Blogs from North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 15

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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Waitomo Caves March 20th 2020

Everywhere in New Zealand is a long drive to get to. However, once at the destination it is worth it. Hobbiton was a good 2 hour drive from Auckland and was a much better experience than I had anticipated. I never realised that the movie set for the Hobbit/ Lord of the rings trilogy was so huge. We walked through The Shire with all it's lovely Hobbit Holes and even in the light rain it was a delight. Our guide explained that some of the Hobbit houses are much smaller than others so that Gandalf can stand next to a small one and look huge ,whereas a Hobbit can stand next to a large one and look small. The attention to detail is amazing. Smoke comes out of the chimneys and vegetables and flowers grow in ... read more
Hobbiton in the rain
Hobbit veg garden
Pokeku bird

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland March 18th 2020

It was very sad to leave the ship in Auckland and know that no passengers were going to be boarding and the majority of the crew would be sent home because of this coronavirus. We were the last cruise ship allowed into New Zealand before the total ban. We checked into the Hotel Grand Windsor on Queens St, which is a lovely hotel on one of the busiest streets in the city close to all amenities. Our first trip out was to the Art Gallery, which has a nice small section of International Art but is mostly New Zealand Art. We both love aboriginal art but I am afraid that Maori Art doesn't do anything for us. We fancied a Chinese meal for lunch as Auckland has a very large Asian population. We made the mistake ... read more
Dinner in Oyster & Chop
Holy Trinity Cathedral- new bit
Holy Trinity -old bit

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island March 11th 2020

Okay, so. I did something today. We are at Blue Duck Station right now, which is quite literally in the middle of nowhere, without wifi or cell-reception. It’s really beautiful, though. Reminds me a little of home. And out here, at Blue Duck Station, cut off from civilisation, I made the executive decision to do something. So, I channeled my long-suppressed inner bavarian who wants to drink beer and shoot at things, and went on a hunt. A real stalking, rifle-carrying, ambushing hunt in the New Zealand bush. And it was great. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would! The guide was a super cool dude, and he has been hunting since he was a child, so he knew his shit. There was another guy with us, and that was it: The hunting-party. ... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Central Plateau March 10th 2020

We spent the last night at Lake Aniwhenua, which was very interesting. It was a cultural Maori experience, with a Maori tour-guide showing us around and telling us some pretty wild myths from their mythology. I attended a traditional flax-weaving course and wove a bracelet! Love that for me. For dinner they made Hangi; it’s a traditional way of cooking food in a firepit with heated stones, underground and sort of buried. The food was smoked and steamed essentially to perfection - it was so good. Tasted even smokier than things from the smoker! They also made fried bread, which was just fabulous. We ate out of little woven bowls, with our fingers, so I had way too much fun. Needless to say, I ate far too much.... read more
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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Raglan March 6th 2020

Only two weeks left – and we had to make the most of it. We had really been contemplating how many places to stop, and opted for the longer drives and a few more days in each place. It takes a lot of energy to get to know a new place. Unpacking, finding out who sleeps where, how the shower works, what shops are there, kitchen facilities etc. Not least for Ollie and Alba. At this point they been away from home longer than ever before in their lives, and for more than two months been bombarded with new experiences, new people, places, food and everything else. Waitomo campground was the next stop. We had chosen it mainly because there was a pool. It was (un)surprisingly easy to settle into for everyone. More friends to play ... read more
Pool at the camsite
Alba in disguise
Our bell tent


We had booked ourselves into a summer house for the last week of our trip. A kind of holiday from the holiday. The aim was to find our own space, wind down and have time to soak us the last of the sun and the waves before returning to a very wet and, in comparison, pretty cold northern Europe. If I have to say it myself, we did pretty well at just that! We spent the time at the playground, at the beach and doing a few trips. But not very many. We had rented a big summer house, so had invited new friends, that we met over Christmas in Bay of Islands, down to stay for the weekend. Only plan set in stone for the 7 days was a trip to see Cathedral Cove and ... read more
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We took home SO much sand...
The river side of the peninsula

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Waitomo March 3rd 2020

I spent the last ten days or so with an older couple in their massive house in the woods. I did a lot of painting and some concrete-wheeling for them, but generally, I was just vibing. Two families of wild birds would come visit twice a day, and I Love Them. I really enjoyed staying with them. They both are lovely, and I kind of already miss them. Now I'm headed for Raglan, I guess. I saw some glow-worms today! On the way to Raglan, we made a stop in Waitomo, and I decided to do a cave-tour, because i love rocks for some weird reason. It was a good cave. Saw some rocks. Saw some bones. But also! Glow-worms. They are bio-luminous maggots; the tour included a boat-ride in the complete darkness of the caves ... read more
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Getting the raft ready

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Matamata March 1st 2020

Leaving Auckland, we headed a couple of hours south to Matamata. Nearby, on what used to be a 506 hectare (1250 acre) sheep farm, Sir Peter Jackson found what he felt was the perfect site to locate his set for The Shire. In particular, a large tree matched a tree described in Tolkien's works. He built the set using temporary materials for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. By agreement with the landowners, it was all torn down after filming was completed. When he decided to film the Hobbit trilogy, he approached the family that owned the land and they all agreed to build a permanent set, and use it as a tourist attraction after filming wrapped up. I believe the second set was identical to the first with the exception of the more durable materials ... read more
Hobbitton Movie Set
Hobbitton Movie Set
Hobbitton Movie Set

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland » Central February 29th 2020

Leaving Paihia, we dawdled down the beautiful coast back to Auckland. All along the coast are wonderful vistas either at. sea level or from the heights above, and the coast is replete with wide sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters. As in all places in New Zealand, tramping trails abound. We took some time working our way back to Auckland, since we had little desire to do anything there other than see the wonderful museum with its Maori treasures. The Auckland Museum surmounts a hill in the large park called the Auckland Domain, occupying an old volcanic crater. The park includes tree-lined drives, walking trails, and a glass-enclosed botanical garden, and occupies 75 hectares (185 acres) just southeast of the main downtown area of Auckland. The park was established in 1843, and the Auckland War Memorial Museum ... read more
Coastland north of Auckland
Maori sailing vessel
Large Maori war canoe

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands » Paihia February 28th 2020

The less I say about Auckland the better. People seem to be flocking there to live, but we failed to see the charm. Perhaps in the suburbs it is better, but downtown is crowded, noisy, congested, and lacking in charm, at least for us. The museum is magnificent - more about that later. After a night in Auckland, we headed back out on the road, this time going up the west coast of the North Island and then crossing over to the east side and the Bay of Islands area. In particular, in addition to just seeing more of the North island, we had our sights set on the kauri trees. Among the largest trees on earth, these also represent one of the oldest tree groups on earth, with representative species extending back to the Jurassic ... read more
Kauri slab
Kauri gum
Swamp kauri slab - 7600 years old




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