"It's raining old wives and walking sticks."
It has been two weeks since we first landed in the North Island. And it's true to say, it's rained a bit. Our journey took us and Ulrik-Kar-Kar across the Cook Straits by ferry to land at the huge natural harbour at Wellington, thence north; broadly up through the centre of the island.
Wellington, North Palmerston, Taupo, Rotorua, Tauranga, Auckland. We pass through provinces and districts that I clearly remember Bill McLaren enunciated so well when the All Blacks visited our shores in past years. Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, North Harbour - usurped nowadays by the likes of the Chiefs and Crusaders, but still a force to be reckoned with in the Mitre 10 (think our B&Q group) Cup competition.
Driving up through the central farming belt, we appreciate just how much NZ imitates England, complete with slow slow traffic and the constant brush of windscreen wipers. Our mission is to arrive in Auckland to liaise with the "kids" (both generations) and to meet up with Mike and Melinda for a couple of days in Devonport. The first night is a pause in Turangi and a (here uses Google for a polite synonym - comes up with dull, tedious, redneck) so my original thought - Hicksville town - where we watch the ABs scrape past Argentina at the rugby.
Nighttime at the Settlers' Motel is chilly to say the least and a great surprise is to wake the following morning to snow down to about 200m. Nice scenery, though as the weather improves to above melting point.
Circumventing Lake Taupo is a joy - the lake is the largest fresh water body of its kind in the country and was formed by a massive volcanic eruption around 180 AD and with 10 times the explosive effect of Krakatoa. The red sky and semi-darkness created by the blast was witnessed by Chinese chronicler Hou Han Shu and Roman historian Herodian who wrote. "stars remain visible by day and others seem elongated, seeming to hang in mid air."
The Huka Falls near Taupo village are a sight in themselves - huka, meaning 'foam' in Maori. The pics make this self-evident.
On to Rotorua, the centre of Moari culture in this part of the world and due a visit in itself, not least as the rain was lashing down once again.
The Fat Dog cafe offering a mean Thai beef salad, but also (and not ordered) the biggest burger stack - The Dog's Bollox - I have ever seen in my life. think 2 cows, 4 eggs, half a tree of salad and a bucket of chips.
The whole area, being volcanic, offers a wide range of thermal pools, streams and spas. Stopping for a coffee at one of these, we were somewhat put off by the sulphur odours and passed the hot pools by.
We are very kindly hosted by Wendy and Richie in Tauranga in their new build "Southfork", but time is of the essence so off we trot to Auckland and Devonport on the North Shore of the city. After sitting in a car for several days, a walk to the North Head, initially a Maori site but in the 1920s fortified as a coastal battery was a welcome break. And no rain. At least for a bit.
Auckland is a manageable city, with wonderfully polite residents; good shops and a vibrant revamped port area. There was some shopping to be done, coffees to be had and lunches to be eaten and all this activity filled tow days.
Otis receiving plenty of attention from the girls.
Ferry arriving in the City from Devonport.
Sky Tower.
Then it's back to stay with Wendy & Richie again . In between showers we stop on our route back to the Bay of Plenty at Karangahake Gorge where gold mining took place in Victorian times. The Kiwis make a virtue of industrial architecture and the site now has marked trails and information sites.
The trail includes a dark and dank slog through the old railway tunnel where in the past smoky tenders carried away the remnants of the mining slag. Good echoes reverberate through the workings but at each vent D was sure a goblin / murderer / DFC fan lurked and lay ready to pounce.
Further along the road sits Waihi, a rather nondescript though busy township. We had passed this way on our journey up to Auckland and Mike was amazed that we had failed to spot the “massive hole in the ground”. On closer inspection this second visit, oh, yes, there it is. A vast open-cast pit where slithers of gold are still extricated and waste borne away by GUY1, a child’s dream of a Tonka toy dumper.
A few days pass at the new home of Wendy and Richie with the kids Elsie and Harry. The sun finally comes out and we enjoy a day’s visit to Mount Maunganui. Beaches are glorious white sand (I kinda think this phrase is going to become a rote line in the next few months) the cafes are chilled and the sea is a lapis lazuli crystal.
A fantastic place to chill, however, given the fashion crazes on the cover of this 1969 mag, we are not a bit surprised it was actually the chimp that gets the girl!
We hike the climb to the summit of the Mount and an awesome view down the coast. The place is like an outside gym with runners belting up and down, athletes stretching and pounding out countless sit-ups and press-ups. There’s even an Everest Challenge - 38 times up the climb equates to having climbed the iconic summit.
Our return to Auckland a few days later signals a really really exciting trip. We are off to Fiji, the happiest place on Earth!