Of Kauri, Steptoe and Son and the New President

What day is it in Blighty, I check the Blackberry and discover they're catching up and it is in fact Monday. Been Monday here all day so far! Last day in Piahia (convinced it was named by a geezer from Wigan with the Pie Here pronounciation) . We grab breakfast at Hansons (another plate of Blueberry pancakes for me) and then head. Destination ultimately is back to the New President in Auckland but we head via Waipoua Forest (where we visit Tane Mahutu - but it's pissing with rain so we don't tramp anywhere else), the Dargaville Museum and the Kauri Museum. On the Dargaville Museum front we're the first people who've been in all day when we arrive there around 11. 00. Odd place, it's like the Steptoe and Son of the Museum world, looks like the town has emptied it's collective cupboards and brought 'em up. There's redundant toys, medical equipment, musical instruments, cups galore, a fascinating exhibition on Kauri Gum which makes more sense of that gig to me which is useful later. It isn't slick but I like that kind of place and who'd have thought there was such a large Dalmation population in the area (no not the dogs but people from the former Yugoslavia). Cal enjoys it. Lunch is taken in Dargaville itself, not the best culinary experience of the trip so far. Monst unimpressed in the extreme. I guess sometimes you get lucky other times you don't. The Kauri Museum is at the opposite end of the Museum scale, it is slick, very slick and none the worse for it. It fills the gaps left by the Dargaville experience but the Dargaville gig make more sense of the Kauri gum. Good combination on the same day. It also makes up for the Dargaville culinary experience with good food and drink. Arrive in Auckland by about five and sort out the room back at the New President. Get sent out to grab some web time to send an e-mail about the balloon trip and that's where I'm now, in a bright orange room with frantic tapping going on about me. Next stop food and an early night. Tomorrow brings one of our longest drives as we kick off the day at Waitomo to visit the gloworm caves and from their to Rotorua.

Of Treaties, Chowder, Tramping and More Laundry

Given that the dolphin gig happened yesterday sans dolphins we dexide that today should involve a visit to Waitangi to the Treaty House. Of course this with us is never straightforward and with wet clothes from yesterday involves a trip for me to the hotel laundry to wash and dry clothes. I take the Notpod with me and a bunch of postcards. My postcard habit for the unlucky few is monumentally stoopid. Ashleigh, Margaret, Mattie and my folks will receive a card a day. Work will no doubt suffer a couple and then there is Annette etc. The problem is each card must be different. Anyway the cards see me through the wash and a bit of the dry. Music is sweet, all I need is a coffee and a seat and I'd be perfectly content. The good news is I don't fall asleep in the laundry today.

Back at the room and we dump pics on the Archos and clean the camera's discs. Cal is enjoying New Zealand kids TV. Clamber into the car head off for breakfast at 36 Degrees South, Monst has bacon and eggs, Cal bacon and toast, I opt for blueberry pancakes, grilled banana and bacon. By far the most poshly presented breakfast I've ever had. Pity to demolish it but it needs eating and good it was too!

Waitangi Treaty grounds is the next call, the venue where the relationship between the Maori and British crown was established. Interesting treaty you've gotta wonder how far it was carried out.

Seems to me that there is a eurocentric gloss to the interpretation. White man comes along and paternalistically stops infighting between Maori people by offering them Crown protection. Interestingly the protection is only offered when the French are sniffing about. However you do get the vibe the Maori took on the Empire on at least some of their own terms. Really though I don't have a shred of evidence for these assumptions. Anyway to celebrate the treaty they built a meeting house and large war canoe in 1940. The carvings are amazing.

We catch a live celebration of Maori culture before we go round, all poi, songs and haka, quite fun and obviously with loads of in jokes amongst the performers. Not certain where 'Stairway to Heaven' fits in though.

Grab lunch at the cafe at the Treaty grounds, great local fish chowder, Monst has mince and Cal nicks some of my chowder.

See a sign to Haruru Falls and head there. Monst and Cal decide to tramp back to Waitangi and send me to meet them with the car. Listen to the Chills and sure enough after about an hour or so they turn up. Good stuff. They are soaked though so we return to the hotel. Monst visits the laundrette and the we go to a Pizzeria. Given the quality of the food earlier in the day this is an adequate dining experience. Still it does explain the mystery of the tall black which turns out to be a couple of espresso. Coffee is good!

Back to the hotel, Monst irons, sleep.

Of Laundrettes, Jet Lag and Driving

Monst braves the laundry room tonight. Only a cold wash option and the dryer is dreadful. To the extent that when all are asleep the drying elf comes out and goes and does a last cycle of drying on the clothes that remained damp. Marginal tech hitch is that te reason the others are asleep is that old devil called jetlag. I wake up an hour later sat on the stairs outside the laundry room. Still the clothes are dry!

Cal is up at five, so he's getting better on the sleep front. I read him another chapter of 'How to Train Your Dragon'. Monst mutters dark things about the hour of the day but rises at about 6.30. We load the car and go for breakfast before checking out. Drift up to the Bay of Islands today.

Drive up is uneventful other than it rains. We stop once for a cuppa and a slash but arrive at Piahia around 11.30'ish. Locate the folk who are meant to be taking us to see dolphins to give them the dosh. A harder task than you'd think because there are loads of people at it. Once in the office they warn us that the weather is due to be rougher tomorrow than today so we opt to go on the afternoon trip. Quick sort out of things, lunch of good homemade veg soup for me and we're off on a dual tour round the islands in the Bay of Islands and to find dolphins. The dolphins are having a laugh and aren't about but orca are. Absolutely amazing seeing them in the wild doing their own thing. We learn among other things that the Killer Whale tag is a nonsense, they are in fact dolphins with a mean streak and are at the top of the food chain. Round here they hunt ray in pairs, ripping the things apart and not eating the liver which is poisonous to them. I watched one of the Beebs inumerable nature programmes with Bill Oddie in which he said the world would be a much happier place if people saw whales and marine mammels more often because a boat full of people who've seen them just smile, he's right, happy household. So fail to swim with dolphins but do see orcas, fair trade I'd say.

For Cal though the trip was also about speed. He stands at the front of the boat as we scoot along at a fair lick, jumping up and down every time we hit a particularly big wave, yelling 'Woo Hoo'. Nice to see him happy. The down side is that its still pissing down and one of us has to stand with him for safety's sake. I draw the short straw and get soaked and learn that travelling at speed through rain is like having someone throw fine gravel at your face. Good trip but.

Locate the hotel and dump the stuff and get changed into dry togs. Warm up with a quick shower and then head for dinner. Opt for a chinese. Portions are huge, about double the size of a portion at home but we have beef in a black peepercorn sauce and chicken in black bean sauce with garlic, topped of with a special fried rice. Too much food but it is excellent. Top stuff. Back to the hotel an early night.