So says the Halifax Herald headline today (yesterday in NS) .   Another blizzard for NS, Cyclone Pam for NZ.     Home and here, Mother Nature continues to reign.     

We were squarely in the path of Pam's first hit on the North Island.      Preps are the same – fill up the tank, replenish the wallets with cash, stock the larder and hope for the best.    When all was said and done the next morning, our host declared "it was just a fizzer" - didn’t amount to much in NZ, though devastating for Vanuatu.

The Northland has been a wonderful surprise for us – so many interesting and diverse things to do and see.      Will try to keep them snappy. 

.  Waipu:    A shore side village that was home to a colourful Scot cum Nova Scotian in the 1800s.    The pious and likely surly preacher Rev. Norman MacLeod and his followers had left Scotland for better times in Pictou.   Finding the debauchery of port life offensive to their tender sensibilities, they again packed up to head north to St . Ann in Cape Breton where they tried again to make a go of it.      Here the weather offended them and they set off (by this time the preacher was 70) with all his friends and family for New Zealand, landing in Waipu.      Third time lucky.

A special book is kept in the museum that only Cape Bretoners can sign.     We checked out
the signature of Susan Cameron (she and Bruce had given us the tip), and below theirs was another friend from days gone by, Wayne Grady.     Small, small world.

.     Cape Reinga:     Known as the Top of New Zealand, this northernmost tip of the country pokes into waters where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet and mingle.   Stunning rugged terrain, with vast expanses of white sand visible in streaks on both sides in the distance.

.   90 Mile Beach:      I’d bet it’s more accurate to say kilometres, but that’d be niggling.  We stopped in at the giant sand dunes (100m to the top), rented boogie boards and went sand surfing .        What a blast.      The climb up the steep pitches provided a decent workout in the sand and the higher we got, the more the wind was whipping sand around.   More exfoliation.    In the pics, the little spec at the top is John pre ride.   A natural spectacle and an awesomely (like, surfer talk) fun thing to do.

.   Glow Worm Caves:      Glow worms are brilliant little characters.     These 3cm translucent threads of worms, whose tails light up to attract dinner, love to live in caves around the countryside. They weave themselves a little hammock on the roof of the cave to recline in while they await bugs to come their way for dinner.    Then they hang a series of little single web threads down a few inches that are laced with sticky stuff.    Bugs fly into them, get snagged and when the worm feels their version of fishing line pull, they yank it up and eat.      Now that’s using wits over energy.      The more hungry the worm is, the brighter his light will shine to beat out his neighbours in attracting bugs .      

 When our walking lights are turned off, they look like a delicate version of Christmas light
netting, other patches resembling the Milky Way – each one stays away from his neighbour in close to equal measure.    Quite something.

. Miscellanea:        

• I have to mention the fresh fruit and veg – the avocadoes, figs, oranges, pineapple are
  like eating candy.    We stop at markets at every chance to load up again.    
• Manuka Honey made from pollen of trees of the same name is magical, healing stuff.    Worth four times that of regular honey, this version has antiseptic qualities.    In WWII soldiers would carry the honey with them and smear it on any wounds to prevent infection.    Good for whatever ails you.  
• One small town here has public bathrooms to make reading material superfluous.   A modern artist, Hunderwasser, went wild with coloured glass, pottery pots, cement and bottles.    Quite common for a person to yell before entering the privacy zone of the other sex to see what other whimsy awaits - some with cameras in hand.