Sledging on Christmas Eve.

Not our usual Christmas eve walk and the sledging was on sand. The beach was 90 mile beach which we explored after driving to the Northern most tip of New Zealand on a quiet and interesting New Zealand highway. At Cape Reinga we watched the whirlpools where theTasman sea and Pacific ocean collide and listened for the noises made by the souls of departed Maoris as they head north to the afterlife. OK, we didn't hear any, but it was one of those quiet days when not many Maoris are departing.
The route back to Paihia took us past one of the best Fish and Chip shops on the Southern Pacific Rim (allegedly) and it would have been impossible to pass without checking out the credentials. The Monganui Fish Shop sits on the water in a quiet cove where penguins roost and gets its fish from boats landing at the pier next door. The fish was snapper, which is fast becoming the fish of the holiday, but the Michelin star we would award was down to the location and the peppered calamari we also tried.