Auckland Museum and Parnell

We visited the Auckland Museum today and learned about the Maori culture. There were examples of their war canoes and Maori ceremonial buildings as well as many displays featuring their crafts, weapons, tools and carvings. Large Maori wooden carvings showed faces and masks that were meant to intimidate others (often with eyes wide and tongues sticking out). The walls of the ceremonial building were lined with these carvings (almost like totem poles) and the eyes were made of iridescent shells so that they appeared to glow. We saw a Maori performance that highlighted some of the Maori songs and dances they are famous for… including their war dance where all the performers tried to intimidate by making fierce scowls with wide eyes. Evidently, these dances were meant to be contests between rivals and often some rivals would acquiesce to the most intimidating one (a foreshadowing of the battle between them) and often real war was avoided this way. Some of the dancers would use white balls at the end of strings and their gestures would mimic birds, wind and they could also be used as instruments. The War canoe was made of one piece of wood and was over 20 meters long! The view from the museum on top of a hill was breathtaking and we could see Devonport in the distance. Afterwards we went to a very historic and quaint suburb called Parnell where we ate lunch in the basement of a building that opened out unto the street and neighborhood behind it. We played in the park at Devonport late in the day when the tide was very low and saw the sky turn all different shades of purple and pink which was reflected in the water. Sailboats went by and we even saw a tugboat. After the busy pace of Auckland, it is always nice to come home to Devonport and be calmed by the incredible views of water and islands.

Warkworth

We spent the morning on the beach building sand castles and swinging. Max even went swimming in the ocean! Then, in the afternoon Max, Chris and I took a ride north to a historic village called Warkworth. On the way we stopped to admire the forest views and found a trail leading through a Kapoi forest to Pohuehue Waterfall. It was a beautiful rainforest filled with Punga trees (which are the large fern trees that grow to over 20 meters!). We walked through a very wet (and sometimes dark) forest and came to a landing where we looked down at the waterfall below. The river seemed so quiet and just spilled down several large rocks forming the pool below. Max loves the Christian Slade books about Korgi (fantasy books with no words but very detailed drawings about mollies and their corgis who rescue them from villains). He thought this forest looked just like Corgi Hollow from these books. Later, we arrived in Warkworth and wandered around the shops and boardwalk that went along the river all the way to the ocean. There was a great playground next to the river and also a huge meadow that ran down the side of a hill. Max picked daisies from the field and we later ate tapas at a café. This area (along with Waiheke Island) is famous for its clean water and great weather for wine. We bought a special bottle of Mantanato wine to take back to Bri and Arran.

Waiheke Island

Today we took a ferry from Devonport to Waiheke Island and sat on top where we could also see the pilot and copilot drive the ferry. We passed smaller volcanic islands along the way and landed in Matiatia Bay. We had to walk up and down a hill to reach the town center of Oneroa. There we bought a lunch of fish sandwiches and fish and chips and walked down to the beach to eat at a picnic table. We had lunch with a large group of seagulls who loved the Oneroa beach. The seagulls were insistent that they be fed part of our lunch, and one even made off with a big piece of bacon! Afterwards we took a bus ride to the edge of the island, Onetangi Bay. (Onetangi means murmuring sands). Along the way we saw lots of beautiful vineyards situated in the rolling hills of the island. There are very few big hotels in New Zealand. There are a lot of B&Bs or Bed and Breakfasts. People open up their homes and rent out rooms to travelers. The hotels and motels that we saw around our travels tend to be small with less than fifteen rooms. On Onetangi there were some beach apartments and very few people around. The bus only picked up once an hour so we didn’t want to miss it or we would miss our ferry back to Devonport. Bri showed me some special candy they made on the island after a children’s character called Pingu. Pingu is a spunky little penguin, and the candy is a very detailed version of the character (complete with a belly button and bow tie) that is made of a soft flavored jelly bean licorice. We made it back on the 4:00 ferry and bought some quiche, meat pies, and pumpkin soup to eat at home.

Devonport

Today was a quiet day at home in Devonport. I went into town to do some work in the morning at the local coffee shop. Afterwards, we got Chinese food for lunch. And then in the afternoon, Brianna had to go into the office for meetings. When the boys woke up from their naps, we went on a long walk along the Devonport coast line until it got dark. The sailboats on the sea at dusk are a beautiful sight… but the city lights of Auckland that night across the bay were so clear and stunning! Devonport is a popular town that is a short ferry ride from Auckland … so many people live here and commute on the ferry to work or shop in Auckland. The ferry terminal is at the base of the village and next to it is a little park and the village library. There are stores and coffee shops in the terminal and there is even a ‘Magic Broomstick Tour’ which is a segeway rental store (although I never saw anyone use one). People from Takapuna and other surrounding towns drive and park along the street next to the library and late in the afternoon around 6:00pm you can see all of the people disembarking the ferry and making their way to their cars or homes. One day when we were walking to town, two fire trucks and three police cars passed by us and we learned there had been a fire at one of the houses by the market (one of the spectators told us that this was the most excitement they had had in a while). In the mornings all the regular buses are school buses and many of the children dress in uniforms to go to Takapuna Grammar School (which is in a very fancy building!). Children at the playgounds often are barefooted and there are several ‘take away’ stores where you can pick up fish and chips or take-away chicken.

Hamilton Gardens and Rotorua

Today we rented a car and drove inland to Hamilton and Rotorua. the Waikato River runs through Hamilton and the Hamilton Gardens are a major attraction. There were lots of people walking the river and wandering through the gardens with their dogs and families. There are gardens organized by country as well as plant (including the history of the rose or camelia) and we saw an Italian, Indian, 1050's American, Japanese, English and Maori garden. All of them were unique and represented a different phase of ornamental landscaping. It is fall here and some of the trees are turning bright colors and stand alongside beautiful palm trees and huge ferns. Rotorua is in the middle of the North Island and boasts hot springs and hot mud baths popping up all over the place. There are special caves where you can raft down an inner river and see glowworms. Lake Rotorua is hot in spots but is huge and there are all kinds of boating and recreation around the area. We then drove over the Kaima Matango Forest to Tauranga to spend the night. An enormous cloud in the sky chased us all the way there. There are steep cliffs where we saw sheep and alpaca farms. Sometimes you could look down and see a lovely deep crater where black and white cows grazed on incredibly green grass. This area is famous for kiwi fruit and wine. On the roadside you can buy a big bag of kiwis for only $.40 US. The New Zealand dollar exchange rate is $1NZ to .61US. When we arrived in Tauranga it was dark and we could see the harbor lights and shops along the shore. There is an active volcanoe in the middle of the harbor.

Narrow Neck Beach

Max and I took Bri, Chris, and Alex on a long walk around the rocky part of the beach and this time walked past our cave, the pirate’s jail, and beyond the cliffs to Narrow Neck Beach. We could see the next town – Takapuna- in the distance and played in the sand and water. People love dogs here, and we were able to see all typs of dogs running in the surf – from little Scottish terriers to large portugese water dogs that look like curly haired labs. Bri had a large box of organic vegetables and fruit delivered while the boys napped. A cold front has swept in today but at least it is sunny with blue skies and has not rained yet.

Cheltenham Beach

This morning Max and I went to Cheltenham Beach around the corner while everyone went to town. We had such a great time exploring the rocks since it was low tide! We gathered shells, explored the tidal pools and saw crabs wrestling with each other. The trees growing at the top of the cliff were amazing and we found a cave at one corner of the cliffs (where we hid when it rained at one point). Then we turned a corner and saw another beautiful stretch of beach with an island in the distance. When we looked up, we saw a large iron gated box (which we thought was a Pirate’s jail). Max and I clambored over some of the rocky parts of the beach which are made of volcanic rock and clay and loved all of the interesting designs the ocean had made over the years as it eroded the cliffs. When we came back to our part of the beach, Max and I saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky. Bri and Arran took the ferry into work that day and we all ate curry for dinner.

