NZ: Top 5 Things We'll Miss

THE PEOPLE

They are unassuming, practical, skilled, helpful. generous, good-humored, and incredibly friendly (except when behind the wheel of a car).

Who wouldn't like a country that produces its own soft drink,
proudly labeled "World Famous in New Zealand"?

And where freshly baked pies--
meat pies, that is--
are the most common fast food?

Two of our favorite kiwis: Rod & Brenda on State of Mind, our closest neighbors at Riverside Drive Marina. 

When they're not sailing the Pacific,
Brenda works at Whangarei Hospital...

...and Rod bikes to his job at Norsand Boatyard.
He built the sailboat they live on

BUSH WALKS

Ferns! Huge shrub ferns, tall tree ferns, gigantic fronds overhead and a myriad varieties underfoot; it's no wonder the fern is NZ's national icon.

View down into the forest canopy;
these fronds are about 3' wide and 8' long

Bird songs! With no original land mammals as natural predators, NZ boasts a spectacular array of birds--many of them ground-dwellers--that developed long and melodious calls. We can't begin to count the number of times we stopped in our tracks just to listen to their music.

At this site you can hear recordings of two of our favorites, the tui and the bellbird. The dawn choruses are delightful; also try the Bellbird/korimako group and the Chatham Island tui song:

www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/bird-songs-and-calls/ 

MAORI SONGS AND DANCES

Speaking of music, we never ceased to be moved by the kapa haka (group performances) throughout Aotearoa ("land of the long white cloud", the Maori name for New Zealand). With the resurgence of Maori culture and language--we actually learned quite a few words ourselves--there is great pride in continuing their traditions.

Many schools have their own kapa haka groups, and all we heard were excellent; these young students are singing and dancing at the Auckland Pasifika Festival.

Recordings are sadly rare, but it's worth checking out videos on YouTube. Some samples:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olO3K_BtVX8  

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neTjlWb8DHM 

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Zjgj9x4Yc

(The constantly 'fluttering' hands are symbolic: "where there is motion, there is life".) 

KIWI ENGLISH     

     "G'dai, mate!"

     "Headed out for a sweet as bush tramp?"

     "Yees. Kit's ready and I packed heaps of gouder, sultanas, and biscuits."

     "Kahl going with you?"

     "Don't think so. Sahr him yeesterday and he had bits chucked everywhere, his torch was buggered and rah rah rah. It's not likely he'll sort it out."

     "Beeter for you; he likes leevel tracks anyway."

     "I'm kinder the same, but I'll just pop by for a flat white from the dairy and everything will be tickityboo."

     "Good on ya!"

     "Cheers, bro!"

Between the accent and the colloquialisms, we had a hard time at first trying to decipher what people were saying. Now we rarely miss anything, though occasionally Aht Shore*

still has wee troubles...

*Art Shaw

Translation:

                "Hi, buddy!
                "Headed out for a terrific forest hike?"

                "Yes. My gear is ready and I packed a lot of gouda, raisins, and  cookies."

                "Karl going with you?"

                "Don't think so. Saw him yesterday and he had stuff tossed everywhere, his flashlight was broken, and blah blah blah. It's not likely he'll get it taken care of."

                "Better for you; he likes level trails anyway."

                "I'm kinda the same, but I'll just stop by for a coffee with cream from the convenience store and everything will be just fine."

                "Good for you!"

                "See ya!"

WHANGAREI

Whangarei: Love it Here! It's the city's slogan, and one we repeated often; we love it here! It's a complete package, with everything we could need or want: specialty stores and services that could fix/make/supply absolutely anything, most within walking distance; easy access to all kinds of food; an active art and music scene; heaps of scenic activities nearby; and a close-knit cruising community.
As icing on the cake, we even got New Zealand driver's licenses and Whangarei library cards: home away from home.

