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After months of planning and a grueling 40 hours of traveling, Lauren arrives in New Zealand only to be diverted to Christchurch because for the first time in 2 1/2 years Auckland International is closed due to fog!! Four hours later she's back in Auckland and reunites with Simon (who had been waiting at the airport the whole day..) They hadn't seen each other since January and since their relationship had developed somewhat between then and now a polite handshake and trivial conversation about the weather was in order. They set a course north to the Cowshed Backpackers in the Bay of Islands, Northland, from where they were to leave on the Cape Brett walk in the morning.
Cape Brett:
It was a beautiful day, cloudy enough to keep the sun from beating down on hikers. The track winds through the bush with amazing trees and birds, and occasionaly arrives at a lookout with breath-taking views over the Bay of Islands. Lauren felt like she saw hundreds of amazing things; the giant fern trees reminded her of the jurassic and she wanted to see triceratops... They had a couple of picnic lunches at likely stops, appreciating the view
Cape Brett Lighthouse
Even from the hut, the lighthouse is a long way up. along with vindaloo canned tuna (only in New Zealand!!). Simon began force-feeding Lauren chocolate and dried strawberries, realising she hadn't really slept much since leaving Miami a couple of days earlier! 27kms later, they arrived in the dark at the Cape Brett lighthouse, the trip taking somewhat longer than intended due to the amazing scenery and the ankle-twisting track conditions. Down the railway tracks and through the knee-high grass, they finally arrived at the hut, where dinner was certainly in order. Simon made about twenty pounds of macaroni and cheese for a well-deserved hot dinner in the hut before dragging a couple of mattresses and sleeping bags outside. A bit too lazy to hike back up to the lighthouse, they stayed out on the grassy ledge below the hut. The perfect place for sleeping under the skies, the ground was soft and flat, covered in tall grass, and they could see over the vast pacific ocean with the moon glittering off tiny wave ripples. the weather was almost completely calm, with only an occasional light breeze whispering through the night to keep the dew at bay. the Cape Brett peninsula towered above, and extended out into the sea like a
massive fortress protecting the sheltered Lighthouse Bay from the ocean swells and winds that occasionally pick up in the night. A while later the moon set and all of the clouds cleared, leaving simon and lauren under a cold blanket of millions of stars. They woke to watch the sunrise, only to fall back to sleep because hey, its the weekend! On sunday they explored the area, and brought all of our gear down to the water where they went for a brief and slightly chilly (18º Celcius) snorkel before meeting up with the Northland Dive boat for a ride back in. it was another beautiful day, without a cloud in the sky and balmy air that fought the onset of winter; definitely too pretty to waste. Instead of driving straight home they stopped at a beach en route, where they met a crazy shag (cormorant) and even crazier dog. On the way home they went for traditional New Zealand and stopped at a fish n chips shop where they proceeded to order everything on the menu (Simon's last 'real' New Zealand Fush & Chups). Paua fritters are unfortunate, but everything else was greasily delicious. Finally they returned to Auckland
Lauren and Simon
We might as well be cheezy about it. for a semi-normal week of work for Simon and visiting for Lauren. Simon learned during this period that it's much more difficult to work a 9-5 when the girl you've been talking to for months, on the other side of the planet, is in the same city!
Tairua/Coromandel:
The week moved by quickly and Friday saw Simon leave his job at Fisher & Paykel for the last time, having resigned and thrown his responsibilities at the other chronically overworked and slightly apprehensive engineers. After Tia and Neha's going away bash they drove to Tairua and Jim Hope's studio on Paku Mountain. Jim Hope is the skipper of the characterful old boat Taranui. Old, slow, cheap, Simon's dived with the Taranui for years (Lauren went on a trip or two with him back in 2007) and there's a good reason for this and the fact that the booking sheet is always full: the skipper. Jim knows the Aldermen Islands, the Mercury Islands and the Coromandel coast like the back of his hand, and is full of amazing stories about the area and his time at sea as he's been running Taranui for more than 20 years. Living on a
Nice beach
I forget the name, but this beautiful beach is typical of secluded bays on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island. cliff-top property he bought for $12,000 back in 1977, its easy to see why the studio in his garden is also booked solid - the ocean view spans 180º and three steps from the end of the garden is a 150m drop straight on to the rocks below!
Diving on the Taranui for the last time, The AUUC's finest turned up for a memorable daytrip to the Alderman Islands. The viz wasn't the best and there was a little current, but the diving was still spectacular with Simon's sister, Rosemary, seeing a sunfish (Mola mola) right next to the anchor line! A rare sight, sunfish are usually found on the surface far offshore in much warmer waters.
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