Auckland

Today we all took the ferry into Auckland. Arran and Bri had business meetings and lunches at the U. of Auckland so Chris and I took the boys to Albert Park. From the Ferry Terminal, we walked up Queen’s Street past many shops and cafes to the top of the hill. I love the trees in New Zealand! They are perfect for climbing and have large smooth branches and roots that invite someone to come and sit or rest or a bit. Albert Park has some of the most beautiful trees and Max had a lot of fun climbing some of them. We saw other people sitting on branches or hiding among the large roots with their friends. There is a huge clock on the side of one of the hills with two huge iron hands and many plants or bushes marking the hours. There is also a picture of Queen Victoria next to a huge fountain where all the birds and children were playing. The boys fell asleep in their stroller and Chris and I went to the coffe shop in the Auckland Library to wait for Bri. We had tea and ‘toasties’. I had a toastie with ham, cheese and pineapple – a favorite sandwich in New Zealand (it was good). Chris stayed to check the internet and meet Arran later in the afternoon while Bri and I took the boys to the children’s corner where we saw a huge ‘doll house’ made out of a large slipper. After some shopping, we took the ferry back to Devenport and walked home past the boys playing rugby in the domain. (some were playing barefoot – even though it is almost winter here!).

Climb up Mount Victoria

We woke up and while, Arran waited for the last two bags from the airline, the rest of us walked to the village to check the internet and listen to storytime at the Devonport Library. There were lots of children at the storytime and Lydia who read us the books told us her books had just been published and she had received a special grant to study and write for three months in the US. We shopped and walked around before going back to our cottage. Later that afternoon, Arran, Bri, Max, Alex and I climbed Mt. Victoria – an old volcano that was later a fort in the middle of Devenport. We took a short cut up the side of the volcanoe and when we got to the top we could see views of the ocean, hills, village, Auckland, and bay all around us!! Devenport was below us and we could see the ferries and boats crossing the bay. There is a tall building called the Sky Tower in Auckland and we could clearly see it. It is supposed to be the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. Alex, Max and Arran played on the green grass at the top of the mountain and I took pictures of the beautiful views and bright blue waters. Later, we met Chris in the village and all walked back home.

Devonport, NZ (North Shore, Auckland)

We had to knock on our landlady’s door at 6:30am because we could not find the key to our cottage. It is a beautiful neighborhood with lots of Victorian houses and the beach is right around the corner. We were all hungry so we walked to the village past a lawn bowling field and a large ‘domain’ (their name for a park). When we turned the corner we saw a beautiful view of the harbor with lots of boats and the Auckland skyline in the distance. The village is filled with little shops and restaurants and we ate breakfast at the. New Zealanders love children and the restaurants and cafes cater to families. There was a little play area with toys at the coffee shop. I ate eggs with baked tomatoes and potatoes with tomato chutney. We walked around the shops and visited the Ferry Terminal where there was a little farmer’s market. The ferry to Auckland leaves every 20 minutes and it takes just 10 minutes to cross the bay. We walked back home and had a long nap that day. Later we went back in to town and shopped for groceries. Late that night, three of our suitcases arrived and we had clean clothes.

Our Long Flight to New Zealand

We had to board our first airplane to Charlotte, then another airplane to Los Angeles. It was a long, 6 hour flight (with no movies) to L.A. but luckily Brianna had lots of snacks. Chris met us as we got off the plane and then we had to run to catch our Quantas flight to Auckland. The plane was huge with more than11 seats on each row. Each seat had its own TV screen and we had our choice of over 100 movies J They served us dinner and I went right to sleep for 7 hours. When I woke up I saw they had given me a snack bag with cookies, water and M&Ms. They served us breakfast and soon after, our 12 hour flight was over and we landed in Auckland at 4:30am Sunday morning. Our bags had not made the flight from LA but would have to be delivered late that night. We took a cab to our little cottage in Devenport across the Auckland Bay as the sun was coming up.