Hot Pools

I am having the day off.

I've done my errands. I've finished a bit of cleaning up. I've ignored any other work. I've looked at the filing. I've eaten a healthy lunch.

Now its time for a dip in the local, salty hot pools. The hot pools are wonderful here, even on a warm, summer day. You can do a few laps then waddle on over to the really hot pool for a soak and a stand under the gushing hot taps. Last time I was there those jets of water managed to undo my bikini top. Cheeky.

It's also a great place to go because even though no one has anything much to do except lounge in the water and gaze at all the other people lounging in the water, you don't really feel on show. There's loads of beautiful people there for sure, but they come in all shapes and sizes.

The kids pool is cute too, with its little slide, but I enjoy my time not having to wade through its shallow, somewhat cooler water, wondering how much of it has been peed in.

Behind the pools and an ever constant presence, is the Mount. Mount Maunganui towers up over us as we soak away our ills, a sturdy guardian of nature. Bright beaming blue sky, the green and greys of the Pohutukawa Tree, tiny dots of colour crawling its heights and the sound of the ocean beach waves just 200 metres away.

You can almost breathe in the summer here, it's so quintessentially kiwi.