back on Canadian soil

I'm now back in Vancouver, a little tired as I spent more time watching movies on flight than sleeping.

We're in the middle of a Victoria Day weekend so somewhat surprised to see that it's not pouring. Nice to be back in any case.

I may keep this blog open for awhile and add more pictures. In any case, this will be my internet record of a lovely trip, so keep those cards and letters coming!

Stormwatch

I wandered around the small town of Whitianga and headed back to the warm, dry hostel as soon as the rain started mid-afternoon. The hostel kitty and I had the living room to ourselves and the best view of the storm, which was increasing in strength.

I made myself a steaming pot of tea and watched the New Zealand Parliament debating their new budget on the telly. The guy above was a 'talking head' accountant commenting on the tax changes. And I thought I had big ears!

Overnight the wind and rain intensified and didn't let up until morning. A very noisy night which had me a little worried the roof might blow off the place.

But it didn't.

Sunrise Over Buffalo Beach

These photos were taken on the beach across from the hostel in Whitianga around 7 am on May 20. By noon a cold cloudy front rolled in, by 3 pm it started to drizzle.

Then it got worse..see next post.

Coromandel Smoking Co.

Not a smoke shop, not a head shop (heh), but an amazing store filled with fresh and smoked local seafood and other products from the Coromandel Peninsula. Thanks to Sean Pennylegion from the folkdj-l for putting me on to this gem!

I haven't enjoyed such delightful sweet, fresh oysters since I was in New Orleans last year.

a rainy day

A few more images from my travels in and around the town of Coromandel yesterday. That chai was heaven to this somewhat soggy walker.

Auckland / Devonport

Wow, Auckland's all growed up! My memory of this city from a couple decades ago was that it was low-key and shuttered up by about 10 at night. I also remember the traffic signals working so that traffic stops all directions, and pedestrians could cross all at once.

That crossing method hasn't changed (save for updated LED technology) but this city is almost rockin' on a Saturday night. The Esquires Coffee House (national chain) I'm sitting in is open 24/7. Gasp! My hostel is next door to a massage parlour advertising a 24-hour bar, and is located around corner from a mobile diner "White Lady" (also open 24 hours). There seem to be a lot of interesting-looking Asian restaurants in this part of downtown, too.

After I checked into hostel I wandered down to the wharf as daylight was fading. Happened to pass by a ticket centre showing that next ferry to Devonport was leaving in 5 minutes. Hopped on, did the 15-min. crossing, got some good sunset photos of city in the process. I'd heard from several travellers about Devonport, and was now sorry I hadn't chosen a hostel there instead of next to a...oh well.

Devonport, what little I saw, was quite charming. There is even a folk club over there; alas, not open this evening. I headed over to the Masonic Tavern in search of live music. Had a couple of drinks and a wonderful calamari (seared in lime and passionfruit) salad, but not enough energy to wait for the band at 9 pm.

However, their sound check sounded pretty good. They were advertised as "hip hop" but sounded more R+B, rootsy, with two acoustic guitars, congas, keyboards. At least during their sound check. Sorry I didn't get to stick around.

choo choo!

Just got off a very cool little narrow-gauge train just outside the town of Coromandel. Created by an eccentric local potter, it has lovely touches like clay sculptures randomly alongside track, wine bottle retaining walls, an "Eyefull Tower" and runs through a beautiful rainforest.

Rather chilly tho', it's barely above 10degC out there today and rainy. Might as well be back in Vancouver!

Stumbled upon this delightful little hippie cafe just down road from the railway where I can access internet for a few minutes. Nothing like toasty chai beside a wood fire. 25 more minutes to walk into town and the holiday park where I have a nice cabin for the night, and smoked fish from Coromandel Smoking. Mmmm.

Te Puke

It must be the unfortunate residual 12-yr old in me, but I have always found this town's name amusing.

Passed through here on the bus from Rotorua on Tuesday. This is the kiwifruit capital of New Zealand (and the world, as their welcome sign announces).

I remember passing through this town with another gal when I was here last, looking for work in the kiwifruit orchards. We had just missed pruning season, however, and moved along.

The other photo is from several days previous at the "place with the awesome hot tub beside the ocean" as I call it. Owner of that lodging has a big kiwifruit orchard across the way so we plucked a few straight from the vine. Kiwi Gold indeed..

Whitianga

I was up just after sunrise yesterday and snapped these photos of Buffalo Beach, which is directly across street from the YHA hostel.

The town itself is fairly nondescript and somewhat sleepy. Many shops are closing up for the winter.

Hot Water Beach

At last! The place I've been hearing so much about. It lived up to and surpassed its reputation. Many visitors come so close, but are thwarted by tide times. We hit it just right and were only stymied by a few rogue waves which dissolved some walls of our little tub o' warmth.

Young strapping Sandra, our German chauffeur, did most of the digging while I supplied the spade hire (translation - rent a shovel) and brewskis. Wish we'd had the expertise of the lesbians at the next pool who were building a little Fort Knox. Obviously they knew a thing or two about building. Classic. :)

I believe the water under the sand is something like 64degC. It's actually bubbling and VERY hot (as in burn your feet hot). Freaky.

