First of all, thank you so much, Rob, for setting up this blog site for us!!!
Our first (and only) email, titled "Time Really Does Fly When You're on an Airplane", was to remind you of that feeling when traveling of how quickly in this day and age we can transport ourselves into a whole new place and culture. This title comes from the fact that we always manage to get to where we're going even if we didn't plan on going there. In other words, we've discovered that the two of us are highly directionally challenged, not entirely our fault. For example, last evening we disembarked the Interislander Ferry at Picton on the north tip of the South Island (after crossing the Cook Strait from Wellington on the south tip of the North Island) and decided to go on to Nelson. So, we took the turn at the highway sign pionting to Nelson and after some time had passed we discovered we were actually going directly southeast instead of directly west, the location of Nelson. So you see, there are always many ways to get somewhere. And, we had a beautiful scenic drive through wine country.
We had 10 diverse, fun, amazing, days on the North Island-landing in Auckland and heading up the west coast from there. Our first night spent at a B&B in Helensville (a small historic coastal village) -there, the host Rene asked if we were from Finland. (We have met very few Americans-mostly Brits, Aussies, Swedish, and Finnish). Then up the Kauri coast through the Waipoua Kauri Forest ( a native tree which was almost wiped out for grazing meadows for all of the sheep and cattle here). Stayed at a DOC (Department of Conservation) site there. Tramped (hiking) around and saw some magnificent trees, saw a Rosella (bird that looks like a parrot), and had our first Hokey Pokey ice cream. Went on up to 90 mile beach (which is actually about 67 miles long). And to Cape Reinga along a windy gravel, steep road and camped at the DOC site situated in a beautiful crescent shaped beach with crystal clear aqua blue Pacific Ocean with huge waves. (Tasman Sea is on other side) Hollis had her first swim in the ocean there. This wild area spoke the most to her of anywhere we visited on the North Island. Then down the East Coast through lots of cattle and some sheep. VERY narrow, windy roads ( the roads have no shoulders here). We went through Bay of Islands, but too crowded for our liking so we went on to a random, remote beach called Whananaki ( Pr. Fananaki Maori pronounce Wh like F) (there's also a town called Whakatone; pr. Fukatony) Saw HUGE comet in the sky, also saw that there is no big dipper down here. Saw Southern Cross for the first time. This was after we got "lost" and found another really cool place where we went from rolling hills into jungle where the road became dark on account of all the stuff growing on all sides and above us. On to the Coromandel Peninsula. Drove along the west coast up a very narrow road, single lane at times, almost hadto stop the van to get around the corners. Drove through twighlight zone towns that got stuck in the fifties. Then cut across to the east side of the pen. through Dr. Seuss like hills. Very tall, green rolling hills with fences starting at the bottom and going clear to the top and continuing on. (Mary's favorite place). Went to Hahei and stayed at the Top 10 Holiday Park right on the beach (high class camping complete with hot water showers, laundrymat, kitchen, etc.). Went snorkeling ( didn't see much) at Gemstone Bay and over to Cathedral Cove a postcard setting where you walk through a natural rock arch from one beach to the next. Had a great swim out to a big jumping rock where all of the kids were having great fun flinging themselves into the ocean. That evening we went to hot water beach and rented a shovel for 4 dollars to join the masses in digging our hole in the sand at low tide to fill with hot water from the underground volcanic activity. We noticed that we were the only ones drinking beer, sitting in our hot holes just feet from the cold Pacific Ocean when we invited a Kiwi couple and an Iraqi to join us as there were no more hole spots left. Being curious as to the perfect situation to drink a cold beer in was not being taken advantage of by others, we asked the Kiwi couple and they informed us there was a ban on drinking on the beach. Ignorance is bliss.
