New Zealand - for a well earned rest

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Hello, again

We'd envisaged retirement to include lots of holidays. Over the past 2 years it's been a long time between holidays for us. The last was to Tassie (to review - look here) where we went following some frustration with Council over our housebuild - and also to 'prepare' ourselves for a hard slog. Overall, the housebuild project has demanded we turn our attention away from nomadic enjoyments of the recent past to focus upon the design challenge, Council permit process, and the all-embracing build task.



For us, the last 12 months have been hectic - we began the construction phase 'officially' in late Feb 2014 and moved into the house a year later. There is still work to do to complete the final aspects, but for us it's 'liveable'.



In Nov, last, Bruce realised that being obligated to be onsite to supervise tradies meant he'd be hard pressed getting Judy a birthday present. The solution was an online purchase of a holiday. Hence, this missive.



We flew out of the Gold Coast on the 18th March to Auckland for 12 days. In preparation, we recognised we were so overworked by our project, we needed to 'relax' - meaning no helter skelter travelling. We secured an apartment in central Auckland for 4 nights, a 'bach' (Kiwi for a getaway cottage) at Karekare for 3 nights, a B'n'B at nearby Bethells Beach for a further 3 nights (both on the west coast), and the last 2 nights at the hot springs town of Waiwera (on the east coast).

We'd read pleasing reports of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, and it was this that focussed our attention towards Karekare (instead of the principal village of Piha). We planned to enjoy the walks of the area. Judy had earlier visited Waiwera with a friend, and wanted to return.

We used public transport in Auckland, picking up a hire car for the trip therefrom. Interestingly, the drive duration of our journey from Auckland to Auckland via... is about 3 hours. The point being that unlike Oz, a lot of variation in landscape and habitation can be found in such a small area.

We've attached a few pics that give you a flavour of our journey, and some 'flow over' past the dialogue.

Auckland

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18 March.

Our entry into a grey, drizzly and sub-20's Auckland was bracing. But, after a long spell of high humidity and temps above 30 at home, this sudden introduction to 'winter' was also welcoming. Humidity and heat are nice, but also quite draining.

After a bus trip into the city to our accommodation, we went in search of a supermarket for brekky supplies. The main street of Auckland is Queen St, which our accommodation abutted, and for us it was a case of spot the Kiwi. Everywhere we looked we only saw people of Asian, Indian or Middle Eastern descent. We've since learnt this cultural issue is a 'hot topic' amongst Kiwi's.

After filling the larder, we ventured along 'K' Road (Karangahape rd) to Newton for a meal. Short of Ponsonby we noted a pub - The Thirsty Dog - selling craft beers. That was enough for a pitstop. As it transpired, they had a quiz night (to begin 'soon') and many sought our involvement. The locals raved over the food, so with many great beers on tap it was not hard to stay - and they had hand-cut potato chips!!!!. It's really what travelling is about - finding pleasant sojourns that are totally unexpected.



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Our apartment was nicely quiet and we became amazed when looking at the clock upon awakening the next morn to find it 10am! Emerging so 'late', we decided to potter around the locale. Realising we'd left a couple of essentials at home, we took the a to a suburban shopping centre. Later, a wander into Ponsonby took us to an Argentinean BBQ for a delightfully different meal. Sitting around the brazier with great red wine while awaiting food kept us warm. We'd not previously experienced this different way of cooking: great outcome, but!



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Another late awakening, but we were beginning to feel guilty that we were not 'doing' anything. That the day was lovely and sunny only exacerbated our feelings. How life fashions our minds! We caught a bus to Cornwall Park - a many hectare remnant farm. Apparently, in the late 19th century a well heeled businessman acquired the land in a deal and was not interested in farming. Realising that urban spread was carpeting the region, he gifted it to the city as a continuing farm / park. It is one of several great open spaces in / around Auckland. It survives without ratepayer or taxpayer assistance - a credit to the managerial board. We literally blissed out in the greenery. As the sun descended, we made our way back to Newton to the Thirsty Dog (and some more craft beer). It was music night and we were entertained by several of the various acts rehearsing their 'sounds'; some we liked, others... well!! Nearby we'd noticed a popular Italian restauraunt. We had to queue, but it was so worth the wait.



