Beautiful Bay of Island
From Down Under 2006/7 in Bay of Islands, New Zealand on Nov 30 '06
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Friday 1 December 2006 – After an overnight stop in Auckland where I had to sort out my computer wireless account and upload the latest episodes of the blog we set off for the north and, in particular the Bay of Islands.
This is truly lovely area of some 400 islands that enjoys an equitable climate the whole year round. However, as seems to be the case throughout NZ this year, the temperatures are 3 to 4 degrees down on the norm. This still means that it ranges around the 20C mark which is very comfortable after those in excess of 30C we left behind in Australia. On the way we stopped for lunch in Whangerai, the chief city of the region and a very pleasant stopover. We did some food shopping, mainly breakfast items but also fruit. We tend to have all our meals out which means no cooking and very few dishes to wash. A break for both of us!
Killer whales spotted!
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We are staying in Paihia, a place we visited on our last trip in 2006 and we have the downstairs of house owned by Robert and Nina. It is set high on a hill with a wonderful view through the trees of the bay. We have a private balcony where I have been having my breakfast and it is very peaceful.
Saturday 2 December 2006 – A leisurely breakfast was followed by making a booking for an afternoon cruise – more of this later – and then on to one of our favourite spots from our previous visit. This the Maori Meeting Grounds, adjacent to Paihia, where the Treaty of Waitangi of 1840 was signed between the Maori tribes and the British which marked the founding of the nation of New Zealand. It is a beautiful place that is very peaceful – a place just to sit and enjoy your surroundings. We did not spend so much time with the buildings as we had done this before, preferring instead to walk around the lovely grounds.
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In the afternoon we went on a cruise to the famous Hole in the Rock situated off Cape Brett. It is also advertised as a dolphin watching experience and we did see many but there were other unexpected delights. We saw a large blue whale and a number of killer whales and it turned into an exciting chase as they moved at quite a rate and often went under water. You had to be alert to catch them as you were never entirely sure where they were going to surface. A lot of time was spent on this at the expense of seeing more of the islands but we did not mind as we had done these 4 years ago as part of a full day cruise. Finally, we got to the hole and were able to go through it – something that could not be done in 2002 as the seas were too choppy.
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On our return to Paihia we decide to pay Café 35 Degrees South a visit as it is on a list of wireless hotspots we have. It proved to be the case so out came the computer to get the latest emails and financial information – well you have to make sure you have the money to pay for the trip! A few lagers for me and diet coke for Elizabeth and, to our great pleasure, the television tuned to the cricket. Along with a warm sunny day we felt that life does not any better. We decided, all things considered that it would be a good place to have dinner. We did watch the cricket whilst eating but the barman who brought the wine updated us with the score as he recognised us from earlier. It was good to see England so much on top, declaring at 551 for 6 and taking a wicket before close of play.
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Sunday 3 December 2006 – We took the ferry to Russell across the bay from Paihia which was, briefly, the first capital of New Zealand and in its early days got the reputation of the “hell hole of the Pacific” due to many whalers and other seaman being regular visitors to its bars. It is now a quiet genteel seaside resort and a nice place to spend a sunny Sunday morning. We visited its small museum – just two rooms and very little in the second one. Nevertheless it was interesting although not everyone agrees. There is an entry in the visitors’ book made by a child who said “this is boring – no it is very boring”!
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Lunch was at the Bounty Bistro and Bar run by, would you believe, Fletcher Christian who is a direct descendant of the person of the same name who led the mutiny on the Bounty. He is clearly proud of this connection. We got talking and it turned out that we were in Brisbane at the same time as he and his wife had a short break there to see Elton John in concert. He was delighted at this co-incidence.
Later in the afternoon it was back to Café 35 Degrees for more cricket, a cool pint and internet accessing. It is a really hard life!
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Monday 4 December 2006 – Kerikeri is a lively and growing town inland from Paihia that is quickly becoming an important centre for the area. Just outside the town is the attractive Rainbow Falls and own the road a very pleasant are to sit for a while. It was then back to Paihia for the remainder of a very leisurely last day in the Bay of Islands. It has been enjoyable break on a hectic trip – we are not yet half way and relishing the fact!
