have liked to swim but it didn't have "Swimming here alone is a good idea" written all over it. Still, the fun with the car and the walk on the beach woke me up completely so I headed north to Whangamata and Tairua. At which point my phone battery went flat so my planned return to Waihi via the backroads didn't happen - I largely retraced my steps from earlier and the day with a bit of a diversion along yesterday's route.
Wednesday - Valentine's Day. Feeling much brighter this morning, I wandered off first to see the poor overworked lady at the local med lab who seems to have been deserted by her colleague. She took an armful of blood and, with a bit of luck, will actually send the results though I think I can guess some of them. After yesterday's carbound day I had to stretch my legs starting with a walk along the Ohinemuri River near Waikino. The Waikino pub is closed for renovations and, by the look of it, has a long way to go. The last event posted on their calendar board was May last year. The river was well up, nowhere near flood level and not too high to stop one brave soul (aka nutter) taking a swim in it. You can just make him out, bottom left.
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