So we were up with the larks, or whatever the native birds are and off North to Sandspit. There is the Kiwi version of Groupon here called Bookme and I was able to get 2 half price tickets on the Royal Mail delivery boat to Kawau Island.
The Island sits about 20 minutes off the mainland and has 70 permanent residents and a thriving trade in holiday homes. There are some 80 jetty’s around the island and all but 2 are privately owned. There are no proper roads on the island so everything needs to be hauled up by cart. The mail boat also acts as taxi and goods delivery for the islanders and its visitors. Someone was getting a new fridge freezer! Once over at the island we pulled in and delivered both visitors and other items to a few of the jetty’s around the bays and then we got off the boat at Schoolhouse Bay so that we could hike over the island.
At first the trails took us up and over to an abandoned copper mine quite an interesting hike through the vegetation and I got very excited when I thought I saw a Kiwi (the bird not a native) but it was a Weka. Ok another 7 weeks to try and see one.
Next the trails took us to Dispute bay and that actually had a look back point to the copper mine. Lastly we carried on to Mansion house and boarded the boat for a return trip to Sandspit.
On the return trip to Sandspit, there was a yacht in difficulties that had to be rescued by the coastguard.
It’s Labor Day weekend here and there were sales on, so we went to a local outdoor sports shop and bought a tent and a few other camping bits and pieces and now we have that as an option when the weather is nice.
When we arrived back to our Airbnb the streets around us were packed with cars parked anywhere they could find a space. The rugby national stadium is really close to us and the Samoan’s were out in force, if they could have won based on the number of flags and the enthusiasm of the fans, it would have been great. But unfortunately they were thrashed 50-0 by the Kiwi’s and when you consider that the All Blacks beat Argentina this morning at the Rugby World Cup, it was a good day for New Zealand Rugby.