My 2014 Adventure: Travels to Singapore, Australia & New Zealand

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Bicycle Tour of Napier

Today Mariel and I rented bicycles from our hostel and cycled over 30km (~18 miles) around Napier. Therefore I am too exhausted to go into much detail. We had a great time and visited Mission Estate Winery (used to be a seminary until the 1990s), the Filter Room Ale and Cider House (delicious ciders in the afternoon heat), the Silky Oak Chocolate Company (the air smelled of chocolate and it was impossible to resist buying some), and an orchard to buy fresh apples and peaches. When we got back into Napier we ducked inside a little possum fur clothing shop (they are everywhere here) to have a look...little did we know there was an entire museum dedicated to New Zealander's hatred of the possum. Now these possums are marsupials, descended from Australia and are only distantly related to the opossums we have in the US. There was a sign titled "Bridge of Remembrance" stating the statistic, "70,000,000 opossums consuming 21,000 tonnes of vegetation per night." I guess these little creatures are overtaking the native species here. So much, in fact, that they used a chemical called "1080" to poison them to bring their numbers down. I understand the situation is dire, but some of the following pictures illustrate the ridiculousness of the NZ hatred for possums. I guess the only consolation is that they are not wasted and are made into hats, scarves, gloves, socks, sweaters, shirts, and even nipple and belly button warmers (whatever they are needed for). Enjoy!

Mission Estate Winery, Hawke's Bay

Mission Estate Winery started out as a vineyard for the church

Mission Estate vineyards view

We had some delicious truffles at Silky Oak

Great ciders at the Filter Room

We biked back along the beach

Art Deco buildings, Napier

"Squashed variety" possum

They made a moa out of possum pelts

They made their little dead bodies into possum musicians

Here's another one...are you sensing the NZ hatred for possums?

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Mini-Introduction to Napier

Not much to report today but I wanted to show some beautiful pictures of Napier, near the Hawke's Bay wine region. We arrived by bus this afternoon and put on our togs (swim suits) to go for a swim in the ocean. When we got there we saw that no one was in the water. Upon further inspection we saw how crazy the waves were, as well as the distinct water color variation where the beach drops off about 30 feet out; needless to say we did not go for a swim today. Instead we did our grocery shopping (we cook all our own meals), took a stroll on the beach, had dinner, and took a night walk around town. Napier is Art Deco themed from the building facades to the font on the street signs. This is because in 1931 an earthquake devastated the city so all new construction was done in the Art Deco architectural style of the 1930s. Also, Napier is a huge sea port where they export fruit (apples, pears, stone fruit), sheep's wool, and timber. Mariel and I are excited to ride bicycles to a few different wineries tomorrow and do some tastings. I almost want to ask if they rent adult sized tricycles, but a bicycle will probably help keep me in check.

Fun fact I wanted to mention: a rugby team checked into our hostel last night in Taupo...40 burly rugby players. I have never seen so many strong, young men in my life. They overtook the bathrooms and the kitchen and the patio... Since we were in a mixed dorm both sexes use the same bathrooms on that floor. In the morning I was brushing my teeth and two guys walked by in nothing but a towel. Mariel, thankfully, had a much different experience; a rugby guy came out of the shower shirtless, saw Mariel, and promptly went back into the shower stall to put a shirt on. We both thought that was very cute!

Pacific Ocan near Napier, NZ

Large waves today

Posing majestically near some driftwood

This is what the beach is like; black rocks, no sand

Mariel sitting demurely on the same driftwood

Fountain near the beach

Marine Parade, Napier

Art Deco style hotel, Napier

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Taupo (Part II)

Our second day in Taupo was filled with outdoor activities!! This morning we rented bicycles from the hostel and rode around Lake Taupo. I'd estimate we covered as much as 10 miles because the path was very flat. It was a beautiful way to get some exercise and see the lake landscape. After lunch we walked down to the boat dock and climbed aboard a sail boat. We went out on Lake Taupo to see the Maori carved rock faces at Mine Bay. They were spectacular! In the 1970s a master carver named Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell came to Taupo because he had family ties to the area. Upon surveying the cliffs in Mine Bay he decided they would be an amazing canvas for his carving work. The large face is that of Ngatoroirangi, a Maori navigator who guided the Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa tribes to Taupo over a thousand years ago. The different sides of the face are carved to signify the maternal and paternal heritage of Ngatoroirangi. There are also various carvings of a lizard, the mermaid of Lake Taupo, and other Maori legends. We got the chance to swim out to the rock carvings to get a better look at them up close. The water was only about 18C (64F) so it was a quick swim. The skipper steered the boat and talked about the different areas of the bay while the crew came around and brought us wine. It was an immensely enjoyable afternoon on the calm water and sitting in the sunshine. Tomorrow Mariel and I have a half day left in Taupo and then we're off to Napier!

