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Published: November 5th 2007
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It was our earliest morning for a long while (not counting the 3.40am flight as we didn't actually go to bed)! But we made it up and out by 7am before witnessing Auckland early in the morning.... 2 random people with a basketball and rugby ball running in front of traffic and a tramp who shook our hands before being arrested! Still, it woke us up!
The coach ride to Paihia was about 3 and a half hours but the scenery was breathtaking and the tour guide, Andy, was really good so it didn't seem very long. We stopped in the Honey Cafe for a breakfast toastie and coffee. Now as you can probably guess by the name, the Honey Cafe is Bee related, and if you know Joe well this is not good. You could view the hive's through a glass pannel and there was free honey tasting. All very interesting for most people, but terrifying for Joe.
When we arrived we got straight on a boat for a Dolphin Cruise around the bay. There was the opportunity to swim with Dolphins so we had our fingers crossed for that! We cruised around the islands for an hour
before finding a pod of about 20 Bottlenose Dolphins. They were very playful and rode the bow of the boat, came to say hello and even did a few jumps out of the water. You could lay on the bow of the boat so you were only 2 feet from the water and watch them come up underneath the boat.
New Zealand is a very Eco-friendly country and there are several laws regarding swimming with dolphins. One of them being you can't get in the water when there is a baby dolphin. This is because they need to feed alot from their mothers and you're not allowed to disturb them. There turned out to be a baby dolphin in the pod, so unfortunately we couldn't get in the water, but it was still amazing to see such a tiny dolphin. Hopefully we'll get the opportunity somewhere else though!
In the evening we went to the halloween party at the Hostel. There was a BBQ and cheap drinks so all good! The next day we had a bit of a lay in and then went to the treaty house at Waitangi. This was where the Maori tribes signed a
treaty with the British to bring about peace in New Zealand and was basically the birth of the nation we have today. There is also the largest canoe in the world, Ngatokimatawhaorua, which was made for the centenary celebrations of the signing of the treaty in 1940. Its 35 metres long, fits 140 people and when they took it out to see how fast they could go it outran a Navy Frigate! So its also the fastest canoe in the world with a top speed of over 30 knots!
We headed back to Auckland and had to spend the night there before our next trip to Mercury Bay. Our room that night was a box with no windows and a noisy ventilation system. Much like being in Prison!! Although we did manage to break out for some Falafel kebabs and Dunkin' Donuts. Not sure if you get to do that in Prison.....
So we were up early (lots of early mornings lately!) and headed to Mercury bay. We went up Mount Eden for some views of the city and also saw 1 tree hill. Unfortunately there is no tree any more as a Maori activist cut it down
but there is a huge monument! You may also know it from the U2 song which Bono dedicated to their Kiwi roadie who was killed on Bono's motorbike. Cathedral Cove was next on the list and had a walk down to the beach with some awesome views. The water looked really nice and it was tempting to swim, until you put your foot in and found it was damn cold! We did have a bit of entertainment on the hike down as one girl (clearly a travelling veteran) who decided to do the 45 minute walk down the dirt track along the cliff in her white stiletto heels, the driver even opened the bus so people could change their shoes, but she chose not to. Yes, she did fall down!
After a quick stop at Hot Water Beach we got to our hostel which was really nice. Everyone went down the pub that night for some group bonding! They all had to be up early the next day but we stayed an extra night to avoid the rush! Kim carved her own Maori necklace and we then decided to cycle to Hot Water Beach. Now, our Kiwi Experience driver
said it would only take 20 minutes. He lied. 1 hour 45 minutes into our Journey we weren't even half way there! The hills didn't make it any easier! The sun was beginning to set so we decided it would probably be smart to turn back!
The Kiwi's seem to love Guy Fawkes night over here and even though it was a couple of nights early the local council put on a fireworks display on the beach. Now these are rich people who live in Mercury bay so as you can imagine it was a rather good show! Another early start the next day! Woo hoo!
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lynsey
non-member comment
amazing
you are a long way from home! such fantastic sights, and to have been so close to the dolphins must have been amazing, you know, it's funny, i had a dream about dolphins last night. being right up close to them and swimming with them. then i look at my emails this morning and see your blog update! Take care guys, and continue to have a great time. Lynsey xxxxxxxxx