Linz in Levin

Well what a difference a day makes!

Saturday evening after my amazing glider flight I started my trek south to Levin.  I stopped overnight in Taupo to break up the 5.5 hour drive.  I was absolutely exhausted from the full-on week before so I called it an early night in Taupo.  But, I woke up early and went for a run along Lake Taupo (gotta find a new fitness routine now that there's no more 6am beach bootcamp!)

Check this gorgeous view of the lake, with Mts Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe in the back.

That above  was early morning.  By mid morning I was driving south along Desert Road with closer views of those two mountains.  What a contrast!

By late morning I made it to my goal destination for a proper breakfast stop....Taihape, the Gumboot Capital of the World!

Of course they have a giant statue of a Gumboot.  There's a large roadworks construction project nearby, so of course some smartass Kiwi took two construction cones and put them on top of the statue.

Silly Kiwis :)

It wasn't long then until I was rolling into Levin to my accomodation for the next two weeks--- at a bed and breakfast on a blueberry orchard/alpaca farm in Levin!

Meet my new neighbors!

DEFINITELY not at the beach anymore!

These two were my favorites... mainly because they were the friendliest :)

The apartment is pretty nice.   One of the best parts were the gifts waiting for me on the kitchen table!

They were actually supplied by the clinic.   Flowers, chocolate, crackers, brie, grapes, Hershey Kisses, Ferro Rocher and a mini bottle of red and wine wine.  DANG these people know how to keep a girl happy!!!

After unloading most of my luggage out of Smokey (and snacking on the grapes and brie!), I took advantage of the afternoon to explore Levin.

Perhaps my Mount Maunganui roots drew me to scope out the nearest beach.

Only 10km away was this lovely sight, Waitarere Beach.

I parked Smokey in the parking lot, and then saw this sign.

How cool!  You can drive on the beach!

Smokey and I both deserved a treat for the successful drive from Mount Maunganui to Levin.

I treated myself with an ice cream cone, and Smokey got treated to cruise on the sandy beach!

After some beach relaxation, I checked out Papaitonga Scenic Reserve, which has a lake and a bird sanctuary.  I couldn't spot any birds still enough for photography, but their choir of songs and chirps was quite peaceful.

I hit up a roadside stand on the way home to buy all these delicious feijoas for only $1!  YUM.

I spent Sunday evening in my new place, cooking a relaxing dinner and mentally preparing myself for my new job and the week ahead.   Peering through my sliding door was this curious fellow.

Her name is Tess, and she belongs to the B&B owners.

She must've smelled the beef schnitzel cooking :)

Reminds my of my four legged friends outside my flat in Blenheim!

So, consider yourself updated on my transition to my two week stint in Levin.

Cheers til next time!