Land of the Kiwis


Advertisement
New Zealand's flag
Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland
January 16th 2006
Published: January 20th 2006
Edit Blog Post

We arrived in Auckland on the 5th January and were fetched by Natalie (a family friend of the Marshall's from Zim) from the airport and whisked off to her home in Ellerslie, just on the edge of the city. Peter had prepared us a great meal, and we spent hours talking about our trip and catching up. Lisa strained all the muscles in her back the day before so spent most of the evening and the next few days lying horizontal whenever possible!

We woke up late on our first day in the city. All the early mornings and late nights finally caught up to us and we decided a few extra hours shut eye would be a good idea. We drove into the city and walked along the Prince's Wharf and enjoyed the views of the harbour and the boats and yachts. We took pictures of a beautiful black and white luxury yacht which we later found out is owned by Roman Abramovich. The city is quite compact and very neat and clean. Tamaki Drive hugs the coast and takes you past Mission Bay and lots of expensive houses with amazing views. The harbour is very scenic and we wandered around a few markets and up the main drag Queen Street. It rained on and off so of course we had to stop for the obligatory cup of coffee (had to see if the NZ coffee stood up to the Australian brews!) and then sushi at the Victoria Market.

Peter and Natalie took us to Goat Island the next day, an hour or so North of the city. It was sunny and warm enough for Lisa to take off her fleece, so we knew it was going to be a good day! We took a trip on the glass bottomed boat run in the National Park and had a very informative guide who told us the history of the park and about all the marine life we were seeing. Lunch was a picnic overlooking the beach and island and Lisa and Keith managed to get in for a swim, although the water was rather chilly to say the least. Keith went for a snorkel in the clear waters but only lasted 20 minutes before the ice cream headache kicked in. We had to say that we swam in NZ, so we took the chance whilst the sun was
Goat IslandGoat IslandGoat Island

Glass bottom boat can be seen bottom right.
out!

That evening we all dolled ourselves up and tried to dig out our best gear, that being any items of clothing that have not been shrunk by the tumble driers or bleached by the sun! Keith had to borrow a shirt but we managed to look respectable. Peter and Natalie treated us to a wonderful evening out at the Observatory Restaurant in the Sky Tower. The views of Auckland are something else from the tower and it was an experience we will never forget, dining several hundred metres up. The food was really good and the buffet tempted us to try out far too many different dishes. Lisa loved the help yourself gelati bar, and saved extra space for ice cream and creme caramel! After dinner we took a walk round the observatory and took pics of the city at sunset. The evening was topped off with a drive over the harbour bridge in to Devenport, which is a quaint neighbourhood, enjoying an unparalleled view of the city across the water. The Victorian houses are beautiful and the main street is lined with lots of bookshops, speciality stores and cafes.

After Auckland we set off on our road trip to explore what we could of the North Island in one week. As we ventured further South and marvelled at the scenery and the winding roads, we realised that a week wasn't going to be nearly enough time, but we vowed to enjoy it! First stop was Raglan, renowned for being a popular surf spot along the West Coast. The drive only took a couple of hours so we arrived mid afternoon and were glad to find a sunny room in the backpackers set right on the waters edge. Explored the little town and walked along the inlet before making plans to spend another day there. It was at this unfortunate time that Lisa dropped the camera, which then refused to work. So the next morning was spent on the phone and at the post office sending the camera to Christchurch! So you will have to bear with us until we get it back and make do with the pics we get from our throw away cameras! What a pain!

The surf beach was pretty rough the next day so no surfing was had, instead we spent the day relaxing, reading books and planning our next steps. Left early for Rotorua, the smelliest city I have been to ( bar Bangkok). It smells like Rotten eggs! It is the strangest sight as you drive into the town and see steam rising from all the geysers and hot pools. The sulphur accounts for the eggy smell, but it's not Lisa's favourite smell at the best of times. We decided to spoil ourselves and took the afternoon of to spend at the Polynesian Spa, where we lounged in mineral pools (called the Priests' waters) on the edge of the lake, at temps of about 42 degrees - really hot! The Spa was established in 1886 and people have been going there ever since to bath in the waters and heal all the aches and pains.

