New Zealand Day 27 and 28

We left Takapuna, a posh suburb of Auckland, traveling by rental car to the Bay of Islands Maritime and Historic Park.  The drive took most of the day.  We arrived at the town of Russell, which used to be called Hellhole and was where the first European settlers came.  They were rough and tough people and there was a high level of debauchery in the early 1800's.  Russell was also nominally the first capital of NZ and just across a bay is the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where a treaty was signed between the English and the Maori. We are staying in a resort called the "Russell Top 10."   We have villas (actually, small cabins) overlooking the town and across the bay - note the sunset photo.

On the drive north, we stopped for "elevenses" at a bakery in Ruakaka, for a smoothie, a frappuccino and two pastries.  

We drove on to the major city in Northland, Whangarei, stopping just north of town at the AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park.  We walked a short trail, visiting some amazing kauri trees, an iconic tree indigenous to NZ and unfortunately under threat from a "soil-borne pathogen" that is causing "kauri dieback disease."  The disease is both incurable and fatal.  There are stations set up at trail entries to scrub your footwear and then to spritz them with a disinfectant (diluted Sterigene), which also kills bacterial organisms.  The trail became a boardwalk that climbed uphill reaching the canopy of smaller native trees but reaching only the midpoint of the kauris.  After admiring the magnificent kauri trees, which are estimated to be 500 years old, we walked up to a  viewing platform overlooking a dramatic waterfall.

Note how big these trees are.

Paranui Falls

We next drove more, and then stopped at Oakura at a beach side park for a lunch break.  We ate the last pastry purchased earlier and some other stuff we had bought in Takapuna, accompanied by a pushy gull with expectations of crumbs. He would not let any other gulls get close.

View from our lunch time beach at Oakura.

We drove the final hour along the eastern coastline which brought us into Russell.  This route took us off State Highway 1 and avoided a short ferry crossing.  But the road was very hilly and windy.  Fortunately, there was little traffic and I found that the curves were correctly banked.  We saw some evidence of small slips, and had a couple of sections that were an "alternating one-way traffic pattern" with flaggers and lots of orange cones.  We were the first of our group to reach Russell; Ron, Jan and Varis arrived shortly, followed by Dennis and Leslie.  Mark and Kathy arrived last, since they had to go into Auckland to pick up their rental car.  We strolled around town, getting oriented and a few supplies.

The Duke of Marlborough Inn, the swankiest place in Russell for dinner and to stay.

The Promenade in Russell.

Sunset from our deck.

Today (day two of this post), we hiked first to Flagstaff Hill, then via Fladgate Nature Trail to Tapeka Point Lookout, at the end of the peninsula just north of Russell.  The hike was fun but a bit harder than I expected.  We had some short steep sections getting to the lookout, over some splendid headlands.  We took our time along the nature trail, studying the various trees and their helpful labels, and spotting birds, including a pair of lorikeets.  

Kahili Ginger flower.  The flower stands about 8 inches tall.

Atypical house, note the roof line.

This is an important spot where the first English settlers and the Maori met to work out the collision of their two cultures.

View of Russell from Flagstaff Hill.

The next photos are views from the path to and from atop Tapeka Point.

After returning to Russell and our villa at the Top 10 resort, we had a late lunch (this time accompanied by an expectant weka -a  cheeky local bird) and then went to Long Beach for a swim.  It is a very nice sandy beach with hardly any waves.  Betsy and I braved the cool water temperatures, taking our time to get fully wet, but enjoyed floating in the water once acclimated.  It took about 15 minutes to walk to the beach and again 15 minutes back, with a short walk over a small saddle separating Russell from Long Beach.  Sorry, no photos.

We came back and had happy hour with the gang of 9 on the deck in front of our villas (we are mostly side by side along the top road of the resort), and decided to get takeaway pizza from Hone's Garden Restaurant.  Kathy, with help from several others, made a large green salad.  She bought the salad supplies while Ron and I picked up the pizzas.  It worked well, was fun and relaxed, and was a bit more economical than going to a restaurant.  We talked until nearly sunset.

 

New Zealand Day 25 and 26

Yesterday was a busy day with the celebration of Judith's life, led by Varis and Wendy.  The occasion  was a major reason many of the US contingent traveled to NZ.  Varis was joined by 9 NZ relatives of Judith's along with the 8 of us from the US for a 3-hour sailing trip from the Aukland Harbour out to the Hauraki Bay.  The 50-foot sail boat was provided by Explore, and skippered by a captain with one mate, Naomi.  The weather was great, with a nice wind, and everyone who wanted to pilot the boat was given that opportunity.  Near where Judith learn to sail in the mid to late 1950's, Wendy, the one surviving sister, scattered Judith's ashes.  It was a quiet and dignified moment.

The sailing party - Varis, the locals - Wendy (Judith's sister), Christine, Beverley, Les, Margaret, Lesley, Peter, Cameron and William, and the US contingent - Jan, Leslie, Kathy, Betsy, Ron, Dennis, Mark, and me.

