Cavernous things

Well, here I am in Waitomo which is a land of underground caverns, glow worms and limestone ridiculousness.
Jos, still feeling ill after his South America trip, has taken his various stomach problems to Australia for a short holiday. All being well, he will return along with Tris and Julie between christmas and new year.
I can't quite believe that christmas is just around the corner. After a few days of rain and wind, the sun is now shining again and it'll be time to break out the sun cream and the shorts again this afternoon. I am hoping that when I get back to Auckland and see Andy and Sarah again, with Sally and Madelaine arriving on Christmas eve, it'll all start to feel more festive.
I spent a few nights at a place called Stratford not far from Mt. Taranaki with Jos prior to his departure, but didn't get up the mountain until after he had gone. The mountain is quite bizarre, being a classic volcanic cone mountain, about 2500m high with snow on the top, in the middle of a flat green dairy farming area. The views from the mountain are pretty cool as you look down over alpine woodland that then turns into rainforest before becoming dairy pasture. Really most strange.
From Stratford I moved on to New Plymouth, which is not much like the original apart from the fact that it's by the sea. The sea in this case is the Tasman, which is a lovely turquoise colour instead of the grey/brown sea off the coast of the "old" Plymouth. The city is very laid back and has a thriving arty community. I spent my time there wandering around galleries and watching the Wind Wand sway around. The Wind Wand is a 45m high carbon fibre pole on the sea front, which sways with the wind, designed by a local kinetic artist. Sounds a tad rubbish, but it's actually an impressive "sculpture", especially with the high winds which were blowing at the time I was there.
And so today I cruised up to Waitomo, where I plan to do some walks, see some caves and enjoy the re-appearing summer.
Are you all prepared for christmas then? I hope so. Any snow on the way? Let me know everything . . . .