Day 2 - Paihia to Opononi

We met in the common kitchen area at 7:30 this morning and had breakfast from the groceries that Muesli had bought. We also grabbed enough breakfast for the next day and stashed it in our packs.

On our way to the van (to load our bags in), I noticed a small, impromptu, car show. One car in particular caught my eye:

From there, we headed across the street and got on the Dolphin Seeker ... a boat/tour designed to show the Bay of Islands in comfort. Kate and I hopped up top to get a great view of these photogenic islands.

I took lots of video on this tour ... especially when we encountered the Bottlenose dolphins, when we travelled through the Hole in the Wall, and when we explored Urapukapuka Island. All were unforgettable. Of course, we have seen Bottlenose dolphins in BC waters, but it was still cool (a very common expression here, BTW). It amazed me that they took that huge boat through that small hole in the rock. And then, we I thought it would be a simple "quick stop to stretch our legs", they dropped us on a spectacular island for over 45 minutes.

Most of us hiked to 2 or 3 small peaks in that time, but some stayed on the beach. Everywhere you looked, it was a tropical paradise. I even got a glimpse of a Tui bird, although I had no hope of photographing it.

Back on the boat, then back to Paihia for lunch. We all stood in line to get some spectacular lamb kabobs from the local shop. We drove up the hill from Paihia and found a spot to eat our kabobs.

The drive from Paihia was uneventful, so most of us took the opportunity to nap. As we drove into Opononi, we heard the true story of Opo ... the dolphin named after the town. Then, on a pullout overlooking the town, we met up with a representative from our next accommodation who greeted us with prayer, song, and story. At that point, two of our group--Kate and Franchesca--decided to do the optional night walk to see the Kauri trees.

We checked into our new accommodation and Kate went off to dinner while Jeff jumped in the pool. The night walkers left the hotel at 6PM and the others gathered for dinner at 7PM. Dinner was a fabulous fish and chips with a side salad, followed by a chocolate cake with ice cream and whipped cream.

Jeff chatted with Liz and Cherry until Kate returned from the night walk around 9:30PM.