Galloping thru waves on deserted beach!

Things to do on a deserted beach...silly pics...
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Hi Folks,

Am finally managing to update you on my adventures! We could be some time...I'll try not to get carried away!

Left with some memories that will make me smile for as long as I have my marbles!

So before I went up the coast to Pakiri Beach I spent an uninspiring day in Auckland. If you're down this way do not spend $20 on going up the Skytower...it's not worth it...or the extra $3 to go to the top thinking there's gota be something worth an extra $3 up there! Jetlag has been more of a pain in the backside than I thought it would be and was in bed that night by 8.30- what a party animal!

Nice dog, told you was like a petting zoo!
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The next day started amusingly with a bird in the dinning room (not in a cage) over breakfast that everyone ignored- of course I found that highly amusing as it was quite a posh hotel. I dragged my rucksack up the hill to the bus station wishing I'd listened to the girls' advice of just take a spare pair of nickers and a credit card. The journey out of Auckland was great as I'd seen nothing of the countryside as yet. There's a mad combo of vegetation here: palm trees next to silver birches next to shocking pink magnolias...Jade, you'd have a field day!

Me...on a horse. Despite apearances she was really quite fast..well I thought so.
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Arrived in a proper 1 horse town and was picked up by one of the ranch helpers who then proceeded to drive us into the middle of nowhere, i.e. no paved roads and just the odd wooden house in the hills and along the coast. It was perfect!

I stayed in a tiny little blue hut behind the sand dunes of an 8 mile long deserted beach. When I say deserted I may be exaggerating I'm afraid- in the 3hrs I spent down there on my first day I did see 1 person looking for shells...so sorry! Of course I did some cartwheels and sang loudly and badly to my ipod...all the things you can do when there's no one around on a deserted beach.

See thems four houses...mines the one in the middle! (blue one actually)...was idyllic.
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After falling asleep for ages I went up to the cafe by the ranch to find it was closed and there was only a few twinkling lights in the hills to show any sign of life. Bugger..had no food or water. Found the kitchen for the beach huts and then dinned on cough sweets and cigarettes. And it was bloody cold! But spent a really cosy evening in the end with the DVD player from work and wrapped up in several sleeping bags.

The next morning I had the biggest breakfast in the world ever and fended of insults from one of the old ranch hands who thought it would be entertaining to tease the new "bloodygoodfornothinguglypom"- he had me in hysterics for the whole 2 days! Ray will stay in my mind as the first of many very amusing Kiwis who swear inaproriattely and love to take the piss. It's great!! Then me and my guide set out on our half day trek and it was amazing...inspired by the book on 40 best things to do before you die, I never thought I'd actually make it here! It was alternately hair riasing and pure bliss. After about an hour of plodding along the shallows of the Pacific, I asked if we could canter for a bit ....and hmmmmm...I wasn't quite prepared for how fast these horses are! I wouldn't say I ride with style but I didn't fall off and that's good enough for me!!! So we spent the day cantering through the shallow waves, sand dunes, pine forests and green hills of this beautiful landscape and my face hurt just as much as my backside from the humongous grin I couldn't wipe away!

This is Haley..my guide for the day. This was the view I had for most of the time on the trip.
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Back at the ranch....(he,he) it was the owner's birthday so as the only guest staying over I was welcomed for after work drinks with everyone. I felt like part of the family right away...these must be the most friendly people on Earth surely! I knew Kiwis were outgoing and generally pleasant but this lot were also side splittingly funny! We then moved onto one of the guys houses (a big, butch, native Maori and gay as Christmas) and I had yet another education in local beer and a very late night.

Same view, but in the woods.
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I left the next day with pleadings that should I ever need a hand in NZ I was to call them right away...a very sore head and some memories that will make me smile for as long as I have my marbles!