Haruru Falls and Snow Mountain

Well, the weather has been back and forth here in Paihia. Some days it rains and other days (like today!!) it's absolutely gorgeous, sunny, and blue skies outside. I am sitting outside the library right this very minute, stretched out on my beach towel under the shade of the tree. It's pretty darn great.

I've been working every morning this week. We finish up around noon and then make lunch and hang out around the pool, read, visit with new guests or hit the beach!

Last week, I went for a loooong hike to Haruru Falls. I took one of the bikes and went to the trail head by the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and locked up my bike there. I was all excited because there were signs stating that this park was a “Kiwi Reserve Habitat” so I was really hoping to see a kiwi! But, I soon learned that kiwis are nocturnal creatures and quite shy, so it was unlikely that I would see one. Nuts! I kept my eye peeled though...although I didn't really have much of an idea of what to look for or listen for...

The trail was really cool. It started out like a jungle and then turned into this muddy, rooty, mudcrab infested mangrove area, back to jungle-like. I smelled all sorts of interesting stuff – soil and nature, manure, hamster cage...hah, lots of crazy smells. It was a well paved path too, so that made it easy to navigate. I was glad to actually be wearing my tennis shoes!! :-)

The falls was pretty but not super spectacular. I took a couple photos and then, I started my hike back to my bike :-) Got a bit rained on, but didn't get to terribly wet. All in all I hiked 10 kilometers (about 6.4 miles, I think) and I was definitely tuckered out at the end!

I also made a wonderful discovery last week – the Farmers Market of Paihia! The market was cute and quaint. A good variety of fruits and veggies, crepes, meats, jams and jellys, hummus, spreads, honey, cheeses, and sweet treats. I bought a Korean cucumber, tapenade spead (amazing!!!), and some fresh garlic cheese to make cheesy pasta with for dinner!! Mmmmm.

Speaking of food...I've vowed to to give up Nutella (it's the hazelnut, chocolately spread that's just downright delicious...) for 3 days. After a week of consistently dipping my spoon in to the Nutela jar, I realized that I had a real problem...lol. I'm on day two right now. Yesterday was rough tho...I could tell I was going through withdrawal when I couldn't hold my hands steady...*wink.

Yesterday I was sitting in the hostel lounge watching a movie and this girl comes in. Here is the convo that followed:

“Are you Anna?”
“Yep!”
“Nice! So, are you the one that's from Wisconsin?”
“Yeah! Where are you from?”
“Yeah, I'm actually from Wisconsin too! I live in Green Bay but I grew up in EAU CLAIRE.”
“No way...really? That's where I'm from!”

It was so crazy – seriously small, itty bitty, minuscule world we live in! It was so weird to be talking about the high schools of EC, the roads, and Water Street with someone who actually knew what I was talking about! Haha. I think she's sticking around Paihia for a while too, so it will be cool to have a fellow Wisconsinite as a neighbor!

Yesterday, I went on a really nice bike ride with my friend Hugo. We rode this street that I hadn't been on before and it had a stunning, scenic view of the Bay of Islands. He pointed out this rock that was in the way distance and said, “See how it's so white?” “We call it 'Bird Shit Island'.” But apparently when they take the tourists out on a island cruise, they tell them that it's called “Snow Mountain” because it only ever snows on that particular island during the summer...haha. It must be a magical place... :-)