Paihia (Bay of Islands)

I’m a bit behind on my posts.  Now that I’m looking at the date, it’s about 7 to 8 days, so more pictures and less type.  It was a late arrival to the Paihia on February 5^th, due to stopping in various locations for pictures, food, and bathroom breaks.  I spent what was left of the day doing laundry and walking the coast.  The other 8 travelers also talked me into doing a day trip to the far North for 107$, which was worth it.

Tane Mahuta is the largest living kauri tree in New Zealand

I like trees :)

Waipoua Forest

The dunes at Opononi

The coast of the Paihia during sunset

Day two at the bay was spent at the Maori Festival.  I lucked out being there, considering it only happens once a year.  It had the Twin Lakes Festival feel with a bit extra.  The highlight of the day was the long boats that the Maori paddled along the coast and then onto the beach.  Traditional dance, singing, and rituals were on display, and all for free.  The second part of the day I hiked up a trail, and shot the panorama that I’m currently using as my blog header.

The video of them chanting as they rowed does this scene more justice

Arriving at the coast

Landing the Waka(canoe)

Watching over the Waka

Traditional Maori dress

Detail of the Waka carvings

A better view of the day's events

The coast of Paihia

A whole day was needed to journey up North to Cape Reinga.  I paired up with a girl from Germany, so we could take pictures and have someone to talk to.  I know how to pronounce her name, but I’d butcher the spelling of it.  Our driver for this part was phenomenal.  He was so entertaining and comical, that there was laughter on the bus constantly.  We stopped in various places to snap pictures of kauri trees, swim at the beach, sand board, and grab some fish and chips.  The buses are made to drive on the beach, so the driver roared the bus at the surf only to swerve at the last second.  Let’s just say everyone on the bus nearly S*!# their pants, but it was a good laugh after.  After a long drive on the beach we arrived at our destination.  Words cannot describe the view from the hill overlooking the lighthouse.  Just look at the pictures.

Good energy from a kauri tree

Our hilarious driver

The bus on the beach

90 Mile Beach

As far north as one can go in New Zealand

Hopefully I'll see some of those places

Staircase in a kauri tree

Only dug up Kauri trees can be sold and the prices reflect that

There was no plan for the final day in Paihia since the bus was leaving at 4pm.  Natasha from Austria and I hiked up a trail that overlooks the bay to waste some time. We also walked along the beach, and decided to do a 5km trek to Haruru Falls.  We decided to hug the highway on our way back to make the trip a bit shorter, and a bit more dangerous. 

Flower along the hike

As the tide subsides you can see the river floor

Haruru Falls

The remainder of the day was traveling back to Auckland.  She and I had drinks at Swashbucklers since I liked the bar so much last time.  Thanks to Grant for pointing out a great local bar far away from backpackers, except ourselves.           

The Newby Family

I’ll begin from the last post at the airport, sitting nervously for my ride.  A member of Couchsurfing was scheduled to pick me up at 11am, so when it was 11:05, I began to contemplate my options.  Should I wait a bit longer or think about catching a shuttle to the city?  All I had was a single photo of my host, so there wasn’t much certainty on picking him out.  At last a guy approached me, and asked if I was Steve.  Grant immediately pointed out my Chevrolet shirt as I saw he was sporting a Nurburgring (famous racetrack in Germany) shirt.  Why does a New Zealander like an American car manufacture?  It became clear when we were walking to his car.

Grant's 91 ZR1

Grant and Lucky

Grant took me to his favorite bar, Swashbucklers.  It has that nautical and sea ship vibe.  He also introduced me to a locally brewed beer, Steinlager.  I couldn’t even tell you how many I drank over the period of 4 days.  At some point during our conversation a guy asked if he could sit at our outdoor table, since all the tables were occupied.  Franz happened to be a 30 year old traveler from Austria.  So after some conversation, Grant invited him to go out on the boat the following day.

View from Swashbucklers

When we arrived at Grant’s home, I was introduced to his wife Eve, and his son and daughter.  Eve has that mother instinct and continually grilled me on scams and threats that I’ll be facing on my trip.  She’s traveled extensively, so it was helpful to hear her experiences and stories.  Grant would tell her to stop trying to scare me.  Eve is an amazing cook, and prepared so many meals over the 4 days of my stay.  The steak, lamb, and chicken were all delicious. 

One of Eve's delicious meals

Grant, Eve, Franz and I went out into Auckland Harbor on their boat.  We caught a good bit of snappers, and I caught a larger fish but the name escapes me now.  After a few hours of fishing, Grant took the boat to a small inlet by an island where we had lunch.  The whole area was littered with boats, and people were swimming and fishing.  Franz and I swam 400 feet to the shoreline and walked the coast for a bit.  You couldn’t move without stepping on small clam shells that lined the beach.  We ate lunch and enjoyed the view before heading in, although Franz was already sleeping.

View of Auckland from the boat

Grant and Eve(someone had to watch where we're going)

Rangitoto Island

Inlet where we ate and swam

Eve had some olives we munched on

On Sunday Grant and I took the Vette to the black sand beaches.  The roads were long, windy, and narrow with great spots for picturesque views.  There were two different beaches that we walked, both with blowing black sand and rough surf.  Life guards set up posts on both beaches with a limited swimming area.  That night I hung out with their son Ashton, and three of his friends in the man cave.  Card playing and drinking ensued and at some point Tiffany, Ashton’s sister joined.