Town Basin, with a photogenic marina in its midst;
an Arts Market flourished on Saturday mornings on the Canopy Bridge in the background

When we waded into nearby Waipu Caves and turned our torches off,
we found a living galaxy of glowworms overhead

The Riverside Drive Marina gang gathered for a potluck BBQ every Sunday evening.
I often played a tune or two; for our last night,
Art joined me on the ukulele that David Ingalls made for us

 NEW ZEALAND: LOVE IT HERE!

NZ: Great Barrier Island

Our target date to leave Whangarei was April 11, and after all the boat work we'd done for several months, we were ready to go. Great Barrier Island beckoned: a wild and scenic place with many secluded anchorages, the 45-mile trip provided an ideal sea trial for Second Wind  (and ourselves) after being tied to a dock for so long.

We did take care of a few tasks while there--e.g. re-starting the watermaker, which shouldn't be operated in a harbor area--but it was primarily a last chance to steep ourselves in the native bush we've come to love so much.

                    

The ferry from Auckland, which comes just once a week now that it's autumn,
dwarfs the small wharf at Port FitzRoy

Port FitzRoy is made up of a general store, a nurse's cottage, and a one-room library, 
pictured here; what else could a village need?

A waterfall near Akapoua Bay; the hike wasn't long, 
but did involve fording a stream several times

The famous silver fern is green on top, but silver on the undersides. 
Laying overturned fronds on the ground helped guide Maori on trails at night

I've always liked photos of people on trails with packs on their backs

Second Wind in Kaiaraara Bay (yes, that is spelled correctly), one of the many picturesque and protected anchorages within Port FitzRoy Harbour (yes, that's spelled correctly also)

On one of the best hikes we've ever taken, we expected the destination to look like this:

In the kauri logging days, the huge cut trees were floated behind this dam;
when the water was released, the logs crashed downstream into the bay far below
(this photo is from a brochure)

...when in fact it looked like this. Two years ago a major storm washed away much of the trail and most of the remnants of the dam.

It took a year, 10 bridges--including 3 high suspension bridges--and 618 stairs
to rebuild the 2-mile trail. Kiwis take their tramping seriously!

After being logged almost to extinction, kauri are now protected. Cutting is prohibited, and stations to clean shoes before entering trails help guard against disease.

 Scenes from the trail:

 At the end of the day, we returned to the beach for happy hour,
while being serenaded by a tui bird

(could there be gin & tonics in those thermoses?!)

There is nothing at Whangaparapara Harbour but a small lodge, a few scattered houses, 
a wharf, and a shed with trail maps and used books to trade. 
Time has stood still there; we were enchanted.

Having a beer at the lodge;
though it's busy in the summer, we were their only customers on that fall day

For our last hike in New Zealand--this year, anyway--we headed to Kaitoke Hot Springs.
The trail's boardwalk through a swamp was an interesting change of pace...

..and the hot springs, essentially a warm bath in the woods, were deliciously relaxing

Why not end with another waterfall photo? 
In a place where there are countless streams and the terrain is steep, waterfalls are common

NZ: Grimm Travels

That's Grimm with a capital G and two m's. Our friends Marilee & Bill Grimm from Oregon spent a long and wonderful visit with us, including a 2+ week road trip that was anything but grim!

We had to finish up some boat projects at the start of their visit--
a photo of Bill helping Art with the solar panels is in the previous blog post--
but we still took time for fun activities,
including a picnic at the Whangarei Quarry Gardens

The Whangarei Sculpture Symposium took place just across the river.

For over a week, we could hear multiple artists sawing  and grinding,

creating large sculptures from chunks of stone or wood before our eyes (& ears).

The results were astounding!

Another before...

...and after

Once our road trip began, we made a quick side trip to Piroa Falls...

...on our way to Auckland

We timed the trip so we could attend Auckland's annual Pasifika Festival,
which celebrates South Pacific Island cultures with dance and cuisine.
Each country sets up a "village", with a performance stage and booths for food and crafts;
this group is from Tonga.