Mix with cool water and Kiwi beer et voila! Fantabulous people-watching too.

You could say now that my work here in New Zealand is done. Everything from here forward is, well, gravy.

Cathedral Cove

If you go to one of my first posts in this blog (back in April) you'll see a photo taken by Doug O'Neill of one of New Zealand's most photographed locations - the arch at Cathedral Cove. Alas, reality and corrosion have set in. Still, it was everything I expected and more.

During breakfast yesterday I learned from a German guy that another woman he'd met (also German) was driving out to Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. And yes, I was very welcome to tag along. It pays to get up early! Such a fortunate connection, because bus service in these parts is tricky, and too late for HW Beach, which is tide-dependent. Too far/hilly to cycle, and I didn't want to hitchhike or fork out for a rental vehicle.

Had a very pleasant day with Martin and Sandra, I think they appreciated my English coaching, and I certainly appreciated their good humour and company. The weather, as you can see, was perfect. As I edit this the next day, it's cloudy and cool with rain forecast. Score another one for the weather fairies.

Isn't this a beautiful place?
(and am I ever pasty white, eh?)

Rotorua to Whitianga

A fairly quiet day. Had a damn fine sleep and hopped on a bus around noon from Rotorua.

3 buses and 5 hours later I was plunked down in a light rain right in front of my hostel on Buffalo Beach, in the town of Whitianga, Coromandel Peninsula.

On the way, went through many typical small New Zealand towns, saw a boat named the Ogopogo docked in marina in Tauranga, watched the scenery change from flat to hilly and drove through a brief but fierce rainstorm.

So here I am in the Coromandel! This place above all was mentioned by folks back home who've been here in recent years. It damn well better be good!

I have high hopes for improved weather and some beautiful beach walks. Even if it rains, I figure it's all gravy after my time on the East Cape.

cross one more off bucket list

Have you ever ridden a horse on a beach? I've always thought that would be the coolest thing, but I'm also a little bit of a nervous rider and not a speed demon. Throw in more unknown variables like riding English style in a foreign country and a very sore ankle..

But I sucked it up! Had one of the best horses and best guides ever (only second to you, RR!) Reg was an encouraging and fun teacher, but he kicked our asses when we needed it. Besides, you don't wanna f*** with a Maori who has a hook for a right hand!

The 2 hour ride was amazing and well worth the sore legs we all had (even the young experienced riders) for days. Riding on the beach? Well, it was just like in the movies. In this case, Whale Rider, which was filmed in the area. I wasn't sure my ankle could support me standing up in saddle for a full gallop, but I did get Warlock into a nice trot along the surf.

Good enough for me. I got to watch the other girls tear up and down the beach full bore. I wanted to cry because it was so beautiful, but thought I might upset Warlock..

Tatapouri campfire

A beautiful, idyllic setting. Wine, song and stars beside the South Pacific. Very easy to see why many backpackers with more time end up staying here for weeks or even months!

a little piece of home

This totem pole was a gift in mid-60's to Gisborne from our BC gov't to commemorate Captain Cook's landing in and exploration of Gisborne area.

Actually, it's said his 12-yr old cabin boy made first sighting of land, so he had a chunk of nearby land named in his honour: Young Nick's Head

gloating and floating

Yes, it really was that beautiful..

just kidding

I'll sign rights to this photo over to Kiwi Experience if they use this caption:

"Kiwi Experience bus driver found ejected from bus at roadside in remote East Cape"

Double-dare ya..

shout out to Rex and the kids

I miss all y'all already.

Great group. All except myself and Rex, our fearless driver, were 26 or younger. Many of the gals were on gap years from the UK or Switzerland. We also had a Texan and two Canucks. Only one guy in group (lucky devil ;-) ) - Sully, from Grande Prairie, AB. 3 Annas among us!

East As...sweet as

I have a little time in Rotorua library before boarding a bus north to the Coromandel Peninsula. Think I'll do a few smaller posts rather than one big one if that's okay with you, seeing as I've been off the Internet grid for several days.

This pic is from the farm we stayed at near Rangitukia. There's been a lot of rain there lately, which fortunately didn't affect us too much. And by rain I mean loud, heavy downpours. We managed to have a dry horse trek (but stayed off the hills) and a dry sunrise. This was taken after breakfast when everything was fresh, green, and nicely lit.

Here's the itinerary from our "East As" journey, which turned out to be a cracker of a trip.

http://www.kiwiexperience.com/east-as-backpacking-pass.aspx

falling apart

Don't be disturbed by the title! All is well, my ankle's doing amazingly well even though I didn't have time to "take the cure" here in a Rotorua spa. I think I have a thistle or splinter in my thumb, or maybe that's just a blister from horse reins. Other than some residual bruising from saddle, this ole gal is in good shape. A cold was travelling among the kids on the Kiwi Experience tour bus, so if I arrive home with it, you'll know from whence it came.

