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Published: December 13th 2006
A rather wonderful Pohutakawa tree!
Pohutakawa trees are also called the NZ Christmas tree because at Christmas they all blossom with these amazing bright red blooms. They are everywhere and really beautiful. This is a particularly good example. This is a bit of a delayed and rather long entry due to the fact that I have been extremely busy and not had a chance to update the blog for a while. Yes, I can hear you all saying - "busy?? how can she be busy while she is away on holiday?" Well - you know - places to go, people to see...You would be amazed just how busy one can get when one is relaxing and having fun! LOL...However, people have been chasing me up about the fact that they have not heard from me in a while, so here is all my news. Sorry it's a bit long...! 😊 I have put so many photos on, you will have to click on to a second page to view them all!!!
I left Dan and Jenni's place west of Auckland at Muriwai Beach around 21 November and spent about 9 days in Auckland. The first 4 days I was in a backpackers in an area called Parnell, which is very pretty. It is like a cross between Clapham and Dulwich. Lots of pretty houses, lovely boutiquey shops, restaurants, bars. However, the hostel I was in was a little
bit noisy at night, and so I decided to move across to a different area of town, called Ponsonby. This is similar to Parnell, in that there are lots of expensive gift shops, tons of restaurants and lots of nice houses, but it has a little bit more of a "funky" vibe. The second hostel I stayed in, called Verandahs
/url] was GORGEOUS. I totally loved it there. It is rated as the best backpackers in Auckland, and I would give it 10/10. Clean, quiet, comfy beds, no bunks, really friendly. I felt much more at home there and stayed for the rest of my time in the city.
Auckland has really interesting geography because it is basically spread over a heap of extinct volcanos and so the city is quite hilly (think along the lines of San Francisco), and if you get up somewhere high, which you can do in various ways (read on), you can see lots of conical shaped hills in and around the city that used to be volcanos.
It also has quite a range of architecture. The city centre (downtown) is kind of modern and functional and dull. But in the surrounding suburbs Auckland Cathedral
Modern but surprisingly lovely both inside and out. you get some FANTASTIC Victorian houses which I just totally loved and wanted to buy and move into! They were all like a cross between the typical English Victorian, and the grandeur of American colonial and they are all similar - traditional clapperboard outside, peaked roofs, wonderful breezy wrap around balconies, ornate carved awnings, gorgeous fireplaces, huge rooms, sash windows, solid wooden floors, high ceilings...they are soooo beautiful. Verandahs was a Victorian house, which is partly why I loved it. I took some pictures of some of the really lovely ones I saw. People love their gardens over here too, and all the houses I saw were surrounded by beautiful mature trees and bushes and loads of flowers and smooth lawns. I was seriously tempted too, because the prices are just laughably cheap in comparison to the UK.
Apart from the cool volcanos and the nice houses, Auckland itself is a nice city. It is very friendly and helpful and so easy to get around. They have a bus called The Link that goes all over the place and runs every 10 minutes, and you can go anywhere for about 50p. Apart from exploring Parnell and Ponsonby and having
Aaaah...Lush!
Even in NZ there is a Lush! to tie my hands behind my back to stop myself from spending a lot on beautiful handmade NZ stuff, I also:
- Went to Auckland Cathedral, which was really beautiful. It is a modern building, but has some incredible stained glass and it just a really peaceful, airy, light place. I also went to church there on a Sunday morning which was nice. Interesting to see the differences and similarities between the NZ Anglican service and the CofE Anglican services. Next door to the cathedral there is also one of the oldest completely wooden churches in New Zealand, which was originally the cathedral before the new one got built. It is really really beautiful inside (not sure now well the pictures show it), and it is really fragrant inside from the wood which is a mix of Kauri and Rimu (two native NZ woods).
- Went to an area called Devonport, which you take a ferry to (about 15 mins). It is packed with some stunning Victorian houses and two extinct volcanoes and I had a nice walk all around there one day.
- Spent a day on Rangitoto Island which is a 30
Auckland Domain and the Museum
The Domain is the big green park like space, and on top of it is the lovely Auckland Museum. Parnell is located just on the far side of the Domain. minute boat ride from the city. It is actually a volcano that last erupted only 600 years ago (recent, in volcano terms!). It was a very interesting experience. From a distance, the whole island looks like it is covered in trees, but when you get there, you realise that most if it is covered in huge broken lava fields, with trees growing through it. There is nothing really to do there, apart from walk up to the top of the volcano, which is quite a trek, especially the last 20 minutes! But you get some fantastic views of the whole of Auckland, Devonport and the surrounding area. You also get to look down into the volcano cone. It was interesting.
- Visited Auckland Museum which was a good way to understand a lot more about the Maoris and also the natural history of the city. It was packed with amazing Maori artefacts, which were beautiful, but nothing was labelled, so I didn't really know what I was looking at! However, it was still good.
- Went up to the top of the Skytower which was a brilliant way to see the whole city from above.
