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Published: April 22nd 2007
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As a contrast to our adrenaline packed week, we were looking forward to spending some time up in the Bay of Plenty. We passed through kiwi country, (fruit not birds) and the large city of Tauranga would be our base. This is a pleasant enough town with a large port and a fairly attractive waterfront. However as our hostel was full of fruit pickers who didn't really care about anyone else it was quite scruffy and noisy. Someone even had the cheek to steal our giant pot of unopened yogurt, resulting in a somewhat unhappy Laura. Whilst in Tauranga we hired two very shabby bikes to cycle to the seaside town of Mount Maunganui. The beach was gorgeous so most of the day was spent here building up a big collection seashells. Even though there were a few negatives, a nice time was still had here and the landscape around the Bay of Plenty is very beautiful.
The Coromandel Peninsula was a big 'to do' on our list and the drive was pretty impressive if a little windy. The road passed lush green bush atop rugged peaks and small little harbour towns. We were staying opposite Buffalo Beach in
Whitianga which was a pleasant and busy little town. In order to get to Hot Water Beach we hired a car for the day which was a fun experience as it was an automatic. At the famous beach we partially dug and acquired ourselves a hot bath where Olly perfomed some small scale channelisation between surrounding boiling pools to warm ours up. It was very different to the sunbathing on beaches we were used too and a great and unusual experience. Due to the crowds we decided to move on to the picturesque Hahei Beach for a picnic. From here it was a short walk to Cathedral Cove, a large sea arch where you can walk through between two beaches.
After a lovely couple of days sightseeing it was over to Auckland where we planned to meet up with Matt Ruszala. By coincidence or forward planning we all ended up in the same room and was great to catch up with him. We shared stories of our trips over drinks and participated in a killer pool competition with Matt coming a close 3rd.
The region of Northland was to be the area we explored together and once again
decided to hire a car as bus services were limited and we wanted the flexibilty of being able to pull into little towns and bays. Kaitia in the far North was our first base and from here we took a coach day trip to Cape Reinga and Ninety Mile beach. From the Cape we witnessed where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea met, evident by the crashing waves below. The boys did a spot of sandboarding on the way back down the beach. The drive back was slightly different as we sped along the famous Ninety Mile beach. Every so often our driver, (who laughed like Woody Woodpecker) would slow down and point out bits of cars that had been caught out by the tide and swallowed by the sand. At the end of a long day the boys managed to find some cheap Green Lipped Mussells for dinner and cooked up a feast (one of the many they had whilst together). We decided to drive down the East Coast road stopping off at many bays and beaches including the gorgeous Taupo Bay. We had a very interesting stop in Waitangi where the historic treaty was signed in 1840.
It was here that the British Crown made an agreement with many of the Maori chiefs in Northland to provide protection to them in return for sovereignty of their land. It was then carried around New Zealand, gaining further signatures before the country became part of the British empire in May of that year. Today, there are many unresolved land issues between Maori people and Pakeha, (European New Zealanders) resulting in parts of the treaty still remaining relevant.
Whilst in the Bay of Islands, we stayed in the main town of Pahia which was smart and lively. From here we arranged to go on a dolphin cruise which also took us through the famous Hole in the Rock. Fortunately we were able to claim this trip on the unused hours on our bus pass. Bonus! We took front row seats on the bow of the boat and although very windy gave a great view of the islands and a playful pod of Bottlenose dolphins. They were much larger than we expected them to be and saw quite a few jump right out of the water. It was a fantastic sight. On our return, we arranged to be dropped off
Cape Reinga
Almost New Zealand's most Northernly point in the small settlement of Russel. This is New Zealand's oldest town and was once infamously known as the 'hell-hole of the Pacific'. It was a race against time to return the car to Auckland and as none of us were exactly sure how long it would take, we set off pretty early. However, we were a little late but in true Kiwi style, were told 'no worries'.
It's going to be difficult leaving such a fantastic country where we have both had incredible if a little scary experiences. Even without the many activities on offer New Zealand has scenery comparable to none I have ever seen before and I think this has been the most enjoyable aspect of my time here. Along with the friendliness of the people and the passion for the outdoors I can definately see myself returning one day hopefully not in the too distant future.
However, another unexplored country awaits so it's goodbye to New Zealand and Bula to Fiji.
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kath (and mum)
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that shadow game was eeeeeeeeeeeaaaaasssssssssssyyyyy. Tell Olly he could quite easily be an elvis impersonator