Some of my possessions not doing as well! Combination of age, overuse/weight stress, and the salt air in some cases. A partial list:

• One broken elastic bracelet
• Two broken pairs of sunglasses
• Front button on Levis cords fell off - not actually a button but grommet thing? No idea how to sew it back on. Thank god I brought a belt.
• One broken strap on stuff bag
• Broken zipper on my favourite small pouch, one reason I did not bring a camera on my epic horse trek

Then there's the disappearing act that is my baggage. Not unusual when doing hostels, which can be a bit chaotic. So far I've only lost some soap, toothbrush/toothpaste, and a container of Manuka honey. (*update: it showed up again way in bottom of bag - woohoo!) The woven flax flower Letitia gave me is looking a little squished, but still intact.

The East Cape

The East Cape was to-tal-ly amazing. More to follow, but in my mind I'm still on a beach riding a horse. Yes, finally got to fulfill a long-time dream, and without damaging my ankle!

Thanks to Rex and all the young crew on my Kiwi Experience bus. They were awesome.
Kia ora till later..

Gisborne

Feels like I'm doing a fly-by here, only arrived 5 pm last night, which gave me time for a walk on the beach and the pics above.

This town has a great laid-back vibe, which I'm sure is going to continue the futher into East Cape we wander..

random factoid

A Brit on our Art Deco walking tour in Napier commented, while we were making tea for ourselves, that tea bags seem smaller in New Zealand. He attributed this to Kiwis primarily making their tea in the cup, whereas Brits still use a teapot. Interesting.

Napier: The Art Deco Report

This was another, as we say, “good value for money” tourist activity. I could have just walked around the downtown core for free and taken pictures of all the lovely Art Deco buildings, or paid a few bucks for a self-guiding tour pamphlet.
I’m glad I forked over the $20 for a guided tour, which was very well set up. I think other cities could learn from this model. A short video was played at the beginning, concentrating on the 1931 earthquake that led to the rebuilding of Napier. Then the dainty little bird of a woman who was our tour guide took us out on a loop tour for about an hour-ish. We were encouraged to take as long as we wanted with photos, ask questions, leave the tour if we wanted. Awesome.
After the tour, and this is the part I think more historical walking tours should do, there was another video to ‘help tie everything together’. In this case it was about Art Deco in the larger historical context, funneling down to what we’d just seen and where it fits in to the big picture. Seeing individual images of buildings also helped imprint them on the brain.
Anyway, brilliant planning and possibly the best walking tour I’ve ever taken. And I am what you could call a walking tour nut. In fact (and this is unusual for me) I hardly had any questions for the guide, as it was so comprehensive. It was like the tour was designed for moi!
Oh, and tea was served before the video at the end. Classic.
Of course it didn’t hurt that I have always loved Art Deco: the simplicity, clean lines, colours. I am always on lookout for classic jewellery in that style, esp. bracelets. Fortunately I escaped their gift store unscathed, but here’s an unsubtle hint to my friends as to what to get me for Xmas. ;-)
Again, I have Rough Guide to thank for letting me know about this gem of a city, that has possibly the best collection of original Art Deco architecture in one area. (I’ve not been to Miami but I can’t imagine it would be this unsullied) I’ve culled a few of the many photos I took. As you might be able to see, the light conditions changed greatly over the course of an hour which just made things more interesting.

Napier: The Arts Report

So I was on my way to a possum fur shop when I walked past an interesting-looking little gallery. I was warmly welcomed by two Maori artists, Letitia and Tanya, who were recent art school graduates exhibiting there.

What I had intended to be a 5, maybe 10 minute visit turned into several hours. As Kiwis like to say: “as it would”. They were both really friendly, seemed very laid back and not too worried about whether they were going to sell art or not. Since it was a slow day I think they were glad to see me.

They quickly picked up on the accent and asked me all sorts of questions about where I was from, what was I doing here, etc., had I had lunch yet? (I think I’d mentioned how much I love the seafood in this country) Tanya suggested Letitia take me on a run to the local fish shop and bring back some fush ‘n chups.

Letitia took me on a bit of a city tour in the rain en route and pointed out the highlights. We thought we’d beat the lunch rush at the fish shop but they were in the middle of cooking up an order for a school bus full of kids. Good chance to get to know Letitia, who went to a Maori art school just down the road in Hastings, has five (!) kids, oldest of which is 15.

I got the crumbed fish special and since there was fresh fish for sale as well, a kg of local mussels for $4.99NZD. After lunch I got a lengthy tour of Letitia’s paintings and the inspiration behind them. Her paintings are all a series based on traditional Maori symbols, and the symbols from a deck of cards (hearts/clubs/spades/diamonds). With these she examines gambling and how it has affected Maoris, Maori history, and well, other stuff. She’s obviously very bright, the series was well thought out, and I really dug the colours. I would’ve loved to buy one to take home.
She was also working in the shop on a commission and was doing a Marquette for a larger piece. (see photos above)

Letitia really had an awesome sense of humour so we hit it off. I finally realized I had to be at the Art Deco Centre at 2 pm for a walking tour. As a parting gift L. gave me the flower woven from flax you see above! Awesome.

I dropped by again the next morning to say hi/goodbye, take a few more photos. Tanya decided I needed a photo of me receiving a “tourist of the week” award, and went to some trouble to rearrange the exhibit up front to make this happen.

Real sweethearts, both of them.