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Another late awakening 😊 Departing very late, we headed towards the shore area. A pleasant walk along the wharf area found us in the (now somewhat aged) America's Cup development. With market stalls to attract, quite a crowd also had a similar idea. Unlike most Australian weekend markets, this was filled with the handmade wares of the stallholder artisans. We finished the day with a call into a craft beer restaraunt - staying for dinner.

Waitakere Ranges Regional Park

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Sunday was departure day so we had to use an alarm clock. Whatever we did, we did it wrong. Instead of 'alarming' at the appointed time, it did so at 5am and 7am before the 'required' 8am. After packing and checking out, we awaited our hire car delivery (10am) to head towards a supermarket and grog shop to stock up for the next part of our 'journey'.



The western edge of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park is some 40 minutes from Auckland city. But the steep range between and the rugged coastline meant that it was sparsely developed during early 'settlement'. Because of that, pressure mounted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for government to declare the area a 'natural' park. Fortunately, the area was so declared and over time the park has had more area added to ensure Auckland's water supply is 'protected'. In the main, it is rugged escarpements clothed in native vegetation (but devoid of the good timber which was too 'attractive' to leave).



After stocking up we headed to Karekare and our accommodation. We arrived at about 2pm, which we learnt was too early (should have been 4). We unpacked our food and headed for Union Bay and Karekare beach. Many will know this beach as it was the setting for the 'beach - piano' scene in the movie The Piano. On a beautiful sunny sunday, car parking spaces were hard to find. The west coast beaches comprise a metalic sand (titanomagnetite) and are fully black. The black sand with steep rugged escarpents makes for both a surreal and moody landscape. After a walk along the beach and up over a headland, we ventured north into the principal village - Piha. Beautiful, iconic even, but full of tourists!!!



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We returned to the 'bach' and after a self made meal had the sleep of the dead. The building is totally surrounded with vegetation (at some 5 - 10 metres from the walls). The sense of isolation coupled to the lack of noise was really comforting. The 'normal' for us is the cacophany of sounds that the urban landscape brings and so with utter quiet we felt quite cacooned. If on the Monday am there was a dawn chorus, we missed it. We'd envisaged ourselves venturing out on the many tracks for a 'return to nature'. But, with a cosy comfy bed, and a cuppa, we lingered. On reflection, we just decided to sigh and lie. We didn't feel guilty, rather at peace.



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Tuesday began with clouds, wind and scattered showers. We chatted about whether we'd go bushwalking, but decided that after the blissfulness that was Monday, quietly reading and cosying together not only seemed appropriate but decidedly destined; here was a place to let go tensions acquired over the past 12 months. Hence, another day of quietude.



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The weather on Wednesday began better than Tuesday. We'd pre-booked accommodation in another part of the park - Bethells Beach. Though only about 8 kilometres along the coast, the terrain meant a (relatively) long drive up to the top of the escarpment and down again - making a 45km journey. Feeling a bit guilty, we walked the nearby Mercer Loop before leaving the area. We enjoyed both the exercise and some fantastic views along the coastline (and seawards). It was either now warmer weather, or we had acclimatised somewhat, but we actually worked up a sweat on the steeper parts of the walk. Feeling adventurous, we then took another walk at Anawhata. Again, Anawhata is a delightful bay a few km's from Karekare. But with an impassable headland, it too a 25km drive and a 2 hour walk to reach. The steep descent into the bay made us wonder how our bodies might feel on the return. But, not to worry, we managed well.

We needed some more supermarket supplies so headed for Henderson (a west Auckland suburb near the escarpment). We eventually made it to Bethells. Here the B'n'B comprised an artists' large house - of which we had the ground floor.



