George’s Adventure

Tuesday 11 July 2006

Arrived in New Zealand on 30th June.  I flew into Auckland and after the strict customs operations (you are not allowed to bring in any type of food or products like wood or seeds or plants etc), Brooke was there waving and with a smile on her face to greet me.  My first impression of New Zealand was that it was just like England.  Green grass and trees and they drive on the same side as us.  However, I think there is a lot more to NZ and I couldnt wait to find out.

After shopping for warmer clothing (it is winter here) and getting in the mood by watching “Once were Warriors” ”The Whale Rider” we took a trip to Marsden Point.  It is wonderful here.  The beaches are so clean and the sand is silky. 

We went for a trip up the skytower.  From the top viewing deck you can see so far accross the city.  It is such a beautiful place. 

We took a boat from Auckland to Waiheke island where they have many vinyards that make NZ award winning wine.  Some of the houses goes for millions of dollars and they have power but no sewage or mains water. 

While we were in Auckland we went to Mount Eden. From this volcano you can see a really great view of the city. We also went to Auckland museum where we went to a Maori cultural performance. We also had a look around the shops in Queens Street and High Street and had a peek around Victoria Park Market. Busy busy.

We have booked the magic bus travellers network to get around New Zealand. This is great because we can hop on and off the buses when we want as the buses run all the time. The buses also take you to interesting places on the way to your destination. On the way from Auckland to Paihia we stopped at Waipoua forest where there was a kauri tree that was supposed to have seeded around 2000 years ago. That is amazing.

Our first overnight stop on the buses was Paihia. This is where we took a boat out to the Bay of Islands and saw wild dolphins swimming. There were so many of them and I really wanted to get in and swim with them but we were not allowed as there were baby dolphins there and if we swim with them the parents get distracted and will not feed the babies. We also saw the ‘Hole in the Rock’. On the way back we got off at Russel island. This is the oldest town in New Zealand. We had a wander around the island and i had pumpkin and kumera soup for lunch – yummy.

We went for a walk to the Haruru Falls through mangrove. I have never seen mangrove before so it was quite something. It was a 5km walk one way so by the end of it my legs felt like they were going to drop off (how i am going to walk up a glacier later on i dont know).

From Paihia we went on a Northern Exposure tour. This takes you to Cape Reinga which is the very northern tip of the north island. On the way we drove down Ninety Mile Beach which is so amazing. It’s a massive beach with sand dunes at the top. This is where I went sand boarding. Completely mad and I ended up with sand all in my face and in between my teeth somehow….but so fun. You climb up a big sand dune (this is the exhausting bit) and then lie on the board and slide down really fast.  Very exhilarating.

At Cape Reinga there is a lighthouse.  Maori people believe that your spirit leaves from this point when you die and it is also where the Tamsin and Pacific ocean meet.

On the way home from the trip I had (in true NZ style) fish and chips.  The fish was so fresh it actually tasted good. 

The next step was to go from Auckland to Rotorua.  We stopped off at Waitomo on the way and did Black water rafting and tubing.  This was absolutely amazing and very very cold and wet.  You start off by walking through the waitomo caves.  If you cover you helmet light with your hand you can see the glow worms in the cave.  They are spectacular.  I had to fall backwards down a waterfall with only a black inflatable ring for comfort and then go down a slide.  I got soaked and very cold.  It was such fun though.

Today I walked around Rotorua on my own and saw the thermal pools that they have here.  There is steam everywhere.  It is very bizarre. When I walked accross the bridge in the middle of the pool my glasses completely steamed up.

In the evening Janine and I went to the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua. It is like getting in a hot bath. Amazing. I think i have strained my knee with all the walking I have been doing so it really helped ease the pain. There were 4 spas altogether ranging from 39 degrees to 42 degrees. They are open aired and look of the lake – what a view. You could sit there and look up at the stars.

Tags: Auckland, Cape Reinga, New Zealand, Paihia, Rotorua, Travel, Waitomo

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