My first full day at my new job at Curtin, and it was great. In the photo is Jacquita who is pretty excited about our new bed.

On our way home....

It was a bright, sunny day when we left Miranda early this morning in our van...

After returning the van we were shuttled to the airport and would you believe it started to rain. That's our luggage being loaded onto our plane.

Happiness is when Pete and I have three seats between the two of us...

Flying in over Sydney, above is Drummoyne and the Iron Cove bridge and below was taken above Stanmore looking towards the city. How do I know this? Well, amazingly using the iPhone (6) to take the photos it still gave the locations despite being up in a plane AND the phone being on flight mode. I was very impressed. Sydney did look marvellous from the air.

Whangamata harbour, which is on the inlet next to Whangamata Beach, with views to the hills behind.

Beautiful Whangamata Beach, said to be the best surf beach in New Zealand.

The tide was out, Pete and I walked for ages along the wet sand just soaking up the beauty of this place.

I like this photo because this is exactly what it was like on most days , winding road with the yellow signs, cows on the green hill and rows of trees.

Our next stop was another gorgeous beach, Whiritoa.

Pete kindly stopped the van on the side of the road so that I could take this photo. So often we would see the cluster of little calves in a pasture, I just really wanted to have a photo of them.

Waihi Beach , another great surf beach but what thrilled me were the shells...look at them all and look at the colours.

The town of Waihi is a gold mining town and we were able to view the mining pit which is almost in the centre of the town. This was operating until April this year when approximately two million tonnes of rock slipped from the north wall of the open pit. The engineers are still assessing the situation and the future of the pit. I'd never seen a mining pit before so found it all very interesting.

Anzac Bay one of the beaches at Bowentown which is south of Waihi Beach. We are up on the 128ha headland reserve that harbours the secluded beaches and historic sites . The view was terrific.

Karangahake Gorge, another place that is rich in mining history. The river that flows through the gorge was very pretty, Pete and I spent a while  walking the walkways along the river and one of the tunnels (which was one kilometre long).

Ray's Rest , a stop for free camping if you are in a self contained vehicle. We didn't stay the night here but just wanted to see the other side of the Firth of Thames (the Coromandel Peninsula is on the other side).  The whole coastline, they call the Seabird Coast is home to thousands of migrating birds from the northern hemisphere and there are only a few stops where you can get close to the water and wet lands. Below is another, near Miranda there is the Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre...our last stop for the day and the trip.

First thing this morning we set off to Hot Water Beach. It is named among the top 10 beaches in the world by the Lonely Planet Travel Guide. There are three places along the beach where the hot springs are present, and they are situated close to the water at low tide.  You can hire a spade and dig yourself a little spa. Sometimes the water under the sand was scorching hot. As the above photo shows , it is a popular spot.

Even without the glamour of the hot springs, it is a very pretty beach...

Not far away is Cooks Beach, named after James Cook who landed here.

After a coffee we walked the trail to Cathedral Cove, the views were spectacular.

Stingray Bay

Mares Leg Bay which is next to Cathedral Cove...

Still in Mares Leg Bay....looking into Cathedral Cove at Cathedral Rock...one of the most popular attractions on the Coromandel Peninsula.

Me...under the rock between the two bays.

The view from Cathedral cove over to the rock between the two bays. Pete and I had a swim in the cove, great little waves.

Hahei Beach where we stayed last night...

Hahei Beach...more birds..we had a fabulous day!

An exciting morning, waking up and knowing we were going to explore the Coromandel Peninsula. It  is the one place Pete and I really wanted to see this time in New Zealand. After another wonderful plunge in the hot pool we set off. Our first stop was Thames. Such a quaint little town with a lot of gold rush history.  Above is the Anglican church.

One of the many stunning old buildings...

Isn't this a cracker? One of the local second hand shops on the main street...

The drive up along the coast of the peninsula was so pretty , we were always right on the water...called the Firth of Thames.

Still driving up along the coast....

Looking back at Manaia Harbour...the  sun shone for quite a few hours today, the water looked so blue. It is still lovely when it is overcast but gosh the sunshine does make a difference.

We are still up high, it is quite a mountainous peninsular....the views were breathtaking. 

Our lunch stop was a Coromandel Town and we parked near the water. Pete enjoyed looking at all the old boats tied up amounts the mangroves.

One of the lovely beaches that we had been told about by our fellow walkers last week...it is called Otama Beach....had the whitest sand we had seen so far.

And the next bay, Opito Bay was also pretty and we were very excited to see this bird...a northern NZ   dotterel which is slowly disappearing and they are trying a few protection programs to improve their numbers. ( I never thought I would be so interested in birds!)

Our resting place for the night...Hahei...and this is the view from our van.

And this is what the beach looked like at five o'clock this afternoon....photos cannot capture how beautiful this place is. We can't wait until tomorrow...more adventures in this lovely part of the world.

Although the sun was shining when we woke, the forecast was for rain, everywhere, so Pete and I decided to spend the day driving. We wanted to go to the Coromandel Peninsula. We were planning on driving it over two days but decided to do it in one, since there was going to be rain. I have taken so many coastal shots and none of the lush green pastures that we drive through everyday. I have been taking some photos from the car window, some have worked out ok. They are just to get an idea of how pretty the countryside is here.

Not all their trees have leaves yet.

You often see this in NZ, low lying cloud.

Cows, cows and more cows...the North Island seems to have more cows (mainly dairy) than sheep. Pete and I remember seeing thousands of sheep in the South Island.

Coffee stop....just out of a town called Whangarei..

Lunch stop....just out of Auckland...Maraetai

Finally arrived in Miranda, hardly a town, but a small place with a Holiday Park that has a hot spring pool.