NZ2024 - Leg 27, Mar. 22 (twice) - The trip home

 Well, almost home.  March 22 was a realllllllly long day for us, and we only made it as far as Vancouver, but still...  Breakfast today was yogurt and some of the fruit we had purchased yesterday - including a "reed" kiwi - which was pretty fantastic!

Leaving Wai Ora Spa and Resort in Rotorua, by about 9:15 a.m., there was plenty of time to get to Auckland International Airport, fill the car with gas, drop it off at the rental car place, and check in for the long flight back to Canada - and get through security of course.  That also left time for all those scenic lookouts we've become accustomed to - but which did not really materialize for us this time.  Probably because we were on a major 4-lane highway, something we haven't seen for a month or more, and there were really no places to pull off.  However, we did want to change drivers, and find a public toilet, so when the turnoff appeared for Karapiro Village, left we veered.

  

Karapiro as a Village is not very big, only a couple of dozen homes from what we saw, but it was also the site of a major hydro-electric dam and power station.  And a lookout!  We took advantage and stretched our legs and take a few photos before continuing the journey to Auckland.

There was one more thing we wanted to do before heading home - find a few small treasures, and we really needed another coffee.  Not as easy from a four-lane highway as it is from a tar-sealed road that has a cafe every few kilometers.  However, Google search found me two of the things I was looking for - a coffee, and one of my treasures (hopefully!).  The treasure was a Starbucks New Zealand mug, something I had purchased the last time I was here, but that had sadly broken in a small altercation with my dishwasher a little more than a year ago.  I had teased Steve that I needed to go back to New Zealand to get a new Starbucks mug, never realizing that it would actually come to fruition.

The Starbucks also provided lunch - they had sausage rolls, pies, sammies, toasties, and lots of NZ type goodies - and coffee too of course.  It was in a shopping mall, which worked out even better, we could wander about and see if we could find any other treasures, but alas, it was full of the same old same old stuff we saw at home (mostly).  We would have to finish our souvenir shopping at the airport.

It was time.  Off we went to the airport, early, but better early than late.  And honestly, I was tired, tired of driving, tired of the noise and busy-ness (more than I'm used to), and ready to stop moving.  I was looking forward to going home, and at the same time, wishing I could stay but knowing that I couldn't.  So if I can't stay, I just want to go.

The airport wasn't crowded or busy, so we sailed through baggage checkin, and were so early we didn't have have a gate number yet, so no point in going through security.  Besides, it still wasn't busy.  So we followed instructions....

And still did a tiny bit more shopping.  After all, there were still a couple of nooks and crannies in our luggage to fill.   Not really.

The flight - once we got going - was pretty bumpy most of the way.  Not great for sleeping, as most NZ flights are overnighters - why waste a day traveling? - which helps with the jet lag.  But coming into Vancouver things smoothed out, enough that I could get a few shots on approach, something I've long wanted to do and had never had the chance.  Every other time I've flown in or out of Vancouver it has either been super rainy/foggy, or dark/night.

  

  

Now, we get one more night of rest before heading home to YYZ tomorrow, and having our guys pick us up and take us home.  I'm very happy to let Steve drive, as it will take a few days to get used to driving on the "wrong" right side of the road, and car.  And hopefully he will not be as tired, too.

The adventure is almost over.

NZ2024 - Leg 26, March 21 - Rotorua to Papamoa and back

Today was a beach day.  A South Pacific, white sand, surf's up beach day.  The kind of day you can fantasize about being "stuck" on a deserted island somewhere that is warm and sunny and there isn't a care in the world.  The kind of day that takes all the whirlwind out of the past month, and leaves only the best of memories that you can live over and over again in your brain, and laugh again about those funny moments and forget about any of the little glitches that may have happened along the way.

Although the plan from last evening was to take the "short" or most direct route from Rotorua to Papamoa, and then leave early enough to take a longer, more scenic route back for our last night, the day turned out to be much too beautiful, the sand too soft, the air and water too warm, the waves too interesting.  It was better to stay an extra hour, and take the "short" route back to the hotel.

