Bye for now!

Thought I'd sign off with a final little blog whilst awaiting my final plane in Abu Dhabi Airport. It's been a long and fairly uneventful day, so far everything has gone around about as it should. I didn't find the long flight as bad as I did on the way out...perhaps because I was anticipating it's tedium more, and so I made a more concerted effort to sleep! Which I didn't exactly succeed in, but I was in quite a relaxed not quite awake state, so time drifted by fairly pleasantly. Plus I had the luxury of an empty seat beside me, which meant I had free access to the isle and some extra leg room. Hurray! It seems like ages since I left Auckland, so it's strange to think there hasn't been a proper nights sleep since then. But a small price to pay for the fun adventures I've had! 

I'm living on the edge as I bought a milkshake with my credit card in this airport...in a country I didn't pre warn the bank I was going to, as I'm just passing through. So will they block my card, or will they figure out its part of the journey... Who knows! Exciting huh? Hmm, perhaps not, hehe.

Best get in the queue to board my plane now, so it's over and out, until my next adventures, whenever and wherever they might be!

8th

7th, Paihia, and 8th, Volcanoes and shipwrecks!

Started typing up the parasailing adventures yesterday, but unfortunately my battery died and it was lost! So I'm trying again this evening! 

My last day in Paihia was lovely, with beautiful sun...slightly breezy, but this worked well for the parasailing! But before that I took out a kayak once more and revisited some of the islands, as they were too nice to only see once! The tide was slightly further out than the first time, which meant there were more little rocks sticking out of the water to explore and circumnavigate. I thought I would be slower than in the double kayak, but this was a slightly more streamlined version, so all in all it didn't feel too difficult. It was quite a soggy boat to sit in though, as there were two holes in it (deliberate holes, not accidental ones!) so I got quite wet.

I returned to the hostel for lunch, and then went out for the exciting parasailing adventure. This was great. We got about 12 minutes in the air each, which feels like plenty of time when you're up there. It's strangely calm, and you can't hear or see anything from the boat, it's just a speck far below. So you're out on your own for a bit, but it was nice :-) we had the option to get wet feet on the way back in if we liked (I did), it was most exciting to be partially dunked in the water on the way back, though I was glad the driver didn't misjudge and fully dunk me!

After that excitement I hopped back on the bus to Auckland, my final NZ stopover. The hostel is massive and busy, but at least it's cheap :-)

Today I visited the Island of Rangitoto for the day. Much more peaceful than staying in the busy city centre. It is a conservation island, with no 'pests' including humans... You can't camp or stay on the island at all, though there is a campsite on its very close neighbouring island. They are aiming to preserve the flora and fauna as NZ should be without introduced species. There are animal traps everywhere and you are asked to clean your shoes and check bags for any stowaways. I've never found a mouse in my bag before, but I guess you never know!

Rangitoto is a volcanic island, so walking in places is hard going, as it's all made of lava rocks. There aren't any roads on the island, except a dust track...and some walking tracks are a little easier underfoot and others. I however chose the tricky track first, which lead to Boulder Bay, or Wreck bay as it is also know...for it has been the site of about 13 deliberate shipwrecks. They put them there as it is out of sight... I guess before the days of stringent conservation laws! It made for an exciting adventure. I only managed to find the remains of about 5 wrecks, as the others were around the bay, and would have required hacking my way through a lot of vegetation, swimming, or cliffhanging. Perhaps I'll save those challenges for another time, as it was a bit cold and grey, so getting lost/wet/injured wouldn't have been ideal when quite literally in the middle of nowhere with the whole place to myself. (All the other ferry passengers had headed straight for the summit track, but I was more excited by the shipwrecks!)

After sheltering from a downpour in the rocks, I headed up towards the summit track myself. You reach the volcano's crater, and from there can head up to the highest viewpoint from which you can see pretty much the whole island. It was very marvellous. And it didn't rain again after that first conveniently timed downpour, which was a bonus. I made it back with plenty of time before the last ferry back, so sat in a field just over the causeway to the other island, and wandered along the beach. I spotted a few jellyfish (after paddling!) and went back for the ferry.

I now write to you from the 51st level (I can't call it floor, most of the floors don't exist as this building is more like a giant concrete stick) of the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere (the Sky Tower) watching the sun set for the last time in NZ. It has very spectacular views, and I'm sure is preparing me nicely for the idea of being in the sky, which I mostly shall be for the next couple of days!

