From Gran Canaria to New Zealand

Home again

karen-and-erik — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 01:26:00 GMT

So we are home again. It's hot and my fot is hurting. It is swollen and complains about long planetrips. 26 hours New Zealand - London. And, since the plane was delayed we had to run and stress through London Airport (Heathrow) to get oour next connexion. Luckily our bags went directly or we would have missed it.

2 extremely tired passngers were probably observed in Madrid waiting for last connexion to Las Palmas, with piles of clothes. I had on: singlet, flannelshirt, fleece, windjacket. Long underpants, jeans, boots!! After a while it became quite hot, but we had no more space in our suitcases (one of which, by the way, has lost it's way).

Wolfgang met us at the airport about 35-6 hours since departure from Auckland!

Today is a day of tidying up. I have spent quite a lot of time on the phone because of messages on out answering machine: Somebody had not given the message on about us being on holiday, so UPS has been looking for us to deliver our new printer - no easy task to find them again. And I have just misssed an appointment with a specialist as they only call you by phone and tell you when it is some time before!! Buggars!! I tried so hard to find somebody that could answer that one before I left.

Anyway - don't want to end this with all complaints.

Had a lovely 20 min chinese massage in Hong Kong airport. The sun is shining and it's not as hot as anticipated. Just holiday-nice.

OK - folks! Been a wonderful holiday and we hope you have enjoyed following us!! Hopefully the suitecase comes today or tomorrow. It contains quite a lot of presents for some of you, so pray..

Lots of love.

Our last day

karen-and-erik — Tue, 7 Aug 2007 13:20:00 GMT

Our last day. We're in an internet cafe in Birkenhead. The plane leaves at 23.30 and them we have about 38 hours of travel before we arive home. Auckland - Hong Kong - London (26.5 hrs) 3 hrs wait, then London - Madrid. Another 3 hrs, then Madrid - Las Palmas. Wolfgang, nice neighbour is staying up to take us home. Midnight and more, abourt 2.30 local time. And then - sleep, sleep, sleep!! Hopefully all planes are on time and luggage not lost.

Did I say it's pouring down today? Will be the last rain we see untill november. .. Enjoy Karen, enjoy!!

The Kauri Museum

karen-and-erik — Sat, 4 Aug 2007 17:18:00 GMT

Meinita took us to the Kauri museum in Matakohi. A lovely museum, absolutely worth the trip. Of course we have our own private chauffeur. Lovely Meinita! On the way back we went to the Muruwai beach. We walked and climbed and the results is on the pictures: A colony of gannets. They were soo nice!!

Tiritiri island bird-sanctuary

karen-and-erik — Fri, 3 Aug 2007 18:20:00 GMT

We took the ferry to Tiritiri island bird sanctuary. It was a lovely day and we had a lovely walk throught the bush listening to and watching birds. Tiritiri was a grazing island until in the 80's. It's incredible how the island has been transformed from a bare grazing island to a bushgrown birdsanctuary. Whatever you stick into New Zealand soil grows - and FAST!

Floods and fire

karen-and-erik — Wed, 1 Aug 2007 18:55:00 GMT

The news here show pictures of floods. Dead sheep, landslides, flooded houses and roads. We ourselves have been spared, though. From the Canary Islands we hear that a huge fire is blazing through the mountain around our village. The temperature is around 40 c and hot winds are blowing. The people of the village have been evacuated. We are more than ancious about what meeets us when we come home in a week, and it's really strange having rain here, knowing that it so needed there.

School visit

karen-and-erik — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:56:00 GMT

Lucky me spent three days at St. Mary's primary school. This is the school where Avril, Susan, Maria and Meinita work.(The girls we climbed Rangitoto with, remember?) And since Maria is teamleader, I got permission to stay and learn. I had such a lovely time! The children are at school from 9 - 15, even the 5-yearolds. Talking of 5 - They start school the DAY they turn five! Interesting for me as a teacher. I wanted to see and learn.

The classrooms are big. There are toys and books and tables for art"things" in every classroom. There is also a libary, and every corridor outside the classrooms is filled with bokses in bookshelves with easy-to-read-boklets. They are filed in an incredibly good system making it easy to spot what you need. And need you do, as the children read in groups every day with the teacher, for each other, and at home. What a system! I'm impressed! In the group reading they read the same boklet - together. And talk of it. Every group is for about 4-5 children. Changes every monday, according to progress. They also do writing EVERY DAY - with the teacher from a board, and afterwards individually. And there is good system of testing and help for those who need that. And they have math-activities every day. They have classes from 9-11.30, I think then it was half an hour break, and then an hour break aorund 13. But there is play and activity in the classroom in a low buss when the children have finished their assigned work. Every now and then the teacher puts in a little gym, song etc to activate the brain flow.

I'm putting together a paper - ask me later if you want to read it.

