Preparing for our trip home - June 19 & 20

June 19th at 9:00 we left the Triton Suites and our comfortable bed and Spa which Dalton made me soak in last night until I was like a shriveled up prune in the hopes of sweating out whatever it is I have.

It was an uneventful trip, neither of us was looking forward to the trip ending, but we were still looking forward to coming home, if you can figure that one out.  We arrived in Auckland and found our motel just before dark, it was a convenient location, nothing spiffy about it.  We even had a visitor in the middle of the night, luckily neither Dalton nor I was asleep, it was a bit startling to have someone stick their head in your door.  I guess that is what you get when you forget to lock the door.  They also had fireworks going off several times, including in the middle of the night.  We both slept very poorly so were not really chipper the next day.

We asked if we could have a late departure but the place was really busy, the only one that was the entire trip, so we had to be out by 10:00.  We found a Shopping Centre nearby and went there for breakfast, neither of us felt like looking around so we decided to just head to the Airport.  We returned the car and someone from Ace Car Rentals took us to the Airport, by this time it was 11:30 and we were not flying out until 8:00 p.m.

We checked all of our bags, we had 4, had to get an extra one when we left Tasmania, but it was nice to get it all over with.  Security is much more pleasant there, they are very thorough, but they are nice about it.  Anyway, we went to the Air New Zealand Lounge and decided to pay the $55.00 each to spend the day in comfort, they also feed you all day.  They have really nice facilities, a quiet room where all cell phones have to be turned off, they have hammocks, and benches with pillows and blankets if you want to sleep.  They have really comfortable chairs and foot stools so you can rest.  They also have a couple of big screen TVs at opposite ends of the room with different things going on, they have some long tables with electrical outlets everywhere so you can use your computer and FREE WIFI.  That in itself is worth the money you have to pay.  They also have food out all day, so you can graze through the day.  There were quite a few people coming and going all day long, some for a couple of hours others for a bit longer.  We were the only ones that stayed for the entire day.  

We headed for our boarding gate at 7:00, boarded the plane at 8:00.  The plane was full and it was slightly different from the one we took from Hawaii, not quite so much room and the seats were not as comfortable as the one from Hawaii either.  There was an elderly couple that sat in front of us, he was a pain in the butt.  The Stewardess had to keep coming to his seat to tell him to be quite, to keep his shade down, he kept wanting to look out the window, which would have been the middle of the night for everyone on the flight, however, the sun was up and he kept on about how wonderful it was, in a very loud voice.  Needless to say, we didn't sleep then either.  I watched 4 movies (can't remember any of them).  

We arrived in Vancouver at 2:00, we had a 4:00 flight to the Island.  The luggage took a long time because it kept jamming up at the carousel.  We went through Customs and Dalton had brought a piece of Huon Pine (only found in Tasmania) he was going to make a cutting board out of it but they confiscated it at the airport.  Apparently, you can't bring wood into the country unless it is treated.  The Customs Officer we had needed to check with someone, who had to check with someone, etc.  Needless to say, we missed our flight and had to wait another 3 hours in Vancouver.

We managed to get on the 7:00 flight home.  Rebecca picked us up at the Airport and brought us home.  Connie, our house sitter, had invited some friends over, Warren came also. We had more food and drinks and it was great to be home.

Connie and Barry (her fella) had cleaned up the yard, mowed the lawns, planted flowers, it was fabulous.  The house was spic and Span.  She had freshened up the sheets on our bed so when we climbed in it was like floating on a cloud.  

I couldn't think of a more perfect ending to "the trip of a lifetime".

Kerikeri - June 18

We are still staying in Russell, the room is extremely comfortable to me at the moment because I have been struck down by an ailment, commonly known as the cold (or maybe the flu).  All I know is I feel terrible, scratchy throat, headache, painful sinuses, congested nose and throat.  How is that to start the last few days here!  Can't stay in the room all day, have to continue on as we only have 2 days left and one has to get us back to Auckland.

