Wanganui

From Rotorua we took the scenic route through Tongariro National Park and down to Wanganui which is located on the west coast (Tasman Sea). The weather was wet and windy but the drive was beautiful. Wanganui is a town centered around the river and upstream is the Whaganui National Park and the “Bridge to Nowhere”. We did not make it that far up the river but did take a few hour tour on the Waimarie, New Zealand’s last paddle steamer. The boat is coal powered so it can get a little sooty at times but they have a covered area at the top and a fully enclosed bottom seating area.

We also went up the Durie Hill Elevator which was built in 1919 and you walk underground about 200m until you get the elevator which takes you up to the top of the hill. Next to it is the Memorial Tower which is 33.5m tall and you can take the steps up to the top. From here we had great views of the surrounding country side and out over the Tasman Sea. We splurged in Wanganui and stayed in a motel which after so many days of campsites was a nice treat. The weather was windy but not wet and so we took time to walk around the beautiful Victorian era downtown.

From here it is back to Palmerston North (or Palmy as the locals calls it). Bree starts school this week and I am going to get set-up at the University. It was great to spend a few weeks to see some of the country first. It has helped me gain a better understanding of the diversity of the area. From an agricultural perspective you can see the differences in the farming in the different regions. Once we were near Palmy the areas opened up and there are more flat areas and more managed grazing but in the hill country it is quite rugged and production per area is lower. I’ll try to keep current on the blog but posts will be further between now. We will still take some weekend trips and I know I have visitors coming later so I’ll get to do some outings with them.

Back through Kawerau and Rotorua

From Whitianga we decided to drive a little longer and go back to Kawerau to Dave’s parent’s house. The drive down the Coromandel on the east side was very scenic and we also passed through many forest plantations. The forest plantations here are highly managed and trees are all pruned at a certain stage. From the road you can see trees all in rows with all of the lower branches removed. The growth is also much more rapid here resulting in a much shorter rotation than at home.

We spent the night at Timo and Carol’s and enjoyed their wonderful wood burning sauna. Bree had a chance to watch TV and Russ and I even managed to get a run around town in together. Kawerau is a nice little town that is just in-between Whakatane (on the coast) and Rotorua (inland). The economy in Kawerau is mainly based on the large paper mill and next time we visit Timo has said he will arrange a tour of the mill for us.

We headed back to Rotorua with the plan being to spend a little more time here and explore some of the mountain bike trails. We found a campsite near the mountain bike trails and it has thermal pools but the downside is the sulphur smell that comes along with them. We spent the first afternoon at the Agrodome so that Bree could pet the farm animals and I could learn more about the sheep breeds used here in New Zealand. The second day clouded over but was perfect weather for mountain bike riding. The mountain
bike area is called the Redwoods (Whakarewarewa Forest) and they have trails from beginner to advanced as well as some excellent walking and hiking trails. The redwoods are introduced but they grown well in this climate and make an impressive forest.

We took one evening and did the tourist thing, going to Tamaki Maori Village which is located outside of town. They have a small replica of a traditional pre-European Maori village and also put on a show and serve a hangi dinner. A hangi is food that is cooked in pits in the ground that are heated with hot rocks and then covered with earth. The taste is unique and the meal was very good. Bree loved the dances and was full of questions. She was suprised when she learned that Maori used to sometimes eatc their enemies. She decided at dinner to only have vegetables even though we explained that this does not happene anymore! The crowd at the event was large (several bus tours) but it was still a great evening and we are gald we took the time (and spent the money) to attend.

There is rain in the forecast again and we have decided the weather does not look suitable for the Tongariro Crossing so we are going to drive closer to Palmerston North to camp for the last few days and do the Tongariro National Park another time.

Whitianga

Driving in New Zealand is different than at home and it is not only driving on the opposite side of the road but the narrow, winding roads and the speed at which everyone drives them! The video footage above is from the highway that runs from Thames up to Coromandel. I especially enjoy the one lane bridges and the sections of road around blind corners that become single lane. On this same road where large, fully loaded logging trucks along with large motorhomes (driven by other foreigners like us) and all the other vehicles. I am pretty glad we are in a small car and are able to get over as many vehicles are crossing the center line.

The drive to Whitianga was a rainy one and so we missed some of the spectacular views but it started to clear up once we arrived in town. After talking with some locals we found out that the storm that had just passed had been one of the worst for this time of year in about 15 years. Apparently there were lots of mudslides and flooding. In Auckland some large yachts ended up beached.

