Back on the road...

As I stand, ankle deep in warm water, watching the tide roll in, images from the events of the past few days drift through my mind.

First,  the undulating green hills of Middle Earth with the hobbit holes and the wonderful Green Dragon Inn. Next, the magical Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest, home to some of the best mountain bike trails in the country (and probably the World). The highlight of the week, and maybe the whole road trip, was the adventurous Black Abyss Tour through Ruakuri Cave to see the gruesome glowworms. Quietly drifting along an underground river on a car inner tube, in a wetsuit with my headlamp turned off, under the soft turquoise light from the luminescent bumhole of the glowworm really was something special.

Back on the road, the drive between Waihi and Paeroa (the birthplace of L&P), through the Karangahake Gorge is one of the best pieces of tarmac of my road trip. All of which brings me to the justifiably famous Hot Water Beach, where I take my spade, dig a hole to produce my very own spa pool. I dunk my feet in the warm water and watch the tide roll in...