we’re been in New Zealand exactly 4 months today, so we thought we’d have a day out. the forecast was rain so we went to the hot pools that we’d been to at the end of our first week here
this time i was a bit braver with my camera, not least because other people were taking photos. here’s kezia whizzing out of a flume called Bob’s Mistake
we were in the pool complex for a good 4 hours. it only cost $30 for the day to get in (about £15) plus another $5 for the locker
the place itself has the feel of a faded seaside town lido and is a collection of half a dozen different pools ranging from low 30degreesC to 40something i think (the lava pool). it’s fed with water from the actual ground, and mixed with cold water to get the right temperature
it’s also got some very dodgy looking flumes, and the floor is made up of really sharp stones stuck in to the concrete which really hurt my feet, but the girls were fine as their feet have hardened up nicely.
before we went swimming we had a picnic by the sea and greatly enjoyed watching this mean bird stomping around with his feathers all ruffed up and his head tucked back. i think he was working on behalf of the council as he drove all the other seagulls away one at a time and was really funny to watch. we nicknamed his ‘meany red legs’
and here’s another massive beach we we’ve yet to explore. people are worried that this beach is going to turn in to a Bondi Beach type thing with topless sunbathing beauties and life guards in bikinis. However, that’s thought to be highly unlikely as i think 90% of the population is retirees. And they don’t look so good in bikinis (although that’s mostly their beachwear of choice it seems).
we also did a few geocaches around and about.
in other news i’ve been in big pain today due to having about 20 mosquito bites on my hands, legs, feet and neck. they’ve all been throbbing in unison which has at least meant i’ve been able to keep track of my heart beat. i looked at whether i could up my dose of antihistamines but i’m already taking twice the amount i should be (ooops). The breed their mozzies vicious over here.
toodle pipkins ! dave