I may not have the eloquence and wit of my daughter but will try to keep up some sort of a family tradition and hopefully entertain you for a bit.
Linda and I (her Mom and Dad) left for NZ on Feb 18th for a three week holiday. Natasha had with her typical thoroughness given explicit instructions on which door to leave the airport, the direction to turn and which bus to catch and which bus stop to exit the bus. We were impressed and following her directions the bus door opened and there was Natasha waiting for us at the bus stop.
We spent the next five days in Wellington with Natasha. Cooking skills that we knew existed but seemed to be well hidden at home seem to thrive in the southern hemisphere as Natasha made many delightful dinners for us. Having a personnel guide to Wellington, Natasha walked us from one end of the city to the other and from the ocean to the top of the hills (she did let us catch the cable car up to the botanic gardens) but on that particular day with only an early afternoon snack and a soft ice-cream cone in late afternoon we were we dragging out butts back to her place for an 8:00 dinner. We were exhausted but Natasha didn't even seem to notice our rapidly dwindling energy. However, after a delicious dinner and a good night sleep at the hostel we were ready for another day of adventure.
Wellington is absolutely beautiful. It is a very active city. People always seemed to be doing something: running, riding, walking, dining in one of the many sidewalk cafes, or doing a little elbow bending at the numerous watering holes. One of the many highlights in Wellington was the "Cuba Street Carnival". About four square blocks of downtown were barricaded off and thousands of people herded into the area (this is not a sheep joke) to sample various ethnic foods, have a few cool ones and listen to music on various bandstands and mix, mingle and party. The party during the day was great but the night parade was outrageous. It truly was a "Carnival" type of parade with outrageous groups wearing outrageous costumes, most with more skin than costumes. There were belly dancers, exotic dancers and samba dancers. There were bands and roller derby queens and a chubby dance group in spandex that was just out to have a good time and didn't give a damn.
When we picked-up our rental car, we were plunged into a new driving experience. Wrong side of road, roundabouts, give-way signs, and some strange traffic rules regarding who has the right of way and making turns on red lights. We had a few misadventures like turning into oncoming traffic, not giving-way in roundabouts and looking the wrong way when checking for traffic at intersections. However with a few close calls we did survive. Now that I've mentioned cars and traffic I'll take a moment to discuss New Zealand drivers. I like driving; I like driving fast on curvy roads however, I was the slowest driver on the roads in NZ. All the roads twist and turn, so much so that you think you have gone in a complete circle only to come out of that curve and start another in the opposite direction. I was constantly pulling off the road to let drivers past. I began to think the cars in NZ did not come with brake lights. Once a car was past me it seemed to take the next corner without slowing down (no brake lights) and disappeared forever. Checking the single strand of wire they use as a guard rail and seeing no breaks in it, I assumed they didn't go over the cliff but did manage to navigate the curve and lived to tell of a terribly slow driver that was actually slowing down to the posted speed on the corners.
We left Natasha in Wellington and headed north, our destination, New Plymouth and Mt. Taranaki. Great scenery, black sand beaches and an absolutely stunning volcanic mountain. We did some hiking on the flanks of the mountain coming out at the top of the tree line. Spectacular views of the rugged beauty of the lava flows.
Next we headed north east to Rotorua and on the way stopped at a famous thermal area (with an admission charge of course). Large lakes of steaming water and bubbling ponds. The next morning (feeling the need for some exercise since Natasha was not walking us for hours without a coffee break even) I went for a jog in the park across the street from the hostel. I was curious when I noticed little picket fences surrounding a few stilted trees and what appeared to be smoke rising from inside. I hadn't quite got it figured out yet that we were staying in a thermally active area and in fact the park was filled with bubbling ponds and boiling mud holes. It was not a case of where there is smoke there is fire but rather where there is steam there is thermal action. We didn't have to pay to see the famous thermal ponds, we only had to cross the street from our hostel.
After Rotorua, we headed to the east coast and up to Hahei. Along the way there were forest and farms and eventually the ocean. In one small town, we were going there mainly for information, it took four roundabouts to get to get into the city. By now, still being totally intimidated by roundabouts, I was rating towns not by charm but by roundabouts. At four, this town was not high on the list of must see places. However, since Linda found a pair of "how cute is that" shoes to buy the number of roundabouts were tossed out, the shoe store was factored in, and the town rose to "worthwhile to see" status.
