Day 9: Paihia Dolphin Cove and the Hole in the Rock

I said farewell to Auckland early this morning, after almost missing my bus because I walked in the wrong direction and had to back track to where my bus was actually leaving from. Side note: I am finding myself to be more directionally challenged than usual here. There are so many twists, turns, bays and mountains in all the towns and cities, I can never seem to figure out my directions. (Good thing for GPS). 

I arrived in Paihia in the North at noon and hobbled my way to my hostel, The Bay Adventurer Backpackers. I then rushed to catch a boat tour, the most touristy and commercial activity I likely will do here in the country. 

The boat sailed along all of the islands in the bay, there must have been at least 11 islands we sailed past, some with expensive vacation homes on them, some with sheep roaming to keep the grass down and other islands completely inhabited and untouched. An absolutely stunning view for sure. 

Found Medea's boat chilling in the Russell docks

As we made our way to the end of the Cape Brett Peninsula, we happened upon some beautiful and intelligent dolphins. Such fascinating creatures....

There is a beautiful lighthouse on Cape Brett, which is the one sight to see before you float past Motu Kokako (name Piercy's Island by Captain Cook), known as the hole in the rock.

And then there was the hole in the rock. One of those moments where you think to yourself...this would be really cool if I was on a small boat and fishing or just relaxing in the sun....but no I am on a big boat with 100 or so people, where there are far too many selfie sticks surrounding me, and I am having to swat the selfie sticks away from my face as if they were mosquitoes...absolutely ridiculous. It was a good thing the islands are so beautiful and have a very interesting history. Both of these factors provided very good distractions from all the people around me on the boat. 

Sometimes I forget that I am also just another tourist as well....

Day 8: Coast to Coast Continued

The coast to coast walk goes from Waitemata Harbour in the north to the Manukau Habour in the south.

Amazingly this coast to coast walk is only 16kms of Te Araroa (the long pathway), a continuous 3000km track from Cape Reinga, the most northern tip of New Zealand, to Bluff, the most southern part of the country.

From the Auckland Museum I walked my way to Outhwaite Park, which was once a volcanic knoll and the trees date back to the 1840's.

Maungawhau, Mt. Eden, is the tallest volcano in Auckland, reaching 196m. The panoramic views from Mt. Eden were incredible. I could see where I had come from and where I was going. Only slightly daunting because it looked as though I still had a whole lot of walking left to do.

Along my venture I strolled past the Auckland University, which has some beautiful campus'. I past many parks, all of which had some sort of significance it seemed. Cornwall Park and One Tree Hill Domain were the next two large parks I walked through. These two parks combined are 220 hectares of beautiful landscape, with sheep and cows to boot.

Day 8: Coast to Coast

I arrived in Auckland (Tamaki Makaurau) yesterday after another long bus ride from Wellington. It is a good thing the scenery is so beautiful because the ride makes for a very long day. Staying in a backpackers always lends itself to meeting interesting people. However, the backpackers in Auckland were not exactly my kind of crowd. Beautiful and active city though.   

  I spent some time around Queen's Wharf, which started out as a jetty in the 1840's. Over the years it grew larger and larger, becoming an important sea port for sending off and receiving cargo ships. Today there are many shops and places to sit and enjoy the view.

 

  Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, is based between two harbours, the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Tasman Sea on the other. The city itself is quite beautiful, which I discovered on my 16km Coast to Coast walk. A grand idea to walk from coast to coast right? I thought so at first but after my shoes destroyed my feet I wanted to quit. But I persevered and made it across the city.

Starting the Coast to Coast walk at the Viaduct Harbour was a beautiful way to start the day. With lovely views of the water and of the downtown core. 

The Sky Tower is currently the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere. 

View of the ocean and the Harbour Bridge, which is actually a rather fascinating bridge (as fascinating as a bridge can get I suppose). It has 8 lanes but the central barrier if movable so that the lanes can be situated differently depending on the traffic flow. For example it can be a 3/5, 5/3 or 4/4 split. Very unique and quite pretty with the scenery surrounding it. Next I was on my way to Albert Park, which is the site of an old Maori village called Rangipuke, once containing a defensive pa and farmland. A pa I have discovered was a defensive settlement and was also known as a hill fort. The trees are incredible in the parks, with their roots over taking anything in its path, and often growing at odd angles.

I made my way through the Auckland Domain, the oldest park in the city, which is 75 hectares of beautiful green spaces, gardens, trees and ponds, with the Auckland Museum at its highest point and my next destination on the walk.

