We think Maddy enjoys coming with us but it's hard to tell for sure. Now she's a bit poorly, we can't take her for huge long walks with us so she doesn't get out and about as much as we'd like her to.
But she gets to hang out with us still, and as she doesn't get car sick, she copes will with the travelling.
Here's a couple of shots of her from the trip, although admittedly not that many!
The following day was a visit to nature's own beach spa. Hot Water Beach is so named because it sits above some hot springs that we're left over from some volcanic activity many years ago.
The guide books tell you to simply head for the beach with a spade in hand and dig yourself your own little hot pool. It's not quite that easy, as the water from the springs doesn't cover the whole beach.
But armed with some guidance from some more experienced visitors, we soon had a fab little pool developed that had a great balance of both hot and cold water coming through. Unlike some of the neighbouring pools where only hot water was contained. Do hot it burnt your feet if you stood in it!
A couple of hours of soaking, and getting sand where you shouldn't ever get sand, the sun started to heat up meaning that the spa was even uncomfortable from a temperature perspective.
But what a unique phenomenon! It is a must visit. But get there early. It's an absolute zoo as low tide approaches.
The first stop in Hahei was to aim for Cathedral Cove. This required us to find a parking spot and walk about 40 minutes.
Because the area is a reserve, dogs aren't allowed, so we were concerned not leave Maddy for too long. Especially as the weather was improving.
The downside was the car park for the cove is small and many people park up to spend the day at the beach there.
We tried when we first got to Hahei, but to no avail. There were just no cars moving. Stop we went for a walk on Hahei beach and went for some lunch.
We wanted to give it one more try and lucked out. We managed to nab a spot as someone left.
The walk to the cove didn't afford much on the way of views, but was still a nice stretch. And upon descending into the cove, the spectacle of nature isn't obvious. But then you find it. And you realise why it's probably one of the most photographed beaches in the country.
After some rough weather and torrential rain that flooded some campgrounds the day before, we headed to the East coast of the Coromandel peninsula to visit some iconic destinations that usually adorn travel guides for this country.
We bad ourselves at a campsite just outside Hahei, keeping us within shorty driving distance of the main sites yet still allowing us to stay, considering we had Maddy with us. Many campsites forbid dogs in the height of summer so we have to do our best to find dog friendly sites.
We managed to get based at a campground belonging to a bird and animal park, which seemed a strange place to be dog friendly. But we were relieved to get somewhere.
It did mean that Maddy had some interesting neighbours to "observe"
Heading around the Coromandel peninsula, the road is known as the Pacific Coast Highway. Considering we've driven the US version, and been wowed by it, we went sure what to expect.
The weather was staring to close in and we knew we were going to get rain, but it made for a slightly moody look to the sky!
It certainly wasn't quite as wow as the California highway, but it was still quite picturesque.
Our actual first stop was Auckland to visit friends and drop off a surfboard with them.
But when it came to hitting the road to the Coromandel, a vague plan had to be formed.
Armed with the NZMCA Travel Directory, we looked up an good place for a first venture onto the peninsular.
It looked like Thames would work for us. A perusal of local sites led us to a simple but cheap place right in the heart of the town.
An old WW1 memorial, set high up on a hill gives a great vantage point to look out over the Firth of Thames and across to the Auckland coastline across the way. As well as the town itself. What there is of it!
So it's that time of year again when New Zealand breaks up and goes on holiday. And we're no different. With a week and a half off, it's the ideal time for us to make the most of the van.
This time we're off to the Coromandel, a popular holiday destination near Auckland.
Maddy assumes her usual position in the van while we're driving. We think she enjoys coming with us but it's hard to know for sure! We'd like to think she'd rather come with us than be left behind or at kennels!
It seems that Annalie is seeking different ways to challenge herself physically as she continues running. So when a friend asked for volunteers to take part in the Taranaki Round the Mountain Relay, Annalie jumped at the chance.
The 150km circumference of Mt Egmont/Taranaki is split into 21 legs of various length and gradient. You just need at least nine other people to split the running with you. Not only that but the race starts at 2.30am! So you have to be a little bit mad, or keen.
Perhaps Annalie is a bit of the former, agreeing to run the maximum three legs for the team.
She travelled up on the camper, the perfect support vehicle. With Ian working, that left room for our friend Dave to tag along. He used to run lots, before home ownership took over! But we knew he'd still be a secret weapon!
Annalie's first leg was number 5 and the start time we'd estimated was 6am. As we carbed up on pasta on the Friday night, we were told that the runner on leg 4 was super fast, so Dave and Annalie guessed it could be more like a 5.30 start. But we would get a text when the previous runner set off.
We stayed out in Stratford as it was just 5kms from Annalie's first start. She got a text at 4.50 to say Adam was off and running, so we got set to be at the start by 5.20. As it happened, she started her run at 5.36, nearly a full half hour ahead of schedule.
As this 5.1km run was in the dark, she needed to wear a headlamp and a rear light too. The good thing about running so early was she couldn't see the long straight road ahead. Because there's nothing worse!
Having 2 legs and 14.6kms still to go, Annalie didn't want to push it too hard so early. Still she ran faster than she intended and made up 3 minutes on her forecast time.
She had a 40 minute break while another runner completed the next leg, then she set off on her round 2, leg 7 and another 5.2kms. She managed to pass two other runners on the leg and maintained a similar pace to her first, conscious of the 9.4km leg still to come.
She was passing on to Dave after both her latter legs, and his encouragement towards the end, along with that of the rest of our team, spurred her on at the finish. Another 3 minutes gained.
This time her break was more like 1.5 hours. She took on some fuel and water to ensure there was plenty in the tank and hydration in the legs. Then all too quickly it was off again, this time on her longest, and what turned out to be her hilliest leg.
Plus, it was another dead straight road, which is mentally challenging when your route just stretches before you!
Dave perched at the halfway point to provide some more water and encouragement. But she felt strong and powered on. Despite having already run 10kms, she ran her fastest pace of 5:16 per km. Her next goal is a repeat of her first half marathon at Round the Bays, and she's gunning for a time of 1h 50. If she can maintain the pace from her last mountain leg, she should do it.
Tagging Dave again, Annalie then became part of the all important support crew, leap frogging around the rest of the course, dishing out encouragement and water.
We joined up as a team 70m from the finish line to cross it together, with Dave leading the way on the last leg. We completed the course in 14 hours and 30 minutes. We were 44th out of 50. But that didn't matter. We'd all entered it to challenge ourselves and just to say we'd done it. And what a fab event it was.
For Annalie, the best part was running as a team. It's a great feeling to have support driving you on when your feeling fatigued or you can see your leg stretch out in front of you, but you can't see the end of it in the distance! We could be back next year!