We drove to Kerikeri today, only about 27km, short trip but let me tell you, it was a beautiful one.  We passed through a little community, Paihia, a beautiful spot, nice beach, looked to be fairly high end, and then we got to Kerikeri...it is very high end.  Apparently all of the wealthy people from the South Island come up to spend the winter here.  I can understand why, average temperature in summer 26 and in winter 16...I can see why it is a popular spot.  The day we were there it was drizzly, however, it was very nice, no jackets.  We wandered around the shops, had a lovely lunch in a street side cafe and then decided we needed to do some real sightseeing, learn about the past...

Believe it or not, this is one of the first settlements, looks to be in pretty good shape doesn't it!

A nice little creek in front of the settlement

The old stone store, still in use today...they still have barrels of nails, and gardening things, however, it is mostly tourist stuff...very neat to see though.  They even have Hudson Bay blankets there...no mention of Canada though.

This is the entry to the Pa, a fortified Maori community.

They always have so many carvings, quite elaborate too

A view of the store from the Pa

Dalton always has to capture the boats

The houses are so little, you have to crawl into them, the windows are small, to let the smoke out from the fire... The houses are mainly used for sleeping and during bad weather, otherwise they (the Maori) spend all their time outside

This would be like a safe, where they keep their valuables

This is where their "Medicine Man" (they don't call that, but I forgot what they call him.  He is their healer and teacher)

I am holding up the Silver Fern, their National symbol.  Anything to do with New Zealand has a silver fern on it and it looks lovely. 

Kawakawa Bay/Whangarei/Russell - to June 17

We drove on a race course highway to get to Kawakawa Bay, on the way to the Bay of Island.  The roads are really winding and do not allow you room to move over to stop and take pictures, which is very unfortunate because, I saw a cow that was brown at both ends and had a white ring around the middle, it was a very unusual looking cow, it was in a pasture all by itself.  Maybe the other cows wouldn't play with it.

Something we have noticed since we have been to New Zealand, is the vast difference between the Aborigines and the Maori...you do not see the Maori littering the streets and parks (or any public place for that matter) with their drunken bodies.  They all seem to have jobs, they act like regular people, they are very productive and don't appear to have a chip on their shoulder.  There are many of them in the tourist industry and they are very eager to tell you about their culture and show off their beautiful country.  They are indeed a proud people and we are really happy to have been able to meet so many.

We ended our journey at the end of the Bay of Plenty at the Beachcomber Motel at Kawakaw Bay.  What a shame we weren't here in the summer, it is an absolutely beautiful spot and the motel is right on the ocean.  We could watch the sea in the comfort of our king size bed.  Unfortunately, we had much more to see so could only stay one night.

We made it to Whangarei, the home of only 7 golf courses.  Needless to say, we stayed for two nights.  The first place we went to was the Whangarei Golf Course and this is what I saw:

Rhododendron in full bloom at this time of year.  It was a balmy 16 degrees but this would normally be our December.  I was impressed!

I spent the 16th in bed while Dalton golfed.  A serious cold or flu coming on and I don't want to be having problems when we have to fly home.  The ears take a real beating when there is congestion involved.  An ounce of prevention you know...

We left the morning of the 17th and travelled to Russell which is in the Bay of Islands, it was once known as the "Hell Hole of the Pacific"...the days of rowdy whalers and drunken sailors are now well in the past and today Russell offers one of the most romantic holiday experiences in the country... We are staying at the Triton Suites and we have a huge spa in our bathroom, we wanted to check out the theory but it is so damned cold in our room that neither one of us want to take our clothes off.  Oh well, we will take their word for it.

We took a tour of the Bay of Islands on a big catamaran, we came upon a couple large pods of dolphins and three young ladies decided they wanted to swim with them.  The water here is 16 degrees, way too cold for us, however, we did enjoy the dolphins:

 

They were just swimming around without a care in the world

They are certainly graceful when they are swimming but they are spectacular when they jump

When they were right behind the boat they were leaping as high as the rails

Just one more

This is called "The Hole in the Rock", I bet you can't guess why!