The next day took us cross country to Hobbiton. There we indulged ourselves in pretending we were truly in Hobbiton ( Somewhere Holly would live in a heartbeat) and climbed in Bilbo and Frodo's hobbit hole home, stood in Sam's garden and danced under the party tree. It was truly magical. OK. Then we went to Rotorua which is famous for it's thermal pools, but since there are a million choices of things to do just about anywhere in NZ we chose to go to the Kiwi Encounter where volunteers raise baby Kiwis (the birds) in incubators and reintroduce them into the wild. We got to see an egg with a baby in it (lit up with a torch, as it is called here, or flashlight) and a 4 hour old baby-the cutest thing in the whole world! And into a darkened room to watch the Kiwi run around ( they're nocturnal). That night, we went to the Mitai Maori hangi (feast-including the native sweet potato, kumara) and demonstration of paddling a warrior canoe and dancing, the men mostly doing warrior stuff and the women doing poi (swinging balls on a string and hitting them against their arms to a beat) very cool. Afterwords we went on a tour through their family jungle witnessing freshwater eel and a fairyland of glow worms. OK. That tour was bonus because we had gotten "lost" again and were supposed to be on a completely different tour which actually we got to do after being escorted through the jungle by a handsome Maori warrior to meet up with the other group where we witnessed rainbow trout the size of a limo practically and the kea ( a very curious parrot-like bird), and some reptiles. Next day we drove on The Desert Road past Tongarirovlcano, this area was the setting of Mordor in Lord of the Rings. Now here we are in... where the hell are we? well, we know we're 20 minutes away from the start of the Abel Tasman Great Walk tomorrow we will get our supplies and the next day head out on a 4 day 3 night coastal walk which we booked this morning checking availability and the tide charts (there are 2 tidal crossings that must be done at low tide) we'll be fully self-sufficient with our backpacks, food, stove (they call it a cooker here) and stay in huts along the way. We will post pics as soon as we find a computer that will accept discs.
Intersting NZ facts:
RE: Coffee choices are a :short black= one shotof espresso. long black= one shot of espresso with hot water. flat white=one shot of espresso with milk. cream= whipped cream. A fluffy is steamed milk with marshmallows (a favorite drink of children). latte= latte.
More later. We love you all and think of each of you at different times in our travels.
Love, Hollis and Mary
Our first (and only) email, titled "Time Really Does Fly When You're on an Airplane", was to remind you of that feeling when traveling of how quickly in this day and age we can transport ourselves into a whole new place and culture. This title comes from the fact that we always manage to get to where we're going even if we didn't plan on going there. In other words, we've discovered that the two of us are highly directionally challenged, not entirely our fault. For example, last evening we disembarked the Interislander Ferry at Picton on the north tip of the South Island (after crossing the Cook Strait from Wellington on the south tip of the North Island) and decided to go on to Nelson. So, we took the turn at the highway sign pionting to Nelson and after some time had passed we discovered we were actually going directly southeast instead of directly west, the location of Nelson. So you see, there are always many ways to get somewhere. And, we had a beautiful scenic drive through wine country.
