The coastal road down to Miranda seemed a much more scenic option than the motorway even if it was longer and slower, and it was a good choice as the sky was blue and the tide was in. A wetter than normal summer also meant that everything was very green and fresh looking. It was beautiful!!! We didn't get very far before our first stop ... Maraetai Beach where Tarun was quickly into his swim shorts then into the water.
At KawaKawa Bay 'He Who is Always Hungry' announced that he thought it was time for lunch so it was a very pleasant break sitting beside the water with our picnic lunch.
Today Tarun took the wheel. The roads here are no problem for him as in India they drive on the same side of the road as we do and anyway he's a very competent driver on a wide variety of roads ... however it was his first time ever driving an automatic car!! Habit is strong, and it wasn't long before we came to a sudden halt as Tarun tried to change gear!!! Lesson learnt quickly though and it didn't happen again. After a couple of months driving my car he'll probably make the odd mistake in Delhi when he returne to his manual VW.
We hit Tauranga at about 4 pm and went straight to Sherris house where we were staying. Sherri is my old neighbour so this area was where I lived for about 10 years. I had had my house here rented for about 8 years and only sold it last month so it was interesting to take a look at what the new owners had done to it .... They had made some major changes in a very very short time.
For me it was also catch up time with old friends so we did the rounds of the neighbourhood prior to dinner.
The weather was still being very kind to us and the next day the Mount Beach was looking very beautiful. As usual Tarun couldn't wait to get into the water. There was a little white edge on the wave as it hit the sand but the rest of the sea was looking very blue and very calm. I laughed when he described it as rough and tried to describe the sort of conditions the surfers like and we like for body boarding. I guess he will have his eyes opened at some of the other beaches around NZ.
It's been quite a while since my last walk around the Mount so I was looking forward to that as no matter how often you do that walk it never gets boring and there's always something to see.
It's been even longer since I've done the walk up to the summit of the Mount so for that one I sent Tarun off alone and sat at a cafe with a friend waiting for him. It was something he really enjoyed and wanted to do again the next morning.
Fish and chips is a good end to a day at the beach, especially when joined by friends .
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