Let me start at the beginning.  First, breakfast at the hotel, which left much to be desired, surprisingly considering that I had been quite happy with my dinner last evening.  This was actually the first time we had seen perked coffee in a pot, rather than barista coffee.  So after getting ready to leave for the day, I stopped at a gas station a few km's up the road - where I got barista coffee.  Hmmm.  And a muffin to make up for the less than appetizing "eggs" (I still think they were instant - add water and cook) and garlic toast.  

The beach we had selected was Papamoa, on the Bay of Plenty, a beach that was wide and long and generally considered to be one of the nicest beaches around.  Along the way, we noticed the beauty of a large reforested area of pines - quite tall - and the now familiar fern "trees" growing beneath, and dapples sunlight creating a breathtaking effect.  As much as I wanted to pull off and take some photos, there was no opportunity, as the area was also a winding road with very narrow shoulders and it wouldn't have been safe.

We also started seeing very tall hedges - 20 feet or more in some cases, and of varying types of trees or shrubs, many were long needled pines that gave the hedges an incredibly soft look.  In between were glimpses of what at first appeared to be grapevines, but they were strung out in long sprays almost like fans.  As we passed through Te Puke, and saw the "Kiwi capital of the world" sign, we realized we were seeing large kiwi (fruit) plantations.  How wonderful!  

When we arrive at the Papamoa beach entrance - according to Google maps - we see Mount Maunganui off to the left and decide to see if we can get to it.  Well, yes we could, after driving through about 20 minutes of traffic and construction, and some narrow streets of shopping and restaurants closer to the Mt., and then not being able to find a single parking space to walk around within a couple of kms.  So I turned the car around and we headed back to the beach.  But there was a bonus....

As we neared the beach entrance again, there were a couple of fruit "stands" on the side of the road, offering Feijoas (which I had really wanted to try) and "reed kiwis" - red kiwis.  Have to try those!  He also had peaches and nectarines and plums and avacadoes, but really we just wanted a few pieces of fruit that we could have for breakfast tomorrow.  

We got to the beach parking lot, and thankfully, there were a few parking spots, and the beach was just a few steps away.  I notice a sign that we certainly would never see at the place I usually go to the beach, at Lake Huron in Canada.

And this one was the best of all libraries - the Papamoa Beach Library.  What a fabulous idea!  I've seen something similar, but not quite to this degree.  And when we returned at the end of the day, the whole library had been cleaned up and everything put away.

The sand beckoned, and the waves were curling, there were surfers and people walking their dogs, and what looked like a high school gym class playing beach volleyball.  

  

Shoes off, pants rolled up, and in we went to wade along the edge for what seemed like hours - although really it was only a couple of hours.  Back and forth once, picking up some gorgeous seashells, including several that appear to be paua shells, at least they have that colour, even if they don't have the same shape.  Abalone perhaps?  I'm going to have to wrap them very carefully and hopefully some of them will make it home without crumbling to pieces.

After not much for breakfast, and a fair bit of walking, I need some food, but thankfully, the Bluebiyou Beach Bistro is just at the edge of the parking area, so we treat ourselves to a few sharables and wow, are they ever good!  Fried halloumi with candied figs, crostini with fresh mozzarella and bruschetta type toppings, and K-Fried Chicken - with a most wonderful aioli .  All incredibly delicious.

Back to the beach - this time with my real camera.  The waves and curls are getting stronger - tide is coming in - and I get a soaker (why did I bother leaving my shoes on, anyway?).  So I leave my shoes and socks on the sand as I need both hands to shoot with.  Hopefully I've left them high enough that the waves won't reach them before we get back to that spot.

We meet a number of locals walking their dogs, and one woman approaches me and asks if I'm Chris something-or-other, a local photographer who often goes to the beach to take photos.  I assure her I would love to be that photographer, but alas, I'm just here for the day.  It almost makes me cry to have to say that!  How wonderful it would be to stay here forever!

But eventually we must head back.  We still have laundry to do, and cleaning up and reorganizing, and apparently packing some seashells.  We take the short route back, and this time stop along the way to capture one of the kiwi plantations. 

When we get back, while the laundry is running, we lounge by the pool at the hotel to finish off the day.  Supper is a burger at the local BurgerFuel - way too much food, but like everywhere here in NZ, super yummy and fresh, real food.  (The only exception to this has been the breakfast I was served this morning!).

