My Recent holiday - Rotorua and Mt Maunganui

 Hi there

I've just returned from another summer holiday, probably my last until next summer.  I had a few nights in Rotorua and 7 nights in Mt Maunganui.   I didn't get one drop of rain.  I swam a lot, and ate a lot.   The temps were 22-24 every day.

I loved the big sculpture of a NZ Tui bird in the township of Rotorua.  

below:  in Papamoa Mall I saw this desk :   Customer Vice?   Oh goodness.  Are they selling vice to customers or buying vice  from customers?  I never did ask.

okay, okay, it's probably 'customer advice' and with the gate open the A and D are hidden.

What?  no photos of Mt Maunganui.  I didnt take any - oops - but if you look at earlier blogs, you'll find some.

Jellyfish, yuck!

 Hi there

I trotted down to Hataitai Beach yesterday.  One of the regular guys was there.  "Jellyfish!" he shouted, deleriously happy for some reason.  "They're everywhere!  Let's swim."

"Nope, I'm not going in," I said.  "Never, no way, not at all."  The jellyfish varied in size from tiny up to saucer-shaped.  They were the transparent ones, with a black fringe around their edge.  I knew they were harmless but I hate banging into them when I'm swimming.  I always let out a yip of horror loud enough to be heard on the shore.. 

So, I sun-bathed on the deck instead.  Merry, a friend went for a swim.  She said that once she had reached deeper water there were hardly any jellyfish.  "I'll lead the way through them," Merry said.  "You can follow in my wake."

So, I scrunched up my courage and followed her into the water, real close behind.   Because it was low tide, there was quite a bit of walking until the sea reached up to my waist.  Merry scooped up perhaps thirty jellyfish from either side as she ploughed through the water, and threw each one further afield.  She was like my own personal mine-sweeper (jellyfish-sweeper?).

Oh dear, I am such a wimp...

Earthquakes, earthquakes, earthquakes

 Hi there

I was in bed reading all through last night.  At about 2 30 am there was a jolt of an earthquake.  I stumbled out of bed and raced to under the dining room table, clutching onto the table legs.  As I clutched I was thinking that my clutching wasnt going to hold the table steady because my table legs had castors on them. We are always told by authorities if earthquakes are "long and strong,  get gone".  I deemed this earthquake was short and not too strong.

I immediately turned on the radio and people were already ringing in about the quake.  It appeared most of New Zealand felt it which is highly unusual  because normally our earthquakes are in certain areas.

I live about 400 metres from the sea, on the flat, and now there is a tsunami warning for the eastern side of the North Island of New Zealand. which is a long way from me at the bottom of the North Island, but I'm on standby because any tsunami may reach Wellington.  

Do you remember that I go to Ohope for holiday a lot of times?  The residents evacuated to higher ground in the middle of last night.  Car lines and people everywhere on the hill from Ohope to Whakatane.

There have been further little quakes and a big one in nearby Kermedec Islands....

Later in evening:  everything OK now.  I've come out from under the table ...