These beautiful dancers are from the island nation of Tuvalu,
a country in danger of disappearing due to rising sea levels

The women's clothing are dyed woven fibers...

...while the men wear grasses

Our next stop in Auckland was a marvelous aquarium. The displays were all outstanding,
though the penguins were the most photogenic. There were colonies of king and gentoo penguins;
we even got to see some baby kings.

Since Katelinn was sailing in Antarctica while we were here, it was fun to think of us seeing the same birds (though her surroundings were much colder!)

After Auckland, we headed to the Coromandel Peninsula.
Bill & Marilee opted for a fun train ride, and Art & I went for a hike in a kauri forest.
Such magnificent trees!

"This is the forest primeval"

...with towering trees and ancient ferns
(in lieu of Longfellow's murmuring pines and hemlocks)

Hiking to Cathedral Cove, a must-see attraction, was a high point

Even with less than ideal light, the scenery was dramatic

The stupendous view from our cottage near Hahei

The cottage owners invited us to pick limes from their grove
(which made for the best gin & tonics ever!)

At Hot Water Beach, we dug a pit into the sand;

thermal springs beneath the beach made warm--and yes, sometimes hot!--pools.
Bill's daughter & her family happened to be traveling in New Zealand,
the same time & place we were. It IS a small world!

Staying warm in the hot pool

What beach is complete without a sand castle?

Though an overnight rain turned it into a fixer-upper

From the Coromandel Peninsula, we headed to Rotorua, an active geothermal area.
Even the downtown park is full of steaming pools!

We spent a day at the Waimangu Volcanic Valley

Waimangu's Inferno Crater Lake
sits on top of a geyser, so over a period of many days,
the lake level rises and falls

Steam vents next to the stream running through the valley

The wanderers in front of multi-colored silica platforms
(Many thanks to Bill for the Waimangu photos;
my camera was misbehaving that day)

We spent another day at the 121st annual Turangawaewae Regatta, held in Ngaruawahia (near Hamilton).
What a thrill to see 5 Maori ceremonial war canoes coming down the river at once,
paddles flashing and men chanting in unison!
Some of the most moving Maori singing we'd ever heard anywhere took place on a nearby stage.
 We would love to have recordings, but none of these groups record themselves--an interesting cultural difference.

Bill got some good close-ups

Orekai Korako, another geothermal area near Rotorua, was also spectacular

A small geyser erupted from the hillside every few minutes

This 'frozen waterfall' is actually a silica terrace, about 30' high

The most entertaining mud pool of any we'd seen

Ta-dah!

Marilee and Bill generously treated us to an evening at Tamaki Village, which included a powhiri (welcome ceremony)
and demonstrations of many Maori skills and crafts,
followed by a marvelous hangi dinner (cooked in an underground oven)

Running over the sticks prepared men for the haka, or war dance,
and ultimately for battle

Intricate twirling of balls is part of many dances by Maori women

The last destination of our road trip was Wellington, where we visited Zealandia, a protected area for native New Zealand species, and the Te Papa Museum. We spent all day at Te Papa and could have spent another; the variety and depth of historic and naturalistic exhibits were amazing. I didn't take photos there, but here are some Zealandia shots:

Once thought to be extinct but rediscovered in 1948, the takahe
is a large flightless bird

The tuatara ("peaks on the back" in Maori)
dates from dinosaur days,
and is the only surviving species of its kind

A school group from France was visiting Zealandia
when we were there,
so we benefited from a hands-on display

We reveled in the forest full of bird songs--
such an incredible variety! These colorful birds are kakariki.

For our final bird of New Zealand , we introduce you to the chocolate kiwi

Back at the ranch--or the boat (Bill & Marilee are indeed going back to their ranch in Eagle Point),
we were visited by the Easter Kiwi
(The brown eggs are real; we've seen no white eggs in New Zeland)


Many thanks to the Grimms, for pulling us away from boat projects
and sharing New Zealand with us!