We need to get to Bangkok for our flight to Sydney and then on to Aukland. After some some debate, we decide to travel up the west coast of Cambodia, crossing the border at Koh Kong. It’s a rather bitty journey, but made easier by doing the first leg – up to the Thai border – by taxi rather than by bus. It’s a straightforward journey (about 3 hours), then we have to say goodbye to our driver and walk across the border. Despite one or two horror stories on Trip Advisor, this too is straightforward and it’s equally easy to get a minibus to Trat, a couple of hours up the coast. We have a rare encounter with an extremely aggressive and unpleasant tuk-tuk driver but enjoy delicious street food at the local market – just as I’d expected from Thailand!
The next day we take a taxi to the airport (one of the benefits of there being 5 of us is that it’s often not much more expensive to take a taxi than a bus) and our flight to Sydney arrives the following morning. We’re met at the airport by our good friend and neighbour Barry Axiom – the Axioms are spending Christmas with Barry’s parents – we spend a lovely day at Coogee beach with them (although unfortunately I spent a couple of hours of that time in or around the public toilets – all innocent, honest!). Then after a quick drink it was back to the airport and on to Aukland.
We arrive in Aukland after midnight and take a taxi to Mike & Wendy Munley’s house who’ve kindly offered to put us up for the night. This is the first sign of things to come as the taxi fare (it’s not a long journey) is equivalent to a day’s budget for all of us in previous countries! Unfortunately, Mike & Wendy are away on holiday, but other old work colleagues and friends Ian & Carrie are also staying in their house, so it’s great to catch up with them in the morning (when we eventually surface). Our great friends Toby & Heather Gee moved to NZ a year or so ago and they’ve very kindly bought a car for us to use while we’re here – the plan is to sell it again when we leave. It’s a 20-year old Mitsubishi Diamanté – once we’ve worked out how to get the steering lock off and turn the key in the ignition, it seems pretty good – nice and roomy, automatic, air con – I’m sure it’s going to serve us very well for a few weeks.
From Aukland we drive north up to the Bay of Islands to spend Christmas with yet more friends – this time Fi’s old friend Sarah Waller-Yates, her husband Will and their 3 boys: Nick, Ted and James. First impressions on the way up are that NZ is home from home, very similar to Scotland – and we’re even driving on the left! But instead of the imposing, dour grey stone houses of Scotland, here the houses are mostly single storey & wooden with a simple but clean design. The scenery is gorgeous – the green and golden hills are offset against purple and white agapanthus and orange montbretia lining the roads.
The other thing we notice is that everything closes early – the shops (and many cafés) shut at 5pm and restaurants seems to have emptied by 9pm. And then there’s the cost of living here – we check out a very cramped and basic cabin at a holiday park (in admittedly a super location)… more than $200 a night (>£100) – ouch! In the end we find a very simple but pretty comfortable (and more affordable) family room with bunk beds at a pub in Waipu. We quickly mentally adjust to the sort of places we’ll be staying at here.
Gabriel and James were as thick as thieves – here they are, getting ready for a spot of ‘biscuiting’
But first we have the luxury of staying with Sarah, Will and family. I’ve never met them before and it feels like a real imposition, all 5 of us turning up on Christmas Eve. It’s such a personal, family time – what if we don’t click and get on?? I needn’t have worried – they are all incredibly welcoming and make our stay very easy. As always, it’s great to be staying somewhere with other children and within minutes they’ve all disappeared, playing somewhere! Will’s grandfather first bought land up here many years ago, then later his father bought more. As a result, several of Will’s family have a place up here and by coincidence Sarah’s parents have a place nearby too. Not surprisingly, they’re all up here for Christmas, so Christmas Day and the days that follow are spent hopping by boat or car between the various houses. We’re invited to come along to everything and we’re welcomed warmly by all the family – given that we’re away from our own families this Christmas it really couldn’t have been better.
The beautiful Bay of Islands
We have a wonderful time, including going out on their boat into the bay where we saw a pod of dolphins jumping right next to and swimming under the boat. We all have a go at ‘biscuiting’ – being dragged behind the boat on a large inflatable. Will’s mischievous side came to the fore as he speeds the boat along just a little bit faster than his ‘biscuiters’ can handle. When it’s Fi, Gabriel and my turn, we apparently have a bit too much weight at the front and are completely submerged in seconds – no accident, I’m sure!
Our children took turns in driving the Russell Ferry all the way across the bay – not sure what the 30-odd other passengers would have made of it, had they realised!
Gabriel seems to have mastered the art of climbing up poles – I’m looking forward to when we’re back in a country that grows coconuts!
We say our farewells to the Waller-Yates and head due west. We stop in a cabin at a holiday park in Omepere (on the west coast) that seems to be full of Maori families who even put the French in the shade in terms of kit they bring camping. A family in front of our cabin has a huge awning with not only a gas BBQ but also a huge plasma screen TV!! After surfing down the sand dunes, the next day we head South and somehow end up in a small house in Tinopai. It’s a tiny place with only one small shop that sells no fresh food, 40 minutes drive from the next town but we have a house with a garden that the children can run around in and a kitchen in which we can cook our own food. It’s a joy to have such simplicity! And from here it’s time to head down to Mount Maunganui and catch up with the Gees for New Year…
Five Go Round The World 