SHAKESPEARE'S 'MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM', HAMILTON GARDENS : Saturday 17 February
After Friday nights colourful 'Mardi Gras' at the Gardens 'Slip of the Tongue' theatre group put on an incredible performance for us on Saturday, while we enjoyed our picnic on the lawn. In the initial minutes I imagined the costume budget had been terribly slashed, yet as the performance progressed they lived up to their long established reputation for superb acting with great passion, a scattering of improvised lines, and costumes that added a splash of spectacular colour to an already fantastic evening. The costumes have me thinking of some clothing designs I'd like to tackle along the lines of 'MCR' ... more about that another time.

MATAKANA ISLAND : Saturday 10 February
Our intrepid band of 17 had a fantastic day, with special detour to Matamata Market's (okay so I admit it was my idea) then across from Omokoroa by ferry, shared with a few locals and a milk tanker (Hey who would have expected that! ... yet they have dairy farms on the island). First stop was the island shop for icecreams ... and a welcome stop it was. Fortunately the locals knew which was the shop as it has no signage at all. In all I think we trekked almost all the sealed roads, and discovered a quaint little church and graveyard that tells the story of the islands population. Plenty of photos taken and a few will eventually make it here. Heading back on the ferry we were treated to a show of thunder as a storm rolled across the Kaimais and down to Tauranga, threatening to engulf us as we crossed the harbour. Then it was off to trek through Omokoroa ... expecting a tramping track yet found ourselves wandering through various spectacularly planted backyards along the coast. A few photos and 'samples' of plants were gathered (and are doing very nicely at home), while Carmen was lost in creating pseudo-natural scenes to photograph, Julia wandered through peoples backyards (all in the cause of photography!), Grant kept us entertained throughout the day, then 'shark'n'taties on the beach, a dip in the local hotpools and we were most satisfied with our 'exploring'. Next trip to Matakana will have to be with mountainbikes to explore further afield ...

MATAKANA ISLAND TRAMPING TRIP : Saturday 10 Feb
Leaving at 8am from the St. Mary's carpark (near intersection of Bridge St and Grey St) Carmen is organising this trip to Matakana Island off the coast of Tauranga, which should prove to be a fun-packed day. Bring all normal light tramping gear, and lunch, as I have no idea whether there are shops there. We'll be crossing by boat to the island ... contact me for more details, or see you on the day.