Continuation of the B.O.I. Saga...

The next few days were JAM PACKED full of things to see. We thought we would be bored with 2 free days.. boy, were we wrong. The next morning Brenda, Hillary and I decided to parasail over the Bay of Islands. It was absolutely breath-taking. I had only parasailed once before and it was over a small lake- so you can imagine the difference between those two experiences! One of the guys who worked on the parasailing boat was from New Jersey and had moved out here after visiting and doing this! It was so cool to talk to him because he has now been here for like 13 years and is loving every minute of it... made me think of how hard it would be leaving your friends and family behind but what a REBEL! I found him to be quite fascinating!

After our parasailing excursion, we headed back to make lunch and then we wanted to do a 3 hour hike (roundtrip) to a beautiful waterfall in Paihia called Haruru falls. But first we stopped by the Treaty of Waitangi house. It seemed only appropriate that we stopped there seeing as how this historical landmark is where discussion and agreement occurred and made NZ what it is today. (History stuff, I am my father's daughter! If it is one thing that Big Mike taught me, it is to appreciate those who have come before us and take an interest in our past!) But more on the Waitangi treaty house later!

The Flagstaff.

The Waitangi Treaty House.

We then began our journey to Haruru falls! It was quite a lovely trek through the forest. Beautiful scenery and fun discussion with the girls! We then heard the lovely sound of the waterfall... you see 'Haruru' means "big noise" and that is exactly what we heard. Once we were clear out of the forests, we took in one amazing sight. The waterfall was beautiful and was extremely humbling in the sense of appreciating our natural surroundings. There really is beauty all around us.

Hururu Falls.

Me with the waterfall!

After taking a moment to appreciate the sight, we decided it was time to hike back towards our hostel.. we still had to run to the grocery store! On our way back nighttime was upon us. Were we prepared with 'torches?' (Flashlights)- NOPE. Between the 5 of us, we had 4 small (and I mean SMALL) torch lights from our cellphones. We continued on through the forest, tripping over rocks and cursing ourselves for thinking this was a good idea when all of the sudden we caught a glimpse of a terrifying sight. A POSSUM.

That sucker was latched onto a tree in front of us staring us down as if he was legitimately looking into our souls. The girls screamed, Brenda cursed and I just froze. Remain calm. That is all I could think to say. I know animals can smell the freight in people. So I suggested we move as a unit towards it and quickly run past. NOT SO FAST: that sucker moved down the tree closer to us. We tried throwing things at it, yelling at it, etc. I am sure we would have been a sight for others to watch. After 10 minutes of debating back and forth, we decided to move forward, it moved further into the forest and we BOOKED IT OUT OF THERE like we were competing for the gold medal. Once on the street and back to civilization, we all laughed and shook our heads. Funny right? More like IDIOTIC on our parts. Once we told Mouse Trap Jake about it- he asked us if we shot it. Oh, Kiwis and their humor. Sorry Jake- must have forgotten my rifle/shotgun in my other purse.

After making a big dinner (you develop a hearty appetite when running away from Possums), we sat around chatted and then hit the hay. What a day it had been.