The boat we were on

This is the Ferry they put us on to take us back to Russell, we would have been the only passengers on the big boat so we just transferred, we got free hot chocolate and a trip on a Ferry that is soon to be decommissioned.  The woman in the black is the Skipper

This is a shot of Russell from Flagstaff Hill, it is a lovely place

very picturesque

Russell from the ocean side

We had a lovely time today, winding down now with a Chinese take out dinner.  Maybe we will watch a little Footy, it will have to be the "All Whites" they are heroes on this side of the world.

Tauranga/Matamata - to June 15

Tauranga is a beautiful seaside City, fairly large.  We wandered around but we didn't have a lot of time as we wanted to get to Matamata (aka Hobbiton...where portions of The Lord of the Rings was filmed) while it was still daytime.  We wanted to take a tour.

I know this is an unusual picture but I just wanted to show the public toilets in this Country.   They don't have bathrooms in all restaurants like we do at home so they have these lovely structures all over the place for your convenience.  Very well maintained and they cater to your every need.

This is in Tauranga

I just loved this palm tree in Tauranga, on the boardwalk by the sea

I thought this made a lovely shot also in Tauranga on the Foreshore

This is actually taken at the Information Centre...as there is a new film of the Hobbit being shot, we had to sign confidentiality agreements so, sorry, can't post any more pictures.

After the tour of the area for the movie, we were treated to a sheep farm experience.  We had a shearing demonstration and I got to bottle feed a lamb (it was a pretty old lamb)

Doesn't she look cute!

I had to twist Dalton's arm to get a picture of Damion...

They have to wear, what looks to be pieces of leather cloth, wrapped around their feet to keep from slipping, there is so much lanolin in the wool that the floor gets really slippery.

That's quite the pile of wool, they only get just over $3.00 for a bale of wool these days, not very profitable...luckily they also raise sheep for the meat.

I always did like babies, of all types...

Gisborne/Whakatane/Rotarua

These are more pictures taken in Gisborne in the Titrangie Reserve on Kaiti Hill.  I was having problems earlier so have to try a different tact.  Hopefully I will have more luck now, or I will be throwing this damn computer out the window.

Lots of these Towns by the ocean also have rivers running through them

The Towns are so lovely, even in fog.

New Zealand has a Tea Tree called Manuka and from it they make an oil and a honey.  We stopped at the factory and purchased some things, they are supposed to be particularly good for healing.  We all know about the healing properties of Tea Tree Oil, however, this is different, in that it doesn't smell the same.  A much more pleasant odor, must be due to the honey factor.

We had about 350 km to go to get to Whakatane, however, after driving for 7 1/2 hours, we didn't want to drive any more and it was getting dark so we stayed at Opitiki.  We found a little motel to spend the night.  Dalton went out for Chinese at a little take out place.  Actually, most of the places from which to purchase a meal is a take out place.  Some have a few tables but most do not.  There are some restaurants where you can have a sit down dinner, but they are few and far between.  Mostly in larger Cities.  Anyway, the food was really good and reasonably cheap.  

Next morning Dalton nearly drowned himself in the shower, the best one he has ever been in.  It was very strong, nearly blew him out the door.  When we were checking out, the Owner asked Dalton how he liked the shower.  I guess he had been getting lots of comments.  

We made it to Whakatane early the next day, the 11th.  It was raining, but not cold.  We stopped at the Tourist Information Centre (iSite) to find out what we would be missing if we didn't stay.  We wanted to take the boat to "White Island" which is volcanic, they take tours out dependent on the weather and the tides.  Unfortunately, with the rain we couldn't go.  We stayed at the Barrington Motor Lodge, a very nice place and thought we would try our luck the next day.  The weather cleared up in the afternoon but by then it was too late to do any tours.  The next morning the sun was out but the tours were not running.  Too much turbulence.  So we just drove around and took pictures of things of interest.

This is  statue of Lady Wairaka - she saved the canoe and all possessions of her father Toroa (the 1st Maori to land in New Zealand when she turned herself into a man by crying "Kia Whakatane au I ahau" which means "I will become a man", hence the name of the Town Whakatane...women were not allowed to paddle the canoes and theirs was heading out to sea by the tide and there was no one else around to help... What a girl...

Lots of Mauri poles around, Dalton was intrigued.

