Keri Keri to Hi Hi Beach

It is a long time since I had been to Keri Keri, but I was impressed. What a fantastic small NZ town with everything you could want in the way of supermarkets, library, boutique movie theater and a selection of cafes. Then there is the Turner Center for arts events. A photography exhibition by a local Keri Keri gold medal winning photographer, Chris Pegman, blew my socks off with his pics of the Milky Way over Cape Reinga, the moon and lots of others. I also enjoyed hanging out  at the Chocolate Factory Cafe where they the give away samples of their yummy products.

The 4.3km walk from the Stone Store to Rainbow Falls was something else. 

Warren and I have now settled in for a week at Hihi Beach, only 15 minutes from Maungonui. It was recommended to us by a new friend made on the road and has proven to be all she said it was. The place was empty when we arrived and the caravan park manager offered us the best site right by the beach. It is so lovely to hear the sound of the sea. We could easily imagine we are in the islands and Warren loves the fact there is no traffic. Today we even saw a pod of dolphins! We could be here longer than we thought, though today we drove up the Kari Kari Peninsula to check out parking possibilities on Tokarau Beach. The beaches do look wonderful but this possy might be too good to pass up.

We are enjoying being in a motor camp. Those things that we take for granted at home are a luxury. Like electricity, lots of hot water and showering as long as I want. Putting on two big loads of washing and hanging it out on the line on a sunny day was bliss. So different from going to a launderette and shoving it in a much used washing machine and drier. Mind you that works too, I'm not complaining.

Getting enough exercise can be challenging what with lots of books to read and happy hour to attend to. Here we have a lovely beach to walk on but its not always so easy, and I don't have my regular yoga class, though I do sometimes get the mat out.                                                                                     

Here is a novel way to get those abs working. In Wellington we were parked beside some people who were selling hula hoops. It was probably a rip-off considering the hoop is only a piece of alkathene pipe, but it is jolly good exercise once you get the hang of it (which did take while). Of course Warren could do it straight away.