Day 19

We woke around 09:30 & after applying LOTS  of after sun we headed towards

Palmerston North & Wellington.  aiming to make our way to South Island as the Ferry runs from Weelington in the North Island to Picton in the South Island.

she decides to change into her bikini top in the Car Park, Much to Lukes Delight!

Around lunch i stopped for a Subway (every time Luke buys a pack of fags i get 1 Subway, or a Domino's or something equaly as nice for the cost of a pack of fags, althoug i normally end up spending less!!!! And for those of you who don't know me i don't smoke and LUke does.) & that was the main stop for the journey...!

By Gum it was an interesting day, and i bet an intersting Blog Entry!

It was a big driving day today and what did we end up driving through...?  An army training area!  It was easily 40km Long & the road running through it (the

one we we're on) was called desert road, rather aptly because it was!  there

was absolutely nothing around but pylons for a long time!

The road (as most of them are over here) cut directly through rock which, Luke said looked like they were bleeding water!....... it was then we noticed the signs for Flash Floods!  & it was then i put my foot down & decided to drive that little bit faster! Once out of the Flash Flood! area i fancied a break from driving so after

seeing a sign for Waitere beach randomly as we were driving a quick handbrake turmn later, that's where we headed.

Our map told us it was a Lord of the Rings film set site so 2 fairly excited people headed in that direction.  We thought the beach would be a good place to stop and rest a while so pulled into the car park with a gorgeous sand dune in front

of us and the sun shining, this looks nice we though.  we apply Sun Cream and get ready for the beach, whislt doing so Another car pulls up next to us & 3 Maouri women get out (Luke thinks 1 was a questionable female **Lukes Comment- it was the first Fafaffini i have seen it was def not a woman** 

but i didn't notice, i don't think i was staring as much as him!? : ) ) and

1 proceeds to the boot of the car where she decides to change into her

bikini top...in the car park... much to Luke's delight!  Once i'd managed to

drag luke away from the half naked lady we headed on down to the beach

(still looking for something Lord of the Rings-ish) & the first thing we

notcied we're the cars parked up on the beach, but Luke pointed out that our

campervan is hired and i imagine the hire company would like it back in one

piece rather than at the bottom of the ocean...good point i thought, and we

carried on our way!

So finding a nice spot on the beach between the empty beer bottles & broken glass we leave our bits & pieces & head for a quick swim in the sea.  We're still only paddling when someone's dog thinks it's a good idea to pick, out of the whole of a more or less empty beach, our pile of stuff to investigate, and what do dogs do when they claim something as there own? they go and wee on it...!!!  as Luke does his best Hasselhoff inmpression running out od the sea and across the beach he assesses the damage, i see the look of horror appear on his face...the dog got his jandals (flip flops,they we're only a fiver from Next but still!) & at that Luke's jandals became the random jandals & we left the beach!

RANDOM JANDAL - Wherever you are there always seem to be a random jandal or flip flop on its own for no reason in the wierdest place and since Dean has told us this we  have been on jandal watch seeing  how many we can spot! So it's back on our way to Wellington & we never did see that Lord of the

rings site but i think we did manage to visit one of the worst beaches in

New Zealand! My first shock driving moment happened...i overtook not 1 but 2 cars today

and trust me the way they drive over here that's a pretty amazing thing!  On

arriving in Porirua, just outside of Wellington) & after getting a little

lost we foiund Camp Elsdon.  Owned by the community & with it's own donkey &

more importantly trampoleans it's not a bad site & has a great view over

Porirua.  Once settled we thought about organising the ferry trip from

Wellington to Picton (North to South islands) & after being quoted $318 we

decided to leave it until tomorrow and try and find a cheaper option and on

that note, after a beer or 2 we headed to bed.

Caz xxx