M-whY

There wasn't much to see in Whangarei, I spent an hour browsing the shops in the center of town (shown above), before settling down in a food court with my laptop to work on my blog. For someone who can never find the right words to express himself, writing is a time consuming process. I finished around noon, found an internet cafe to upload pics and get my internet fix, and got out my guide to look for attractions nearby.

My first stop was Whangarei Falls. It was a short drive from the town center, but nothing too impressive. I spent half an hour walking around the short trail. My guidebook had indicated the bottom of the falls as a popular swimming hole, but there was no one there, only a few ducks. I tried to take some pictures of them paddling in the water, but they wouldn't cooperate. They kept swimming away whenever I approached them.

Back in town, I tried to find the Town Basin, where there would be a visitor's center, hopefully with activities to do. Normally I have a great sense of direction, but there was something about the way the town was layed out that confused me. After being lost for about an hour, I finally found it.

Again, there wasn't much to see. I stopped by the fudge factory and the kauri shop. There was a clock museum in the visitor's center, which housed the largest collection of clocks in the southern hemisphere. But it costs $5 NZ to get in, and I wasn't that interested anyways.

Around 4:00pm, I went back to the hostel where I would meet Don to drive up to the Bay of Islands. Accomodation at the bay is difficult to find during peak season, so I called some numbers to try and find cheap dorms to spend the night in. I called every single hostel listed in my guidebook, about six or seven altogether, and each place told me they were full for the night. When I came to the last number, I asked the guy, "Do you have any idea what place might have a cheap double or a couple dorm beds open?"

"You might want to try the MouseTrap across the street. I think they have one double left."

I got their number and booked what was probably the last room available at the bay.

The drive from Whangarei to Paihia took about an hour. The roads were narrow and twisty all the way there. We arrived at the Bay of Islands just as the sun was setting. Paihia is a small town with only a few roads, and we found The MouseTrap fairly easily. The hostel looked unappealing from the outside, but the facilities were actually quite nice on the inside.

A big change from the place we spent the previous night!

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!