Up early with things mostly packed. The sun is shining and we can hear the surf. Nothing we can do about it but go for a quick dip. The waves are all messy, a change of wind direction perhaps the cause. Ask Ian, he will know. Still, not a bad way to start the day. Sue goes off for a short run along the beach as I get a nice shower and finish packing.
We have left ourselves not much over 100km to drive today so a leisurely pace to a small town near Auckland. Thee we meet a Swiss Kiwi – operating the North Island equivalent of Campa South. We meet at a random service station then follow her out into the country. She takes the keys without discussion or examination and then gives us a lift to the airport. Low key Kiwi ways.
A few hours later we are in the air. Not a bad service but the reclining seats from in front do restrict movement a bit. I still managed a bit of rest in the 11:30 flight. That plus a couple of films, dinner and breakfast.
Arriving at LA early in the morning we got the Super Shuttle. This gave us 2 tours round the airport whilst the driver hoped to find more passengers. We got to the Holiday Inn at about 9:15. Amazingly they hustled our room so we were happily installed half an hour later after a short walk down to the pier.
Obeying the demands of our bodies / minds we crashed out for an hour. I don’t know if this is the best thing regards jet lag but my principle is to stay tired enough to sleep at proper night but keep enough sleep for comfortable survival.
So after 2 hours sleep the bonus day began. First stop Santa Monica pier, built of wood complete with big wheel and roller-coaster. Busy and cheerful and a nice place to be. A stroll along the sea front to Venice followed. Amazingly flat raked sand leading to a calm blue ocean. No swimmers at 25 degrees probably too cold. There were runners, skaters and cyclists; beach volley ball games and people strolling. It was very relaxed.
Our gentle stroll took us a couple of hours then we headed into the “outdoor shopping” area. I gather this is one of those few areas not in an indoor mall. We wandered through all the big name shops but bought little, other than a bite to eat. Back to the hotel for a short break, some e-mailing and then it was nearly time for dinner.
The dinner search should have been easy but there was almost too much choice, and being still a little fatigued we weren’t as decisive as we could have been. We started at the pier, moved to the food court in the shopping area and then back to the pier. Some good fish and chips for me and a chicked sandwich and fries for Sue, with live music in the background. I had the best beer I have tasted for a month. Speight’s might be good for a hot NZ day but not my favourite. (A strange sight was an English Bar offering Newcastle Brown on draught!)
Back to the hotel to collapse for a long restful sleep. The US kingsize probably bigger than the total area of our campervan.
Life keeps me smiling.
Tags: New Zealand
