Hamilton

The forecast was for rain in Tauranga and fine in Hamilton until 3.00 so we took a chance on Hamilton and fared pretty well.

Our first stop was at Hamilton Gardens on the outskirts of the town and they are very big. They were very pretty but I am sure will be much better in the spring/summer so Jon and I will have to visit again. There are lots of little gardens to visit within the one big one and we saw a lot of them but not all.

We then went into the city and made our way to Scott's Restaurant which is recommended in the Lonely Planet Guide, it was by this time raining and it wasn't 3.00! We found Scott's which was small and very busy but we got a table. I ordered the garlic spaghetti which they are famous for and it was very good and very garlicky and only $9 which is less than £4.00. Heather had a pannini and Jon had a sort of bubble and squeak with Mediterranean meats - all very good. We then shared a piece of very good chocolate cake with fresh fruit berries and yogurt yummy!

We then braved the rain but managed to find a huge shopping centre, well by NZ standards it is huge and I haven't seen so many shops for a few months. When we need to buy clothes it will be worth going over there on a Saturday as it only takes about an hour.

We set off home and it had stopped raining and we had a good journey until we got to the Kaima Hills and the cloud was so low as we were going over them it was like night fog and horrible. Heather has been on that road seven times since she has been here and only once has she been able to see the lovely view from the top. However, we got home safely and Totty was happy to see us and ready for her dinner.