On the way back to the hotel, we pick up a couple of small yogurts to go with our fruit for breakfast tomorrow morning.  All that's left for this evening is to check-in to our flight from Auckland, that will see us leave NZ yet again.  But already we are planning our return and all the things we didn't get to do this time - or the time before that.  Our sandfly bites have mostly healed, we have new tanlines (leave only footprints, take only photos - and suntans), and maybe a couple of extra pounds.  And a ton of memories.

No idea what we'll see - if anything - on the way to Auckland tomorrow, but whatever it is, I'm sure it will be interesting and unique.  The next time I'll have a chance to write, it will be from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  

NZ2024 - Leg 25, March 20 - Ohakune to Rotorua

I was really looking forward to getting started early this morning so we had enough time to stop at a number of places along the way to Rotorua.  After some discussion, we opted to bypass a stop in Taupo, and after driving through it, were glad we had.  It was way too busy and too urban for our tastes.  

Breakfast at the LKNZ was very good - way too much food, but that was okay, it would keep me going most of the day.  While I was feeling very good about how healthy I was eating at the beginning of this trip, how little, and how much I was walking, it feels like I'm back to the old routine.  I have to keep reminding myself that I'm on vacation, in a country with fantastic food, and I just need to enjoy it while I can.

Ohakune is a fairly small town (reminded me of Hanmer Springs) that is situated on what is known as the Volcanic Loop - a series of roads that skirt around two volcanic mountains.  One of these was what we saw out of the window in our room, but we had no idea how beautiful it was till we started driving around it and could see it from different angles.

The first stop on the list was Whakapapa River Bridge, and at first it didn't seem all that special.  Certainly not the bridge itself.  But as I walked out on it, and looked upstream, it was obvious why this was a scenic spot - the mountain in the distance is - if you shoot it properly (which I did on the big camera I hope!) - right in the sights!  The light was such that trying to shoot this with a cellphone was not easy.

After this was Tawhai Falls - the place they filmed Gollum's Pool in LOTR.  This was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to come to this part of the North Island, and I was so glad we had.  The hike was about 20 minutes in (stopping to take photos along the way), and there were a fair number of stairs, but once we got to the bottom - wow!  So worth it.

  

  

The next stop on the list was Opotaka, the site of an historic Maori village from the early 1800's.  While that in itself was quite fascinating - and a beautiful area to walk around - the real draw for me was the lake with the volcanoes in the background.  I have fallen in love with these mountains, and was fascinated by the steam venting from the side of one of them.  Not possible to see from these cellphone shots, but am looking forward to processing the big camera shots when I get home.

  

After this was Mosquito Hill, an interesting lookout that had a ton of things going on to look at!  Where do you start?  Well, it seems I will have to stitch a number of shots together to get a full panorama, with the hill being surrounded by a river, and beyond that was Lake Taupo (I think) and past that were more hills.  

By this point, we were ready for another coffee and some fuel - for both us and the car - so we stopped in Turangi.  Is it just me, or does this seem like a lot of money for a lot of sugar?  

Not far out of Turangi, Waiotaka Scenic Reserve beckoned.  It was so nice to dip fingers and toes in the water, notice the sparkle in the sand, and find lots of "rocks" on the beach that weighed next to nothing and were very porous - like pummice stone.  It is probably volcanic stone, or rather ash, as it is quite light in colour.  So different from what we see at home.

Once we get past Taupo, with all it's busyness, Huka Falls was next on the list.  It was stunning.  Similar to Pancake Rocks on the west coast, however, there were many people there, and it had become almost unnatural.  There were bridges and fences - much like Niagara Falls back home, but not as big and not quite as commercial.  But simply gorgeous.  The rushing sound of water was thunderous, and the colour!  And the shape of the water, constantly changing as it rushed through the chute between the rock walls, and down over the rapids - the "falls" were not very high but incredibly powerful.

Finally, after filling our eyes and our spirits, it was agreed to continue on to Rotorua, where we had a room booked for the next - our last - couple of nights.  To finish the trip, we had opted for a Spa and Resort and were looking forward to some peace and quiet again to round out an incredible month.  Not sure what the plan is yet for tomorrow, but I'm quite sure it will be equally incredible.

  

After dinner in the restaurant at Wai Ora Day Spa and Resort, a walk along the beach to catch the sunset seemed in order.  Tomorrow will be our last full day.

