Sunday 3rd March

A red letter day for Nigel! He had arranged to meet up with an old friend, Geoff. They were apprentices at RAF Halton back in the late sixties. It’s about 48 years since they last saw each other and thanks to Facebook they have recently made contact. Geoff is married and lives in Thailand but travels extensively, he is at present working in Auckland with Air NZ.

Geoff on the left and N on the right!!!
Geoff caught the bus up to Whangarei and we drove up there to meet him at the bus stop by the town basin. We went for a coffee and I left them to chat for a while whilst I strolled round the area and did some window shopping.
At midday we went back to the car to set off for lunch at Parua Bay. As we got in the car we noticed a very strong smell of petrol. The “boys” had a look at the engine and the fuel pipe was leaking. No spanner to tighten it up though. N accosted a nearby driver who kindly took him somewhere to purchase an adjustable spanner. Once tightened it was deemed safe to drive.
We had lunch at the Parua Bay tavernhttps://www.paruabaytavern.co.nz/ which turned out to be a good choice. The food was good and we got a table right on the waterfront.
After lunch we went back to Whagerai and sat in the shade with a cuppa until it was time to say goodbye to Geoff and return home. A very pleasant day.