Tuesday 5 December 2006 - Tony has decided he needs a rest from all this creative writing, after doing a good job of keeping you up to date with our adventures since we left home. So this is my version of the highlights of what we’ve been up to in recent days.
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We set off from Paihia and the Bay of Islands to head south and west; our bed for the night being in Dargaville. We planned our route to travel through the ancient Waipoua Kauri Forest. Kauri trees grow tall and straight and are very long lived. We took a short walk through the Forest to view Tane Mahuta, the largest kauri tree still living. It’s about 1,500 years old and the trunk is about 46 feet in girth. In the gloom of the Forest, with a fine drizzle falling, it was an awesome sight. The photograph, however, does not do it justice. There are also four other trees in the Forest estimated to be at least 1,000 years old, as well as other tree species, palms and ferns.
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Our motel in Dargaville was very comfortable, and we appreciate this type of accommodation because we can park right outside our unit instead of having to manage all our luggage across the hotel foyer, up in the lift and along the corridor to our room. Motel units have been consistently good in both Australia and NZ, with huge beds, bathroom and shower, and kitchen facilities enough for us to do our own breakfast. I was able to catch up with some ironing in Dargaville. You see, even on holiday there are still some chores to do!
We found a hotel in Dargaville that looked okay for dinner and felt That we’d stepped into a 1950’s film set as we walked in. The décor, even the food all felt of an earlier age, and the group of older people having their Christmas meal with paper hats and crackers added to the atmosphere. The face of the young waitress lit up in delight when Tony pressed a $5 note into her hand as a tip, which made us smile too. An interesting, though not unpleasant, evening.
Australia, against the odds, has won the test match. England, Tony says, were abysmal and had gone into the final day settling for a draw. To their credit the Australian players believed they could still win and went on to prove it. The Ashes now look to be theirs but you never know as England has fought back before.
Wednesday 6th December 2006
On our long journey through Auckland to Thames, the jumping off point for the Coromandel, we stopped at the Kauri Museum at Matakohe, so we could complete the picture of the magnificent kauri tree. We would have liked to spend the whole day there; with so much information displayed in a very imaginative way, but we could spare only a couple of hours. We saw how the huge trees were felled in the past, to be used for boat and house building throughout NZ, and the beautifully carved furniture that graced houses at the end of the 19th century. There were also recreations of a boarding house and rooms in a typically well to do home- great social history. Every Wednesday at the Museum is volunteer day, and we saw elderly local men tinkering with the old machinery and a lady dressed in Victorian style sitting motionless on a bench reading a book. People thought she was also a model until she turned over the page of her book, and I was taken aback to see the mannequin in the bath suddenly wink at me and then start to soap herself! I would have loved to buy one of the beautifully turned kauri wood bowls in the Museum shop, but thought Tony might have blanched at a credit card slip for $500 or more (£200+). I settled for two coasters instead at £12.00.
Thursday 7th December 2006 - The Coromandel is an area of NZ we’ve not visited before, but Tony’s barber in Stowmarket some time ago told him how beautiful it is, and after a long day driving almost all the way round the peninsula we must agree. It’s got the mountains, the beaches with almost pure white sand and gently lapping, deep turquoise waves, and wonderful cliff formations that can only be seen from a boat. We know because we took an hour’s bouncy, exhilarating trip in a small inflatable to see Cathedral Cove, the giant’s letterbox, tiny rock outcrops that are home to protected bird species, the inside of several caves to see tiny crabs and sponges. With the wind in our hair and sea spray in our faces, the only problem was to keep the camera still enough to take pictures – and to hold on to the side of the boat with the other hand as otherwise I thought I would bounce right out of the boat! Thank goodness for the life jacket, or maybe Shane or Craig, our handsome young crew, would rescue me!
The journey back to Thames was dramatic as the sun was shining on the sea and we were able to look down on it from on high. In the evening we had takeaway fish and chips in our motel unit along with a bottle of wine. It made a change from eating in restaurants. Who would have thought we would be saying that?
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