Well I am now upside down and 11 hours ahead of everyone back home. Which takes a lot of getting used to I can tell you! Met up with Alex at our hostel in Auckland and ended up staying there for 3 nights whilst we tried to get our car hire deal sorted but in the end have a 1999 Nissan Sunny for 9 quid a day between us. Seems to be reliable so far but have everything crossed. It’s an automatic with the indicator on the wrong side so there have been some amusing incidents where I have indicated but put the windscreen wipers on instead or vice versa.
Auckland was fun though the shopping in the centre was pretty awful compared to cities of that size in most countries (I’m sure the locals would agree with me!). We stayed in an area called Ponsonby which is crammed with cute little cafes and shops and bars in the evening. The houses around there are all wooden and in the style of or originating around early 1900s. They are lovely to look at and very light inside and loads have big wide verandahs or porches to sit on. We were lucky to get some sunny weather for a few days so got the ferry over to Devonport for a wander and ate Fush and Chops on the beach. Snapper or Hoki are the regular choices instead of plaice and cod!
Finally we got the car and set off up north with it, stocking up on plenty of food etc on the way. We stopped off at Waipu (!!!!!) and Mangawhai where just beach after beach are abandoned at this time of year. Not even surfers on most of them. The colour of the ocean is so bright and everything is bright green.
Stayed in Paihiia in the Bay of Islands for a couple of nights. Managed to get a katamaran for the day with just 4 other people and sailed around. Watched a large pod of dolphins for a while with some young and then stopped off on an island for some lunch. The views from the top were just stunning, cliffs and big dark forests and sailing boats and turquoise bays. Eventually we found another pod and were told we were able to swim with them. This can be quite rare because there are strict rules to ensure the dolphins and us are protected. So you can’t swim with a pod where there are young, where they are feeding or sleeping. We were told to sing but I couldn’t stop screaming with excitement, for some reason the dolphins liked it and stuck around. I have to say that I was glad we had a very good reason for swimming in 18 degree seas. The captain described the water temperature as ‘Refreshing’. Hmmmmmmmmm
The day after we had a long drive down to a peninsula south of Auckland ‘Coromandel region’. On the way we stopped off at a few ancient Kauri trees. The biggest was around 9m diameter. The Maoris place great significance on these trees but they are really vunerable as their roots are very shallow in the ground so there are hundreds of rules about what to do and not do around them.
We finally arrived in Coramandel Town but only after Alex had driven along a very small windy coastal road in the dark with a sheer drop to the sea on one side. We went on a walk but had to drive for 30km on an unsealed windy narrow road which seemed to have landslides and holes around every corner but we saw some lovely birds and views across bays and hills. It’s quite strange to see normal trees like in England but with huge tree ferns and rushes and yukka plants dotted amongst them.
The next morning we got up super early in order to reach the ‘Hot Water Beach’ before the tide came in. Basically there is a hot water spring and you can dig a hole and sit in your own private spa pool. We arrived and went to hire a spade but the man in the cafévery honestly said there was no point as the tide had come in much faster then they thought and all the hot water had gone!!!! Ah well. It was a beautiful bay and on our way to the next stop the famous ‘Cathedral Cove’. We walked a little way around some coves to get to it but it was worth it, a church style arch in the rock and waterfalls at the other end of the bay. It was surrounded by limestone cliffs with lovely white sand. Bliss!
Yesterday we were in a place call Rotorua. It is on a fault line and so there is significant thermal activity. The local Maori tribes have been living there for hundreds of years using the hot water pools for washing, cooking etc. We saw some geysers spouting off. A Maori village still live there now and so we were shown round and told some history by a local guide (guiding is a tradition in this area) and also went to see a traditional show including the haka. I have to say I did get goose bumps watching it and it was still a family performing which was nice. Some of the shows are huge and very polished but this felt a bit more fun. The women do amazing things with Poi and there are dances where men and women throw sticks to each other in a pattern a bit like a game to see who will drop one first. It was really good fun. To finish off we ate some corn on the cob cooked in the thermal pools.
I would just like to brag that last week when I was in England I was ID’d to buy some alcohol in Marks and Spencer, I was also asked by the air stewardess how old I was when I asked for wine with my meal on the way to NZ. Then yesterday I was ID’d in the supermarket here – I love being reminded how young I am :-D
