Proof you're getting on

You know you're getting a bit long in the tooth when, after 5 days of road tripping it takes two days at home before you can straighten up completely and move easily again.  Too many hours sitting in the car combined with too many hours walking I guess.  

I can't exactly remember when my friend, Chris and I started taking a mid-winter break together.  More than 10 years ago at least.  We always try to go somewhere we haven't been before.  We are running out of places in the North Island but this year decided to go to the Waikato.  Although we've both been to Hamilton many times before, we realized neither of us had been there as a 'tourist' and that there were many places waiting for us to discover.  There are probably a few more on our To See list now than when we arrived as some of the attractions were closed for winter and we found out about a few more we didn't know about.

Each of us had compiled a list of things we'd like to do.  Turns out our lists were almost identical and there were some places we'd heard about but didn't know where they were so, for the first time, we visited an Information Centre.  Let me recommend the Cambridge I Site to any who may be wandering that way.  The friendly and efficient Emma took our lists and marked the places on a map so that we had a circuit for each day.  And thanks to her, we didn't take too many wrong turns.  Not that either of us worry when we do, we look upon that as seeing some countryside we may otherwise have missed.  A friend who shares your philosophy is a blessing.

Without Emma's guidance we would have missed Sanctuary Mountain at Maungatautari which is described as mainland ecological island surrounded by one of the world's longest pest proof fences.  Although there were no guided tours the day we visited, we spent quite a while chatting with the lady at their visitor's centre.  I came away so envious of their predator proof fence imagining what our forest would be like if we had one like it.

Sanctuary Mountain

 

I remember seeing award winning toilets in Ireland and Scotland.  I wonder if we have similar awards here.  These would be my nomination.

The countryside from the Sanctuary Mountain carpark.  I love a winding country road.

Just a few photos taken from the car on Monday.  We were amused by this recently pruned hedge. Obviously the same contractor did several hedges in the area as there were a few like this with other "no nonsense' hedges in between. 

Over a 'no nonsense' hedge

Something new to me - the War Memorial Church at Pukeatua.  It offers churches, Mosques and Synagogues services.