New Zealand Day 22

It is Saturday and time to play.  Betsy and I are on our own, the others are in Auckland.  Since it was Saturday, we went to the Farmers Market in Matakana, along with everyone else in the surrounding area.  It was an easy drive north from Snells Beach.  We parked in the town-provided lot for free and walked the couple hundred yards to the market.  We passed some of the neatest looking restrooms.

The market was jammed with folks and after seeing it, we understand why.  The food products on offer were outstanding and very high quality.  On the way down to the stalls, we passed the dog sitting service station, with two dog minders.  The dogs were happily tied up on a wide bench and given treats, while their owners shopped.   

We purchased baked pastries at the first stall, tasted very fine olive oil next door, then sampled cashew butter (ground cashews made into butter), locally-made honey and sausages.  There were cheese makers, bread bakers, even a guy sharpening knives, various craft goods, and a variety of prepared-to-order foods.  After making the circuit, we went back to buy small containers of honey and cashew butter.

The market was on the riverside, with long fin and short fin eels swimming in the muddy brown water, and just upstream from a "waterfall," more like a cascade to us.  We strolled down for a look and then went up to a coffee shop for 'elevenses' of chai and cappuccino.  We went a short ways back to our car, found a picnic table and enjoyed our pastries and drinks.

Two very neat looking bathrooms, in Matakana

Dog sitting with 2 minders

Looking back at the Farmer's Market.

The Matakana Falls.

The Cashew Butter seller and stall.

The rest of the day was spent at Tawharanui Regional Park, and very good afternoon it was.  After a twisty, undulating road out to the peninsula, we walked the Ecology Path, a 4 km route that passes along many different habitats.  The Park has a predator border fence and so is isolated from predators.  Native birds have been, and continue to be re-introduced, including kiwis.  It was like a bigger, more natural form of Wellington's Zealandia in terms of wildlife.  We took our time and had a great time identifying the various species of birds, plants, trees, and coastal critters.  We started along a beach with a few families playing in the water, collected a couple of interesting shells, and then explored tide pools, seeing oysters and several other types of mollusks.  The app "Seek" identified the species.

We next climbed off the beach and zigzagged up a stream canyon, with a multitude of birds.  We saw Tuis, Saddlebacks, Fantails, Bellbirds, Wood Pigeons, but no Kiwis, or Moreporks (Owls), though a guy we passed said they had been spotted recently.  The woods were full of glorious birdsong.  After climbing up the canyon, we crossed into pasture lands (cattle herds roam these areas) and then down through another area of native bush, streams and wetland.   We had a grand time identifying the many native trees.  Betsy had purchased a small guide which helped with identification.  I was able to verify her conclusions with Seek.  It is an incredible resource that not only identifies the species, but allows you to photograph them and stores "your observations."  If in WiFi territory, you can delve deeper into the species, such as common name, where they are found, etc.

Tidepools.

More tidepools and Betsy.

An old native tree and view looking back along the beach

Fiddlehead, I just like them.

A new spotting and photo today of a Bellbird

Fantail, very difficult to photograph since they flitter about so much.

Very fine orange fungi.

A slip, or what we call a slump, from too much rain.

The trail.

The walk took over 3 hours in total - as I said, we were taking our time.  We took a break overlooking the beach for some fruit.  Then we wound our way back to Snells Beach.  We thought about either grabbing an early dinner or a takeaway from the limited choices in town.  We first looked at Little & Local Bistro, and decided for an early dinner there.  We enjoy a bottle of Squealing Pig Rose, with shared kumari fries, halloumi and pear salad, and pulled pork sliders.

The label reads:

This little piggy went to the market

This little piggy stayed home

This little piggy had cool fermentation

This little piggy had minimal handling

This little piggy went pink pink pink.

A very good ending to a nice day.

Cheers!!!!

New Zealand Day 21

Today we left rainy Auckland for the rainy northland, specifically Snells Beach.  We slept in, unusual for us for the past few days, had breakfast at the local Coffee Club (quiche, scone and coffees), then checked out of the hotel, but left the luggage at the hotel, walked to the Hertz city location, and collected our rented Hyundai Kona car, black.  We drove back to the hotel, (navigating the one-way streets and interminable traffic lights) and retrieved our luggage, in the rain.  The switch for the windshield wipers are where the turn indicator is normally for US cars and vice versa.  Whenever I wanted to switch on the wipers, I hit the turn signal.  And likewise, changing lanes was proceeded by the wipers increasing speed (going from intermittent to constant).  But we made it, obviously, and as we drove north from Auckland, I got more accustomed to the controls and the required motions.

We left the city on SH 1 (State Highway 1) which starts off as a multiple lane highway, with sections that are tolled.  But there are no toll booths, it is all done electronically or with cameras.  We paid NZ$7 dollars to cover all tolls at the rental office.  I also got complete insurance coverage on the car.  SH 1 peters out about half way to Warkworth, our initial destination.  Note, for people who have seen the NZ TV series "800 Words," this is the fictional town of Weld, and for those who have watched "The Brokenwood Mysteries," it is the town of Brokenwood.  But the police station in Brokenwood Mysteries is located nearer to Auckland in Helensville - we might see it on the drive back to Auckland in  3 days time, and other scenes are set in locations all over the area. 

