ER=100x

Tonight we’re staying at a little apartment downstairs from someone’s home.  The hotel we were supposed to stay at in Lake Taupo had somehow cancelled our reservation, so we drove 50km south to the end of the lake. There is a major event in Taupo tomorrow – a 161km bike ride around the lake (volcanic lake in the middle of North Island), so all the rooms there were booked and they did not have space for us.

Seems this end (Turangi) has a music festival going on, so we had a problem booking here, too.  Luckily hubby Tom stopped at a motel and asked, they called around, and we are staying at this very lovely little spot owned by a retired police constable (22 years of service, retired in 2000) and his wife.  They are so sweet, and are allowing me to use the internet at no cost.

This is a version of the game I call “there’s always room at the Inn.”  It’s a game my husband plays that sometimes drives me nuts, but is a wonderful reminder that the Universe will always provide.

This is also a HUGE lot better than the $150 hotel that didn’t even have internet!!  And we’re paying the quite expensive amount of $30NZ (about $21US) to stay here!

Here we are about midway through the vacation and I honestly don’t want it to end.  Internet is more sporadic (and more costly) than I thought it would be.  Even when they have internet, they don’t always have USB, so it takes me a while to get my pix downloaded, and it takes me a while to be able to get them up to the internet.

The people here are so very, very friendly.  It’s really mazing.  I don’t think I’ve met one single person who hasn’t gone out of their way to be helpful.

Tom and I got lost on the way down to the Waitomo Caves (which were breathtaking – perhaps I can get some of those pix up in the next few days). 

Some kind soul stopped when he saw us standing at an intersection in the middle of nowhere and he attempted to help us out. Then a lady stopped and gave us advice, too. The man said even though he’d lived in the area all his life, even HE couldn’t figure out where we were on the map!  The people are wonderful, the maps are lousy.

We were told it would take us 2-1/2 hours to get to the caves, and since we had to be there by 9 am, I got nervous and booked us in at a close-by place instead so we left a day earlier.  It took us 4 hours.  I can imagine how disappointed we would have been since they only take 12 people on each black water raft trip.

Tomorrow we are off to the eastern coast again – and I get to take my class with the silver clay teacher.  Then in 3 days we head off to South Island, which they say is even more beautiful – amazing!!