Ohope Beach

 Hi there

I suddenly decided, one day before it happened, to take off for a two week holiday at Ohope Beach (a five minute drive from Whakatane).  And I've just returned.  Photos will be included at some point.

Because I'm a wimp I was worried about getting home yesterday to Wellington before dark.  From go to whoa, it took me nine and a half hours.  Blame the one-hour-longer-than-usual-time on my stopping for brunch for the best chips ever at Robert Harris in Taupo, and then ooh-ing and and ahh-ing over the brooches at my favourite cheap and cheerful knick-knack shop in the little township of Bulls.

Coming home, my car's boot ('trunk ' in American-ese) was crammed full of heavy luggage.  It never ceases to amaze me that when I fly I can happily take 7 kg of bag with me, yet when travelling by land I have to take everything barring the kitchen sink.  Even my bag for the beach weighs more than Air New Zealand's 7 kg carry-on luggage restriction.

Because my car is ancient  - but I love her to bits and will never get rid of her -  I decided to not return to Wellington over the newly opened Transmission Gully road with its really really high hills. I turned off at a notice pointing to Paraparaumu.  I circled a roundabout thingee, and followed another notice saying 'Wellington'.  Whoops, I was in Transmission Gully, with a nearly-completed sunset to the west, a heavy car boot behind me, and the biggest hill I would ever have driven looming up to the front.

I don't know how I survived the anxiety...