We couldn't go all the way to Rotorua without seeing some of the Thermal wonderlands, so next day we drove to Waiotapu park and watched the Lady Knox Geyser spout hot water and steam 20 metres in to the air. The walk through the park takes you past bubbling mud pools, sulphur pools, thermal lakes and craters and all whilst you breathe in the lovely eggy aroma! The scenery is really different to
Observatory RestaurantObservatory RestaurantObservatory Restaurant

Peter and Natalie treated us to some high class dining at the top of the tallest building in the S Hemisphere
anything else we have seen and it feels rather like you are on a different planet. On to Lake Taupo, which is a beautiful freshwater lake with views of Mt Tongariro in the background. We had a cheeky nap on the banks of the lake under a tree for an hour or so, exhausted after all the sightseeing. The water is crystal clear and we really wished we had been able to stay there a night. Huka Falls is near by and is an amazing torrent of bright blue water and rapids. The scenery around Lake Taupo is lush, green natural forests and hills, lakes and lots of streams and rivers. Lisa treated herself to some special Manuka Honey body lotion from the Beehive - honey farm and then it was time to head back to Rotorua for the night.

Waitomo Caves was the setting for our next adventure - Blackwater rafting through deep underground caves. This was totally different to anything we have ever experienced. We looked hilarious dressed in full wetsuits, plastic boots, helmets, headlamps and rubber tubes! The weather was freezing, but the excitement soon took over. We climbed down rocks into the underground caves and
Keith going back for 5thsKeith going back for 5thsKeith going back for 5ths

Great selection of foods to be had.
then tubed down the blackwater, marvelling at the glowworms lighting up the cave. In between tubing we had to climb over rocks submerged in the streams and at one point we were 65 metres below ground level... Jumping backwards over a waterfall was a real adrenalin rush and Lisa didn't have time to argue before our guide Mitch threw her off the edge. Along the way the guides thought it was hilarious to turn all the torches off so we had to feel our way along the rocks and head down stream with only the faint glow of the glowworms above us on the cave walls. They also took great pleasure in telling us that glowworms are actually maggots and the green light comes from their bottoms, i.e. s**t!!! Needless to say we were really tired after the three hour adventure but so glad we did it. We slept really well that night and then had a long drive south to New Plymouth where we spent 2 nights. The drive took us through gorges and the road was cut in to massive rock faces, winding up and around the mountains. Our time in New Plymouth was spent on the black
View from Raglan BackpackersView from Raglan BackpackersView from Raglan Backpackers

Seconds before the camera was dropped!
sand beaches and also hiking in Egmont National Park on Mt Taranaki. With only two nights left on the North Island we headed for Wellington before our trip on the South Island. We spent the night in an awesome backpacker lodge in Plimmerton (20 min north of Wellington). Moana Lodge is run by a very enthusiastic couple who made every effort to help us out with tourist information. As it was Lisa's birthday we paid a little extra to have an amazing room with bay windows opening out to the ocean. Thanks to Doods and Rhett for the tip. Dinner was amazing pizzas that we only managed half of due to the sheer size of them. The rest we took away in doggie bags for the ferry ride to the South Island...


Additional photos below
Photos: 11, Displayed: 11


Advertisement

Polynesian SpaPolynesian Spa
Polynesian Spa

Bathing in the 42 degree Priest Pools. Lake Rotorua in the background
Waiotapu Thermal WonderlandWaiotapu Thermal Wonderland
Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland

What's that smell??
The lovely Lake TaupoThe lovely Lake Taupo
The lovely Lake Taupo

Keith getting a little nervous that his pecker might get pecked!


22nd January 2006

great stuff
Lili and Keith - you are so fortunate to have seen and done so much on ythis wonderful trip of yours in such wonderful parts of the world - makes what we have seen and doen pale into insignificance. You are in our thoughts every hour of ebry day and we are waiting with great hopes to see you again at Easter here in Natal. Have had a very busy week and more to come - Dusi is over - but I have three days of the SA leg of the World A1 GP Series for which a brand new street circuit has been built on the Durban beachfront . . .pray for me - I have been accredited and have to cover it!! Must get this away and download the Blog for Mom - she sends her love as I do - Dad xxx Mom xxx

Tot: 0.122s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 11; qc: 66; dbt: 0.0635s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb