Nov 24

So once we got back from the hike, Devon and I decided to make a stir fry which turned out to be really good! We met this English girl named Victoria, and had a wide-ranging conversation with her before we watched Seabiscuit! The next day ( Nov 22) we decided we'd all go travelling together up to the very north part of the Coromandel and go camping up there. The drive was actually pretty frightening, considering Victoria has had her license for 4 months, and has never driven on gravel roads before. The important thing is that we made it alive, and we hung out at Port Jackson for a couple of hours, before Victoria decided that she didn't want to pay 9 bucks to camp and wanted facilities... So considering it's her rental car, we drove all the way back to Coromandel Town, and then stayed in a little campground anyway... with pay showers... I was not impressed, but she was my ride so I had to go with it.
On Thursday we drove over to Whitianga, and then after checking in at the hostel, drove a little more east to Hot Water beach which was just a gongshow of tourists. I hated it. The hot springs at low tide were pretty cool, but it had been totally commercialized with rent-a-spades for digging holes to sit in and there was just too many people. We saw a couple people we recognized from the hostel, and then sat on the sand making disparaging remarks about all those around us! We then went up the beach a little more and explored around some more, and I finally got a chance to drive on the other side of the road! (Two beers in too :p) The worst part is shifting with your left hand, but I quickly got used to it. That night we went to a pub for dinner, Victoria decided she didn't like anything and went back to the hostel, but Devon and I stayed for a while drinking 3.50 pints (backpacker special) and hanging out with the locals. They were true blue collar workers, but we went dancing and they kept on buying us drinks so it turned out to be a really fun night.
This morning was a little rough from the bar, but a huge serving of bacon and eggs quickly solved that problem. It's a beautiful day outside right now, so I am about to go kayaking (and maybe swimming if it isn't too cold) but Victoria brought a laptop with her, so I'm able to update this and email people without being pressed for time. It's a luxury one misses when they don't have their own computer!