Anyway, we stopped in Warkworth, and walked around town and along the river.  It was full, flowing with brown water.  A charter sail boat is based here that goes out occasionally on the river to the Hauraki Gulf. 

The Mahurangi River in Warkworth

Jane Gifford

Muscowy Duck that has adopted this boat, according to a local woman whom we asked.

We bought a few groceries in town, which became lunch after we drove to Sandspit (east of Warkworth).  We parked at a pull out about half mile from the end of the spit and opposite the Sandspit Holiday Park (campers, vans and the like).  We enjoyed lunch in the car and then walked, in the rain, out to the end of the spit.  The Mail Boat was just leaving on its route, which includes taking guests to a luxury resort (only 8 rooms) on Kawau Island.

Everyone needs to dry off.

The Mail Boat

Swan-neck Agave

Candelabra Aloe

Mangroves

Mangrove knees

We drove a few miles from there to Snells Beach, Matakana Coast and to the Tahi Lodge (a 2 or 3-room B&B) with the owner living on site.  Lauren Kitchin, our host, met us as we drove up the driveway, showed us to our suite and explained how everything worked.  Breakfast is provided, self-service with cereal, toast and jam, OJ, yoghurt, and coffee/tea.  Our room is very well equipped with a Nepresso coffee maker, electric tea kettle, refrigerator, beach towels, internet, Netflix on the TV, and more spread over 3 rooms.  She even gave us a souvenir picture book covering this area's towns, activities, and beaches, ranging on both the east and west coasts (rich in fine beaches and wildlife preserves).   One interesting political tidbit: Lauren is not a fan of Jacinda Arden, the prime minister who resigned a few weeks ago, because she spent a lot of money I the northland which did not accomplish anything visible to the folks around here - further modernization of SH 1 is stalled and behind schedule. Lauren opined that improvements to SH 1 would benefit us, the tourists.

We relaxed for a couple hours in our room, avoiding the rain, before venturing out.  Actually, it was more like 3 or 4 hours, so we drove into center of town and ate at the one restaurant that was open - Spice Root, Indian cuisine.  

New Zealand Day 19 and 20

Yesterday was a long, long travel day.  We rode the Northern Rail Line from Wellington to Auckland.  It was scheduled for 11 hours but it took over 12 hours due to complications from storm damage in the Auckland area and other slow trains.  The last five miles took nearly an hour.  We were grateful to exit the train and enjoyed our "leg-stretch" to the hotel for the night, the Auckland Harbour Suites.  Betsy and I have a room on the 36th floor with views over the rail station and container port.

We traveled along the coast, mountain areas, river gorges, high plateaus, a couple of engineering feats to allow the train to traverse steep grades, and rich agricultural lands.  The photos are all taken from the train as it journeyed on.  

We read, listened to books on tape, ate lunch, visited the observation car, which is an open air, grilled flat car from which most of the photos were taken, or just vegetating staring our the window at the passing countryside.

In these clouds, sits the highest mountain on the north Island -- Mt. Ruapehua at 2,797 meters.

A picturesque river canyon.

The back end of the observation car.

The Locomotive. 

One of the "spirals" built to accommodate a steep gradient.  We went downward so it was no problem.  It has several turns, one 360 degree turn and two tunnels.

Several days ago, Auckland got nearly 10 inches of rain in one day.  The water flooded some of the city and this is a river where the runoff is still surging.

Our hotel.

The next day, today as I write this, we spent walking from the Tasman Sea across to the Pacific Ocean, on what is called the Coast to Coast Walkway.  Betsy and I did this walk 3 years ago from the city southward and I thought it would provide a nice overview of the Auckland area for J&R and L&D.  This time we took a bus to Onehunga Bay Reserve and walked northward.  The route starts upward through residential areas, rising to One Tree Hill, 182 meters high with 360-degree views.  It is the gravesite of John Campbell who gifted the land to the city and requested a memorial to the Maori peoples.  We descended through Campbell Park, stopping for tasty lunch at a bistro in the park.  Then, after some more walking through residential areas and a college, we ascended Mt. Eden, a volcanic crater at 196 meters high with a perfectly shaped funnel depression (i.e., crater) whose bottom is 56 meters lower.   The cone was site of a Maori encampment and the crater is still sacred or tabu.  And we finished by passing through the Auckland Domain (a reserve or park) and the University of Auckland.  The route ends at the waterfront at 10.2 miles.  Since we passed by our hotel, we took a break to clean up and rest, then finished the last half mile or so on the waterfront as an excuse to go to dinner.  After walking to the end of the waterfront, we diverted over to Portofino Restaurant for an Italian dinner - 'insalda mistas' and pasta dishes.  We strolled back to the hotel with a stop for ice cream.

While waiting for the bus, we saw the SKY Tower.  SKY is a TV station.

An unusual arch.

A historic city building.

The sign post guiding our way,

The Maori Memorial on top of One Tree Hill.  The one tree died several years ago and the city has planted 6 new ones.  The one that thrives the most will become the "one tree."

View to the city center.

A Weta, a large (3 inches long) and fierce looking insect, with very long antennas.

Our lunch stop at Campbell Park.

One of many trees in Campbell Park.

Panoramic view of Auckland.

Tomorrow, Betsy and I pick up a rental car to go exploring the area north of the Auckland.