Day 4 - A Day on the Water

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Today was the last day in the north and we spent in on the water. We awoke to a bright sunny day and after breakfast, we took a walk around the grounds of the Copthorne Hotel where we stayed. It was right on the bay and very scenic. This is actually the best hotel in the area and is next to the Treaty Grounds. This wasn’t our first choice but after seeing it, we’re really glad they put us here over the others. After that, we packed up and boarded the touring catamaran (powered with a cruising speed of about 25 knots). This trip is called the “Cream Trip” and use to be the delivery of milk and cream through the island. Today it delivers mail and tourists to some amazing sights. We found some seats on the upper deck to see what we could see. The view was offset by a chilly breeze when the sun went in and we really got going. It was worth it. We toured around each island and learned a little more history, most of it having to do with the English and the Maori fighting and killing each other. We made a few stops, even seeing Bonnie, the dog who greets the boat when it stops. We stopped on one of the islands for lunch and a hike. Check out the views from one of the hills. After that we headed to the Hole in the Rock (self explanatory). Check out the pics. We met a nice young German chef named Michael who was just finishing up 8 months in New Zealand. He was heading to Switzerland to start a new restaurant. He gave us some good pointers during our stay and we wish him well. As we made our way back to port, we got to see some small killer whales (orca). What was really cool was, a few hundred yards away, we also saw a small group of dolphins. What’s unique about this is the fact that you rarely see orca and dolphins in the same place for very long (orca eat dolphins). As soon as the dolphins “pinged” the orca, they were off like a shot and we got to see them run. Amy was worried that she would see Flipper turn into a dolphin sandwich so she was glad they got away. A great way to end the cruise. We offloaded and the boarded the bus back south to Auckland. After a 4 hour bus ride (and a very smelly cab ride with a horrible driver), we arrived back at our bed and breakfast and promptly uploaded our last blog entries and called it a day. Next we head east to the other coast. That’s all for now. Stay tuned.

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