The other Pacific Coast Highway

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.

We found the sun again!

So after this week's Wellington weather bomb, we had already planned a trip to New Plymouth to watch our first All Blacks game. Annalie had won tickets so it was a good excuse to break out the Bach for the first time in a few weeks.

We woke to a continuation of the storm that didn't bode well for a journey north in a high sided vehicle. Wind and rain persisted. But we thought stuff it! We'd planned this weekend for ages. And besides, the can needed a run.

Most of the way up was damp, rainy and grey. It want until we reached the boundaries of Taranaki that the sun started to peek through and we started to get a glimpse of blue sky. It afforded us some lovely views of the snow covered Mt Egmont/Taranaki along the way.

By the time we got to our campsite in Fitzroy Beach, the skies were well and truly clear and the wind was merely a whisper. It made a walk along the black sand beach very enjoyable. A much different prospect to what we were expecting to face here.

We're glad we made the trip.

A good summer isn't necessarily a good thing

We've had a corker of a summer. There's no two ways about it. For once, Welly has basked in day after day of sunshiney glory.

But forget about hosepipe bans, one of the suggestions here has been to shower with friends! The capital is down to about 20 days' supply, unless some rain arrives soon. The whole North Island has officially been declared in drought.

But it's hard to look at this negatively, when we're enjoying the best weather we've had since arriving in NZ. It's hard to see the downside when it looks like this...

Spring forward

So the clocks have gone forward and we're officially into spring.

Once again we've already been reminded that you can't beat Wellington on a good day. With the past couple of weekends offering a taste of, what will hopefully be, a good summer.

And you really can't beat it on a good day...

First trip back

Annalie is making her first trip back to the UK since August 2010. It's winter in the UK. Here in NZ it's approaching 20 degrees, sunny and still. Remind us again, why is she leaving? ;-)

Well, there is a damn good reason, but still... ;-)