Lake Taupo black swans

Sunset on Lake Taupo

Central Plateau over Lake Taupo

Geothermal hots prings around edges of Lake Taupo

We're on a boat!

We fought the urge to reenact Titantic, even when they played the Celine Dion song

Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay

Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom)

Tauranga & Taupo (Part I)

These past couple of days Mariel and I have spent in Tauranga. The best way I can describe this place is a retirement peninsula with a mountain at the end. There are so many elderly people walking at the beach and even scaling Mt Maunganui. Mt Maunganui is a town next to Tauranga on the Bay of Plenty (I love that name). Mt Maunganui is now an extinct volcano cone. It was an intense climb up to the summit with both stone and gravel steps. Once you get to the top you have fantastic views of the light blue ocean water, the peninsula the town sits on, and beaches as far as the eye can see. We had lunch at the top and were only harassed by one herring gull. It's creepy that the New Zealand birds are always watching you, sizing up your meal and sometimes I think the people too. We then climbed back down the mountain and had a swim at the beach. It was very windy so no one else was in the water. After getting the go ahead from the Surf Life Saving NZ guys we got into the waves. It was so fun to swim out and let the waves carry you back to shore. In the afternoon we hiked around the peninsula some more, did a historic walking tour of Tauranga, and then went to see a movie (12 Years A Slave).

It was a quick trip to Tauranga, and this morning Mariel and I hopped on a bus to Taupo. It is beautiful here!! It is home to Mt Ngauruhoe, which was used as Mt Doom in the Lord of the Rings films. There are a few other mountains in the distance in the Tongariro volcanic complex. All of these are framed with Lake Taupo in the foreground for a very picturesque setting. Since I'm not a very experienced climber, Mariel and I are taking it easy here. We arrived in Taupo in the afternoon and took a hike to see Huka Falls. The Waikato River was a beautiful, crystal blue color; we took a swim much further up from the falls (I didn't want to get swept away). After dinner we took a walk around Lake Taupo to see the sunset and black swans. Tomorrow we are planning to rent bikes and ride around the lake. There are some geothermal hot springs in this area so hopefully we can find those and take a dip!

Mt Maunganui

Mt Maunganui summit

Mt Maunganui peninsula

Beaches at Mt Maunganui

Mt Maunganui

Waikato River, start of Huka Falls

Huka Falls, Taupo

Monday, March 3, 2014

Paihia & the Bay of Islands

Mariel and I have just completed the first leg of our New Zealand journey to Paihia and the Bay of Islands. After a day of plotting and planning, we purchased Flexipasses through InterCity Bus. It's a great way to travel because once you pay for hours you can use them however you want, altering travel plans even up to an hour beforehand. The bus ride was a winding four hours, through beautiful, green countryside full of sheep and dairy cows. After arriving in Paihia and checking into our hostel, we rode bicycles up to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. This was the location of the first signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the Maori Chiefs and British Crown on February 6, 1840. Since then it has been turned into a destination for New Zealand history. We experienced the Maori culture, walked through native forests, and got an amazing view of the Bay of Islands. It was great to see some native bird species such as the fantail, tui, and pukeko. (The tui call is very beautiful and I'd highly suggest looking it up on YouTube and giving it a listen.) At the cultural show we witnessed a welcome ceremony, as well as traditional songs and dances at the marae (carved meeting house). We tried to imitate their characteristic faces after the show when taking pictures, but as you'll see below we were unsuccessful.

The next day we took a ferry to Russell, the first European settlement and sea port in New Zealand. There were many trails around the peninsula and we hiked to the Kororareka Point Scenic Reserve, Flagstaff Hill, and finally ate lunch at Long Beach. After taking the ferry back to Paihia we rented some kayaks. We kayaked in the bay to the Matauwhi Bay Reserve and Motumaire Island. Growing up in the landlocked Midwest, it was very cool for me to see the sea life during low tide along the beaches. I saw snails, mussels, crabs, sea stars, and so many other creatures. On our way to Motumaire Island I swear I saw a fin in the water, but it may have just been because I saw the movie "Jaws" repeatedly at a very young age...thanks to Alyson for doing that SOAR project on Steven Spielberg.

Today was a half day in Paihia before our bus left, so we rented bicycles and rode up to Haruru Falls and Mount Bledisloe. It was an amazing view of the Bay of Islands and the weather was sunny and warm. If anyone's heading to the Paihia area I would highly recommend staying at the Pickled Parrot hostel and talking to Dan at Bay of Islands Kayaking (always down to negotiate a deal for Pickled Parrot goers). Mariel and I are back in Auckland for the night, and tomorrow afternoon we set off for Tauranga!