Rangitoto Island and Devonport
This is quite a nice picture that shows Rangitoto Island in the far distance and Devonport across the harbour. - Went to a very cool aquarium called Kelly Tarltons where I saw stingrays and sharks and loads of very wierd and wonderful NZ sea life, and also penguins!!! They were very cute and I wished I could take them home with me...
- spent quite a lot of time wandering around the city, shopping and investigating things. For such a "big" city (you can walk everywhere - it's about the size of Bristol), the shopping was not spectacular. You either had to make do with rather humdrum small department shops, or go to Parnell or Ponsonby and spend a fortune in designer boutiques. I bought two things. One was a DIVINE and somewhere expensive red leather purse whichI am completely in love with. The other was a pair of super cheap, very comfortable stripey PJ bottoms!
So, I kept myself pretty busy, even though I did have a couple of days when I was kind of lazy. But hey - that's what travelling is for! However, after 9 days, I was ready to move on. So I jumped on a bus and travelled about 3 hours north to a place called Whangerei (pronounced 'Fang-er-ey') where
A bit of a drop...
38mm glass...! Looking down from the top of the Skytower. my friends Rebecca and Dan live. In fact, they live about 30 kms outside the main town in a STUNNING area called Whangerei Heads. As soon as I arrived I realised that I had spent far too long idling in Auckland!
I stayed about 3 days with Rebecca and Dan and got to meet Edith, their baby, who is sooooooooo adorable. I just totally love her and would like to pack her in my backpack and take her away with me. We had such a lovely relaxing weekend. Whangerei Heads is an area which has lots of tall, craggy peaks, and some breathtaking beaches that are almost unnaturally perfect and gorgeous - white sand, emerald sea, crashing waves, totally deserted. It is like someone imagined perfection and then created it (well - I guess that is what happened really, isn't it?). I can't even describe to you in words how lovely it is. You just have to see it for yourselves!
From Dan and Rebecca's, I then returned to Whangerei itself because I decided to do the PADI open water diving course at Poor Knights Island which is not far from the town!!! And I am sooooo proud
Auckland harbour bridge
Not as amazing as Sydney perhaps, but still pretty cool. to announce that I am now a certified open water diver!!! I am just completely thrilled to bits about this because it is something I have wanted to do for about 4 years now. And I have also discovered a new passion. I am ADDICTED to diving. I totally love it and from now on, my whole life may have to revolve around how I can get my next diving fix!! The company I did the course with, Dive Tutukaka were brilliant
/url] and it is the most fun I have had in years. 😊
Poor Knights Island is one of the top 10 diving sites in the world. The course was pretty intense, and there was a lot to learn, but I managed to get 46/50 (92%!p(MISSING)robably the best pass mark I have ever got in anything LOL!) in the final theory exam. The diving itself was an incredibly intense experience - I was just in heaven! It is like a whole other world down there. Once you get adjusted to the pressure, the cold and being able to breathe underwater, which happens pretty much instantly, and get to swim around, it is just magical and awe-inspiring.
There were just huge forests of swaying sea kelp, which you could swim over and through, and tall, tall rock faces going down 80m with loads of amazing sea anenomies (spelling is totally wrong, I know!) and cool sea plants growing in/on. And then there were the fishes!!! They were just incredible. So many, whole schools swimming around you, and so many colours and shapes. I got to dive 4 times as part of my course and that was definitely not enough. I want to dive every day forever!!! I enjoyed every single dive, but the final one was just beyond amazing!!! I got to see a scorpion fish, a carpet shark (picture below) and a moray eel (which was pretty scary!). I was just ecstatic and am totally hooked. I completely love it. I couldn't stop smiling and am still on such a blissful diving high. I have definitely discovered a new passion. So someone reading this...PLEASE, please, please will you get yourself certified too, so we can go diving together???? I really need a diving buddy. You'll love it I promise! 😊
So, that's about the sum total of what I have been up to
House 1
Couldn't resist taking a photo of this lovely example... for the past 3 weeks or so. On a more general note, I am having a
completely brilliant and fantastic time. I am loving being "on my own" and have met so many nice people in the hostels and around and about. I am very glad to say that I have not been homesick even once so far, although of course I do miss you all...New Zealand is a wonderful place. I am not sure I am going to be able to leave it...I might just have to think about coming out here more permanently... 😊
next update soon, I hope, to include details of my trip to The Farm (which involved milking cows, weighing baby calves, feeing the pigs and generally having a wonderful messy time) and my time in the Bay of Islands where I am now.
Lots of love to you all xx
PS: please email me...
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mumsie
non-member comment
Yes , I will dive
Im just struck almost dumb, it sounds so fantastic. Certainly I willl be a diving buddy. BUT! I am going to have go somewhere hot to do it. Please send an application form. Gorgeous pictures, no wonder you want to stay, you look sowell and tanned , and sound sooooooo happy. Keep trucking sweetheart., love from the depths of gale torn freezing wet Wales. xxxxxxxxx