NZ2024 - Leg 24, March 19 - Wellington to Ohakune

Today was supposed to start with a quick and early breakfast and off to Te Papa museum in Wellington.  Which really, it did....  It was actually an earlier start than anticipated, and the museum was only a 5 minute drive, so the first cafe I could find a parking spot in front of, filled the bill.  It happened to be Gemini cafe, and at first, it appeared to be more of a lunch and dinner place, and it was actually kind of tempting to order a Pineapple Lump Martini for breakfast.  But 9:30 a.m. is just a bit early for rum - for me anyway.

Breakfast items finally were located on the menu, and they had an eggs bene that seemed perfect - with grilled halloumi instead of peameal!  Peameal is kind of a Canadian thing, so I wasn't really expecting it anyway, but now I wish more places in Canada would offer halloumi as a choice - it was fantastic!  And the presentation - for a breakfast, in an out of the way, very non-busy place - was divine.  And now I need croffles in my life....

Parking was almost non-existent at the museum, as we entered the garage, the number of spots was 1 available, and as we approached, it turned to Full.  Great.  After a quick drive around, a street spot appeared, so I grabbed it.  For 2 hours, it was only $10, which seemed like a bargain.  Just as it started to sprinkle...  When I was at the museum last time - in 2010 - there was a large sculpture out the front that was missing this time.  I really must find the photos I had from that first trip to compare...

We are greeted by a gentleman who assures us he is not a volunteer, but is a paid employee, even though there is no entry fee to the museum - only donations.  We pour as much cash as we can into the donation box.  There are tons of people there, and learn that there are no guided tours available as there are two cruise ships there this week that have booked everything.  Yay.  It might be wise for the venues that are inundated with cruise ships to reserve a few bookings for non-cruise tourists, to avoid getting a poor reputation for non-availability and a preference for the cruises.

Anyway, there is an exhibit that intrigues us, and we visit Gallipoli, an international award-winning exhibit on the First World War that is gripping, and almost overwhelming in it's realism.  There are several bigger-than-life statues that at first are simply amazing, and then after a few of them, become difficult to absorb, and I had to leave before becoming completely......   fortunately there was some cleansing water at the end of the exhibit to sprinkle over me in the Maori fashion.  I made use of that.

 

It took a few moments to collect myself, and reset, settle my spirit from the stories of the war and the personal experiences of a medic, a private, etc., then we chose the Nature exhibit.  I got to hear the bird songs of NZ, and the Colossal Squid, but the Earthquake Room was closed for the day for repairs.  Darn!

After a wander through the gift shop - even though there were so many other things to see in the museum! - we knew we had to get moving in order to check into our lodging for the evening, a 3.5 hour drive north of Wellington.  

As the driver, with very little time - the reception desk closed at 6, and I knew we would want dinner -  I wasn't able to get any photos of the drive, although there were many opportunities.  The first couple of hours, the scenery was pretty bland - very similar to what I see at home.  Then it changed, and the hills got higher, the light got more interesting, there were more twists and turns, but the highway was still in great condition, even if there were a few construction slowdowns.  

Arriving in Ohakune, the hotel I had booked was still open, and there were lots of places still open for dinner.  We settled in, then walked toward the town center and found a great little Italian place for supper.  The food was excellent!

The lodge - LKNZ Lodge and Cafe - offered breakfast, so the plan is to have breakfast early and head out - there are many things to stop and see along the way to Rotorua in the morning.  One of the reasons I wanted to stay in this area was so that we could see a couple of volcanoes (hopefully not active), and there were a number of scenic stops along the way that intrigued me, especially Gollum's Pool, really Tawhai Falls.  Hopefully we are able to fit everything in!  Looking forward to tomorrow, from our Mountain View room.

NZ2024 - Leg 23, March 18 - Blenheim to Wellington

This morning was our last morning on the South Island, and although I was looking forward to seeing what the North Island was like, it was hard to leave so much beauty and peace that we had experienced over the past three weeks.  Has it really been 3 weeks already????

Because we were ready a few minutes early, our friend Bridget showed us around her garden, which was a bit tricky given it was laid out over a fairly steep hillside.  But it was worth it - Linda was able to give her some advice on some ground cover and other questions Bridget had (Linda is a gardening guru!).  One suggestion was to take a look at what her neighbours were growing and see what was doing well and what she liked.  Excellent idea!

