Blogs from Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 71

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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands November 16th 2005

Well, my offical New Zealand birthday is just about over. I had a great day! My co-workers and boss made the day extra special by a nice lunch held at work. I also received a call from Nicole, but had to call her back on my cellphone. I saved the message she sent me so I can listen to it if I feel lonely or homesick. For lunch we had salmon log (yes, it's really good Nicole!) Bagels, ham, cheese, salad and nice fresh homegrown veggies. The girls really picked up on what kinds of food I was missing from home like nice bagels and good chocolate. I was given a nice card signed by all the people I work with, and was given HUGE amount of Cadbury Chocolate products. I have this book sized bar ... read more
Some of my co-workers
Not Mom's Pie, But It Will Do
Tama, the resident hostel cat

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands November 15th 2005

I just wanted to correct myself. The last journal entry said that one of the pictures was a puteki tree, it really is a Kauri Tree, so I digress. And sorry about not turning the last two pictures, but I'm sure you all can manage to turn your heads for a second or two. :) Tomorrow is my birthday and it turns out that my mail service in Auckland made the mistake of not continuing to forward my mail to me out here in KeriKeri, so I'll be getting my cards a little late. It's all good, because at work, we're having a birthday lunch where everyone brings a dish. It makes the day special being away from home, and it makes me feel more welcome in this already welcoming country. I'm planning on heading out ... read more
YHA KeriKeri

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands November 10th 2005

Once we got into our second rental car, affectionately named "Hot Tamale" we were back in action. This time we had brakes that worked, and a radio (plus a Coldplay tape we got from the cottage). Our drive was about 3 hours long. From the Bay of Islands, on the Pacific, we were headed west to Ahipara on the Tasman. Along the way we stopped at Matauri Bay in the Bay of Islands and spent a few hours soaking up the sun, reading, and snacking. The wind was a bit chilly, so we made 'pods' in the sand, to keep us blocked from the wind. The Bay had deep blue water and peach sand. Sailboats filled the horizon, as this region is one of the best places to sail in the world. After Matauri we stopped ... read more
"Hot Tamale" the car, at the Bay Of Islands
Rachel and Me at Matauri Bay at the Bay Of Islands
Matauri Bay from the Lookout

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands November 5th 2005

Organic Farming and WWOOFING Orgnic food is something very important to me. I see the need for the support of naturally grown food and naturally fed/housed meat and poultry. Farming with the use of genetically enhanced food products, toxic chemical sprays and pesticides, and harmful eradiation is becoming a massive worldwide problem (this is especically true for the United States) Deadly diseases such as heart disease and Cancer (which is becoming a huge epidemic) are rampant, and are linked to toxins, harmful synthetics and injected hormones and chemicals which are found in our food supply (including fruit, vegatables, meat, fish etc). By supporting the Organic food producers, not only are we protecting ourself from eating pure checmicals, but we are protecting the environment from harsh toxins, and we are ensuring that the food we humans eat, ... read more
Untangling the Irrigation
Garlic fields!
More Irrigation

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands November 5th 2005

Well, today is Guy Fawkes day here in NZ. A day that really kicks off summer here. The story behind Guy Fawkes is that in the 1500's he tried to burn down (I think British) Parliment with gunpowder. His brilliant plan was foiled and he was hung till he was just about dead. Then they had him quartered and drawn, and then dragged behind a horse until he was dead. Locals here celebrate by having BBQ's and Fireworks at night. We're "celebrating" this quite morbid holiday here at the hostel which is nice. It's a potluck and fireworks at about 8:30. I spent today doing some laundry, and it's nice because they have a big clothesline here, so I don't have to spend the money on a dryer! (yeah no $9 down the drain!) I have ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands November 4th 2005

Howdy friends, We left Rotorua around noon and after arranging to work and stay at KeriKeri Organics Farm, we headed to the Bay of Islands. At first, everything was golden- we were on the road (again) and had all our luggage packed neatly and safely into our little white car. Around 2 pm I noticed the car had a really strange sound coming from it...a loud ringing sound. This persisted for the entire duration of the 8 1/2 hour drive. On top of that, our radio did not function properly either! Luckily, Rachel and I are excellent singers ;) and did our best to make light of the situation by singing really random songs, and kareoking to bad music whenever we had any remote radio signal. After a few hours, we made it to Whangarei, a ... read more
then...it all went downhill
This little horse trailer caused another detour..on the detour
AGH!

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands November 1st 2005

I woke up this morning depressed. Wondering why Mark and I can't live in a place this beautiful all of the time. We finally made it out of Auckland. It took us two full days to shed our fear of driving. And not just because the kiwis drive on the other side of the road, but because they drive with shear determination, determined to get wherever it is they need to go as fast as they can, so they can relax. Just a few hundred kilometers north of Auckland, we stumbled upon a ferry. Mark asked the attendent how long the journey was and she laughed, "Oh hon, it's only five minutes. We're nearly there." And just as she was done talking, the ten-car ferry door opened and it was like the flag was waved at ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands October 27th 2005

Today we went on an all day trip on a boat. We were expecting to see and swim with dolphins, see the islands and go through the famous hole in the rock. We did all of these! We set off at 9.30am, called at Russell over the bay to pick up some more people and then went on the hunt for dolphins, but this time it was organised! On our way we saw some nice scenery, lots of islands with sandy bays. The sea is bright blue and turquoise. We came into a bay where there was a pod of 8 dolphins that didn't have young so we could swim with them. So we put on our wet suits and snorkels and were told to jump off the boat into the boom net in the ocean. ... read more
Dolphins!!
More Dolphins!!
The hole in the rock

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands October 26th 2005

Stopped off at Waitiki Landing lodge on our journey up towards the northern most point and 90 Mile Beach. Once settled in the restaurant, with beer in hand whilst perusing the menu, we couldn't resist a first try of Ostrich - in burger form! Turns out to be quite burger-like, unsurprisingly, with a slight gammony aspect to it, although it's quite possible that they had run out of Ostrich and just palmed us off with any old dog meat, still, when in Rome. Across from us in the restaurant, some young guys that we'd spotted on the way were playing pool while we munched through our food and when we were finished they came over and struck up a conversation, asking oddly, (but later, obviously), about the car and where we were going. 'Where do ... read more
Us and the Germans!
Sandy Bay
Me on Sandy Ba

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands October 25th 2005

Woke up late and had a mad dash to get to the 9.20 ferry that was off on a dolphin chasing day cruise around the bay. Within 10mins, we'd spotted a small pod of Bottle Nose Dolphins just off the coast of one of the islands near by. All cameras to the ready, as we all rushed from port to starboard to try and capture the best short of them leaping, surfacing and mucking around together. They really are stunning animals! We battled the swell and toured around various outlying islands and through the so called 'famous' Hole In The Rock, which kind of does exactly what it says on the tin (see photos), and after a short stop on an unpopulated island for lunch, we re-boarded and donned wet suits at the captains orders ... read more
Dolphins Ahoy 2!
Cruizing
The Hole In The Rock




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