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Published: March 23rd 2008
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Coromandel Penninsula
View on the drive to Fletcher Bay. My time in New Zealand is sadly over, but having heard so many great things about the Coromandel Pennisula, I made sure to fit in a visit before I left the country. With only 4 days remaining I took a ferry from Auckland to Coromandel Town and organized a day to hike the Cormandel Walkway, which is at the tip of the pennisula and goes from Fletcher Bay to Stony Bay. I wish I could post all of my photos here, it was absolutely beautiful. I was fortunate to have nice weather and a lovely English couple to walk with. Along the walk we stopped at a little bay for lunch and decided to search for some shells. I found a beautiful cat's eye shell and then became obsessed with finding more just like it. I'm not sure if it was while I sat down for lunch or while I was doing my shell search, but some form of bug (possibly a spider) managed to crawl up my long pants and bite my thigh. I scratched where the bite was thinking whatever it was had fallen down, but I was so obsessed with my search for shells that I wasn't quite
aware that it continued to bite me at least another 4 or 5 times. Being that most of the bugs in New Zealand are relatively innocuous, I was very surprised that these bites were already itching along the hike and two weeks later the marks are finally gone. But look at the shells, wasn't it worth it? 😊
After a great day of hiking, I caught a bus to the other side of the penninsula and checked into Whitianga. The primary attractions in the area are a hike called Cathedral Cove and several really nice beaches, but they're in/near a town called Hahei which is a bit away from Whitianga and not easy to get to without a car. I had enquired at my hostel about ways to get there and they said I could hire a bike and bike there, which sounded awesome. The shortcut to Hahei included a quick pedestrian ferry ride over to Ferry Landing, where I expected I would be able to hire a bike. I walked around the area near the Ferry landing for awhile and realized that APPARENTLY, I was supposed to get the bike while I was in town and bring it
over on the ferry. At this point, I was near Cooks beach and decided to take a stroll. After all, it was my last full day in NZ, so I wanted to make the most of it. After my stroll (and hunt for more cat's eye shells) the challenge was to figure out how to get to Hahei without a bike or a car as it was at least 8 km away. It was a nice day, so I decided to walk and just take in the scenery. I walked for about an hour and considered hitching a ride (it wasn't a busy road, but there was some local traffic). A little while later a car stopped (unprompted) and a Kiwi gentleman who lived in Auckland, and Hahei, offered me a ride to town. He had passed me on the road a few times and realized I was walking a long way. He was incredibily hospitable and not only gave me a ride to town, but showed me where the beach was and where the start of the Cathedral Cove hike was. Had he not given me the ride, I may not have had time to actually do the hike
Cat's Eye Shells
I found these during a lunch stop at one of the bays along the coastline. once I got into town since I did have to catch the ferry back to Auckland that night. As with most of the coastal walks in New Zealand, the scenery along the walk was so pretty and peaceful. Additionally, there were lots of hills so it made for a good workout. After checking out Cathedral Cove I continued on another walkway that took me to Hahei Beach. It was a pleasant surprise and probably one of the nicest beaches I've seen in New Zealand. It was an awesome way to spend my last day there. While sitting on the beach I was sad to think I was leaving and within 48 hours would be at the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport. A far cry from the beaches of New Zealand. I enquired at the local general store what my options were to get back to the passenger ferry and was able to get a ride from a guy who ran tours. I spent the night in Auckland at my sister's house and caught an early morning flight back to the US (via Hong Kong...yes, I'm aware it's not the most direct route). It was sooo tough to say bye to my sister
Stony Bay
The final stop on the beautiful coastal walk was at the bay below. and my neice and nephew, but I knew it was time to go. I had a great time in New Zealand and hope I get to visit again sometime in the near future.
30 hours after boarding the plane I found myself in Dallas getting into a cute PT Cruiser rental car. It was so nice to have the ability to drive again and actually know where I was going before I got there. Dallas has grown so much that there were times I thought I was lost, but things had just changed and my old landmarks were gone. It's hard to believe I left Dallas over 6 years ago. My 2 1/2 days there flew by, but I did get a chance to visit with several friends and visited some old favorite restaurants. Oh, and one of the best things about being back in the USA was the awesome customer service just about everywhere I went. People were nice in the other countries I visited, but they can't compare at a customer service level. Maybe it's because I was in Texas, and everybody knows Texans are just generally nice people 😊, but I was just overwhelmed by the
difference. From Dallas I flew to El Paso where I'm visiting my parents and spending time with my longtime friend Dawn. Given that the international portion of my trip is over I really do want to reflect on the trip as a whole. I'm hoping I can accomplish that, as well as highlight my El Paso visit and give you some insight into my plans going forward, in my next blog entry. I'll be back in New York/Connecticut on Monday and am looking forward to catching up with lots of friends. It's good to be home!
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Gina & Steven
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Welcome Home
It's good to have you home! What an amazing trip!!! Can't wait to hear all about it and see all your amazing photo's. Love Gina