Rangitoto Island

Spent a terrific day with Mike, Carsten, Joe and Mark on the burning hot island of Rangitoto.


This is one of Joe's photos - the others are on his blog at http://www.botess.blogspot.com.

The day's surreal highlight occurred while we were making our way down a long broken path of rocks, in the scorching noon-day sun. We were suddenly overtaken by a girl out jogging in her leotard, bumping her two happy children over the rocks in front of her in a double push-chair. "Hallo!" she chimed at us cheerily, as her offspring's limbs shook apart and their heads fell off.

I've asked around the area, and apparently this is her (and, by implication, her kids') regular morning workout.

This is one of the lovelier aspects of New Zealand - people are still allowed to be themselves. It's a daily occurrence to pass fire-jugglers, grey-clad mime-artists, people dressed as chickens and mothers shaking the fat out of their babies. Oh the whinging and scorn they would face in England.