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Published: January 15th 2013
Yesterday (Monday) we had the best day out sailing (explorenz) in the bay of islands, after a recommendation from Jo & Rob to do a boat trip. We boarded the 80ft maxi yacht Lion New Zealand. (Built for the late Sir Peter Blake, winner of the Syndey to Hobart 1984 and placed second in the Whitbred Round the World Race in 1985/86 - for anyone who is interested). The trip was done by Explore NZ and we would say is a definite must do.
The day was really hands-on and we had the opportunity to sail, as well as Hazel and I choosing to sit on the bow and then teetering on the very edge as the boat tacked at a very steep angle! There was a moment when we both agreed that we had crossed the excited to scared barrier, just as we dipped into a wave and got soaked.
Part of the day also included swimming ashore (with the realisation that I am so unfit, I nearly didn't make it) for some snorkeling and a quick walk to a peak of one of the islands. We snorkled in a lagoon and instantly saw loads of quite large
fish. Unfortunatley, we are not "Paul Christy" enough to have an underwater camera or "Chris Doughty" enough to have an underwater camera case, so the only photo we have is myself, in snorkel gear, with a stupid grin on my face (sorry about that!).
Our trip to the bay of islands has been amazing and it's a shame we leave today, as we have been so lucky with the good weather, I would sign up to do the last three days again (well maybe apart from the falling off the sand-board, see below!)
On Friday our trip on the Magic bus (good suggestion Christine) took us up to Paihia via Opononi, where we stopped for lunch (which is famous for having a tame dolphinliving in its harbour in the 50s). We learned about the sacred Kauri trees and visited Tane Mahuta which is one of the most ancient ones. These trees take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to grow up and so the new plantations still have a long way to go. As for the older trees, they are massive in width and it's hard to appreciate in a photo of the tree, so we hugged them
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The dot on the dune is actually Hazel coming downto show just how huge they were! Our hostel was the YHA, which was only a short walk from the beach and the pier which is really the hub of the town.
On Saturday we took a trip to Cape Reinga and we began the day visiting more Kauri trees at Manginangina. The next activity was sand boarding on the dunes which proved hard work just getting to the top. It was huge and there were no baby slopes here. The slide down was pretty steep, but I (Mark) figured that if I just hit the slope as soon as possible it would be best. Getting up there second meant that I was the first person to fall off the board part way down. After a few rolls and a face full of sand (I'm still finding sand, days later) I decided that it was not for me. I have a photo of Hazel coming down, although she is just a tiny dot on the slope.
We had lunch at Taputaputa Bay and took a dip in the Pacific Ocean before we ate. This meant that when we later went to 90 mile beach we could then dip into
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Reenactment of the moment Mark came off his sand board the Tasman Sea in the same day. The next stop was Cape Reinga, the northern most accessible point of NZ and where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. You can actually see the line of where the two meet just off the coast.
The final part of the day was a drive along the 90 Mile Beach. The tide was low, so there was no danger in the bus becoming stuck in the sand. Although, the previous week one of the buses had managed to sink into the sand and was just rescued before the tide came in!
After the drive, we stopped at Mangonui Fish Shop for dinner. Claimed to be the best "fush and Chups" in New Zealand because the fish is so fresh. However, we reckon that the fish and chips we had in Auckland were probably better and are likely to go there again when we pass through there tonight on our way to the Coromandel...yum!
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Rob
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Observation
Hi Guys Hope you are both well. Looks like you are having a great time - reading the blog is making me reminisce.....but luckily also takes my attention away from work. Just one observation though: Mark - in the photo with the snorkel (that farmer tan is impressive but you look like your tensing a bit too much, maybe do a toosie before the photo next time).