Now in Rotorua

We were very sorry to leave the Coromandel but had a wonderful drive down the east coast to the Bay of Plenty and the beach resort areas around Tauranga. Very beautiful beaches with lots of surf but very busy as it is still the height of the holiday season. The Bay of Plenty is well named since it is clearly the garden of New Zealand with street sellers on every corner offering avocados, kiwi fruit, melons, nectarines and some of the best plums we have ever tasted.
Not much accommodation in the area and even fewer vacancies so we decided to head off for Rotorua where we checked i n to the grand dame of Rotorua hotels, the Princes Gate – very lovely decayed Edwardian elegance. Quite clearly lost in time.
A good long walk around the town and lake with lots of huffing and puffing but that was just the hot pools and geysers.
The guide book recommended an Indian restaurant and we both thought what a good idea so we had a very pleasant dinner sitting outside in the sunshine.

Coromandel is great

We left Paihia fairly early on New Years day and at last the sun has come out and seems to be staying out! We had a fairly long drive south through Auckland and then north again up the Coromandel peninsular which is absolutely stunning.
The drive up the western side of the peninsular was very slow but quite beautiful. Literally hundreds of cormorants resting on just about every rock so there cannot be any shortage of fish in this area! Being the absolute height of the season, Coromandel town was very busy and to start with we were concerned about finding anywhere to stay. However, after taking down some numbers from the I-site (tourist centre) we spoke to one lady who was fully booked but she referred us to a friend who luckily had just had a cancellation. This turned out to be a fantastic piece of luck and the B&B had a terrific location overlooking Te Kouma bay about 3 miles outside Coromandel town. Wonderful views and just great for swimming.
Unfortunately she was fully booked after that so we left fairly early and called in at the i-Site where we secured a nights accommodation in a very nice apartment really near the centre of town. Having deposited our cases etc we headed of first for the annual Keltic Fair which was being held in town. Very, very busy but we soon wanted to head off for yet more scenery. We drove across to the east coast with some stunning views as we reached the top of the pass and then dropped down into the coastal resorts of Whitianga, Cathederal Cove, Hahei and Hot Water beach. Some of the most beautiful beaches and seaside scenery we have ever come across.
Coming back we took a short cut recommended by the lady navigator but the traffic coming in the other direction was very heavy almost certainly leaving the Keltic fair and the road was very narrow, extremely windy and largely surfaced. Lots of bridges etc were one way and we had to give way so it was a fairly tortuous hours drive. Having reached the western side close to Cormandel town we discovered that the only other road had been closed due to an accident so no wonder our route was so busy. The lady navigator was forgiven.

In the Bay of Islands

Now in our second day at the Sea Spray apartments in Paihia, Bay of Islands. Excellent facilities and just across the road from a nice beach of which we have made good use for swimming.

In general the vegetation is wonderful and the lovely lady wife is eulogising over a bright red tree (unknown variety but see photo) and the agapanthus which are everywhere

This evening we are heading off across the ferry to Russell to spend New Years Eve at a highly rated restaurant called Kamakura. Back on the ferry after midnight; I must have gone all romantic!

This morning we enjoyed a 4 hour cruise on the bay visiting most of the well known sites including the hole in the rock and yes we did see dolphins. The guy we bought our tickets from was a very pleasant ex pat and he was so delighted about the Ashes result that he gave us a 10% discount to which we were not really entitled. We stopped for around 45 minutes on Otehei beach on the island of Urupukapuka and surprise, surprise we swam again.

Now in New Zealand

We have now arrived in Paihia, Bay of Islands after travelling from Melbourne yesterday.

The cricket was so exciting that we had contemplated going back to the MCG for the morning session and the final rights but with a 3/4 hour walk to the ground and then back we decided it was just too big a risk for our lunchtime departure. Instead we had a lovely final walk around Melbourne taking in the Royal Exhibition Building and the Parliament Gardens before catching the free no 35 tram back to the hotel where we watched the last 1/2 hour of the cricket and saw the final 2 wickets. Celebrations all round!