Domestic flights in NZ don't require security checkins, and of course there is  no customs, so we were able to check our luggage and sit and have a coffee before boarding, even though we only arrived at the Blenheim airport about 45 minutes before flight time.  There are only 3 gates!  It reminded me of the airport in my home town, but sunnier, and with nicer accents.  

We said our "farewells" and shared hugs with our amazing hostess, as she had a tee time of 10 a.m.  So excited for her to be doing all the things she loves and being so active!  The flight over Cook Strait was short - only about 25 minutes - and such a delight over taking the ferry.  The ferry is fun - once - but the flight was only a few dollars more, and gave us back a couple of hours (plus I had already experienced the ferry twice).  Although seated on the side of the plane away from Queen Charlotte Sound, we still had some pretty amazing views.

    

    

Landing in Wellington is so interesting - both ends of the runway are at the edge of the island and straddle a point that juts out into the Strait.  So it doesn't matter which direction you're going, you come in over water, and the plane has to stop before it runs into water at the other end.  I took a video of it the last time I was in NZ, and still love to look at it from time to time.  This time it wasn't quite as interesting - it was a much smaller plane and a tiny bit choppier ride.

After picking up the rental car - again with an upgrade (from a Corolla hatchback to a fairly new Rav4!) we decided to try and find the hotel we had booked - the Naumi Wellington - which was easy enough, and in the perfect location - Cuba St., only a couple of blocks from the Market area.  Parking on the street was actually easier than I expected, and we walked up to find Fidel's, and had a wonderful brunch of Avocado toast and coffee.  

It seemed appropriate to check out the hotel, and learned that the room was ready for us early.  It was a very old hotel that had been turned into a boutique hotel, complete with glittery elevators, and fun wallpaper, and fantastic service.  The room was.... cozy, but comfortable and well-appointed, with a ton of complimentary amenities that we thoroughly enjoyed, including a bottle of 2019 Shiraz!  

After settling in, we drove out to Mount Victoria, which I'd heard had 360 views of the city.  It was another of those drives to be remembered, with hairpin turns, and houses on both sides, driveways coming out of nowhere, narrow streets - and people were parked along the street!  It was interesting to drive along without being able to see if cars were coming toward you around the curves, and have to move into the other lane to get around parked cars.  We survived.  Somehow!  The view was worth it.

At the top was a memorial to the adventures to Antarctica, and a sculpture that pointed directly toward the South Pole.  

Another point of interest to check out (there were soooo many to choose from!) to simply get a better view of this place called Wellington, was to go to round Miramar point, and check out the Scenic view of Great Harbour Way.  It was really just a little gravel parking area, but it was such a great view - we watched as the InterIslander ferry chugged past us, the seagulls flew around us, and the waves lapped up on the rocks.  

  

It appeared that I could drive all the way around the point from here, and hook back up to the city on the other side of the airport,  and on the way there were even more amazing sights to see - including an old hotel, a really old dock/pier, and more sights that couldn't be photographed while driving.

Upon returning to the hotel, it was getting to be dinnertime, and because there was so much on Cuba St. to be explored, and so many dinner options along that street, we opted to walk.  We found the market area that we had been so delighted with the last time we were here, including a side alley where there had been a street food festival we really enjoyed - and we were missing by a few days again this time.  Oh well.  The architecture and the vibe were still there, and it was great to be able to see it again, this time with fewer people.

  

We stumble across a place called The Ram for supper - the chalkboard sign out front advertises the special and it sounds too good to be true.  After checking out the menu (and me asking a customer if we can look over his shoulder to see it), it seems this is the one.  Inside, we find it very busy, but the host finds a table for us, keeps music going on the record player (seriously, they had a couple of shelves of vinyl music that was super cool, including Al Green), and dinner was just delicious.  I had the roasted pumpkin salad, with quinoa, whipped feta, aioli, and a bunch of other healthy delicious things that I can't remember!  And a really cool cocktail that used Creme de Violet - I need this in my life.

Tomorrow the plan is to go to Te Papa museum, then up to Ohakune, where our next lodging is booked.  So far, the North Island is shaping up to be pretty good!