Day 10 Whirlwind to Thames via Whitianga

Day 10 Whirlwind to Thames via Whitianga

Today the weather is still beautiful in Coromandel Town and I will be off to Thames where I do hope it will be just as interesting as Coromandel. I hope the wifi sheep are nice to me as well. They should be helpful while in Thames for two nights. I am wondering what Thames is actually like and it does look bigger than Coromandel Town actually is. I just found they have a station over here called igloo. Dont ask its something like sky.

I had a lamb mint pie with my coffee since the cafe I found the night before didn’t open until 9am and I didn’t want to wait that long even though it was half hour. I think the ladies would think I am stalking them. Only because I like their food. I had some American tourists asking me where I got my coffee and I somehow got them lost and they really didn’t follow my directions. Not my fault and they might not have done the same during Normandy or where ever they got lost. I made some youtube videos just to see if I could do them and they do seem to work, but I will have to do them from my netbook . I was happy to be gone and I was worried about the bus as it might not stop for me. I was hoping i would and when it did finally arrive it did stop exactly where I wanted it too.

The ride to Whitianga was windy nearly all the way to the town. I did like the scenery as we went up and down the hills. I was enjoying the look out the window and I was nearly at the front of the bus, so could take photos from the seat out the windscreen. The driver did stop right out front of the hostels and the YHA was a little out of town, so I might have to stay somewhere closer in town unless I look at the map. I did snort when the driver asked if anyone was going to Cats in pyjamas hostel. I could stay there just to see if its any good. I did once stay in a hostel called Oops so that would be interesting. Once the bus dropped me off to the information centre I went to find the bank and I had food on me that was my lunch. I found some places of interest on my short wander while waiting for the bus though what I did find out was that it was the same bus and the same driver. I never knew the mistake and the driver had missed it in his log. I think it does happen to many people and he did say that it shouldn’t come as two separate trips. Thats life though and another hour or so I was dropped at the front of the hostel as the only person. I don’t know why we started talking about trains I didn’t mean to do that though it was because I was going to see the exhibition in Tauranga if I don’t miss it.

Sunkist hostel is very interesting and large building. The beds are huge and the top bunk is well over my head. I have never seen beds that high up and pretty different. The rooms are really roomy and country as it also has a fake fireplace. I get free coffee and that is something, though food and drinks are not allowed in the rooms at all. I was armed with a mud map that the hostel drew up and they showed me the different walks I could go on in town. I wanted to see the war memorial as it did have some good sights from the top o the town. I got confused by the map, but I was actually on the right track and right where I wanted to be. I couldn’t find the track I was supposed to take up the hill, so followed the road up as it didn’t have the footpath at all. The way down wasn’t any better as I found a track, but it ended up not really going anywhere and I actually think it as a drain of some sort behind some houses. I had to go back up as I wouldn’t have walked down, but fallen down the hill. Once down the bottom I headed to the mine museum as I wanted to see the time it opened, but apparently its closed until December. I did wander on private property. *whistles* I hoped a big dog didn’t run out at me, but no such luck and the gate was open. I did see some mine shafts and even walked up some vacant track with nothing that could hurt me. I found a hole in the hill.

After finding holes in the hills and wandering to a local park, I decided to do the seaside walk to get that out of the way and to see what was around. I had heard about a fish ad chip shop on the other end of the town on the town wharf. I found a small kiddie railway that was open on weekends and the sun was going down, which had me hurrying with my dinner as I had walked around 3 and half kms according to the area map that was on the walkway. I even seen doggie bags for dogs to be placed in the bin. I was getting worried about it getting dark and really didn’t want to be stuck in town once the sun went down as I didn’t actually know where exactly the hostel was. I did find several museums that I will visit during the day tomorrow, but in that twilight period with the sun just about gone and there was plenty of light to take good pictures of old buildings like a motel that was built of kauri. I found the hostel again and I do have a query about the gutters some of them are really steep and deep. You do have to be careful and I am not sure if it was old mining town style or more of modern Thames type gutters, but if they are full of water you could be wet to the knee.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know it will be another beautiful day and one full day in Thames that I will want to spend my time in. Hopefully I will get everything done. Tv show of the night is an interesting one that I have never seen before, but only heard of and that is Californicaton. I should look up some stuff towards the museums like School of mines and museum of technology too. Think it was a 200 photo type of day.