New Plymouth NZ
The night before, Mrs. Moa texted me that they had a friend in New Plymouth if I wanted a place to stay. Yes! And that's how I met Gwen.
After a quick tour of NP and finding a Speedo bikini that fit great (I've been looking for a suit since I arrived), I showed up at "Corner Cottage 84" a bit earlier than I planned.
No one was about so I sat on the porch to wait, when a neighbor, Anne, and son, Larry, arrived to say they were looking out for me as Gwen had gone to the store. There she comes, up the hill pulling a wheeled shopping bag. And it's quite a steep hill. Good on ya, Gwen!
She's quite the gardener doing both her own and the church's. She was a Plunkett nurse (an excellent program here that provides new mother training and support after the birth of a child) and a midwife. And she's still a "tough cookie"...my kind of woman! She used to go to London every NZ winter until recently. That couldn't have been an easy trip.
After a leisurely breakfast and tea with the neighbors, I headed in to New Plymouth, still trying to decide where I was going. Do I hike the volcano? Do I bike the Forgotten Highway? Do I have enough info to decide? Well, it turned out the iSite (NZ info center) was at the museum. And the museum had a special exhibit on prefab houses. And I'm very interested in house design. Especially smaller houses. And they had 4 model homes there on the waterfront! Jackpot! I especially loved the iPad (named long before Apple used it).
Indoor/outdoor living!
After checking the weather and being exhausted by the winds, I decided not to do either and continue up the coast. I have a full week to fill (before hooking up with Moa and friends for the volcano hike) and can cover over 350 kms in that time. So I'll head north then east them south to the park.
Last night I had a treat. I stopped early for me because the wind was beating me up in every direction. I saw this park, pulled in, and wandered to find a place out of the wind. Rose gardens. And in Valentine's Day! So that's where I spent the night!!
BagLady
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