At Hahei we stayed two nights in our most elegant accommodation. A king bed, French doors onto a beautiful garden area and beautiful surroundings. We went to an area know as Hot Water Beach where you can dig a hole in the sand and if you dig in the right spot it will fill with hot water. The second day, a half hour walk through a gorgeous tree fern forest brought us to Cathedral Cove. A massive rock formation with a giant arch you can walk through. You had to be watchful in case a large wave broke and filled the passageway with water. We spent some time sitting on the beach watching the waves break over the rocks just off shore and climb the sand almost to our log.
Following our stay in Hahei we headed to Auckland where we were to meet up with Natasha. Natasha, having taken Monday and Tuesday off work was joining us to do a four-day loop on the north end of the island. I can already hear the question forming in our friends' minds, "Does Natasha actually do any work or does she just go from adventure to adventure?" Either she must work hard (when she is there) or has some excellent "communication skills" to convince her bosses of her value as they are keen to have her stay in NZ.
Leaving Auckland we headed to the small town of Paihia. However before we got there we stopped at an information centre where we were encouraged to take a 45 minute side trip to see a spectacular waterfall and a several beautiful beaches. We should have known that a New Zealanders driving time (i.e. speed) and my driving time are not the same. Allowing for the time we took to sightsee I figured it took us two and a half hours to drive the 45 minute loop.
While in Paihia, we went to a Maori cultural show at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The treaty signed there established the rights of the Maori and the white settlers.
On our second day in Paihia we were booked on a catamaran sailing boat to explore the Bay of Islands. It was a great day on the water. Linda and Natasha spent the whole trip sitting on the trampoline at the very bow of the ship with the one of the pontoons of the ship slicing through the water directly below them. At mid-day we stopped at a secluded beach where we had the option of swimming to shore or taking the dingy in to shore. Being careful to keep the camera dry we opted for the dingy. Natasha chose to swim in. We swam at the beach and climbed to the top of the island for some extraordinary views of the surroundings islands and our boat anchored far below us. On the way back to port we were joined by a school of dolphins. They stayed with the boat for at least half an hour, often swimming right beside the ship and rubbing their back on a pontoon. It was an unforgettable trip and one of many highlights for me. That night we walked the beach in Paihia, it was a beautiful evening; the sky sparked with stars and the waves gently caressed the beach.
After leaving Paihia we headed a little further north and then crossed to the west coast and the beginning of "90 Mile Beach". This beach extends almost to the tip of the North Island. At Cape Reinga, the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. According to Maori legend, it is at this point where the souls of Maori dead depart for the after life. Ninety mile beach was phenomenal, waves rolling in as far as you could see, sand that just disappeared on the horizon and wind lifting the sand in a cloud and then sprinkling it further down the beach as the wind calmed.
Heading south from the beach we were on the last leg of our trip. This area is famous for the Waipoura Kauri Forest. One of the many large trees is known as "Tane Mahuta" - Lord of the Forest. It is a massive tree, 1200 to 2000 years old.The area is also famous for Kauri trees that have been buried in swamps for 30,000 to 50,000 years. This wood, when reclaimed, is still workable and much of it is turned into bowls or other gift items. As you can imagine, if the wood is that old, your souvenir is not going to be cheap.
Eventually we arrived in Auckland and settled into the hostel. Since we had some time before Natasha had to catch the bus to the airport, we had one last adventure with her. Our hostel was in the Mt. Eden area of Auckland and it only seemed logical that we should climb one more hill with Natasha (over the years there have be a few hills to climb with her, but the ride down always made the climb worthwhile). Climbing to the top of Mt Eden was not too bad and the view from the top was fantastic. A 360° view of Auckland. The summit is the top of an (extinct, I hope) volcano. Below us was the crater and straight ahead was downtown Auckland. An impressive sight. Natasha left us that afternoon for her flight to Wellington and we spent the next day touring downtown Auckland.With only one adventure left, getting to the airport in rush hour (we thought we started early enough but still seemed to be in the thick of it), our trip was almost over. We turned the keys in with no scratches or dents on the car, loaded our bags into the shuttle van and let out a sigh of relief; someone else was going to be driving.
We came home with lots of memories, lots of photos (if one film image would have been good enough, then five digital images must be better - right?) But the best part of the trip was the time we got to share with Natasha. She is wonderful young lady that is creating an exciting and adventurous life for herself. We miss her at home.
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