To Paihia

I'm now in Paihia in the Bay of Islands. It's very lovely, as such a name suggests. It's all sunny and starting to feel like summer. It's going to be a shock when I come home to the onset of winter! There are jettys going out into the sea, and lots of islands easily visible from here. Some are near, but there are some larger ones quite far out. It's all very sheltered so doesn't often get wavey. I went on a boat cruise today which is called a dolphin cruise, although we didn't see any! A large splash was spotted ahead, and the driver thought it might be a whale judging by its size, but we didn't see it again sadly. It was a nice scenic cruise none the less, and I do have the option of going again, on the basis of the lack of Dolphins. I might see what other options I have though, as there are other things I'd like to see around here too, and it would be a shame to go out again and not see the Dolphins again! The Trip took us past some lovely looking beaches, I felt it was a shame not to have time to disembark and have a splash around. But it was nice to see them, as there's no other way of getting out there without your own boat! 

I really like the hostel I'm in tonight, as it has a large kitchen and dining room which overlooks the bay, with a whole wall of large windows. There were some buskers outside earlier, which almost sounded very nice, but were just a little on the flat side. But it did add to the atmosphere if you didn't listen too carefully! There's also a piano outside which is just waiting for anyone to play. Perhaps I won't inflict that on people, especially after my criticism of the performance of others.