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(Note: The two previous blogs I have published have not sent alert e-mails. If your a regular reader, check to see if you've missed the last two publications.)
It's official: we're off the beaten track! Our adventures outside of Auckland are under way and we're enjoying breathing the fresh air of the New Zealand countryside. We met Mom, Breck, and Travis and the airport and were then off to pick up our rental car. A first hand experience at driving and navigating from the opposite side of the road was just what we all needed after 15 plus hours of airplane travel (them) and getting up at 3:30 am to catch the shuttle to meet and greet at the airport (us). But we were pretty hyped to be together and adventuring. OK, actually, Mom was neurotic, Breck was sick but being a trooper, Justin was caffeinated, Travis was driving, and I was hyped.
First stop: freshening up in our teeny weeny hotel room. Justin and I didn't check out yet so the others could have a chance to shower. We had to go up in shifts, no way five could fit inside that thing. Second stop: tattoo appointment! Breck
On their last leg
Sadly, Mom brought some yellow crocs to swap out my green ones. Not sure if I'm ready to let them go...and I have been plotting for years to get tattoos together, but kept going back and forth about what to get. I found a sand drawing from Maewo and she found a simple sun design that she planned to get, so I set us up an appointment in Auckland. First day out of the country and we were inked. It was not nearly as painful as we thought it would be, and so far, no regrets and no peeling.
After that pit stop, Travis was itching to get us out of the city. And I appreciate that. We headed for Miranda, a small town south and east of Auckland. With Justin co-piloting in the front seat and Breck snoring in Mom's lap in the back, we found ourselves sandwiched between the green, rolling hills and rocky coastline of rural New Zealand within an hour. And breathing deeper for it. We are still getting used to the driving on the opposite side of the road thing. Especially left hand turns seem to leave our drivers wanting to drift to the wrong side of the road. The more rural we go, the easier that would be to happen unnoticed.
We
Fish n Chips
Notice Travis' full fish, fried skin and bones and all! spend our first few days in Miranda, in a small mobile home style cabin bordered by a cow pasture next to a natural hot springs. We hopped right in the hot springs to unwind from the travels (all of them) right away. We had heard the two local foods to try in New Zealand are Fish and Chips (chips = fries, for my American readers) and meat pies. We got the first checked of the list the first night at a small place just down the road from where we were staying. There were five types of fish to choose from, which came breaded and fried, with the fries. Our meals came wrapped in newspaper; what character!
Breck was feeling pretty sick, so she and Mom bummed around the cabin the second day while the rest of us putzed through the small towns a little further down the road. For lunch, we brought back meat pies of every variety that the small cafe offered: steak and mushroom, steak and cheese, chicken, vegetable, and egg. Of course, we each sampled which ever one we liked. They are pretty much like what I would call "pot pies" from back home, but
Farm Hike
Justin on one of the many ridges during our farm romp. maybe a little thicker. They key is to
spot a good, flaky crust. We decided to stay at Miranda one more night (since it's winter in New Zealand, not many tourists are around and we've pretty much got free rein to be spur of the moment in our planning).
The next day we packed up and headed for the Coromandel Peninsula. Beautiful country! We wound and wove through hills. I am just excited by how much green there is here, and even during their winter months! The vegetation here is a mix of what I would expect to see in Colorado with a few tropical palms and ferns thrown in as well. Lunch time in Coromandel Town was also decision time. Would we continue winding farther north on the peninsula or opt to head east? Our trusy rusty Lonely Planet guide mentioned a farm an hour's drive north that hosted guests. I called and, no surprise here, they had a cabin available. So, after picking up groceries for dinner and breakfast, we headed on down to the Colville Farm.
We arrived around 2 at our quite accomodating yet economical lodging. Breck was still feeling crummy and Mom a
Sunset
Lovely sunset while we were still hiking around Colville Farm. bit tired, so they napped while Justin, Travis, and I went romping around the farm grounds. Now, my Kansan friends, don't zone out on me here. Farms in New Zealand are much more textured than ours in the flat plains. Our initial plan was to hike up a short knoll and look down into the town of Colville. But, once there, we decided to go up just a little further to the top of the ridge, which led to the next ridge, which led to the next ridge. Eventually we worked ourselves over enough ridges to see the Pacific Ocean to the north!
Back at our cozy cabin, we made dinner and headed for bed. It was nice to have had cold air cleaning out the lungs and wearing out the body and we all slept well. In fact, that next morning, I was itching to go help milk the farm's old milk cow. I barely talked Mom into going with me; she was not too pumped about being out in the cold. But I convinced her we should do it for Uncle Curt. So we milked and chatted with the woman there for about an hour. Since we
already had our breakfast, we turned down her offer to take some of the milk, but we did accept two eggs in return for our help. She also
noticed that Mom must have milked before and complimented her. That gave Mom something to strut about for the day.
We headed off again, this time east via 309 road. Breck was feeling lots better, so we made a few stops, taking short hikes to a waterfall and a grove of Kauri trees. Most of the older Kauri trees were cut down to be logged in the early 1900s, but there is a small grove that was skipped. We hiked around the grove to appreciate these giants.
The energy seemed to pick up with Breck's usual spunk and energy added to the group. We stopped for a quick grocery store lunch of sandwiches, chips, and fruit in a little park. Then we headed on to Hahei, a village Travis had spotted as being close to Cathedral Cove as well as Hot Water Beach. After we checked into a lodge in town, Travis wasted no time rounding us up and heading for the Cove. He was anxious about the unpredictable winter
Dashing thru the... ocean
Travis and I running through Cathedral Cove to the next beach weather and wanted to take advantage of the
clear day to check out the cove.
So, we were off again.We drove to the site's parking lot and headed out in our layered clothing for the short hike to the beach. Since it was late in the afternoon, there was only one other group of tourists for us to have to share the beach with, and they seemed
more interested then a little cliff in the rock than the actual cove. We checked it out, took some pictures, and before we could wonder what to do next, Travis thought we should roll up our jeans and run through the cove to the next beach over. He justified that idea by reminding us we were planning to do laundry that night; no worries if our only pair of jeans wind up wet. Only I was up for the trot and we wound up soaked. But sometimes things like that are just worth it to enliven your senses and remember your alive. The hike back was a little cold and annoying with wet, heavy jeans, but still, the
venture was worth it.
The next morning, we were off to the beach
again, this time to purposely wind up in the water. During low tide at Hot Water Beach, you can literally dig your own hot tub. Hot water channels run under the beach, so if you dig down far enough, the hot water fills up into your pool. Get the right mix of cold ocean water with the boiling hot stuff and it's quite a cozy sitting. We even saw a seal heading back out to sea while we were digging. We walled up the sand enough to keep the bulk of the ocean water out except for just one edge. So, those of us who wanted to be lobsters could stay close to the hot water and we could arrange ourselves accordingly in order of heat preference farther towards the ocean water entrance.
A quick rinse at the hotel and we were back on the road. As we head back towards the south, the green rolling hills and more densely populated with pines and other trees, a bit more of a familiar forest and not quite as exciting to take pictures of. As I post this, we are parked at Tauranga for the night and planning to venture on
towards Rotorua tomorrow.
Only four more days of New Zealand before we head for Vanuatu. And I can't wait to share our little world over there with the family!
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Stephanie Beshore
non-member comment
I am elated for all of you. Steph, are you having the time of your life or what?? You are truly an adventure girl, just like Sher. You just got to let it out and not suppress it! HEHEHEHE.. Im taking notes, I want to go to NZ!! Sheridan, I love getting your blog. You are such an inspiration and each moment of your experiences are immense wealth to your life!! Blessings!!