On the way to Rotarua I took some pictures of the areas that have been logged just to see how the landscape looks after being logged. It greens up very quickly.

We were in the car driving along, so it is slightly blurry, however, you can get the idea.

This is a shot to show how they trim the trees from the bottom up about 10-12' off the ground to let the light in, it helps with the growth.  They can have a tree ready for harvest in 25 years...

When we arrived in Rotarua we signed up for an evening tour.  We went to Te Puia for Te Po (an indigenous evening experience.  In was totally awesome.

Visitors are asked to assemble at the gateway of their fully carved traditional marae (the open area outside their home).  Dalton was picked from the group to be a chief.  He was challenged by a warrior, the warrior came running up with his challenge, he dropped a branch off of a fern at Dalton's feet, he was to pick up the fern and then we all followed into the house.  We took off our shoes and took our seats, the men in the front, lead by Dalton.  Dalton was then greeted by the rest of the "family" (all men, there were 4 of them) by touching noses.  (My camera wasn't quick enough to catch the act).  Once this was completed, the cultural program began.  It was very interesting.  Lots of fun.

This is the warrior that came out with the challenge, unfortunately that photo didn't turn out very well

The same warrior, this is just after the nose touching

This is our chief learning the haka (this is the challenge that the Mauri do prior to any competitive sport or altercation)

He is really getting into this...

After the program was complete, we moved into the dining room and had a fabulous dinner, some of it was traditional Mauri, however, I don't think chocolate covered cream puffs was on the menu back then.  The food was excellent, pork, chicken, lamb, sweet potatoes, potatoes, squash (pumpkin) sweet corn, eel, prawns, seafood chowder, smoked pumpkin soup, lots of salads.  It was a marvelous feast.   

After dinner we went out to see the awe inspiring Pohuto geyser.  It was pouring rain by this time and we weren't sure we were going to be able to see anything.  However, it didn't let us down.  They also provided delicious hot chocolate for the viewing.

This was the best I could do, but you can actually see it.  You can feel the heat coming up from the hot water flowing over the lava rock.  It is beautiful.

Dalton has gone golfing, it is a tournament that he was able to enter.  It has been raining on and off all morning.  I am waiting to be picked up to be taken to Hells Gate Waiora Spa.  A three hour experience I am really looking forward to.

When I left you last I was waiting to be picked up for my Spa experience at WaiOra Spa at Hells Gate, just out of Rotorua.  The driver was a half hour late so I had to play catch with the Motel Owner's Black Lab until he arrived (nice dog).

I was delivered safely to my destination where I went on a tour of the area prior to my pampering.

Boiling mud - it was pouring rain also.

The sign says it all.

The sulphur smell is very strong.

Lots of bubbling mud - right about now the battery died in my camera.

It's actually quite beautiful in its own way!

After my walk I was treated to my own mud bath, I had a room (outside) all to myself, where I sat in a vat of hot water with very silky, smooth mud to rub over myself.  I had to do it myself because Dalton was at the Golf Course... Anyway, I had 20 minutes there, it was really pleasant, very warm ( I chose warm rather than hot-I still have power surges so can't take too much heat). It actually does feel like your playing in silk.  The Mud found at Hells Gate is amongst the finest in the world and forms the base of the Alite range of beauty spa products.  When my 20 minutes was up, I had to go under a very cold shower, I was under it for quite awhile because there was lots of mud in my bathing suit that I was trying to get rid of.  The next step was a hot mineral pool, it was beautiful, there was a little cave where I could set to get out of the rain.  It really was a nice experience, however, it would have been nice to be able to share the experience instead of being by myself.   

My "Miri Miri" massage was very unique..practised for thousands of years Wai Ori is a total, full massage of body and spirit.  Beginning with a Karokia (prayer) the treatment is a revitalizing, rejuvenating experience which embraces one to the landscape and people of Tikitere.  The ultimate experience which closes with the sacred head and face massage before the final karakia.  I have to say, I really felt wonderful afterwords and even after my shower the next day, my skin still felt really soft and smooth.  If I lived at Rotorua I would be going back at least once a month.