Way up north....

I've been away. Here is the public loo's at Kawa Kawa. very unique and "eccentric", but I certainly wouldn't be game enough to navigate them after a few wines!!
Here is Whangarei as seen from Waitangi. It is truly the 'winter-less" north here, it was so warm and very green. Considering how much drought this country is having, the greenery was amazing. The "fun" thing was, I flew from Christchurch to here and they lost my suitcase. Yep. How about that? I've been round the world and never lost so much as a kilo, and on a simple homeland flight - my tiny overnight bag was lost!! Don't worry, it was found and forwarded but I was quite amused by the fact that of the two bags I took with me it was the clothes and essentials that went missing, not the bag with the work shite in it!

Here is a copy of the Treaty of Waitangi. It was my first ever visit this far North and I have to confess to feeling a bit overcome, the emotion of being where so much has gone before. Haven't felt anything like that since oh I dunno, way back when I visited an old cottage in Surrey, UK which about 800 years old!!
At Waitangi there is a Maori meeting house, a beautiful old restored Colonial Cottage and heaps of peace and quiet. On 6 February every year that tranquility is disrupted by the Waitangi Day celebrations, usually a day of protesting on this site. The day I was there, it was a magical day. Not many tourists, having visited between buses, and those who were there spoke in hushed tones like they were in a library or doctor's waiting room.

I have tried to put more photos up but blogger won't let me, so will do it in another post. I tried re-sizing ans all manner of shifty moves but Blogger will have its way. Harrumph.