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Published: November 2nd 2008
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Our first non-build adventures. Many of us went sea kayaking which was supposed to be a guided adventure, however when we arrived the owner told us the guide had died that morning. It was shock to us and to the owner as well since he had been in supposedly good health. He was only 52 years old. We took the ‘unguided’ version of the trip and spent most of our time searching for the elusive waterfalls and getting carried out by the exiting tide. Wow, what a work out!
Some wanted to go parasailing. However the boat was out for regular scheduled maintenance.
And others were going to go shopping in Russell only to find that many of shops are closed on Wednesday. Needless to say they found enough stores open to satisfy their retail therapy.
Others went on the ‘swim with the dolphins’ tour. They got a lot of good pictures but couldn’t swim with the dolphins because some of the dolphins had babies. Apparently, protective mother dolphins don’t appreciate the company.
Beth and Sue went on a nice boat tour to see the famous ‘hole in the rock’ and had a very nice time.
These were
the days adventures for Wednesday. Even though some tour activities didn’t go as planned, all were happy to enjoy the recreation.
Thursday brought bright sunshine for our trip to the most northern part of North Island where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. The scenery was breathtaking as well as informative with our driver who was of the Maori Tribe and he gave us history and culture. One of the stops was Puketi Kauri forest. It contains the largest kauri trees in New Zealand and many live to be 1000’s of years old. Other stops included Cape Reinga which is the final resting place of many Maori tribesmen. The next stop was the giant sand dunes where several members of the group went sand boarding. It was a rough climb up the sandy slope, but the slide down was well worth the effort. The Ninety Mile Beach was a real highlight too. It’s only sixty some miles but it’s really beautiful and we were able to drive right on the sand. The huge rollers coming in were an impressive sight and sound to experience. Along the way there were several opportunities to sample local treats and continue the
retail therapy.
Friday was our return to Auckland. Our local Habitat friends escorted us into town. At this point Bill and Joan separated from the group for some adventures on the South Island. We’ll add more about their trip when we meet back up in a couple days. We also said goodbye to Becky, who was the first of the group to return home.
The 13 remaining on the North Island continued on to more adventures. We hit the bay with a ‘coffee cruise’ sailing excursion and harbor museum tour. The nightlife in Auckland was much livelier than what we had been accustomed to in Whangarei.
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Jack Fleischhacker
non-member comment
I hate to say it Paul but it sounds like you might just like to stay there for a long time. Glad to hear that you are having a great time. You may not ever have the opportunity to do something like this again. I don't suppose there are any Lions Clubs in your area or even in Aukland. We lool forward to a nice presentation of your trip at one of our meetings. Bon Voyage!!!