Karen

Oh, and did I say little barefooted kids? New Zealanders are the real vikings!

Wellington

karen-and-erik — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 17:04:00 GMT

I, Karen, spent 6 hours in the 6-story Wellington museum -Te Papa, while Erik was on a "Lord Of The Rings tour" and at a tattoo-museum. We both had a lovely time. We walked around the city and the shops were open real late in the Cuba-district. The center is divided into four districts, all easily accessed. Can't just now remember their names. We stayed, as usual, in a youth hostel. Own room, own bathroom - 75$. Walked along the key, lovely. Oh - and of course we went to the cinema: The Simpsons, this time.

Christchurch

karen-and-erik — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:56:00 GMT

Christchurch a town full of cultur, old and new. Buildings in Gothic and Victorian style meeting todays modern art through the artfestival that started while we were there. Very facinating!

Trainpass

karen-and-erik — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 17:38:00 GMT

We bought a trainpass and took the train from Auckland to Wellington, ferry to Picton, train to Chirstchurch and the Tranzalpine to Greymouth and back to Christchurch. It's a good idea, but it lasts only 7 days, so we had to buy a new ticket when we wanted to go back to Auckland. It is possible to take the bus - there is another pass that goes mainly by coach (bus), but that was not an option for Karen who gets carsick and Erik who uses diuretica and needs to pee more often than the busdriver.

A good option for those who can take bus is "nakedbus" check that out if you ever get to New Zealand. Very cheap. We used it to Rotorua and back.

O.K. - the train was fine. Such lovely scenery, and very confortable. But - do you know that the train between Auckland and Wellington only goes friday, Saturday and Sunday? Very strange, don't you think? And it takes 12 hours. Apart from that, a lovely ride. We ordered suites in Backpackers, and it's a good price and your get to sleep alone and have your own bathroom. Price: 70 - 80 NZ$.

We will write more specifically about Christchurch and Wellington in another entry.

Rotorua

karen-and-erik — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:52:00 GMT

We added some pictures from Rotorua, but no stories yet. First ting you notice is the icredible smell! Sulphur.Not a place for pregnant women or asmatics. Otherwise - as usual - really friendly people. We flung us with a touristgroup - maorivillage-outing, first night. Very tourist, but very interesting. Check out the dancers who welcomed us! Kia ora! We were to learn that word - and I did - but what does it mean? Forgot.

We went for a walk round the lake and took some pictures. It is incredible to se the steam coming out of the ground and from the sewagethings in the streets - what do you call it ? forgotten the word for it ... where the rainwater runs. Anyway - as you can se, took some pictures.

A couple of days later we took a busride to a park and it was really nice. Terrrible smell, lovely colours, a geysir, bubbling mud, a nice walk-about. Almost panicked in the fog/smoke for awhile:"Erik , where are you!?"

We also did a very normal thing with normal people - went to the pictures and saw "Harry Potter". I like looking at people. These lovely maori children.

We also spent quite a few hours in the museum - an incredible building - a tudor building with a lovely park around. Took a picture.

The last evening we went to a polynesian spa and Erik stubbed his toe, and it went so blue. We had, for a while, serious thoughts about needing to use our insurance. Apart from that incident, the spa was lovely. Outdoor under the stars... 39C.

Everyday- things

karen-and-erik — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:21:00 GMT

Holiday is more than sightseeing. It is also everyday-things like wathing old movies on TV or new movies in old cinemas. We just came out from this cinema I remember from I was a young girl/child in this country. The stars (and moving clouds)and the courtyard and the towers are still there. What a flashback that was! It almost made me cry! I think the cinemas name is Civic. In the middle of Auckland anyway, which has a filmfestival going on just now.

Talking of starlight: the sky is mighty and the stars are wonderful, but different. Driving along one evening with Meinita, we stopped and by chance looked up to the sky. Wow - "real mighty glowworms!" (We had just seen glowworms in a cave, so that was our logical connection, although maybe not yours.. ) Oh, and did I tell you that the sun sets and rises wrong way round? The moon is also a bit loopsided, but that is something we are used to from Canary Islands.

Other every-day-things: Sitting by a fireplace with a blanket and reading, while the wind is hollowing and the rain is pouring. It's a kind of nice cosy feeling. As Gry says: "It's the kind of weather it's nice to be inside in". That was very directly transelated from norwegian. Anyway - True; some hot chocolate, some nice cake and a good book - it'a OK. See you around my friend. We're soon off to the south island. more cold weather, but we'll see it mostly from a trainwindow and we have bought longjohns and woolies. (That is wool underwear)

Oh - I did forget to tell you of the friendly busdrivers. One stopped and waited for a guy to buy the newspaper and Erik to buy some things in a kiosk today. Everybody says: "Thank you, driver" and people, especially old ladies - want to know where we are from and chatter on in a very friendly way. Makes me feel at home, and I just might have stayed on had circumstances been different.