The flight to Auckland was great and the the lovely lady wife was so relaxed she was almost flying the plane. Just as well she wasn't given the number of glasses of champagne consumed during the flight.

Stayed at a hotel close to Auckland airport overnight; picked up our hire car and drove the 3.5 hours to Paihia with no real dramas. Very mixed weather here with rain for a large amount of the journey but then out came the sun and we had a fantastic swim in the sea followed by a visit to the treaty grounds at Waitangi and an excellent seafood dinner.

Off on a cruise around the bay tomorrow.

Our day at the Test

The headlines in the local paper were again unfavourable to Ricky Ponting as we had breakfast before leaving for the MCG.

We walked the 2.7 miles to the ground, along with large numbers of others and took our seats just before it started. It is a tremendous ground. We had seats fairly high up but with a great view.

Well, we had a great day as you will know from the score and it was tremendous to hear the Barmy Army in such good form. They made the point at various stages of singing God Save the Queen, but changing the line "Long to reign over us" to "Long to reign over YOU", with considerable emphasis on the YOU. Not sure whether this was a sporting or a political statement, but it raised a laugh, at least from the English in the ground.

By the middle of the afternoon we needed our hats (first time in Oz that we have had such hot and unbroken sunshine) and at the end of play, we walked back to our hotel stopping in the centre for supper.

Today we have a few hours in Melbourne and then it really is the end of the first part of our trip as by tonight we shall be in Auckland in New Zealand.

Day 2 in Melbourne for us and Day 2 of the Test. Headlines in the local papers showed a picture of Ponting under the headline DISGRACE. Smug - of course we were!!

We set off for a ride round the City on the complimentary City Centre tram which takes in and explains a lot of the key buildings (and also stops near the MCG and so was full of people on their way to the Test). We stopped off close to the centre to do a walk through some of the old streets, taking on some of the arcades, which were very European in style plus a number of narrow lanes full of cafes teaming with people. We then could not resist a quick trip to Federation Square to catch up on the cricket and we stayed to watch a couple of overs - Pietersen and Trott were in at that point.

We headed by tram to St Kilda beach, the local beach for residents of Melbourne, complete with our swimming things, but it soon became clear that it would be too rough and too cold for swimming. We were told in Brisbane that we would need sweaters in Melbourne and they were right. Whilst this is not English weather, it is certainly not what we expected for summer in Australia.

We are now back to the hotel to take in a bit of cricket on Channel 9. At close of play Trott has 138 and Prior has 75 after surviving "being out" to a no ball on 6.

Off now to meet Ray's long lost cousin!

If it's Boxing Day it must be Melbourne!

We left the heat and humidity of Brisbane today and at the airport we found a cafe which was showing Channel 9, so we saw the first few overs of the Test, which initially did not seem to be going England's way. By the time we felt we should go to our gate (to avoid getting too engrossed and missing our flight), the Aussies were one wicket down and when we heard the score from a fellow traveller who had stayed longer it was 3 for around 35.

Ray suggested (rather hopefully I thought) that we should aim for 80 all out, but to our amazement, by the time we reached Melbourne, that was about where they were.

We checked into our hotel and after watching a couple of rather nervous overs of England's innings we headed down town and sampled the vibrance and variety that is Melbourne.

At Federation Square, there were deckchairs out in front of a giant screen showing the cricket so we could keep in touch with what was going on. At about 5.00 pm when it was clear that the Aussies were having a bad day there were long rather subdued queues emanating from the MCG. Needless to say Ray just had to capture the scene.

The neighbours of our friends, John and Sarah from Harrogate, were apparently there today as coincidentally were Ray's cousin on his mother's side who he has not seen for about 40 years. She and her son are visiting Melbourne and Sydney for both the last two tests, so we plan to catch up with them tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow we plan to explore Melbourne further (keeping in touch with the big screen at Fed Square) and then on Tuesday it us our turn. It is shaping up nicely.