Pulling away.

Moving from the inner harbour to the outer harbour, under a drawbridge or what the locals call a viaduct.

An Explore sister boat, a former 12-meter America's Cup racer, raising its main sail.  Crewed by tourists.

The cranes at the container port of Auckland.

A historic lighthouse that originally had station crew living quarters.  Now it is automatic and powered by solar panels and batteries.

Underway with Cameron at the helm.

Auckland.

The scattering of ashes.

Varis with niece Christine.

"Traffic" in the harbour.

Coming back to port, we watched two new one-half sized NZ America's Cup boats, out on training runs.  

Up on the foils.

After the sailing trip, we headed back to the hotel.  Jan, Betsy, Ron and I walked home from the Devonport Ferry Station, which is accessed by a 12-minute ferry trip from Auckland.  The walk was 4 miles in distance, mostly beside the main road and with the traffic congestion, we kept up with the cars for part of the way.  We finally escaped via a side street and onto the beach for the last mile or so.  The very pleasant Emerald Inn is just uphill from the north end of the beach.

Varis continued the celebration by hosting a dinner at Aubergines, a restaurant that he and Judith had eaten in when staying in Takapuna and a couple of blocks from our hotel.  We sat at one long table and ordered dishes off the menu.  Lamb shank and baked snapper were the preferred choices for dinner.  Several bottles of wine were also consumed.  It was a grand affair and a fitting tribute to Varis' wife.

New day, the US gang (minus Varis and Mark), at Varis' urging, ferried from Devonport to Rangitoto Island, for a hike.  We walked 7.2 miles first along the southwestern shoreline, then east up to the summit, and then south back down to the ferry dock.  Rangitoto is a relatively new volcanic island, with a perfectly funnel-shaped crater with the rim (highpoint) at 850 feet of elevation.  The challenge was timing the hike - there is only one ferry going to the island (leaving at 10:15 am), and only 3 return ferries picking up passengers at 12:20, 2:20 and 3:30 pm.  We were able to complete the hike and exit the island at 2:20 pm.  There are no services, public facilities, stores, or anything but toilets on the island, so if one misses the last ferry, one is spending the night on the island, sleeping rough.  Mark remained with Varis and enjoyed the town of Devonport and local walks.

On the ferry.

Dropping off explorers (mostly young people).

Lava fields with Auckland in the far background.

The crater/summit.

View from the top looking toward a neighboring island.

The crater, though you have to imagine the funnel shape.

The highpoint.

An example of a lava flow at water level.

After finishing the hike, we caught the ferry back to Devonport, rode the bus back to Takapuna, and relaxed around the hotel's patio for happy hour.  The US contingent, plus Margaret and Les from Palmerston North, are all staying at the same hotel.  The eleven of us went for dinner to the Regatta Restaurant.  

New Zealand Day 24

This was a travel day and wander we did.  We left Snells Beach about 10 am and drove back to Warkworth and then along back roads to the West Coast.  We were on winding roads with occasional signs of storm damage and slips, but the weather was sunny after starting out with clouds.  We traversed over the "spine" of the island.  Our first notable sight was a huge sculpture farm known as Gibbs Farm.  It is only open for a few days each year and, according to the website, it costs $100 to drive around viewing the massive artworks.

Our next stop was the town of Helensville, noted for its 1911 Post Office Building, which was the stand-in as the Police Station for the NZTV show "The Brokenwood Mysteries."  We had a coffee break at a local bakery and then strolled along the river that meanders through town before exiting into Kaipara Harbour.  We spotted an unusual plant (see photos), aptly named the Balloon Plant.

An automatic door closing, locking, and music-playing toilet in Helensville.  The user hits a button and the door unlocked and opens.  But the occupancy time is limited to 10 minutes -- any longer and a warning bell rings and then the door opens automatically. . .

Some interesting "art" made with cutting torches.

A "honey" Jerry Can.

A balloon plant

The balloon releases silky, dandelion-like seeds.

We resumed our drive first by going a few miles to Parakai, known for hot springs, and then southward and eastward on SH 16, back over the spine.  We stuck to the backroads crossing SH 1 and continued into Takapuna, our home for the next 3 nights.  Takapuna feels like San Diego, or Victoria, BC (if Victoria were warm).  

We rejoined the gang, and spent the afternoon socializing with Varis and his New Zealand relatives on the Emerald Inn's back terrace.  We met Judith's younger sister, Wendy, her daughter Christine, and her two grandsons (William and Cameron).  The  party also included Les, who is the son of Judith's other sister Anne (who died recently), and Les's wife (Margaret) as well as Anne's daughter Beverly.  Varis has arranged a sailing trip for his relatives and our US gang tomorrow, followed by dinner a few blocks from our hotel - this will be all reported in the next blog post.

The Takapuna beachfront

A guy in outrigger canoe surfing the waves.

Rangitoto Island.

Sunset over Takapuna - amazing yellow.