Tag: north island

Cape Regina, New Zealand

January 23, 1011

On the road again! We’re headed to the northern most point of the north island, to Cape Regina. We have a hostel reserved for tonight and tomorrow we go to a farm to work until Friday, then we go to Auckland and get ready to fly out to Australia. This is the final leg of our time in New Zealand.

We have been rained in for the last two days! It was a bit of a disappointment since we were at a good beach for enjoying water sports and had plans. The cruise that Sadie and Julian went on was exciting. It was warm and clear for the afternoon and early night and the storm blew in in the night. They did snorkeling, fishing, shooting sports and night time kayaking. They connected all the kayaks together and layed back and identified constellations in the southern hemisphere. They saw the Southern Cross and I guess the little dipper faces the opposite direction here. They were pumped up when they got back; filled up with the energy of other young adults enjoying life. Hey, water drains in the opposite direction here too!

I love meeting travelers in the hostels. A few days ago I met a nice young couple from England who are doing a world tour. They saved their money, quit their jobs, and wanted to travel a year before they get married and have a family. It’s really very possible for anyone to do this if they set their sights on it. An older couple I met at the last hostel were from Holland. Five years ago they went on a three month walk along a trail that begins in Holland and ends in Spain. They borrowed a trained donkey from a friend and used it to carry their supplies. She said there were times when they were cold, wet and hungry but could still find the beauty in life and were happy to be where they were. The husband has always had the attitude that they will never put off what they want to do. If they have a dream, or idea, they will make plans to do it now. They were inspiring. They were a reminder to me about my own philosophy about life and living every moment to the fullest.

Eliot is such a cool person! I think people are surprised, and entertained by him. We see travelers with small children and we see young adults but not very many people his age. He is very observant and aware of his surroundings. When someone needs something at the hostels, Eliot is very often able to tell them just where to find it, eg, the free food basket and what’s in it! I got a chocolate sample at the candy store yesterday and the woman behind the counter told me my son kept her company on her lunch hour at the outside bench. He takes the laptop and sits on the sidewalk, or bench if it’s available, outside the global gossip store and gets on the internet. He seems to enjoy meeting travelers and sharing stories.

New Zealand Beaches (North Island)

January 20, 2011

The coastal town of Whitianga was relaxing and quiet. While we were there we went to Cathedral Cove. I have been looking at Cathedral Cove on the internet since we decided to come here two years ago. I wasn’t necessarily attached to the idea of seeing it, and had actually put it out of my mind, and when the opportunity came up to see it, it sure was a nice surprise! Cathedral Cove is a gigantic arched cavern passing through a white rock headland to join two secluded coves. It is all from ancient volcanic action and is very grandeur.

On the windy walk around the mountainside to Cathedral Cove (30 minute walk), there are two other beaches you can stop at. One is “Stingray Beach”. We heard this was a good beach to snorkel at and rented snorkel gear ahead of time. We snorkeled but didn’t see very much, and no Stingrays. The other beach is “Gemstone Beach” and is covered with rocks and boulders and it’s supposed to be good for snorkeling also but we didn’t try.

Down the street from here, there is a beach we heard of called “Hot Water Beach”, so we just had to go there too! We actually went there first, as you have to get there at low tide in order to enjoy the hot water springs. The hot mineral pools are actually a legacy of an exciting geothermal past. There are tiny hot water springs all over the beach and the water bubbling up is boiling hot! It is hilarious to watch people walking around, not knowing what to expect and suddenly they are jumping and dancing all around trying to escape the boiling water! Lol! You might find a hot spring and next to it a foot away, the sand and water is ice cold. We brought spades with us from the hostel to dig out a pool of hot water to soak in. We ended up taking over an existing one that someone else was finished with and dug each time we wanted more hot water. It is so bizarre! And the beach at this particular place is the local surfing beach. The water was crystal clear and ice cold. It was invigorating to swim and then go sit in the hot pool!

After all that excitement, we got up early this morning and were on the road by 7:00 am to head to the Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands is at the northern tip of the north island. It is the birth place of New Zealand history. Sadie and Julian had a reservation to go out on a 24 hour cruise that was leaving at 4:45. We got here in plenty of time. Eliot and I are at the Mouse Trap Hostel. It is in a very large, about nine bedrooms, house and is probably 80 years old and in beautiful shape. I was beginning to think the night was going to be a disappointment to Eliot and then he went to talk to the owner about games they might have and came back with “lawn bowling”. We had a great time playing and occasionally fighting over the balls, very playfully, of course. Then we decided to go out for ice cream and walk along the water front. The tide was in too far and was all the way up to the boulders that line the beach. We challenged ourselves to climb down the boulders and run along the beach each time the waves went out, which gave us about 8 seconds of running each time before the waves came crashing back up! Lol! We would then have to scramble up the boulders as fast as we could before getting caught in the wave. It was adrenaline pumping stuff! We made it pretty far, him farther than me, before we were just getting too wet and banged up! We shared a ice cream sundae, walked around town, and came home for a shower and now we’re going to look at the board games. It has turned out to be a fun time after all.