We checked out of our hotel in Ohope today and drove to Waihi Beach. Another day, another beach! We really only have one complaint about our stay in Ohope. We should have stayed longer. Much longer. Next time, we will.

My morning walk for coffee is usually just the price I pay to have a morning latte … or now a morning flat white. But in Ohope, it sets the tone for the day. Here is the view from the path to the coffee shop.

Along the way, I’m treated to flowers in bloom.

…and giant succulents that look like house plants at home.

Our drive to Waihi Beach took us past Mount Maunganui. We stayed in The Mount on both of our previous trips to New Zealand, but this year we decided to give it a pass. Too many interesting places to see in New Zealand. But it was a short drive today and we had time to kill before we could check into our hotel, so we decided to stop in Mount Maunganui for lunch. We were early so we took a stroll along the boardwalk, with The Mount in the background.

There is a lovely cafe, The General, right across the street from the hotel we stayed at on our previous visits. In fact, it’s where I went for our morning latte, and we knew it also had great lunches. Larry and Heather (friends we met on a river cruise, and joined us in Abruzzo last fall) had been in Mount Maunganui, but we were pretty sure they had already left. But just in case, we sent them a WhatsApp letting them know that we were in The Mount. Within a minute we learned they were still in town and they joined us for lunch.

We will be seeing them again in Paihia in about ten days, but it was lovely to catch up. Small world.

Then it was off to Waihi Beach, and after unpacking … you guessed it … another walk on the beach.

I spotted a few bits of seaweed washed up on the beach. Nothing like last year, but still worth a photo or two … or three.

I’m writing this on the balcony, enjoying another Old Peculier. The view isn’t as nice as in Ohope, but I’m not sure we will ever find another one that nice. We’re getting regular reports from friends and family about the weather in Ottawa – cold, and I do mean cold, with windchill of minus 35C, and snow. Every now and then Jan wonders if we should go somewhere else rather than returning to New Zealand again and again. And every time, I just stare blankly and ask “why???”.