New Zealand Day 32

This is our last full day in New Zealand.  It was the third day of inclement weather caused by the cyclone, but the foul weather was waning significantly.  It was cloudy most of the day with occasionally light rain and short bursts of wind.  As I write this at 7:00 pm local time, the sun is out and we can see blue sky - wahoo!!

For those who may be wondering what is the difference between a typhoon, cyclone, and even a hurricane.  The short answer is nothing -- they are all tropical, low pressure disturbances that rotate, picking up moisture from the ocean and generating high winds as a vortex around an "eye."  The wind is located outside of the eye in something called an "eye wall."  The three names differentiate according to where the disturbances occur.  For example, cyclones - below the equator in the South Pacific Ocean and in the Indian Ocean.  Typhoons are in the Northwestern Pacific and hurricanes are in the Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Pacific.  They are categorized with a 5 point scale.  They are major if they are category 3, 4 or 5.  Cyclone Gabrielle was category 3 for a couple of days before being downgraded to a tropical storm.

On to our day.  Betsy, Varis and I went along the coast road to the Glass House Cafe for a delicious breakfast, while Jan and Ron stayed in.  After that, we watched a bunch of guys cleaning up the road in front of our house, using shovels to move debris, and then using leaf blowers to move the little stuff.  One guy got friendly with us, even to the point of asking to use our loo and to wash his boots with the outside hose bib.  While he was using the bathroom, Jan, Betsy, Ron and I drove to the south end of the Paihia to walk the coast line to Opua.  It involved a mix of beachfront, boardwalk over mangroves, and trails in the bush.  When we got back we heard that Varis had some trouble with our guest, hearing an earful on what white settlers did to the Maori and getting him to leave.  Fortunately, Varis noticed our front door key missing from the hall table and asked him where was the key.  The guy nonchalantly took the key out of his pocket and gave it to Varis - how strange.

Our walk started well but, after some distance on shoreside rocks with the tide coming in, we had to divert up through a neighborhood of private homes to the main road.  We walked along the road for a short distance before regaining the beach, then the trail went into the bush, past a Top Ten campground, and finally across a mangrove boardwalk.  After 2.5 miles, Betsy and I turned around to go back to the car.  Jan and Ron walked on finishing the trail to Opua.  We drove to pick them up just as some serious rain set in.

Washed up boat debris.

The rocks we were walking on.

A pair of Oyster Catchers

A brand new boardwalk through the mangroves

An unafraid Pied Shag drying itself.

We returned to the house after picking up dinner supplies.  We had ravioli and tortellini with prawns and chorizo sausage bits and a salad.  After dinner we drove to Haruru Falls and back around through Waitangi Treaty Grounds, passing a mountain bike park and a broad, wide open golf course with wonderful vistas to the sea.  The sea was nearly clear, with some lingering wind.

Haruru Falls in full spate after the recent rains.

Haruru Falls from above.

It is looking good for flying home tomorrow - Kerikeri to Auckland, Auckland to Los Angeles, LA to Portland.  It will be a long day, but will be good to be home.

I must conclude by telling you that while this blog reads as if I alone write it, know that Betsy adds color commentary and editorial improvements to every post.  I thank her for her being a partner.  Happy Valentine to you and your partners.