Nature on an Impossible Scale: Northlands day trip, Auckland day 3

As usual, we found ourselves awake before the alarm, which was good because we needed the extra time to secure our booking on a day tour of the northern part of New Zealand, which one of Gretchen’s friends visited a while back and raved about. In the end, we had no trouble getting on the tour we wanted despite a slow start. We set out at 7:50am from the ferry terminal and headed due north on NZ Route 1 toward Whangerei and the Bay of Islands, over 250km away (125 miles or so). The bus was certainly an international experience – in addition to the exotic Americans, there were passengers from the UK, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, and Vietnam. Our driver, Barry, was friendly, and his commentary about the North Island made the time go quickly. We learned some important Maori words, including “kia ora” (a friendly greeting), “wai” (water – it’s in almost every word up north), and “kai” (food).

The drive north took us along a winding two-lane highway that ran on top of the hills, down into the valleys, around various bays, through various forests…in short, it was a transcendent ride. We stopped in Kaiwaka (“food canoe”) for morning tea, which is just an excuse to have a cookie at 10:30am as far as I can tell. The forests in the northlands should not have been surprising, considering that we noticed right away what a mixture New Zealand is of other places that people know and love; the forests have native New Zealand species, including palm trees, growing alongside imported trees like the Australian gum tree (aka eucalyptus) and our own Douglas Fir. Interesting to see a Christmas tree set in a cluster of palm trees. New Zealand, you’ve done it again! We got to see expansive beaches and neverending forests, and in between there were green valleys full of grazing sheep and cattle. The sky in New Zealand is huge, unbelievable.

The fact that I took 150 photos just today should tell you something about the sheer gorgeousness in which we found ourselves immersed.

At noon, we rolled into the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, which is the site of the signing of the treaty between the Maori tribes and the British and which NZers consider the birthplace of their country as we know it. We had a fast tour of the grounds, including Te Whare Runanga (a meeting house), where we were serenaded by five native NZers singing a traditional Maori song. The meeting house is full of carved wooden tikis and totems, an unequivocal invite for us to pose for photos with our tongues hanging out. After the house, we walked down a hill to the beach to see the largest Maori war canoe – it weighs 6 tons dry (12 tons wet) and requires 500 people to move it into the water when it is dry. Easy to see why they only sail it once a year. Our stop in Waitangi was also significant because it marked Gretchen’s first attempt at using the camcorder. I think we all gained a further appreciation for the Steadicam operators of the world…just kidding, she is a quick learner as always.

At 1:15, we were herded back on our bus for a drive to Paihia, a port town, for our cruise in the Bay of Islands. We were headed out to Motukokako, a rock island on the border of the bay and the Pacific, and on our way we saw private islands covered with forest, private islands with secluded beaches, private islands with private houses of the rich and famous, and two pods of four dolphins each. Wonderful! We also got completely windblown, but it was well worth some tangled hair to see the bay. The islands are perfect. Every time we turned a corner, it was a new stunning view. The fact that I took 150 photos just today should tell you something about the sheer gorgeousness in which we found ourselves immersed.

We reached Motukokako, which has 3 particular points of interest, around 2:30. The most notable feature of this island is the Hole in the Rock, which is a 30 (or so)-foot-tall hole made by tectonic activity. Our boat actually navigated through this hole, which was very exciting because of the swells in the ocean. On the back side of the island, there’s a natural rock formation that looks like a lady’s face. Finally, we nosed into Cathedral Cavern on the far side of the rock, which the captain said is another hole in the making and that has terrific SCUBA diving. Oh well, next time!

We headed back from Motukokako around 3:15 to get to Paihia to meet the bus. On the way back on the bus, we watched some videos about New Zealand and listened to Maori music…at least, that was what was on the entertainment system. I opted for my beloved iPod at this point, and Gretchen and I took some time to plan the next 4 days in Rotorua and Christchurch. We made it back to Auckland at 7:45, but not before we saw a gorgeous sunset from the Harbour Bridge and got a beautiful view of the city skyline.

We went to dinner at Vinnie’s, a restaurant in Herne Bay, a neighborhood in Auckland. The room was very cool, dark grey walls and a thick blue carpet (interesting choice for a restaurant), only 10 or so tables, floor-to-ceiling silk curtains, crown molding, and a huge blue-filtered photograph of storm clouds on the wall. The food was good, but the service was not so great, which was disappointing. We packed our bags in preparation to leave early in the morning to catch our plane to Rotorua. Auckland is a wonderful city – very cosmopolitan, but incredibly close to spectacular natural beauty. No wonder everyone we met here was impossibly nice…they have it all!