Parasailing! :-)

Hopefully these people will email through the pictures of me we agreed to do a swap!

The bay

Magical bay of islands adventures

Myself and Liv, my friend from the coach yesterday, headed out in search of water activities on the bay. Because I had a repeat trip on the dolphin cruise on stand by, we decided to try that in the morning...but they sold out, so instead we deferred that until the afternoon and went in search of kayaks. We hired a double kayak and set out on the lovely sunny sea to find islands. Upon the advice of the kayak hire man we first went across to a bay on the other side that you can do a five minute walk from to a view point. This was a good plan as it had very lovely views. Technically it was an island that we had landed on, although the tide was low enough that it appeared to be attached to the main land. It was rather unfortunate timing as we approached the main land, as there were some waves coming across from a boat. For some reason we thought it would be fun to stay in the water while the waves passed, but because we were right at the beach the waves just broke over the boat, and we got rather wet! Oops! We pulled the boat up high enough on the shore to make sure the tide didn't come up and strand us whilst we looked at the view. Then we returned to the boats for more island hunting, and stopped off at two or three other bays to explore and photograph. Then it was back to the mainland for lunch, and to board our dolphin cruise.

We hadn't been travelling long this time when we found dolphins! Hurray! There was a pod of 6 or 7, and they came over to say hello. Unlike the ones I saw way back in Akaroa, these were the larger species of bottlenose dolphins. They were so graceful and effortless as they swirled round the boat. There were a lot of people on board so sometimes you had to wait patiently for the dolphins to come back in to view, as you couldn't see from all sides due to the numbers of other people trying to see. It was very exciting. We might have been allowed to swim, but the waters were too shallow for the boat to easily move around so it was deemed not safe on this occasion. After a while we moved on to see more islands and search for more marine life. We found a rock (not an island, for an island has vegetation on it apparently!) that had four seals on it, basking in the sun. And later we saw one solitary dolphin, but the best sighting had been the first. We did get treated to a drive through the 'hole in the rock', which marked the furthest point in the journey. I didn't think the driver was going to attempt it due to the swell of the the ocean (I think the tide was higher than on my first trip), but we did, and it was most exciting, as the hole in said rock (this rock actually being an island, not a rock, for it has vegetation on it...confusing!!) is not all that much larger than the boat!

Turns out that they didn't see any dolphins on the morning cruise, so we were lucky to not have got on to that one! :-)

When back in Paihia, I decided to have a swim (cold, but not too bad!), then some food and an evening walk along the beach. Glad I decided to stay here an extra night! its much nicer than being in a city!

Cape Reinga pictures

Another coachful day out!

Today was a fun coach excursion. We went to the far north most point of the island, Cape Reinga, but there were several stops on the way there and back. First was a forest walk amongst 1000 year old Kauri trees, putting our major oak to shame! They were very tall and wide, as you might expect! The next stop by a lovely beach for refreshments, and next was possibly the most exciting thing that can happen in a coach...we drove along the beach and in the sea!:-) it's a special 4 wheel drive coach for the occasion, and as long as it doesn't stop in the wet stuff it's able to keep going! It was such fun. It was obvious the driver enjoyed that bit the most! We did circles and swerving and spraying water. And it wasn't a slow tootle along, it was faaaast. That beach, the 90 mile beach, (actually about 60 miles, incorrectly measured as 90 by cattle drovers who had failed to account for the extra time taken walking on sand to other terrain), is listed as a public highway, with a speed limit and everything! Though there wasn't exactly the traffic you'd expect on a highway...we passed one vehicle, and a seal. We circled the seal for a closer look, and moved on to a spot where there was firm enough sand to park up and have a paddle :-) unfortunately a girl dropped her phone, and the tide whisked it away before anything could be done. Maybe one day it shall be found again, but it's pretty unlikely, on a beach that length! She seemed to cope relatively well though. 

Next we stopped at a massive sand dune. We didn't drive the full length of the beach as the tide was too high. The sand dune is a popular spot for sand boarding, a bit like sledging and body boarding combined. We trudged up it with our boards in hand (hanging on to them for dear life, it was rather windy!) if you don't know what a body board is, it's fairly self explanatory, a slice of foam big enough for your upper body to lie on. Then the fun part, sliding down the dune! Yaaaay! It was pretty fast, but you could steer with your feet, and there weren't any obstacles except other people. I think I shall still be finding sand for some time to come... The wind and the sliding had it flying into our hair, ears, nails, clothes, everything!!