The next morning was slightly overcast but not windy at all. This might have been good news except that we had arranged to spend the day on a 65 foot sail boat. We still went out but we did more motoring than sailing but still had a great time. No one else ended up booking so we had the boat to ourselves. We toured around and saw Cathedral Cove, did a little ocean swimming and even saw a flying fish.

In the evening we drove over to the Hot Water Beach where on 2 hours either side of low tide you can dig a hole in the sand and it will fill with hot water. Some of the pools were much too hot and we ended up digging a pool in a cooler area and linking it up with some of the hotter pools. It was pretty cool even if there were about 150 people all crammed in a small area!

Thames

We left Mount Maunganui in the pouring rain and headed over to Thames on the west side of the Coromandel Peninsula. The rain continued but seemed to lighten up a bit by the time we checked into our campsite. There were no cabins available so we rented a caravan for the night which was something out of the 1960’s. Bree thought it was wonderful and we were happy not to have to be in the tent as the winds and rain picked up again in the afternoon.

Since it was rainy we opted for a tour of a gold mine. It was quite interesting and we got to walk through some of the old underground tunnels. The area of the southern Coromandel is full of gold mines with a large open pit mine still operating in the Waihi area.

I decided to go for a trail run later in the afternoon. The campsite we were at was next to the start of Rocky’s Goldmine Trail which is written up as a more advanced 2-3 hour tramp (which means walk/hike). I decided to run the loop and headed out onto the trail. It was a steep climb at the start and at the top there would have been beautiful views except for the weather. I kept going and started down towards “Tinkers Gulley” and things began to get interesting. All of the rain had caused the trail to turn into a small stream and when I reached the actual stream it had become a river. The trail crosses the stream about 5-6 times and usually it is an easy to cross but due to the high water it was knee height and moving fairly swiftly. I was very cautious and made my way through the section and along some pretty narrow parts of the trail. I was relieved when I finally reached the gravel road that leads back to the start of the loop. This was short lived as I rounded a bend and found part of the road to be underwater with the river flowing over a low section. A family on the other side came to my rescue and helped me cross safely and from there is was only 5 minutes back to the park.  I must say my heart rate got pretty high during that run and it wasn’t from going fast! I think I will stay off the trails until the storm front passes over and things dry out a little.

Mount Maunganui

From Whakatane we drove to Te Puke and spent part of the afternoon at a kiwi fruit plantation. We took a guided tour of the plantation and then sampled some different kiwi fruit and products made from kiwi fruit (juices, wines and liqueurs). This area in the Bay of Plenty has an ideal climate and suitable soils for growing kiwi fruit. The soils are soft volcanic ash that allow the roots of the vines to go deep in the soil in search of water; there is no irrigation used at all. The plants are also male and female so they must plant a male plant for every four female plants and then use bees to help with the pollination.

We then stayed 2 nights in Mount Maunganui where we booked a camping cabin as I needed to have a conference call on skype one of the days and we had also heard the weather might get bad. It was an excellent decision as on the second day it began to rain, then pour and by the time we checked out it was coming down in buckets! Before the rain started we managed to check out Mount Manunganui or “the Mount” (as it is known by locals) which is at the end of a peninsula of land and has nice walking trails that allow easy access to the 232 m summit. From there you have excellent views of Tauranga Harbour.

We also went to McLaren Falls, a half hour drive out from the Mount, and paddled in kayaks out to see a canyon with glowworms. You had to go in the evening because you can only see the worms when it is dark. The canyon area glowed with green and white little dots of light as the larval stage of the insect tried to attract prey. Bree really enjoyed it but by the time we got out of the kayaks at 10pm, soaking wet and cold, she was very tired and just wanted to be in a warm bed.

Whakatane and Kawerau

We had originally planned to stay on the coastal route from Gisborne and travel up around the eastern tip through Hicks Bay and then over to Whakatane. This area is a little more remote but after looking at the driving distance (and more importantly the driving times) we decided it would be too much time sitting in the car for Bree and Russ has also decided that driving every second day is a much more relaxing way to travel! So we instead took the inland route through Matawai and through the Raukumara Range which was quite a spectacular drive.

Whakatane is a beautiful town and we took it easy enjoying the area. I went for a run/hike on the Nga Tapuwae O Toi Walkway which had wonderful views of the area but unfortunately I did not take my camera. In the Maori language the “wh” is pronounced as an “f” sound so you can imagine the fun we had trying to properly pronounce Whakatane.

