- Visiting the West Coast of Scotland
- This is it!!!
- On the road again
- Back Country – NZ
- NZ update – east coast
- Back Country – very different this time!
- Lake Taupo
- The Coromandel
- Mini-break
- More little adventures – NZ
- Getting out and about again!
- More holidays!!
- A new year of adventures
- The mountain cottage
- Ginny’s visit
- Another visit – Marni and Jodi
- More changes!
- First stop in Canada – Niagara Falls
- Quick visit – Toulouse and Venet les Bains
- Ffald-y-Brenen
- The Cotswolds
- Back in France again!!
- Barcelona
- A much more interesting path – crossing the Irish Sea!
- London to Loxton
- Enniscorthy – a quick visit
- County Donegal
- South Gippsland, Victoria
- Next port of call
- Victorian High Country
- Snowy River Country
- Reindeer Lodge – Tanjil Bren
- Hiccup to Blessing
- Have tent will travel!!
- Family and friends – hugs and kisses
- Road Trip to the West
- Very snail like!
Hi again…..happy new year! We stayed at Manna again over Christmas – holding down the fort – but this year we stayed open. What a good decision! We had 5 guests on Christmas day and we really enjoyed ourselves. Presents waiting under the tree first thing – lots of fun sitting around together, opening them up – discovering little surprises inside. Then a relaxed chilled out morning, followed by an amazing lunch – Prawn Provencal for entree, turkey, ham – the works – for main course. Pudding was saved for tea as there was no room in anyone’s tummy for more! Reg took charge of the kitchen and did a great job. Such a happy day – a Christmas we’ll always remember.
When everyone returned in the new year we headed off again in Robbie and Marie’s mobile home. Drove south this time around the Taranaki coast. Our first night we parked on the edge of a very rocky beach near Okato. Wild storms all afternoon and evening. We loved it!! We drove to Hawera for the next night, then continued south on the main highway. Not sure where we were going but ended up turning right at Manutahi – about half way between Hawera and Patea and just followed the road – heading for the coast. Arrived at a cross road, turned into the Manawapou Rd – not much more than a track – and kept going. Keen to see what lay around each corner. The road finally came to an end in a small dirt parking area set half way up a cliff overlooking the coast. We just pulled up, sat and looked. Rugged, isolated and beautiful. Walls of rugged cliffs disappearing in the distance, wild open seas. We set up camp – why not!! There was a river inlet just below us and to get to the beach we had to wait for low tide, walk down a dirt track, and wade across the river. At high tide the river mouth flooded again. More wild winds and stormy weather – amazing to hear the waves crashing onto the rocks below and to feel the wind buffeting the mobile home. We spend a few nights there, reading, watching DVD’s and going for walks. We saw virtually no-one during our stay. A couple of cars pulled in and out and the local farmer arrived on a motorbike – his son on the back – and said hello. Hard to head home again – we had found a little haven!
Lots of love
Di and Reg
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