Me at the black sand beaches

Making my way to the beach

Cliff edge

From the water edge

Atop a mountain

My final day was spent in Auckland.  A 45 minute trip via a rail system took me into the city.  I trekked through a windy and cloudy Auckland all the way to Morningdale, which is a good 6 mile walk.  I talked to a woman who was working outside a business.  She wanted to know how I liked New Zealand so far.  

Sky Tower

Ferry Building

I honestly think this could be the best part of my stay in New Zealand.  The four days were packed with fishing, swimming, eating, and exploring.  The time I spent with my hosts was amazing.  It’s nice to be invited into a home as a complete stranger, and be so welcomed from such generous people.  I’ll always remember those 4 days I spent with a great family from New Zealand.   

PS The next few posts will consist mainly of pictures as I have little time to write.

To Kiwi Land

The whole experience of an international flight began with a snag.  It’s something I’ve read about extensively, but I wasn’t aware that New Zealand had the policy.  Like everyone else, I waited in line until it was my turn to check my luggage and receive my boarding pass.  What am I talking about?  Since I’m buying one way tickets as I go, no onward ticket had been purchased to prove that I’m leaving New Zealand.  It was either, not board the plane, or buy a ticket to Australia on the spot.  I ran to a chair, whipped out the laptop, and bought the quickest ticket ever.  Without a doubt, there were cheaper prices to be had, but I was in a hurry.  Thinking about it now, no one at Auckland International asked to see an onward ticket, so I’m resting the blame on the San Francisco side.  I’m bummed that I had to choose a date to leave, but after three weeks, airline tickets start to rise in price anyways.

I’m devoting a paragraph to Air New Zealand.  This carrier puts everyone else to shame, and although I haven’t flown much, it seemed to be the consensus from everyone around me.  Boarding the plane you find a pillow and blanket on every seat.  Everyone had their own personal monitor built into the headrest, with a huge selection of new movies, music, TV shows and games.  The preflight information was done via the personal monitors, and consisted of the characters from the Lord of the Rings.  There were some laughs on the plane.  The food was quite elaborate for airline food.  For dinner, the chicken was marinated in tomatoes and mushrooms, along with a side of seasoned potatoes.  A whipped cake with a glaze was for dessert, and yeah, it was good.  The flight attendants also served wine, so I had a glass.  Breakfast consisted of some potatoes, a cheese omelet, yogurt, and orange juice.  I also chatted with a woman who was going to travel with friends in New Zealand for a month.  We had the same brand backpack, so it was easy to start a conversation.  We talked travel and about the gear we brought for the month.  That made the 13 hour flight more enjoyable and pleasant.    

Lord of the Rings

A plane in the terminal

From the lower level

A free shower in the airport

The process of passing through checkpoints in New Zealand was fast and efficient.  The 10 minute walk from the gate was littered with Lord of the Rings props.  I’m not familiar with the movies, so I’m not sure how they pertain to the trilogy.  My Couchsurfing friend from San Francisco told me free showers are available at the Auckland airport, so I took advantage.  Now I’m awaiting my pickup from an Auckland host.  I hope to Couchsurf at least once in every country and it helps extend my travels a bit.

Next up are pictures of the harbor and the black sand beaches.

The Final Countdown

Yes, an 80's song is the title for my final post before leaving, and I'm making the final preparations for that countdown. Unfortunately, organization has never been a strong suit for me and my brain is fried over micro managing every detail.  I'm trying to maintain a calm demeanor, but there are periods where I freak out.  

Take for instance, the airline tickets that have been purchased online from Skyscanner. Though thousands of dollars have been spent on gear and vaccines, there's something about buying airline tickets that made me a bit nervous, shaky nervous.  Maybe it's actually having a date set in stone and watching the days being marked off the calendar.  That a commitment has been made and there's no turning back now.

On the 26th of January, I'll be boarding a plane to fly to San Francisco and in three following days flying to New Zealand. Originally, there was no plan to spend anytime in the States, but seeing how most of the flights left from California, it only made sense to check out San Fransisco. The mere mention of San Francisco cues its attractions and of course the theme song to Full House. You can't pass up seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, or going on a trolley tour.

Onward to New Zealand by the 30th, but I won't touch down until February 1st due to losing a day in travel and an additional day crossing the international date line.  My first few days will be spent in Auckland and from there Magic Bus will be the main mode of transportation over the North and South Islands.  Various routes are offered with the ability to enter and exit the buses as you please.  The pass is good for a whole year but a month will suffice for my stay. As far as lodging goes, it'll be a mix of camping, hostels, and  Couchsurfing.  At some point I'll get into Couchsurfing a bit more, but for now there's a video on the basics at the bottom of the post.   Money will be saved by buying food at grocery stores and cooking it at the hostels.  That money will be needed for all the activities that New Zealand has to offer, and it's quite a list, which I'll share when I have a few good pictures.

The route over the North and South Islands of New Zealand

An addition route that was added

The currency of New Zealand and Australia that was ordered at the bank

Australia, without a doubt, will follow New Zealand.  How long will I be there?  Who knows.  I don't want to think that far ahead.  No more micro managing.  It's at that point, you realize you're adding stress and loosing that adventure.