On the second day we drove to Kawerau to visit Dave’s (aka Kiwi Dave) parents. Dave’s father, Timo, took Russ and I on a tour of the family owned Mata brewery while Bree stayed with Dave’s mom, Carol. The tour of the brewery was a highlight for us and it was great to learn a little more about beer making and marketing. This is a small brewery that has only been in operation for 5-6 years but is already doing well and winning awards in NZ. We sampled some of their beers and they were great. My favourite was Blondie, a wheat ale with a special (but secret) ingredient that had a wonderful lemony taste.  

Timo and Carol made a wonderful meal for us and Carol even put some candles on the desert when Bree told her my birthday was the next day. We had a wonderful visit and hope to go back through Kawerau on or return from the Coromandel area.

Gisborne

Located on the east coast Gisborne is surrounded by agricultural areas with surf beaches along the coast line. The upper hills are dry right now and look a lot like the Kamloops area. On the way from Napier to Gisborne we saw cattle and sheep grazing in these areas and the flatter areas are used for agriculture (corn etc.). In-between all the fields are rows or trees that are used as windbreaks.

In Gisborne we stayed at a campsite right on the beach and booked a small camping cabin for the 2 nights. A short walk from our campsite takes us over to Kaiti Hill which is a nice little climb to the top where there are fabulous views of the area. This area is named in honour of Captain James Cook would first landed in New Zealand on Kaiti Beach in Oct 9, 1769. There is also a large point of land that juts out into the bay called Young Nicks Head which is named after Nicholas Young who was the first crewman on Captain Cook’s ship, the Endeavour, to sight New Zealand.

Napier

Since we have a few weeks before Bree starts school and Russ has to head back home we decided to do some exploring and see a little of the North Island. Bree wants to go to beaches, I want to see agricultural areas and Russ wants mountains and hiking; fortunately in New Zealand you can do all of this at the same time.

We left Palmerston North and headed out to Napier which is on the east coast. A beautiful town know for its art deco architecture as it was rebuilt in the 1930s after being destroyed by an earthquake. We camped out near the swimming beach and Bree got acquainted with surf. She was pretty scared at first but by the second day she was on the boogie board and swimming out in the waves. She got came off her board once and went through a bit of a spin cycle which has made her a little more cautious again.

Yesterday we took a drive out to Havelock North and went up Te Mata Peak which has a beautiful view of the Hawke’s Bay area. The peak has numerous trails and Russ decided to go for a mountain bike while Bree and I went for a hike. He had to ride up the road to the peak and then take the mountain bike trail down to the main car park at the bottom. It was a bit of a rough start for biking since the trail was steep off the top and somewhere on the way down he missed the mountain bike trail turn and ended up on the walking trails. No riding is allowed on these trails so he had a nice hike (carrying his bike) back to the car!

After Russ’ experience I opted for a trail run instead. After several months of no running this was quite a shock to my system. The area is similar to Kenna Cartwright Park but instead of fairly level trails they all seem to go straight up and straight down (or maybe that was just the trail I selected). Anyways my legs got quite a shock and after the run I felt I deserved a nice lunch at one of the nearby wineries.

The Hawke’s Bay area is renowned for its wineries and looks a lot like the Okanagan area in BC with dry grasslands surrounding bright green vineyards. We checked out the Black Barn Vineyard, learned a little about wine growing in the region and sampled some of their wines. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the beach and today we packed up and are heading further north up the coast to Gisborne.

Our New Home

From Rotorua we drove directly to Palmerston North which is about 340 km. We stayed on the main highways but even those are twisty so the drive took awhile. As we headed south the vegetation changed and some of the surrounding areas looked very similar to Kamloops. Most of the drive was through agricultural areas and although we still saw many dairy cows we started to see alot more beef and sheep. I need to get a plant book and do some hiking around as it is hard to identify grasses when traveling 85 km/hour!

When we got to Palmerston North we went directly to our new place and were excited to find that it is more than we had hoped for. It is a great 2 bedroom fully furnished flat. The back sliding doors open to green space and then a park which has a large playground area that Bree has already checked out. It is very bright inside and the inside furnishings are modern. The pictures I had must have been of the other rental or this one before it was refurnished. Bree is a little sad that we don’t have all the pink furniture that was in the photos I had but I am ok with it! Russ is happy with the flat screen tv (with free access to channels) and the ipod deck. We also have our own little driveway and a shed that we can store all our bikes in.

The surrounding area is quite nice. We went for a walk last night and within 1 km there are stores (large and small ones), restaurants and small businesses. We had a lovely dinner at the Rose and Crown pub which is just a 10 min walk away. Today we need to get internet connected, visit Bree’s new school and stop by the University. We want to get everything settled here so that we can go and do some travelling before Bree starts school in February.

