Bay of Islands - Auckland - Coromandel

A lot of traveling these last two days! 8 or 9 hours over two days actually. Phew, and I'm tired! Between waiting about for busses, and early rises (also for busses) my wee head is pretty sleepy. But I've arrived at my next WWOOFing job, at the Driving Creek Cafe,   just outside Coromandel town. I'll be here for two weeks and have a list of outdoorsy odd jobs, gardening and creative jobs to do.

I'll quickly jump back to yesterday before i tell you more though. For some silly reason I booked the last bus form Paihia to Auckland which didn't leave till 4:30pm! I was checked out of my hostel by 10am and could have got a bus at 12:30 but it was too late in the day to change my bus without a fee. Anyway I pottered about the small town and did some more sketching, I bought some postcards and sent them off, and then it was only 2pm...so I went back to Jimmy Jacks Rib Shack and had a big chicken-wing lunch (I'm staying at a vegan/vegetarian cafe for two weeks so I think I was mentally preparing?!).  

 

When I finally got the bus it was a speedy 3hrs 45min trip to Auckland and the Ross' kindly let me crash at their flat for one more night. I got a lovely warm welcome from the dogs, and from Sheena and Dermot of course, but it was an early night and an early rise for us all. 

TODAY I had a 5am rise (to take the dogs out to pee) then got back to bed for an hour before I had to get up and have breakfast and head off to my bus. I took the bus to Thames and then waited for another bus to take me to  Coromandel town. It was then a 30 minute walk from the town out to the place I will be staying at. Marijke welcomed me with a lovely cup of tea (and a ginger biscuit but that didn't stick round long enough for a photo!!)

 

  

 

This is the exterior of the cafe. I'll take better pics on my camera but have no access to a computer at the moment so upload time is unknown.

My sister will appreciate this wall of cake making ingredients! 😍

My first task was to re-paint some signs :) 

And then we just headed to Marijkes and got settled into my room and just chilled until it was time for dinner. 

Dinner was a delicious Fish and Chips (Lemon fish, which is baically a shark) from the local chippy. Freshly caught from the Hauraki gulf.