On the road again!

Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

Sunday morning arrived and we got into what we do best. Road Trippin'! We borrowed the Big Rig from Iain and got on the road with the intention of seeking out some beautiful beaches, water sports, maybe a wee bit of wildlife, and some much needed sunshine in New Zealand's winterless north. Our ultimate destination was the Karikari peninsula (about five and a half hours drive from Auckland and where Iain and I had spent Christmas Day 2009 with Katie and Steph) but there were a couple of stop-offs on the way. 

First up was the Hundertwasser Toilets. Hundertwasser is an Austrian artist who settled in NZ and designed the public bogs in Kawakawa, a little village just outside Whangarei. At this point, Suzy was still struggling from thirty six hours travelling and, of course, the resultant jet-lag, but even the crazy surroundings still couldn't bring on a movement. Poor soul. 

We pushed on (!) up north an had another pit stop in Kerikeri, indulging in amazing cakes at the Kerikeri Bakehouse and getting in the supplies at New World. (At the time we were saying, yeah, these two boxes of beer will last us for the next few nights, wont it?...) Iona and Laura headed into the liquor store to get some voddy and, due to the procurement of dodgy shots, they were given a set of three SHOTS 80's baseball caps and an even dodgier Pimpin' cap. Suddenly the Horse Lips Tour had compulsory headwear. Needless to say who was told to wear the pure snider Pimpin' hat.

Another hour up the road and we were at the wee holiday park. The woman on the desk clearly thought we were mental when we arrived; ridiculous chapeaus, one particularly smelly lassie and the rest of us giggling like school-girls. Accommodation was typically Kiwi - a basic unit with its own wee kitchen area, a couple of bedrooms and a table and chairs. We had fresh fish on the barbie and dinner outside. Winterless north? - Check! 

Throw another shrimp on the barbie!

The drinking game Kings has been a regular part of our road trips over the years (school based and many a night at Leith Links) and it wasn't long until Suzy got the original (purchased in London circa 2006) dog eared cairds out and we had Drinking Mates and Patches O'Hullaghan in the unit, Busting Rhymes and Touching our Faces. 

After two games of Kings, and in true John Monaghan style, Suzy lost her sight. She collapsed on the couch moaning, "Ah cannae see"; a phrase that became pretty standard as the week wore on, and when she'd been on the Steinlager Pures. Amazingly, a trip to the toilet restored her vision. Pretty incredible stuff after a six day void. 

LM.