Onwards to the official tip of the country, there was a similar vibe to a visit to sands end. People all getting their pictures taken to prove the box has been ticked! There was a signpost denoting a horrifying number of km to London, a nice big lighthouse on the cliff, and crashing waves down either side of the outcrop of land. There was a request not to eat or drink on the site, as is the Maori custom in that place. It is believed to be the place that the deceased travel through on their way to wherever it is they are going next.

After this it was time to begin the journey back to Paihia. We had a most welcome stop at a fish and chip shop by another of the many lovely beaches, and rather marvellously the fish and chips were included in our coach tickets, woohoo! One more refreshment stop, and we were back, 11 hours after setting off. Quite a lot of sitting on a coach, but it was very fun, and I made friends with a girl who I'm planning to see tomorrow. If there's space we shall go on the dolphin cruise again (she hasn't been yet, and I get a free repeat journey owing to the lack of Dolphins previously), but if there isn't space we shall hire kayaks. Either shall be fun!

This evening I had another walk along the beach as the light slowly disappeared, and now sitting in the hostel overlooking the lights on the water :-)

Paihia pictures

To Paihia

I'm now in Paihia in the Bay of Islands. It's very lovely, as such a name suggests. It's all sunny and starting to feel like summer. It's going to be a shock when I come home to the onset of winter! There are jettys going out into the sea, and lots of islands easily visible from here. Some are near, but there are some larger ones quite far out. It's all very sheltered so doesn't often get wavey. I went on a boat cruise today which is called a dolphin cruise, although we didn't see any! A large splash was spotted ahead, and the driver thought it might be a whale judging by its size, but we didn't see it again sadly. It was a nice scenic cruise none the less, and I do have the option of going again, on the basis of the lack of Dolphins. I might see what other options I have though, as there are other things I'd like to see around here too, and it would be a shame to go out again and not see the Dolphins again! The Trip took us past some lovely looking beaches, I felt it was a shame not to have time to disembark and have a splash around. But it was nice to see them, as there's no other way of getting out there without your own boat! 

I really like the hostel I'm in tonight, as it has a large kitchen and dining room which overlooks the bay, with a whole wall of large windows. There were some buskers outside earlier, which almost sounded very nice, but were just a little on the flat side. But it did add to the atmosphere if you didn't listen too carefully! There's also a piano outside which is just waiting for anyone to play. Perhaps I won't inflict that on people, especially after my criticism of the performance of others.

Waitomo lambs

My hostel in waitomo had an excellent selection of animals...these two lambs were roaming free, and there was also a friendly deer and goat, and two baby cows. Awww! I might have stayed another night, except there was very little to do, even walking wise, aside from the caves which I'd already seen! Here is also a slightly contrasting pictures from the back yard of tonight's hostel!

Another cave and on to Auckland

I visited the waitomo glow worm caves today...this is probably the busiest and most established of caves in the waitomo area, hence the name I suppose! It is very accessible, and has the best collection of glow worms. The guides show around large groups pretty much none stop one after another. It was a spectacular trip beneath the ground. We were lead through a sequence of caves down to a lake, where we boarded a boat. We were all asked to be quiet, so I was wondering how they were planning to quietly move a boat full of about thirty people, without asking us to row (which probably wouldn't have been all that quiet anyway!). The solution was that our guide stayed standing, and pulled us along on a network of ropes webbed across the ceiling. Very clever I thought, though I do wonder if any guide has ever fallen in ( I wish I'd thought of this question soon enough to ask!) it was very peaceful down there, and was nice that everyone was quiet to take in the many thousands of lights glowing above us. It could feel a little stressful to be rammed into a cave with so many other people, but that bit was very calm and relaxing.

