Blogs from East Coast, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 2

As soon as the skies had gone dark we stepped outside and had a short lesson on the stars and planets. There was no light for 30 miles around, so the star gazing was great and Jupiter was a pale red light. Cas and I announced that we were going skinny dipping, but the kids were torn by the thrill and the prospect of the cold water. The cold water reaction won their vote. So, just the two of us went in and came out feeling completely invigorated. Ed and Hat thought we were slightly mad...... read more

The company car, a lamb and mint pie and a bottle of L&P (world famous in New Zealand). I was ready for a road trip. For a seasoned Kiwi sports writer in the city of Gisborne, my task would have been the short straw, the long shift. For an Irish rugby fanatic and junior reporter, it turned into something else... a journey into the mystic heart of Māori culture. A day that still floats into my wandering mind some four years later. The start of my love affair with Aotearoa. My task was to report on a rugby match between Ngāti Porou East Coast and Thames Valley. Today, Ngāti Porou rugby is one of the most preserved symbols of Māori mana (a supernatural force) in New Zealand. Whakarua Park is right in the middle of the ... read more

Evening everyone, well what a fab day we had today and all by accident, didn't plan anything, but got in the car and thought we would head further down the coast. We went to a place called Te Awanga where we saw a group of school children sat in a field, so we went in and I spoke to one of the parents who said they had just been shown sheep shearing. Well, whoopee, that was on my list, so I found the farmer or maybe the sheep shearer as there called and he said 'sure I'll shear a sheep for you' !!! How good was that. It was great, just me and Stu there, the little sheep didn't like it much to begin with, he'd never been sheared before, he was about 7 months old, ... read more

Geo: -39.4917, 176.916Today was special! No shore excursions, as an old friend and associate who helped spearhead the establishment of Class Software down under lives with his wife and three kids in between Hastings and Napier, the Twin Cities or the Bay Cities.Scott and his lovely wife Emma agreed to meet us at the shuttle bus drop off and tour us around the area. allowing us to catch up at the same time.The total population of the area is 128,000 and it is located in Hawkes Bay, which is also the name of the region. Napier is smaller but is seen as major centre due to its proximity to the sea and airport. The City of Napier was razed due to a major earthquake in 1931 and the town had to be rebuilt, the result of ... read more

I woke up to hear heavy rain hammering on the roof of our motel room. Peering through the window, we could see lowering skies and a thick blanket of mist obscuring the views. We waited until ten o'clock to leave but as the downpour was unrelenting, we set off. Driving round the exposed East Cape to the lighthouse, we saw storm-tossed seas and rocks when the mist permitted. Visibility was low and we drove carefully on the unsealed road. We decided against crossing damp grassland and climbing the 200 steps to the lighthouse, especially when a sign advised us against such a course of action during heavy rains. As we drove back, though, the weather changed, quite suddenly, and the fog cleared. I could get a photo of the lighthouse perched forlornly on a crag. On ... read more