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Blogs from North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 5
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Tomorrow is a big day
Published: April 5th 2013Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Ninety Mile Beach
April 5th 2013
Originally, I wanted to blog as go. Pity I didn't bring a laptop, since most places have free wifi, but expensive-to-use computers. Anyway, a short overview of where I am and am headed! So I started in Leigh. Which is a bit of pity, as "I'm cycling from Leigh because someone dropped me off there, to Cape Reinga and then to Auckland." isn't half as good a story as "I'm cycling to Cape Reinga from Auckland and then back!". Leigh has the Sawmill, which has expensive simple food but great pizzas, and performances on the weekend. Liked the jazz-band, bought cd. Next day to Waipu *snigger*. Scottish town by origin (now only 15% left?), hostel had some tartan blankets. The way there I followed what I thought was a cycling path along the beach. The beach ... read more
Kaia's Update - Week 1 Summary
Published: April 5th 2013Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Kapiti Coast » Paekakariki
April 5th 2013
Tuesday April 2nd: In the morning we visited the famous NZ Kiwi birds at the kiwi house in Whangerei. We also saw the reptiles from the dinosaur age, the Tuatara. At the recovery and rehabilitation center we saw a talking Tui bird. Their calls sound a little like R2D2. We went to the Moari history museum nearby. We learned about gum trees and the many ways their resin was used: jewelry, sculpture, medicine & ship building. The flax plant was also used to make clothing and baskets and was a very important resource in that culture. Later in the day we went to a kauri forest. The Kauri is a tree native to NZ that was once all over NZ and was prized by European merchants. They grow very large and the forest was a little ... read more
New Zealand: North Island . . . Coromandel, Lake Taupo, Tongariro National Park . . . "Gudarn ya!!" :)
Published: April 4th 2013Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington » Greytown
April 4th 2013
After 5 months in Asia we arrived to we would call civilization. English speaking radio, radio advertising! road safety! supermarkets and people mostly concerned with the weather, we are nearly home :) Within 24 hours we had managed to secure a caravan and drove 3 hours over to the Coromandel Peninsula on the North coast of the North Island. Once we reached the coast line we were met with what can only be described as dramatic scenery. Coastline with a drop back of mountain scenery with dark clouds and sun shining through. I could only relate to something you may see in Scotland. Our first night was spent drinking le vino and eating le cheese with the back of the van opening out onto the beach! it really is the hard life :) After that we ... read more
April 2nd 2013
Our stay for 2 nights in Taupo overlooking Lake Taupo was very relaxing. This was an excellent location to explore the surrounding area and the interesting geothermal activity. The Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland was an excellent choice and was great to walk around. First we visited the Lady Knox Geyser and witnessed an eruption of water and steam to about 20m height. Then we saw many different examples of the geothermal activity with steam hissing out of rock fissures, caverns eroded by acids and multi coloured pools and lakes. A really interesting and enjoyable experience. Later we walked around “The Craters on the Moon”. We saw many steaming craters and boiling mud pits in a bush landscape. Our time in Taupo was ended with a visit to the impressive Huka Falls where the Waikato River passes through ... read more
Osterferien II: Sunny Wellington - ocean, coast & beaches :)
Published: April 3rd 2013Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington Region » Wellington
April 2nd 2013
SPONTANER AUSFLUGSTAG AUF WELLINGTONS SCHÖNEN KÜSTENSTRASSEN ZU STRÄNDEN UND AUSSICHTSPUNKTEN :) ... Hm..eigentlich gibt es dazu gar nicht so viel zu sagen.. der Tag war entgegen dem Wetterbericht wunderbar sonnig, zufällig habe ich beim Betreten der Uni (wo ich eigentlich lernen wollte) Pedram (der eigentlich nur Milch für seinen Kaffee holen wollte) getroffen und nach einem gemeinsamen Kaffee (der eigentlich dafür gedacht war, superproduktiv in diesen Lerntag zu starten) haben wir es dann doch glücklicherweise irgendwie vorgezogen, lieber dieses spätsommerliche Wetter zu genießen anstatt in der Uni zu sitzen und zu büffeln :) - und so ging es ein weiteres Mal mit Musik aus dem Radio und geöffnetem Fenster die Küstenstraßen entland zu den wunderbaren Stränden (bin auf den Geschmack gekommen - habe alle barfuss erkundet :D) und ein paar... read more
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April 1st 2013
Kaia We started our first day with a breakfast of tea and crumpets. Yum! We headed out for a kayak tour in the Roukaka Estuary. There were a lot of interesting shells that we wouldn't see at home. I collected a few to take back with us. We had a picnic and I tried salmon and cream cheese on crackers and we had fresh pears, passion fruit and feijoa. It is fun to try new fruits that we don't have at home. Passion fruit is my favorite. We spent the afternoon at the beach. It is much bigger than beaches I've been to in the U.S. and there are hardly any people there. On a busy day there are only about 20 people there to share the WHOLE beach! My favorite activity so far was playing ... read more
April 1st 2013
Wellington lived up to the “windy” description but the sun was shining with blue skies. The cable car trip up the hill and a visit to the Botanic Gardens was very enjoyable. The city was full of life and it was easy to walk around the shopping area and the harbour to enjoy the sea views. There was a good choice of restaurants and bars to suit all tastes. We watched the cricket at the lovely Basin Ground and the second day’s play of the New Zealand v England 2nd test match. We took time out to drive around the coastal road then on to Wanganui about 2 hours North of Wellington. We had a nice picnic on Opunake Beach and visited the Dawson Falls in Egmont National Park.... read more
SOME MISTAKES you only make once!
Published: March 30th 2013Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Whangarei » UretitiMarch 30th 2013
A quick update, because free internet is few and far between if you don't have a laptop or smartphone around these parts. Although it's already a few days ago, let me tell you about how I got lost outside Whangarei (pronounce: Fangarei). Because I was still exhausted from my long trek to the Waipu Caves through the hills, my caving adventure at the Waipu Caves, and the long climb towards a little piece of Paradise called Little Earth Lodge east of Whangarei, right next to the Abby Caves, which I also explored. Being so tired, and needing to see a bit more of Whangarei, instead of moving to the next city I moved to the next hostel, a bit north of Whangarei, so I would have a headstart the next day. This gave me the time ... read more
March 30th 2013
After our swim and coffee, Leigh and I went to the open day at Kiwi North so we could see the new Medical Museum. The trains were running and music was playing, with hot chips for the children! Here are a few photos!... read more
Easter trip to the East Cape and Gisborne
Published: April 28th 2013Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » East Coast » Opotiki
March 29th 2013
I will let the photos tell the story, ish! We had Swpnil with us also, he is the brother of Rupak (the guy we live with)... read more
