To WaiweraNov 5, 2005
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Captions later
Waitomo to Waiwera - 236 KM - 11/5/05
It was a cool windy day as we left the central plateau to drive north toward Auckland. The area was predominantly dairy farms but the usual holsteins had been replaced by Gurnsey/Jersey herds. We left needing fuel, but the first station was small and backed out to the street with waiting vehicles so we opted to continue 35 KM to the next. Naturally the fuel warning light came on within 10 KM, but no worry mate, made it with 3-4 liters to spare.
The roads got very busy as we arrived at the Highway 1 Motorway. We had an uneventful drive through Auckland and entered Northland (the North Island of NZ is figure 8 shaped, with the upper portion being called Northland) and drove to the Caravan Park.Waiwera is a thermal spring resort. The Caravan Park adjoins the resort and is right on the Hauraki Gulf which opens to the South Pacific. It is an old park with the Gulf Front property too valuable to be a Caravan Park. It will soon become condo/time shares. We arrived on a weekend day and the spa pools were full of kids. The Kiwi's were celebrating Guy Fawkes day. Guy Fawkes dug under the British Parliment building in 1605 and set 30 barrels of gunpowder in preparation for blowing up Parliment, and all the members in it. He was caught at the 11th hour and received the quick justice of the day - one report says burned at the stake, another tortured, hanged and quartered. The old British Empire countries celebrate the day with fireworks. One Kiwi newspaper said he was the only one who went to Parliment with honest intentions. Kiwi's are an independent lot, with sort of a "rules weren't written for me" attitude. The Caravan Park was going to have a fireworks display, but cool wind and rain reduced it to sporadic fireworks.
Jerry, Nola, Loyal, and Mary treated us to ice cream sundaes after supper. It was cold and windy but that didn't deter some, including Dean from extra helpings. Dean even outlasted Melvin on return visits for extra helpings.
