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Published: October 14th 2006
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The Fantastic Four
We met a fellow American living in New Zealand who was kind enough to take our photo. Home to the Hobbits, the North Island is a place we had been waiting for an excuse to travel to. Upon hearing that Todd and Caroline would be stopping in New Zealand on their around-the-world honeymoon, we snatched the chance to meet up with them. Besides, we figured it would be grand to see old friends in a new land. We ignored the warnings of many South Islanders who quipped, “Auckland is too busy and the people are rude”, and decided to see it for ourselves.
We boarded the puddle jumper, flew over Cooke’s Straight, and landed in the largest city in New Zealand. Bryan felt the effects of a 45-minute airport shuttle ride, so we decided to hit the hay instead of make use of the bungy jump across the street from our hotel. In the morning, Todd and Mindy shot words through the air via text messaging - Mindy’s hen-pecking couldn’t keep up with Todd’s fast predictive text. In the end, we figured out where the other was, and our clans united.
The city seemed quiet for a Saturday morning, but we found an open café where we could catch up. We aimlessly meandered our way to
Suspended in air
Todd and Caroline enjoyed bouncing the bridge. Mission Bay (thanks to the suggestion of a security guard). From there we could vaguely see the city skyline through the fog as we hunted for shells along the beach. Caroline’s sharp nose led us to a French market in Parnell, where we sampled wine and cheese amidst the hustle and bustle of a waking city. After a wander through local shops and café gardens, we hit the only real highway that we have seen in New Zealand … and there was traffic! After six months of two-lane roads, a highway was actually exciting for us - nostalgia of home. Caroline and Todd, however, didn’t share our enthusiasm.
We were headed to “Nature’s spa of the South Pacific”, also known as “Roto-Vegas” by locals. Rotorua lies over an active thermal area, and boasts an abundance of hot mineral pools, bubbling mud, hissing geysers, and steaming lakes of greens and red. On our way to our destination Bryan and Caroline fell asleep in the car, while Mindy and Todd took in scenery of kelly green rolling hills, farm animals, and even a rainbow! After waking the sleeping beauties, we had lunch at a quaint little cottage winery - complete with
Mining Track
We didn't find any gold, but we followed along the tracks... cat and dog winding their ways under foot.
Karangahake mining ruin lay 50 metres up the road, and we explored the rusty tracks, battery, and pipes. In the mining days, gold was extracted by tunnelling into veins of quartz rock. We did not find any gold, but did discover a pair of swing bridges that spanned the gorge. We ran, bounced, and shook the bridges until we were tossed about dizzy. The sun was lowering in the sky, though, so we continued on our journey to Jack and Di’s place.
Jack and Di were kind enough to offer up a private lakefront cottage that was clean and stacked with possibilities. The fridge was full, and outside some kayaks laid next to the hot tub room. Although we never met Jack or Di, we sensed that they are kindred souls. It was here that Todd first realised that Mindy and Bryan were flying out of Rotorua, not driving five hours back to Auckland the next day … whew, what a relief!
As Sunday rolled around, we Tarbells felt the weekend closing in. We debated over which activities we had time to pursue while Todd and Caroline slept
Jack and Di's Place
We enjoyed the luxery of a stacked fridge, comfy lounge area, spa pool, and peaceful views. in a bit longer. We wanted our honeymooners to “see” New Zealand, but were aware that their time was short. After much debacle, we drove to Te Puia to check out the geysers and mud pools.
The four of us were a bit sceptical at the park entrance, thinking that it had potential to be a tourist scam. Once through the gates, though, we happily followed the winding paths to the geothermal wonders. The mud pools looked like they would be the home of Jabba the Hutt, the obese, slug-like gangsta in Return of the Jedi. Glub, glubb, blop. The smell of sulphur eminated from steaming holes, and heat eminated from colourful rocks. The heat was magnetic in a sense: Each of us was compelled to hold our own hand over a hot spot, despite seeing the previous person pull a hand away exclaiming, “Ow, that’s hot!”
We watched a demonstration on making Maori flax skirts, a fashion that never took off in modern day because the flax is so sharp that it is uncomfortable to sit down. The time-consuming skirts are still made by hand today and used in Maori rituals and tribal dances. We saw the
Pohutu Geyser
There she blows! skirts in action during a Maori song and dance performance in the whare runanga, a communal meeting house. No sooner had we taken our shoes off to enter the meeting house, than we had to put them back on to head to the airport. The festive music rang in our heads as we hurried to the small local airport. If only we’d known about the three-hour delay to take-off!
Our trip to the North Island was short and sweet, and we did not pass a rude person (despite popular South Islander belief). We found comfort in spending time with dear friends and joining in new beginnings. Every new beginning brings another end, however. We sadly put Leonard, our 40-year-old refrigerator, to sleep Monday morning. We now have the Kelvinator, butter conditioner and veggie drawer included.
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Brian Gonci
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Geyser
Wow, that is an awsome shot of the Geyser