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New Zealand
(North Island)
We left the Cook Islands at 9:55 AM on August 16th. After a 5-hour flight into Auckland International Airport, we landed at 12:55 PM (subtracting two hours for the time difference) -- on August 17th. How is that possible? We lost a day by going over the International Date Line.
After landing we went into downtown Auckland and checked into a room at Auckland Central Backpackers Hostel. We walked around downtown Auckland for the rest of the day. Joel bought a pair of Warrior jeans (that's the brand name), size 110 (whatever that means) for $50.00 (NZ).
On Friday we explored more of downtown Auckland. Auckland is a real major city. It is called the Capital of the Pacific for good reason. It is very culturally diverse -- a real cosmopolitan experience.
We went to the top of the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere -- The Sky Tower. What an amazing view! They had this 38mm glass floor that you could walk on and look straight down to the street below. Can anyone say vertigo? Saturday we took a ferry to Waiheke Island. It is a quaint little island that reminded us of Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island. Some real interesting shops graced the island. It was a strange feeling to go from such a bustling, large city to such a small, tranquil little island and back again so quickly -- it only takes about 30 minutes to get to the island.
They call Auckland the City of Sails. Kiwis are crazy about sailing. The harbor was just packed with sailboats. They take immense pride in their sailing abilities and their win in the 1995 America's Cup over Dennis Conner and the US team is still held in high esteem here.
Saturday night, the 19th, we went out to eat at a great Turkish restaurant called Sultan's Table.
Sunday, the 20th, we rented a car -- a Toyota Corolla. It only cost $29.00 (NZ) a day. That was with insurance and everything. We are going to use it to explore New Zealand and then drop it off in Christchurch, our departure location for Australia. Most of Sunday was spent further exploring the Auckland area. We went to One Tree Hill, Mount Eden and the Symond Street Cemetery. Monday, the 21st, we got up early and walked around the Parnell area of Auckland. It is a trendy, art deco scene. We had a nice breakfast at a place called Strawberries.
Monday night, at the Sky Tower Casino, we meet a real interesting character. Joel was sitting at a blackjack table next to a nice gentleman who introduced himself as Gary McCormick. They began talking and Lisa and Joel's around the world trip came up, which Gary was very interested in. During the conversation Joel asked Gary "what was good to see and do in New Zealand". Immediately everyone at the table, the other players, the dealer, and the pit boss -- everyone started laughing. Joel felt like he was missing out on the joke. Well it came out that Gary is quite a celebrity in New Zealand. He is the New Zealand travel guru. He has his own television and radio show devoted to traveling in New Zealand. We got some great tips from him on what to see and do in New Zealand and he took one of our cards, promising to keep tabs on our adventure.
On Tuesday Joel "took a ride" on the Sky Screamer -- a reverse bungy jump that catapults you straight up into the Auckland skyline at 5 G's! It may have been the scariest thing Joel has ever done in his life (so far -- we suspect this adventure is going to provide ample opportunities for terrifying experiences). After he got off, Joel could barley walk as his legs were like Jello.
On Wednesday, the 23rd, we jumped in our rental car and headed north. Just north of a town called Warkworth, we climbed to the top of the Dome Summit, in Dome State Forest. Then we went to Mardsen Point and checked out the Mardsen Point Oil Refinery.
Then we drove into a nice town called Whangarei. We decided to stop for lunch at what turned out to be a great place right on the water called Reva's. During lunch we noticed a poster on the wall and guess whose face was plastered on it -- Gary McCormick's! Gary was coming to town to do a comedy sketch with a big Kiwi comic. What a jack of all trades -- a true Renaissance Man.
After lunch we toured the Clapham Clock Museum, the largest collection of clocks in the Southern Hempishere. Then we drove to the top of Memorial Hill, which provided an outstanding outlook of Whangarei and the surrounding area. We finished off the day by viewing Whangarei Falls (where Joel almost fell over the 100-foot drop trying to get "the perfect photo"). We ended up staying in Paihia (the heart of The Bay of Islands) at the Pacific Resort.
Thursday, the 24th, we took a super fast speed boat called The Excitor into the Bay of Islands. It cruised at a top speed of 45 knots and took us right through The Hole in the Rock. We were lucky enough to have a pod of huge bottlenose dolphins come right up to the boat.
After our exciting (no pun intended) cruise we ate fish and chips at the Mangonui Fish House, looked out over Doubtless Bay from a Pa in Mangonui, checked out 90 Mile Beach and then drove to Cape Reinga.