We had 10 diverse, fun, amazing, days on the North Island-landing in Auckland and heading up the west coast from there. Our first night spent at a B&B in Helensville (a small historic coastal village) -there, the host Rene asked if we were from Finland. (We have met very few Americans-mostly Brits, Aussies, Swedish, and Finnish). Then up the Kauri coast through the Waipoua Kauri Forest ( a native tree which was almost wiped out for grazing meadows for all of the sheep and cattle here). Stayed at a DOC (Department of Conservation) site there. Tramped (hiking) around and saw some magnificent trees, saw a Rosella (bird that looks like a parrot), and had our first Hokey Pokey ice cream. Went on up to 90 mile beach (which is actually about 67 miles long). And to Cape Reinga along a windy gravel, steep road and camped at the DOC site situated in a beautiful crescent shaped beach with crystal clear aqua blue Pacific Ocean with huge waves. (Tasman Sea is on other side) Hollis had her first swim in the ocean there. This wild area spoke the most to her of anywhere we visited on the North Island. Then down the East Coast through lots of cattle and some sheep. VERY narrow, windy roads ( the roads have no shoulders here). We went through Bay of Islands, but too crowded for our liking so we went on to a random, remote beach called Whananaki ( Pr. Fananaki Maori pronounce Wh like F) (there's also a town called Whakatone; pr. Fukatony) Saw HUGE comet in the sky, also saw that there is no big dipper down here. Saw Southern Cross for the first time. This was after we got "lost" and found another really cool place where we went from rolling hills into jungle where the road became dark on account of all the stuff growing on all sides and above us. On to the Coromandel Peninsula. Drove along the west coast up a very narrow road, single lane at times, almost hadto stop the van to get around the corners. Drove through twighlight zone towns that got stuck in the fifties. Then cut across to the east side of the pen. through Dr. Seuss like hills. Very tall, green rolling hills with fences starting at the bottom and going clear to the top and continuing on. (Mary's favorite place). Went to Hahei and stayed at the Top 10 Holiday Park right on the beach (high class camping complete with hot water showers, laundrymat, kitchen, etc.). Went snorkeling ( didn't see much) at Gemstone Bay and over to Cathedral Cove a postcard setting where you walk through a natural rock arch from one beach to the next. Had a great swim out to a big jumping rock where all of the kids were having great fun flinging themselves into the ocean. That evening we went to hot water beach and rented a shovel for 4 dollars to join the masses in digging our hole in the sand at low tide to fill with hot water from the underground volcanic activity. We noticed that we were the only ones drinking beer, sitting in our hot holes just feet from the cold Pacific Ocean when we invited a Kiwi couple and an Iraqi to join us as there were no more hole spots left. Being curious as to the perfect situation to drink a cold beer in was not being taken advantage of by others, we asked the Kiwi couple and they informed us there was a ban on drinking on the beach. Ignorance is bliss.
The next day took us cross country to Hobbiton. There we indulged ourselves in pretending we were truly in Hobbiton ( Somewhere Holly would live in a heartbeat) and climbed in Bilbo and Frodo's hobbit hole home, stood in Sam's garden and danced under the party tree. It was truly magical. OK. Then we went to Rotorua which is famous for it's thermal pools, but since there are a million choices of things to do just about anywhere in NZ we chose to go to the Kiwi Encounter where volunteers raise baby Kiwis (the birds) in incubators and reintroduce them into the wild. We got to see an egg with a baby in it (lit up with a torch, as it is called here, or flashlight) and a 4 hour old baby-the cutest thing in the whole world! And into a darkened room to watch the Kiwi run around ( they're nocturnal). That night, we went to the Mitai Maori hangi (feast-including the native sweet potato, kumara) and demonstration of paddling a warrior canoe and dancing, the men mostly doing warrior stuff and the women doing poi (swinging balls on a string and hitting them against their arms to a beat) very cool. Afterwords we went on a tour through their family jungle witnessing freshwater eel and a fairyland of glow worms. OK. That tour was bonus because we had gotten "lost" again and were supposed to be on a completely different tour which actually we got to do after being escorted through the jungle by a handsome Maori warrior to meet up with the other group where we witnessed rainbow trout the size of a limo practically and the kea ( a very curious parrot-like bird), and some reptiles. Next day we drove on The Desert Road past Tongarirovlcano, this area was the setting of Mordor in Lord of the Rings. Now here we are in... where the hell are we? well, we know we're 20 minutes away from the start of the Abel Tasman Great Walk tomorrow we will get our supplies and the next day head out on a 4 day 3 night coastal walk which we booked this morning checking availability and the tide charts (there are 2 tidal crossings that must be done at low tide) we'll be fully self-sufficient with our backpacks, food, stove (they call it a cooker here) and stay in huts along the way. We will post pics as soon as we find a computer that will accept discs.
Intersting NZ facts:
RE: Coffee choices are a :short black= one shotof espresso. long black= one shot of espresso with hot water. flat white=one shot of espresso with milk. cream= whipped cream. A fluffy is steamed milk with marshmallows (a favorite drink of children). latte= latte.
More later. We love you all and think of each of you at different times in our travels.
Love, Hollis and Mary
