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Published: April 26th 2008
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Going to have to make this brief because I'm miles/kilometres behind on my blogs! I'm in the US of A at the moment, been to Fiji, and this blog is now about things that happened 6 weeks ago!
Windy Wellington Tent nearly blew away in the night, Amy and I had to jump out 3 times in the night to peg the thing back down!! Never been to a city so windy! Botanical gardens were pretty, especially the rose garden. The old cable car the takes you to the top of them was a nice addition and museum was interesting - i have decided that i do indeed need my own personal cable car.
Napier No rain in Napier in 3 months, and it tips down when we get there, typical! i blame Amy's knack of attracting the rain! Met up with Naomi, a friend from the Stray bus, went for a drink and the town was dead as a door nail. Earthquake musuem told of the devastation caused by the biggest earthquake in NZ history. Over 250 people died in Napier and the town had to be rebuilt!
Hamilton: Blackcaps vs England. 1st day, 1st test
Luckily for us, the rain clouds parted for the cricket in Hamilton. Really nice day. Amy enjoyed her introduction to cricket and didnt even look at the book she had been advised to bring! ...and found $100 on the floor - result!
Bay of Islands spent 2 days, 1 night aboard the Rock, a converted car ferry, to visit the Bay of Islands. Probably my best trip in NZ. Amy and I...
*shot at a plastic duck towed behing the boat
*caught some "huge" fish
*Ate lots of freshly caught mussels. I even dived to grab my own mussel from a rock!
*tried sea urchin eggs. surprisingly nice - they sell for $800/kg!!
*kayaked out into the darkness of the night to witness the bioluminescence created by living organisms as you disturb them in the water. Amy and I then took a swim in the dark. It was amazing to see the water sparkle as we splashed around!! Diving underwater was like having a glitterball infront of my eyes! will never forget that.
*Fed fish with fresh mussels while snorkeling. They ate straight from our hands!!
*spent time on a secluded beach. beautiful views from
the hills on that island - could see for miles!
*kayaked into a cave whilst doing some exporing - Amy very nearly got stuck!
*listened to guitar and singing by the fire under the stars
I've probably missed something. oh and strange Russian guy asked his son to take a picture of him and Amy with her book because it had a Russian author! strange.
We also went to Waitangi, which is where the treaty was first signed in 1840 by Maori chiefs and the British. The treaty guaranteed Maori rights to their land and gave Maori the rights of British citizens.
Matai Bay En route to Cape Rienga we stopped for "world famous" fish and chips - yummy - and the drove up the karikari peninsula to Matai Bay and I'm so glad we did. It was one of my favourite places in NZ. We camped in a DOC camped that was practically free and 1 minute walk from the beach. The sky turned gorgeous shades of reds and purples over a horse shoe shaped bay. We walked along the deserted sands and skimmed stones out into the flat waters before sitting under the
stars right there on the beach. Perfect.
Cape Rienga Right at New Zealands northern most point lies the spiritual land of Cape Rienga, and it's not so spiritual light house. It was quite a drive, including an hour of unsealed road - coming back was fun, drifting around corners on the wet gravel! It was unfortunate that the London/Sydney/NY etc sign was broken, but the views more than made up for it. It also means I have travelled the length of New Zealand.
Kauri Forest We drove back down the west coast along the windy roads of the Kauri Forest. Stayed at another DOC site. Went to see the largest and second largest Kauri trees. Think of biggest tree you have ever seen - times that by 10. it was massive, huge - surrounding trees looked like twigs! definately didn't dissapoint.
Piha Worth a mention, not only for the beautiful sunset at the beach there, but also for our little petrol chase. We hit the red fuel light coming down the steep hill into Piha only to find out there is no petrol station there - eek! Amy had to drive us ultra economically
back up the long windy steep hill to the nearest petrol station 40km away! We also played tennis.
Toupo: Amy's Birthday I extended my stay in New Zealand so that I could spend Amy's birthday with her. We spent it in luxury. Amy's parents paid for us to spend 4 nights in a lovely apartment overlooking the lake in Taupo. (thanks again - it was great!) It was beautifully furnished with doors opening out onto the pool. Just a little step up from Castle 2 - our tent! One of the best things was having a proper kitchen and we made the most of it! We made our own pizzas which turned out delicious. For Amy's birthday i cooked the biggest breakfast i have ever cooked. Bacon, sausage, scrambled egg, hash browns, mushrooms, tomato, toast and beans - so nice! We decided to make the most of the apartment and had fillet steak as part of our 3 course birthday meal - My mouth is watering just thinking back to it!
Also in Taupo... We played killer prawn golf - because we could. went to a honey store with lots of yummy honey and a bee hive
inside. Swam in hot springs. Amy did a 3rd sky dive. Walked along the lake. sat at the beach.
Other bits and bobs At various points Amy and I stayed with a few of amy's friends that she had met on her travels - It was great to see real life in New Zealand and get some home comforts! Including a lamb roast - yum! They were all really nice and we were very grateful for the break from tent life!
Canadian Club with L&P is my new favourite drink!
Traveling by car was great. The Roads on both islands are fun to drive. They offer a huge array of breathtaking views, tight curves, and (with the exception of Auckland) are quiet enough for you to enjoy them to yourselves. Camping may not have been the Ritz but cheap and always available.
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