Taupo, NZ

Hello from tomorrow!
We've been having such wonderful adventures! Today in particular has been one of those magical days. First i woke up to a forest birdsong symphony somewhere just outside of Waikato. There are some incredible birds here (the Tui makes 20 different sounds alone - that human ears can hear - all delightful). Made breakfast, then we happened upon a geyser erupting at just the right time, and found a HOT spring waterfall (heaven: perfect waterfall shoulder massages), which, to our astonishment, we were the only people visiting even though we lingered for so very long it seemed so improbable with today being a holiday (Labour Day here). Then we drove, had a picnic, and along our way came by the NZ Motorcross Nationals & stopped just in time to see the finals! Super Exciting, very dusty. It's been a good day. I'm happy to say in general, things have been looking much closer to how I'd pictured our adventuring in NZ, and less like the crazy van drama we'd come upon! Hooray! The first van's still not quite fixed, but almost, and the second, for a seventh of the price all told, is just dandy. Highlights include fishing, scalloping, and digging for pippies with our new friend Peter Cross, who we met by chance camping near where he lives; he invited us for coffee, and turned out to be as helpful & friendly as can be, and invited us to go fishing with him & stay for the feast that ensued.. he used to be a commercial fisherman, & has lived on this beautiful, special harbor for 50 years, so he knows just where to go & we caught 6 snapper as well as loads of shellfish, making for quite an abundant feast! Thank you so much Peter! Then we headed to the Coromandel Peninsula, where our favorite place was of course Hot Water Beach, a place I wouldn't have known to imagine, where underground aquifers are volcanically heated, and spring forth on a beautiful beach, where at low tide, you can dig pools along the shore at just the right spot to allow ocean water to mix in (since the water from underground is WAY too hot), & make it just the right temperature for your own personal spa bath! Incredible. Here we met sweet Julia from Germany, who loaned us her shovel & we shared the perfect pool that Brian constructed. She is an occupational therapist as well!! And a budding yoga enthusiast, so we had a little session - Brian was the teacher this time, both of us doing our very best to represent the fantastic teachers we've had. There are really good avocados here, so I'm happy. Tea trees are everywhere, and blooming, and they make honey from it, called Manuka. Spring has sprung, and flowers are popping up everywhere, so lovely. And it's so weird being so far away and separated from the media around election time, but there's an election coming up here on Nov. 8 so there's a certain feeling in the air. Hoping for the best!