We had arranged to be collected from the airport, as do most arrivals. We were presented with garlands of flowers as we emerged from the airport where a battered 7 seater bus was waiting for us.
We are staying about half the way round the island from the airport and were impressed by the greenness and flowering trees as we went.
First impressions were very favourable.
We had booked a cottage on the beach at Muri. It is one of a group of four that are rented, plus the owner - we were the only guests to begin with, but another couple have now moved in.
The view from the terrace is fabulous and just as we had expected.
We were invited to stroll around the garden and help ourselves to fruit from the trees: bananas, papayas, avocados, passion fruit, limes and coconut. Well, that takes care of us for breakfast!
Shortly after we arrived, the heavy rain started, and lasted most of the day. We walked along the road to the nearest store and topped up on necessities, then went to a nearby 'holiday resort' for coffee and then lunch. The lunch was good enough that we booked for the evening before walking back along the beach, wading through a small stream.
In the evening, we set out along to beach again for the restaurant but by now, the small stream was wider and deeper so it was only just possible to wade through it. We had an excellent meal, crab for John and parrot fish for Pat, as well as a good selection of New Zealand wines by the glass. We returned by the road.
By the next day, the rain had stopped so we were able to out into the garden to take photos and to talk to Jo-Jo, who helps Gwen, the owner, look after the apartments. We picked fruits and Jo-Jo demonstrated how to take the outer husk off a coconut and then broke it for us - delicious. This is Jo-Jo dealing with the husk which gets impaled on the metal spike.
Other photos of the garden
The rocks are black, as they are on the beach.
The rest of the day was spent around Muri, the local village.
No comments:
Post a Comment