Travelling we have noticed how difficult it is to get wireless internet access. At the campsites you can pay for packages but they are limited by data transfer size and minutes. Every time I log-on and download my email I use up all the data transfer allocated! Finding free wi-fi like we have at coffee shops at home is very difficult. We have just bought a USB stick from vodaphone that will allow use internet access anywhere on a pay as you go basis. We have just found out that here you pay for internet by the GB of data and there is no such thing as unlimited use! It appears that using the internet will be much more expensive than at home but now that we are addicted to “being connected” it is hard to go without.

Our Little Conservationist

After leaving Auckland we travelled to Rotorua which is in the interior and the region is known for it’s thermal activity. We found a campsite and set up our tent. For this trip we are using a Sierra Designs 3 person tent which is light to carry but is quite roomy. I had thought it was a fairly large tent but compared to the other tents at the campsite it was microscopic! The other tents are the size of a small apartment. They have cooking areas, different rooms and even a tall person can walk around in them without ducking. The down side is they must weigh a ton and most people had small trailers in order to put all their gear in. I didn’t see anyone set-up or take down one of these monsters but I imagine it would be a half day operation (and may result in divorce).

Since we arrived in New Zealand Bree has been captivated by the kiwi bird. Since she is doing kool school (online/home schooling) while travelling I decided that studying the kiwi bird would be a good science project for her. Rainbow Springs in Rotorua is a Nature and Conservation Park and they raise young kiwis there and then release them back to the wild. Bree really wanted to go there and see a real kiwi. It was a great centre and we learned about native flora and fauna as well as the plight of the kiwi.

As a conservation program they are trying to raise funds to help with their work. One option they have is for people to sponsor a baby kiwi that has just hatched for $50 or $150 NZ. For the $50 package you receive a certificate, a pin that says you have helped a kiwi, a picture of your kiwi and an information sheet on your particular bird. You can also go online and follow the progress of your bird up until its release.

Bree heard about this package and decided that is what she wanted to do. I told her that she would have to use the $100 of money she was given at Christmas for NZ to do this and told her that she had to wait until the next day. Now, I support conservation programs and was proud of her decision, but I just wanted her to think about it as 6 year olds are prone to impulse buying! The next day the first thing she said was “today I can go and sponsor a kiwi”. So we went back to the centre and Bree brought a picture for her new kiwi and bought her package. The people at the park were impressed that a 6 year old was willing to give up her toy money to sponsor a kiwi and asked if they could take her picture and post her on their facebook site. Bree was pretty excited about this and I must say both Russ and I were proud of her.  Since then we have played endless games that involve kiwis and in particular her kiwi which is named Speedwagon. Next week we will go and visit the Coromandel region which is the area that Speedwagon ‘s egg came from and where he will be released once he is a year old.

Auckland

After a year of paperwork and planning we are finally here! We arrived in Auckland Sunday morning after a 14 hour direct flight from Vancouver. As we are staying for awhile we shipped two mountain bikes, all our camping gear and our clothes which totalled 7 bags and made getting around the airport difficult. Bree was a great help and was responsible for pushing one of the luggage carts by herself. We have already bought a car (a 1998 Subaru Forester), got a phone, set up our banking and bought Bree a bike.

Today we had to wait for the car to be cleaned and all the paperwork completed so we took Bree to Rainbows End Amusement Park which is very close to our campsite. There was a one ride which is called the “fear fall” and you drop 18 stories at 82 km/hr.  The height restriction for this ride as well as the corkscrew roller coaster was 120cm and unbelievably Bree measured in right on the line. So the first ride of the day was a free fall and I think she handled it better than I did! We spent 5 hours at the park and went on every single ride – I am exhausted.

Tonight we are just loading up the car with our gear – amazing how much we can fit in. Many of the people at the campsite here are heading home and so we have already been given 4 folding chairs, a folding table and an umbrella with a stand. We heading out to Rotorua tomorrow and are excited to finally see some of the country. We will take the next few days to travel down to Palmerston North and then get set-up at our place there.

Heading Out

We are just finishing packing up and will be leaving home today for a 6 month stay in NewZealand. There is always so much to do at the last moment but I know we will all start to relax once we get on the plane and everything is "out of our hands". Apparently wireless internet is not as readily available in NZ as Canada so my postings might be limited until we get set-up in our new home later in January. We will land in Auckland and hopefully purchase a car and then start to head south towrads Palmerston North. We don't have a set agenda so we will just see how long it takes and stop off at different places on our way down.