Day the Eighth

Left Cathrine and Bill's about 5pm and rode south for the first time this trip. The North is different to the rest of NZ, but I think the social contrasts are greater than the geographical ones. There are a lot of rough houses and poor communities but then you get places like Kerikeri where there is obviously some very serious wealth. Those gray acres of citrus fruit are being replaced with lawns and three story mansions.

The day started well with great weather and the promise of it staying that way. Then I got a call from my friend Neil to say his step-father, who I knew, had died. Ernie was a great collector of 30's International trucks, 40's Buick straight eights, and especially Harleys from the 20's. A WW2 veteran, he'd been a Harley mechanic before the war. Neil is going to look after his collection.

It was a plesent ride down, with a stop at Waipu to see the museum that had a sign out in the main road. Waipu has an interesting link with the Highland clearences of the 1830s with some 900 people from there emmigrating to Waipu via Nova Scotia. I was just about to go in when I saw it was $8 entry. I got nobbled by an elderly lady as I tried to retreat gracefully. And when I stammered something about not having enough money on me she insisted on me going in free .... Do I really look that down and out already?

Lunch was bought in the Warkworth Bakery and consumed under the branches of an 800 year old kauri. Heading for my sister's place in Tauranga.

Ratings:
Me: 8/10 A little bit sad to be heading home so soon.

Daisy: 10/10 and loving BP 98 octane. Must be the 10% ethanol... Hic

Pie: 6/10. I had chicken craving and it's really hard to make a good chicken pie.... However there's no excuse for a very bready cream doughnut. That's a bakery I won't be going back to.


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Location:SH 2,Paeroa,New Zealand