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Tairua and the Coromandel

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What a lovely start to the day! Sunrise over Tairua .  Although the journey through to Coromandel was not too many kilometres, the extremely winding roads and passes made it a long, though magnificent journey. The forested mountains here are just marvelous and everything seemed so lush. Our first stop was in Coromandel at the Driving Creek Railway, set up originally by a potter wishing to transport his clay to his pottery. As he needed to pay his debts and people became interested in his tiny little railway, he opened it to the public, and it is certainly worth a visit. Not only is it a feat of engineering and construction, but the views and the forest are sensational.    They have planted thousands of Kauri trees and we learnt some interesting facts about them. When young, they have little leaves sticking out of their trunks, acting as protection but also there to ensure that there is more chance of photosynthesis.  Clever tree! No wonder they get so old....
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Day 9 Tromso to Stamsund - a huge day in Vesteralen and the Lofoten islands

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 What a day this was! After only 4 hours of very sound sleep, it was time to rise and shine for a very full, but magnificent day in one of the undoubtedly most spectacular areas of Norway, and possibly the World My first tour was entitled 'A taste of Vesteralen'. It started in the little fishing town of Harstad, which is growing very rapidly as Vesteralen grows to meet the needs of the rapidly growing tourist industry, which has now overtaken fishing as the prime industry.The Lofoten Islands are struggling to cope with tourist numbers, and so the very beautiful, and much less visited Vesteralen will be the next destination!  We had an excellent, multi-lingual guide on tour. He was very knowledgeable and funny, speaking German and English fluently, French too. Our first port of call was the Harstadt church, medieval farm and museum. All very interesting.  T farm was just outside Harstad, with gorgeous views over the hills Their cat reminded me of my lovely Big Mike, who so...
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Final days Engadine

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 The cold days continued a little while, with fresh snow on the slopes just above the camp, and temperatures below zero. It was lovely and snug in the barrel, but going out during the night was not the favorite part of my stay! I was completely spellbound by the phenomenal views when I opened my door in the morning. I've never seen such magnificent clouds before. I'm so pleased I went back for my camera. By the time I returned from my shower, the clouds had changed completely. It was a perfect day spent with Tom, who had ended up in hospital after arriving from Thailand. He had an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite! We had a fabulous walk in the shade of the pine forest near Sils Maria. Such peace and tranquility, and no bikes! I continued from Sils alone to Silvaplana. The scenery is spectacular and the color of the water incredible. It doesn't matter how often you do these walks, they are always different and always breathtaking. As I neared Silvaplana, many kilometers ...
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