The museum had a gorgeous garden on the grounds. And the museum was a sight to see as well. So much history inside. I spent two hours inside and could have been there all day if I had wanted to.

Day 5: Markets and Wharfs

Sundays may just become my favourite day in Wellington. Sundays are market day. Who doesn't love cheap fresh fruits and vegetables. A great opportunity to get out, enjoy the outdoors and the waterfront downtown. 

You can even get freshly caught fish straight off the boat. 

Later in the day we ventured to Petone, which is a suburb of Lower Hutt on the Northern part of the Wellington Harbour. The first landing dock for boats was built on Petone beach in 1840. 

The wharf was lined with people fishing and others enjoying a swim in the ocean. 

Day 4: Coffee

For all you coffee lovers out there, I am sorry to say that you would be sorely disappointed with the quantity (and sometimes quality) of the coffee here. A large coffee can be drank in a few minutes, unless you savour it and drink very slowly. Fortunately for me I am the slowest hot drink drinker ever. I am learning that all the coffee is brewed from an espresso machine. Drip coffee? I think not. A new country and a new world of coffee. I will likely get used to it as there are tons of coffee shops everywhere to go and enjoy your daily caffeine fix. A good opportunity to find a new favorite way to drink coffee. 

We ventured to Oriental Bay to a cafe called Chocolate Fish. And aside from the view, the spacious outdoor patio, bikes and trikes available for kids to burn off energy, the best part of this cafe was their dog parking. Leash lock and water for your pooch. Brilliant.

Day 3: My New Home

This is home base, with a view. Although it seems as though no matter where one lives in New Zealand you will have some beautiful scenery to look out at and admire. 

 The first night I arrived I could look up from the back deck and see stars as if I was out in the country. The milky way was right above me and incredible. Thank you Wellington for your minimal light pollution.

DAY 1: New Zealand (Aotearoa)

Unfortunately I did not document my last trip to SE Asia on this blog but do not fret. I have returned. After 2 years of living in my homeland, I am out in the wide world again. Currently on the ground in New Zealand and ready to share my stories and adventures with you.

Beautiful Sunset in LA

This trip has given me the incredible opportunity to experience time travel. Can you believe it? Of course you can! After a mid-morning departure from YYC, a long layover in LAX, I was on a plane to the land of the Kiwi's. New Zealand is 20 hours ahead of Calgary, meaning I basically lost February 2nd in time. I mourned briefly for this day only because whatever moment I spent of it was probably tossing and turning in my aisle seat on the Air New Zealand plane. It was not a grand day. My seat mates proved to be sufficiently adequate at entertaining me solely based on their ability to remain silent and immobile for the entire 13hr flight. Just think for a minute about how could one sit for 13hrs on a flight, not taking, moving, reading or even watching tv....A little hard to imagine right? Those were my seat mates. I on the other hand was up at least once every hour. 

Due to my incredible ability to change plans last minute, I had decided the night before I flew out to scrap my original plans of touring around and came up with an alternative grand idea to hop on a bus directly after my 0700hrs arrival in Auckland. I spent a grand total of 50 minutes in Auckland retrieving my luggage, convincing border security that the trail mix and dried cherries were near and dear to my heart in hopes they would not take them from me (they were gracious enough to let me keep them), waiting in the warm early morning sun for the bright green Intercity bus that would take me down the winding 646 kms to my home base of Wellington. Fun Fact: Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world. 

Taihape, NZ

No part of the country is more than 128 km from the sea, which I find fascinating. From Auckland, to Manuka, to Hamilton, to Taupo, to Wellington, via many stops at little towns like Taihape, the Gumboot Capital of the World, and Bulls. This bus ride, which I was surprisingly awake for until the final few hours, was incredibly beautiful. I have never seen landscape change so frequently as I have during this ride. Cities, to mountains, to rolling hills, to pastures. To say this country's landscape is incredibly diverse is really an understatement. It is so lush and green. It is beautiful. There are even road signs that state "Expect the unexpected". I am falling in love with this country already :)

Day 531 - A Year And A Half

Today I leave South Sudan behind for the cold land of Alberta, Canada. 

It has been an incredible and unforgettable time here in South Sudan. People have been telling me that I will be back. They will wait for my return. 

We shall see what the future brings. 

Farewell Juba

Day 514 - Zanzibar

Pictures are better than words.