(Dean scoping out Stingray Bay)

viSiToRs eQuAl ouTinGs

(Carly and Dean: Cathedral Cove, Coromandel)

Well I knew that Angel was arriving in NZ with her Fiancee Russ at some stage, but after the ETA came and went without hearing from her I was somewhat surprised, pleasnatly, when they turned up at my house one day. They were heading down to Queenstown within the week so we wasted no time in heading out for a bit of a tiki tour around. I don't look too excited in the above photo because it was quite a long and steep walk to get there, and being 7 months pregnant it was a slight mission, but I paced myself.

(Carly and Dean, Sunrise at Waihi Beach)

Conveniently Belinda's family have a bach out at Waihi beach which they were nice enough to let us stay at for a few nights, so using it as our base we explored a bit of the coromandel. Our first morning we got up for the sunset which was beautiful and then over the next couple of days we did some day trips to Cathedral Cove (above) and Hot water Beach amongst other things.

(Carly, Angel, Russ at the Waterfalls) (Carly, Angel, Russ, Raglan Beach)

We also took Russ and Angel on a camping trip to one of our favourite tramping spots, out at te atutu south, which really is in the booneys, while most of the possums had been poisoned off, we still had some fun doing some target practice, of course Dean and Russ wanted to shoot at our gas canisters but they were dissappointed in the lack of explosion. While they were obsessing over finding things to shoot, Angel and I had to set up the camp, light the fire and get the food ready. It was a cool night, literally, I was fine in my fairydown but others were suffering, thats all part of the fun of camping.

(Angel and Russ, Dean, Angel and Russ)

(Russ, Carly, Angel, Dean, Carly, Angel)

So we managed all these things in the space of a week, Angel and Russ even managed a day trip to Rotorua. I learnt that I can't do the sme things as easily now as when I wasn't pregnant and subsequently Dean and I had to re-arange a couple of our future planned trips, ie a 3 day mountain bike trip turned into a 3 day trip to Rotorua in a hotel with our own private spa, which I think Dean was secretly pleased about, but i was a bit dissappointed.

RaGlaN, cOroMaNdEl anD tHe bOoNeY's