Northland

Something strange is happening to my life - when I got up this morning I checked the (Australia v New Zealand) rugby result before the (England v Pakistan) cricket, all very strange... anyway the right teams won in both!

I can't believe a week has gone by already since we were all sitting watching the All Blacks game in Kaitaia - well ok, I'll rephrase that, most people were watching the game - Sarah, Ryan and I were singing 'Little Bunny FooFoo...' for half of it!

As anyone who has checked out my photos will have realised Karl bunked off uni and came with us in the end =) I had such a fantastic time up there. The days we went to Matai Beach and the Ahipara sandhills were so reminiscent of childhood holidays with my cousins. The 'well there used to be a path' scrambling through bush and scrub Tailby Tours were far much more of an adventure than a more straightforward route would have been and a lot more fun than your bog standard tourist option. For me it's far more about who you share the journey with and the fun along the way than actually getting someplace. It didn't really matter where we ended up. Sharing stories of childhood and having the boys with us on the sandhills just reinforced the sense of connecting those physically and chronologically distant parts of my life.

I've had a great fondness for Northland since I went there with Si & Susie two and a half years ago. It's where I first fell in love with this country, a love that has deepened no end since then. You'd think being in the southern hemisphere it'd be the south of the south I'd feel drawn to most but there's a stubborn streak in me (!) that is determinedly northern, no matter where! It was so good to be away from the city, especially after Auckland. I do like Wellington a lot but 'my Welly' is basically Mt Victoria and the waterfront - the rest might as well not be there most of the time, what makes Welly special for me is the people. But up there being surrounded by rolling countryside (my favourite terrain - up and down but not too steep), native bush, windswept coastline and yet in a place big enough to have food in the shops I can eat (as a dairy & wheat intolerant vegetarian!) was wonderful enough in itself. Combine that with four generations of Tailbys and warm weather (yes! Boy does it feel cold back here...) and holidays just don't come much better really =)

So many memories to bring home with me. Can't wait to go back, altho' I really am going to have to get more competent on a pedally bike if I'm to get around up there without relying on lifts!