His majesty - The Anchient Kauri

karen-and-erik — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:25:00 GMT

We went into the forest of Tane Mahuta and came out as someone else. It was a moment of awe when we encountered this enormeous tree. It is possibly more than 2000 years old. Makes you think it was around when Jesus walked the earth. The trunk is 13m in diameter, 17 m tall and all together the tree is more than 50 m high. There are not many of them left, but the ones that are there, make you think of natures greatness.

Waitangi Treaty grounds

karen-and-erik — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:17:00 GMT

The Waitangi treaty was signed here in 1840 between maori chiefs and the British crown. The first thinking that the crown would protect their land, the latter not quite thinking along the same lines.

Anyway - the Waitangi treaty is important and referred to still as "The birthplace of our nation, a place all New Zealanderes belong to and where our people advance together." An interesting place. Website: www.waitangi.net.nz

The homestead and a kiwi

karen-and-erik — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:15:00 GMT

We went on a trip up north with Meinita. First stop in Whangarei: A lovely preserved house from 1886, originally buildt in kauriwood for a Dr Clark and his family. It has been in continuous use untill 1976, but made up with the original inventory from the timeperiod.Regrettably now with glass-screens infromt of the rooms - probably someone has been a bit longfingered and nickets some antiques when you could access all the rooms freely. Stupid idiots spoil the fun for us! Anyway - Lovely view and a lovely park. And a little kiwi-house! They are so cute!!

KAWAKAWA - Hundertwasser's toilets

karen-and-erik — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:06:00 GMT

Never, ever, have I taken a pee in such a toilet. Built by the Austrian artist and architect Friedrich Hundertwasser. He lived here his last 25 years and wanted to give something back to the comunity. Never more will I take a leak without thinking of that loo.

Glowworm caves

karen-and-erik — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:38:00 GMT

Off the highway we saw a little sign to glowworm caves and turned of. It was the Kawati caves, owned by a maorifamily. The guide told of how her ancester found the caves, and it was inhabited! Here comes the story:

This cave was discovered by Roku Hine-a-maru, famous ancestress of the Ngatihine Tribe, arrived at Waitmio with her aged father, Torongare, and her beothers. Exploring the walley, she discovered trodden Tawa berries which aroused her curiosity. no member of her party had come this way. Later she smelt smoke whick seemed to come from a nearby hill. She went forward and found that the smoke was coming from a cave. Fifty yards in front of the entrance she came upon a woman sitting by the fire. Hien-a-maru learned that she was Roku, runaway wife of Haumoewarangi, of the tribe Ngatitu."

She had lived there for 1 an a half years. Run away from her husband. They looked after her, and then sent her back to her husband - who was a chief. Poor girl.

We, though, had a lovely walk through the caves seeing blue glowworm-stars in the ceiling, and afterwords through native forest, back to the car. Look out for pictures on the photosection.

Puhoi

karen-and-erik — Sun, 8 Jul 2007 18:46:00 GMT

An interesting place. In 1863, the first settlers from Bohemia arrived. They came from a city like Praha, much like what parts of it looks like today - to Aucland, which was a shack-rubble-place. And they were then sent upstream in maoricanoes to live in grass huts. Incredible that they survived! Without maorihelp they would NEVER have survived! They worked with the kauro-lumbering and they were incredibly industious. See the historical society which had an impressive museum: www.puhoihistoricalsociety.org.nz We went to the local pub and took some good pictures and among those / a real hillbilly. Karen thought he had dressed up!

Maori in the city.

karen-and-erik — Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:48:00 GMT

Meinita took us to the gathering "Maori in the city". It's not for tourists really, and it was an interesting study of maori life today. Hardly a european face. Lots of families and small children. Lots of different stands. Quite a few kids barefooted - and it was a cold day! I We saw some young girls with traditional facetattoo, but I didn't dare to ask them if I could take a picture. But Erik took some other good pictures of the carvers. Take a look in the gallery. We also attended some concerts - one with traditional dancing and - Bob Marley in maori.. that was really interesting.

Auckland zoo

karen-and-erik — Fri, 6 Jul 2007 18:17:00 GMT

"We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo - what about you, you, you?" We had a nice day, even though it did rain a bit. One spell of rain gave us the lovely experience of a leopard seeking shelter right in front of us and some delighted children (although behind a glass wall). We saw the usual - elephants, lions, sealions, rhinosoros, orangotangs etc. Oh, yes - and two cute kiwis in a dark room.

Rangitoto island

karen-and-erik — Wed, 4 Jul 2007 17:06:00 GMT

You might not know that, but I went to Rangitoto college 1965-68. So an offer to join a group of teachers to climb the volcano, was not put down. A lovely day, a lot of fun and a stunning view - and a dramatic downpour to finish off. Pictures in the gallery. I