Cape Reinga is literally the northern tip of New Zealand. Pearched on the sun draped cliffs; we found a lighthouse ready to blast out its protective beacon. Next to the lighthouse was a group of signs pointing to locations all over the globe -- how fitting. Standing at the cliff edge you feel like you are looking at the edge of the world. The vast Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea creating huge waves and a fantastic view. We watched the sun dip below the horizon, creating a road to the sun that outlined our travel route. The immortal words of Jim Morrison were fitting here. The West is the best, get here and we'll do the rest.
Friday, the 25th, we woke up from our stay at the Kaitaia Hotel and drove south from Kaitaia. We took a short ferry ride from Kohukohu to Rawene and then toured the Kauri Forest. We were graced with the presence of Te Matua Ngahere (Father of the Forest), Four Sisters, Phantom Tree and the biggest tree in the forest -- Tane Mahuta (God of the Forest). Both of us have seen the giant redwoods in California and they are very impressive. But they don't even come close to the majesty of these trees. They are huge! Tane Mahuta has 30 species of life living in it. It is a world unto itself. These trees were around at the time of Christ, being over 2000 years old! All we can say is wow! With the glow of the high provided by the Kauri Forest still flowing through us we went south to Baylys Beach and watched some brave souls surfing the waves. It is winter right now in New Zealand. The temperature on the north island has been pretty mild, highs in the mid 60's and lows in the mid 40's, but surfing? Kiwis are definitely a hardy lot.
After a stay at a nice bed and breakfast back in the Parnell section of Auckland, the Chalet Chevron, we drove south to Rotorua. Rotorua is in the heart of New Zealand's geothermal area. Sulphur escapes into the air through thermal pools all around creating an odor that is hard to get used to. We decided to put the smell out of our minds and we headed into downtown Rotorua. We had a great dinner at a place called Freos and then partied late into the night at the local pub -- The Pig and Whistle. They had a great live band and it was fun to mingle with New Zelanders, exposing ourselves to all the similarities and apparent, but subtle, differences Kiwis present.
On Sunday, the 27th, after sleeping in late at a B&B called Tresco, we headed into the Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve and Maori Cultural Area. Hot springs, blasting geysers and a great Maori cultural presentation were the order of the day. We continued south and stopped at the Kerosene Creek Thermal Area for a nice soak. A group of Maori men joined us and didn't seem to embrassed to strip down totally naked before they jumped in. It was interesting to say the least.
The next stop was the Waiotapu Thermal Area. It is actually a huge dormant volcano that you can walk around. You see mud pools, thermal pools, sulfur caves, blasting geysers, green waterfalls of sulfur and every other steaming, gurgling and blasting creation Mother Nature could possibly deliver. You feel like you are walking around on one of Dante's planes of hell staring into the abyss.
Sunday night we drove into Taupo and stayed at The Oasis motel. Lake Taupo is a massive lake at the base of Mt.Tongariro. It is home to some of the best trout fishing in the world, so Monday we decided to give it a shot and took a charter out into the big lake. Joel pulled in a big rainbow trout and it was a fantastic afternoon. Monday night Lisa cooked up a fantastic dinner with the trout we caught as the centerpiece. We enjoyed "the catch of the day", sipped wine and look out our motel window as the sunset over Lake Taupo.
Tuesday, the 29th, Lisa got a haircut, while Joel played with the computer at a cyber cafe. After visiting Huka Falls, it was off to Wellington. On the way south we drove past beautiful Mt. Tongariro, Mt. Ngauruhoe and Mt. Ruapehu. Joel did a paper and a speech back at Drake on Mt. Ruapehu for a class he took called Volcanoes. It is strange to think back on that. You read about and see pictures of a distant mountain. You do your best to imagine what it is really like, hoping that some day you can actually see it for real. Then some five years later you are really there -- looking right at it, feeling its power and sheer size. Some dreams do come true.
We got into Wellington, The Gateway to the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday night and checked into the Wellington City Youth Hostel.
Wednesday, the 30th, was our departure date from the North Island. We went up to Mt. Victoria to lookout over Wellington and the surrounding area. We saw the ferry that is going to take our rental car and us on a three-hour cruise into Picton, on the South Island. Sitting on the mountaintop we had a chance to look back and reflect on our tour of the North Island. We had a great time. Exploring cosmopolitan Auckland, taking the ferry to Waiheke Island, blasting through the Bay of Islands on the Excitor, gazing out at 90-Mile Beach and "the edge of the world" at Cape Reinga. Basking in the glory of the massive Kauri trees, partying in Rotorua, mud pools, thermal springs, pulling in a huge rainbow trout and so much more. New Zealand is truly amazing and we have only scratched the surface. All the locals say the South Island is even more incredible than the North. We'll see. Next stop the South Island of New Zealand.