Heading North

Mom arrived in Palmerston North last week and we have been pretty busy seeing the sites since then. We spent a few days in Palmy and I showed mom the local sites and then we started our trip north. From Palmerston we drove over to the East coast and spent a few lovely days in Napier. It is the off season right now so finding decent accommodation was easy and we were able to find a nice place right near the water and walking distance to town. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed warm, sunny days with highs in the twenties. We spent a morning at the National Aquarium and then booked a wine tour for the afternoon. The tour was great as they pick you up and then drive you to different wineries as well as show you some of the country side. We visited Mission Estates, Moana Park, Ngatarawa/ Farmgate and Black Barn wineries and also drove up Te Mata peak in Havelock North which gives you a spectacular view of the  Hawke`s Bay area. At each stop we tasted 4 to 6 wines so by the end of the afternoon we had sampled quite a selection and we bought enough wine to cover the rest of our trip! The tour was wonderful as the owner used to be a farmer and was able to give us all kinds of details on soil types, growing conditions and also on the agriculture in the area. We later found out he also does a day long farm tour which I would have loved to take but we were leaving town the next day.

From Napier we had a short drive inland to Lake Taupo which is the largest Lake on the North Island and was formed by a caldera volcano. We only stayed one night in Taupo but had time to tour the honey store and learn all about bee keeping and the medicinal properties of Manuka honey. We also spent some time at the volcano and earthquake centre which given all the recent activity in New Zealand is something we all felt we should learn more about. I took a run on the trails and after months of flat in Palmerston North the hills were a challenge for me. I ran up along the river to Huka Falls and on the way ran past some natural hot springs where you can enjoy a hot dip in the pools.

From Taupo it was onto Rotorua and Kawera where we stayed with Timo and Carol (Kiwi Dave’s parents). Timo took mom and me on the tour of Mata brewery where we learned all about the small New Zealand mico-brewery and sampled their wonderful beers. Mata is a Maori word meaning rawness, freshness, edge and they have a full range of beers with a Mata Manuka (golden ale with Manuka honey), Mata Artesian (lager), Mata Feijoa (fruit beer), Mata Blondie (Belgian wheat), Mata Brown Boy (amber ale) and Mata Black Bru (dark ale). Carol looked after Bree and made us a delicious lamb roats. We decided it was the best accommodation we have had! Hopefully, Timo and Carol will visit us in Canada so we can repay them for their hospitality.

Mom loves Rotorua and wanted to see the sheep show at the Agrodome again. Bree and I had been there in January so we decided to go to Paradise Valley Wildlife Park while she watched the show. At the park there was a 10 month old lion cub and Bree was allowed to pet it (through the cage). We walked through the surrounding forest area feeding the trout and the birds in the wetland area. You buy special feed at the entrance and the birds definitely know what the little white bags are – Bree had ducks and birds following her everywhere! We also spent part of a day at Te Puia which showcases the local geyers and geothermal activity as well as Maori culture. It was raining when we were there which meant the geyers were very active.

From Rotorua we planned to travel to the south side of Auckland but the driving was good and Bree was happy in the back so we pushed on through and made it north of Auckland, up to Wellsford. We spend the night here and then drove another 2 hours the next day to Paihai which will now be our base for the next 4 to 5 days. There is still plenty of agriculture in Northland but forestry is also prominent. Tourism also plays a big role as the area we are in is called the Bay of Islands and is a beautiful summer destination. We have lucked out as the weather has been beautiful and even though it is supposed to be winter I am still in jandals (flip-flops). We all look forward to staying in one place for a few nights and visiting all the local sites.