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After a late brekky, we ventured to a nearby reserve - with a huge (black) sand dune holding back a large body of water (Lake Wainamu). We began in sunshine, but not before long gloomy clouds filled the sky. While high, and seemingly unthreatening to our way of recognising weather, it wasn't long before we experienced light rain. While annoying, it didn't drench us so we continued to the lake 'source' - a large waterfall. Rather than proceed further, we made our return. We encountered some university ecologists doing bird counts. We exclaimed that the task would be easy as to our eyes, there appeared very few birds. Certainly not the variety or numbers we'd experience in similar regions of Oz. We learnt that the NZ landscape doesn't offer the same amount of food, that few eggs survive the introduced predators, and (any) hatchlings are also easy targets for prey. It is the lack of birdlife that makes for an absense of a dawn chorus and a quietude that we've not often encountered, and at the same time a peacefullness (especially with the absence of noisy birds such as Crows, Currawong's, etc.). In fact, the most persistent sound are the cicada's.





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Weatherwise, Friday looked promising. But after some early sun (ie 8am), the clouds soon gathered as we breakfasted. Before long, the sun (again) emerged and we decided to venture on a walk known as the Te Henga walk. Essentially, the walk departed the centre of the Bethells village, rising along a ridge beside the creekside before meeting the ocean headland. There the track turned northwards through rainforest. Eventually the track comes to a headland (Erangi Point) between two beaches (O'Neill Bay to the north and Waitekere Bay to the south). In a quite warm sun, we made our way down to O'Neill Bay. Judy expressed a desire to swim, but with rocky ledges the surf was far too boisterous. We made our way over the headland via a sandy track to Waitekere Bay. Here, a beautiful little beach between an island and Erangi Point offered Judy the opportunity for a (refreshing) swim. Recharged, we made our way back to our lodgings and basked in the late afternoon sun: bliss!



Our host described a 'must do' event. To make income, a local farmer has a food caravan at Bethells Beach on weekends and also provides a 'burger 'n' dance venue on Friday nights. After some relaxation, we ventured out and found a wonderful mix of locals, good food and music. The yummy burgers, relaxed atmosphere and amazing location were but a small part of our enjoyment. We were overwhelmed by the fun being had by the local children allowed to run amok through the nearby sand dunes, etc. It reminded us so much of how our 4 (then) kids enjoyed communal get-togethers. After a dance to rythmic reggae music, we rested on the grass to look heavenwards at the expansive sky. Why do stars seem so much brighter in the rural setting? Eventually, we headed back for a cuppa and bed.

Waiwera

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How changeable is NZ weather. After a clear night, Saturday opened to be dark, gloomy and wet. We'd hoped to visit Muriwai - another beach a short distance north along the coast from Bethells, but far away by road. Mmmmmm - beaches in the wet are forlorn places! We eventually departed our digs and along the way north, the weather improved. With trepidation, we took the turn-off to Muriwai. To our delight, the sunshine broke through just as we entered the village. We parked on the nearby Maukatia clifftop - overlooking a Gannet rookery - and took the coastal trail into Muriwai. After a delightful smoked fish pie lunch, we made our way back to the car by a different route and headed for Waiwera.



Judy had been to Waiwera previously, but directly from Auckland along the main highway. For us, the journey took us from Muriwai (further) northwards along the western side before heading east via back roads. The rolling hills, green valleys, and European trees (turning autumnal) made for a pleasant drive.



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Waiwera is a coastal village about an hour from Auckland CBD. Once a holiday destination with the plus of hot springs, a rash of building development in the 1970's allowed progress (and the main highway) to by-pass the place. That said, the new northern Auckland suburb of Silverdale is only 15 km's away. In due course, suburbia will envelope. When travelling through Silverdale, we couldn't help note the juxtaposition of the original (small) churches and the recent housing (see photo below). It certainly shows 'progress'!!!!



The day opened blustery and cold, but the prediction was to clear. We entered the onsite thermal pool for a wallow in warmth. Pools are always good for muscle stretching, and a warm thermal pool adds to the process. After a quiet morning stroll, we drove to nearby Shakespear Regional Park. On a peninsular, the park is bounded by a 2 metre security fence to prevent access by predators (see photo below). While likely effective for the peninsular, how beneficial for the nation is questionable. Nevertheless, we are very impressed by the quantity and quality of Aucklands' 'regional' parks. Unlike Australia, these large open spaces haven't been exploited by Councils as a low cost resource for sporting facilities, clubs and the like.



After a delightful 'relax', we're now heading back home.



Cheers

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