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Published: March 14th 2007
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The boys at Mermaid Cove
Bradley, Leon and Tony hanging out at Mermaid Cove Having one more week left in New Zealand, Bradley and I decided to go to the Great Barrier Island- a hidden treasure just off the coast of Auckland. Before we had even collected our bags from the ferry we had met two guys, Tony and Leon, who greeted us with warm smiles and invited us to go chill at the beach with them for the day. Having no plans Bradley and I were instanly greateful to have met some locals on the island and eagerly joined them on the beach. We got our first glimpse of the beautiful island and relaxed on the beach while making some new friends.
The four days I spent in Great Barrier Island (GBI) was the best 4 days of my trip in New Zealand- seems unbelievable to me that each day and each experience kept on getting better and better.
A gorgeous island, where 2/3 of it is preserved- takes about an hour and half to drive from top to bottom, with a tropical island feel. People kept asking Bradley and I why we came to GBI, and by the end of the trip I realized we were meant to come to that
Tony
Out on the canoe- going fishing! island in order to meet Tony and his girlfried, Lisa. After the day we spent with Tony he invited us to stay at his house with his girlfriend. It ceases to amaze me people's generosity and openness to travelers, and as our days on GBI continued, Bradley and I were humbled by the generous and open heart treatment we recieved.
Lisa works for the Department of Conversation (DOC), something that I've actually begun to be intrigued about getting involved in. She had a perfect little flat, with a nice deck right on the edge of the water- absolutely blissful. I was in constant awe of Lisa, a strong, wise, down to earth woman; a true role model for me.
Bradley and I ended up spending all 4 nights at her house, and a special connection was made between the four of us. The next day after the beach, Tony took us out on his canoe and we paddled out- ended up hitching a ride from a boat to a nice fishing spot. Tropical heaven- and I caught my first fish! I actually caught 2, the second one was bigger but it got away once we brought it up
Fishing!!!
My first catch!! on shore....but i'm still proud of the one i caught! Bradley caught about 8 fish, we went smorkling a little, tried some sea urchins (not for my taste), basked in the sun, drank some beer enjoyed each other's company out on the side of an island. A wonderful day.
Later that night we went to the other side of the island- and saw some great live music. The feel of the pub acutally reminded me a lot of being out in Fairfax again- oh how i do miss those summer nights out on town, booging down to live music with the Iron Springs Crew! A low profile feel with some good tunes on an open mic. I was loving dancing, meeting new people....and I eventually ended up playing with the band!! Hahaha! Jumping onto the bongos and feeling the rythem...it was one of the best experiences of my life- I was LOVING IT!!! I love drumming....at one point one of the guys who was playing- Ben Hammond- a young guy from the states who was the featured act...we did a duo- me on the drums and him flowing playing the guitar...i was in complete bliss!! One of the best
Bradley
One of Bradley's many catchs of the day nights I've had out! I'm determined to start playing the drums now!
The next day Bradley and I set a huge challenge in front of ourselves- that we didn't really realize the magnitutude of until we were knee deep in the experience. We decided to go for a mountain bike ride....which happened to be across the whole island. We ended up getting a little lost, took a side trail- that was no joke almost vertical- so we had to push our bikes up for 2 hours straight. Once we finally found the trail we were more than exhausted, and had about 5 more mountains to climb- the downhills were fun- but they were few and far between. It was actually one of the most challenging physical things i've ever done in my life....never before had I reached such complete exhaustion and had to push on- the whole trip took about 5 hours. It was a true test for Bradley and I- one that we were still recovering from 2 days afterwards. Not to mention the bikes were pieces of sh*t, the chains totally rusted so it kept getting stuck when you wanted to change gears, and less than stellar
Tony and Lisa
The beautiful couple that turned into family! brakes...there weren't nice words exchanged between us and the bikes to say the least...
Once we finally made it back, FINALLY, we grabbed some grub and went to hang out at this amazing guy, George's house. The whole time we spent on the island was complete bliss. It just felt right to be there- with amazing natural beauty all around- still very much preserved, not a lot of people on the island, and the most down to earth, loving people that we had the chance to connect with- it was just so...cant think of an apporpriate word, but just put a smile in our hearts. Lisa just completely opened up her home to us- i can't express our gratitude.
The day after our bike ride- which the other people on the island were amazed we accomplished- especially with our psycho detour!....Bradley and I took a short walk to the most amazing natural hot springs, in the middle of a tropical forest. It was so unbelievable, sooooo beautiful, and perfect for our sore musels...we ended up spending 4 horus in the hot springs! our bodies and souls felt refreshed and rejuvinated after the amazing relaxation. A truly magical spot...
The big night out
Me playing the bongos in a REAL BAND in front of REAL PEOPLE!!!! hahahaha I LOVE IT!!! It was a perfect ending to my time spent in New Zealand. It was extremely sad for me to leave this country that I've fallen in love with- but I know I'm going to return one day, and I have faith in the connections I made with people during these 2 months, that they are going to last....
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Said
non-member comment
Hi Kee, I think you have there the time of your life. Enjoy for the rest of your visit in NZ. Big kiss, sahib xxx