Just Want to do Something Special

Highlights of Coromandel Peninsula Trip (October 9-12, 2009)

1. Playing "Who Am I?" at Anchor Lodge hostel in Coromandel Town. "Who Am I?" is brilliant. All you need are paper, pens, and a troupe of enthusiastic participants. Gamers, continue reading to learn how it's done!

* Distribute one small piece of paper to each player (participant count is unlimited; the more the merrier)
* Players discreetly write down someone famous on their paper slips. (When gaming with an international party, think very, very famous people. Kermit the Frog, for instance. Or perhaps Jesus.)
* Players pass their papers face down to the players on their left.
* Without looking at the name on their slips of paper, gamers pick them up, lick the backs, and stick them to their foreheads.
* One player, randomly selected, begins by asking 'yes/no' questions to the group about the name on their forehead. When the player gets a 'no' response, play progresses to the gamer on the left.
* Play continues until every player has figured out who they are.

2. A hike at Port Jackson.

3. Cooking improvements. Meals to note include successful pasta dinner and omelet breakfast. Also worthy of notation: we continue to be upstaged in the culinary department by other travelers. For instance, a Swede in Coromandel Town fashioned five-star sandwiches out of only lettuce and bread. Perhaps eventually we'll be this good at cooking through a miracle, or osmosis.

4. Waterfall walk in Colville with a German couple. Our merry band trudged through hilly pastures, scaled cliff faces, and waded knee-deep through a river. All the while, we got bits of wilderness knowledge from the pair. Predictably, our favorite tip is animal related. If you ever happen upon an angry cow, know that to ward it off you should raise your arms above your head. Our German farmer friends swear by this trick.

5. Visiting the beach next to New Chum's Beach. New Chum's, renowned for its beauty, is secretly nothing compared to the dazzling splendor that is its neighbor. High tide waits for no lady, not even in New Zealand.

6. Pretending to be the Pevensies at Cathedral Cove (it's a natural wonder and, quite importantly, a filming location from The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian.)

7. And last, but not least, exhibiting our likeness to Amazons by digging a sandpit at Hot Water Beach. Then exhibiting our likeness to sloths by lazing in the tepid water 'til nightfall.

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Lots of love and (almost) holiday wishes,

Zoë and Alice