Like many of these attractions, they take photos of you to try and sell at the end. Mine was awful, my eyes were closed. So I didn't fork out for that one! Hehe. I met a couple of nice Australian ladies on the way out of the caves who were in New Zealand for a felting craft week, so I told them about my WOW adventures in return and we had a nice chat :-)

Then onto the coach from outside the caves, and on to Auckland. I'm only staying here one night, then going further north. But I will be back here after my travels to further places! This is where I fly home from, in less than a week! How time flies! So I've done a little exploring this evening along the harbour, where I had fish and chips. Nice, but not like Yorkshire ones. There was a random crazy golf course inside some disused silo chimneys on the dock (very peculiar!) which I had a nosey at, and was most interested to see inside. Didn't play though, thought perhaps the novelty would wear off if playing an 18 hole course solo, haha! 

I've arranged a hostel for my return to Auckland, as it's very busy here, and for the first time on my travels there was almost no room at the inn! It's getting near summer, it's the school holidays and apparently there's a band playing tonight (maroon 5) which has brought the crowds to town. This is quite a hilly city, with lots of tall buildings. I'd say it easily feels as big as Wellington, the capital, but I could be mistaken. There are lots of nearby islands to explore though, which I shall do when I'm back!

Caves

2nd October, caves!

Today has featured many caves. I got the bus from rotorua this morning in the rain. I felt this could go one of two ways.... The good way is that a rainy day is the perfect day to be inside...the bad way is that too much rain means flooded caves! As it turns out it was somewhere in between...the trip I meant to be doing was cancelled due to flooding. This should have involved abseiling in, and floating around on an inflatable ring (or tube as they call it here), jumping in and out of the water, and sliding down waterfalls. The good news was that another option was available, which took a higher route through the caves, and involved more climbing and zip wires. This was good fun, so all in all the day was a success! And most importantly, the glow worms were out and sparkling in the ceiling. We got to see some close up. The bit that glows is a dot at the end of their tail, and they glow in order to attract flies who are looking for a way out of the cave. The flies get trapped in sticky web like strings that the worms trail from the ceiling. Glow worms are actually maggots, eventually bceoming flies themselves to lay more eggs. Pretty from afar though!

Because this wasn't the trip I should have had, I also get to do a tour of another cave in the morning before getting my bus, which is a walking and boat tour of a particularly glow worm filled cave. Hurray!

After the caves today I went for a walk in some countryside that was doing a very good impression of Yorkshire, especially in the rain! There was green grass, cows, undulating hills, muddy paths and a full muddy river. It took me to some excellent bonus caves that you could look inside, which were very impressive, and worth getting soggy for!

1st October (!) Hobbiton and Maoris!

Such an exciting day it has been!

I was up early in the morning to catch the coach to the Hobbition film set. It was truly delightful! all sunny and springtimeish, it's as it should be! The drive was about an hour, and once there we were met by a guide who took us round in a group, talking through a few film locations, and sharing a bit about the history of the set- how the original Lord of the Rings one should have been instantly taken down after filming, but due to bad weather it was postponed after the props were removed, but the basic buildings still remained. This allowed the first tourists chance to have a look behind the scenesat the skeleton version of the set. When the farm was approached to be a location for the Hobbit films, they accepted on the condition that the set be built with sustainable materials, and be left exactly as it was used for filming. A very wise business venture! They are shipping in coach load after coach load every day! It's amazing how many people go. And even some people in our group who had not seen any of the films or read any of the books! It was a surprisingly extensive area, with something like 42 hobbit-holes...I had expected maybe 5! Unfortunately the lake was at a lower level than it should be as they were extending one of the buildings near it...which was a not so hobbity sight to behold. But there was so much else to see that this was okay! And we got to enjoy a drink in the green dragon :-)

In the evening I went on another adventure to a different world...that of a traditional Maori village. They greet you with a traditional sacred welcome ceremony (in which you were asked not to move, laugh or smile! Fortunately my sister was not present, we do manage to set each other off in serious situations!!!) then they invite you in to relax (phew!), and show you into the village where you move around little houses where they talk to you about (and sometimes get you to join in) different things, such as weaving, games, dancing, body art and of course, the Haka! After this introduction we were shown how they cook food (in this instance our dinner!) in the ground, on hot stones. They unburied our veg and meat (carefully wrapped to avoid dirt), and took it to be served up while we were given a short performance of singing, dancing  and Haka-ing. It was most excellent. And then dinner, too, was very good, with second portions on offer, and some not so traditional puddings also on offer for afters. Our bus driver was very jolly, and talked and made us sing songs all the way home, which was also rather fun!