It's a choice
I didn’t think I’d have time to post again, but the rest of the day turned out quite interesting.
The last time we were here, we stayed by the beach and didn’t see any of the CBD. This time we’ve only roamed a bit of it and so far so good. They have lots of outdoor stores. We’ve already been to Kathmandu and a new one next door to it. Then we scoped out eateries for supper tonight. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m not sure when this will get posted, but we’re now on the ferry. It was a rough start to the morning, my turn to not feel well. Hopefully all will be good by tomorrow morning when we start our hike in Abel Tasman.
Wellington Harbour
Last night we went to the Mac’s Brewery and Restaurant for dinner. It was pretty good. All locally brewered beer, with a selection of six on tap. For our meals, NosyNeighbour had the meatlovers pizza and I had the veg za. Quite tasty, and more filling than I had first thought. After that, I was completely zonked, and had an early night. NosyNeighbour stayed up watching TV, likely because he was still wired from all that driving.
The Ibis Hotel in Wellington was ideally suited to getting to the ferry terminal. It was a 5 minute drive away and fairly easy to find. The only down side was that it only came with a fridge, so no bowls for cereal this morning. NosyNeighbour was great though, he peeled me a bunch of mandarins, and we still had some granola bars. They’re always good to have on hand.
Cure-a-bull: The Bulls Medical Centre
Today was our longest drive of the trip, with an ETA of 7.5 hours. By the time we stopped along the way the start to finish time came in at 8 hours. Read the rest of this entry »
… Internet in Hamilton has meant I’ve been able to upload some older videos too.
Are now up on Flickr.
Today was quite unexpected in many ways. It started early in the morning when we left the Kauri Park Motel, heading for the Kerikeri weekly farmer’s market.
We expected it to be open by 7:30, but the sign said 8:30. Not to worry though, most of the stalls had already been set up, except for a few vineyards who were just arriving. The market sold a variety of goods, from fresh produce, plants, flowers to honey, lemon liqueur, freshly squeezed juice and wine. We picked up a bag of tomatoes and a bag of mandarins.
From there we set off down towards Whangarei (pronounced Fang-a-ray) then on to Wellsford, where we switched to the scenic route towards Helensville and Titirangi. It was a nice change from the crazy traffic on Route 1, but NosyNeighbour really had to concentrate because of all the hills and twists and turns. We even spotted a few cyclists in the middle of nowhere, and lots and lots of motorcycles. Read the rest of this entry »
Kerikeri is about a 15-minute drive from Waitangi, where the Maori people and the British settlers signed the Treaty of Waitangi 140 years ago today. We weren’t sure what to expect, with activities beginning at 5:30 a.m., and protests at past events.
In the morning, we visited downtown Kerikeri and some of the suburban shops, and I stumbled across a shop with t-shirts for a really good price. NosyNeighbour wasn’t able to find one, and he really needs one, but I managed to pick up a few.
From there, we walked along the river to see the Wharepuke Falls. A drought has taken over most of the Northland, and the falls didn’t seem to have as much water spilling over the rocks as I remember. Must have a look at the old flickr photos. The path had been redone, leveled in spots, and boardwalks over marshy spots. Children were diving into their local swimming hole along the river.
Kerikeri was the first place in New Zealand where grape vines were planted. Samuel Marsden planted 100 vines on September 25, 1819 and noted in his journal that New Zealand promised to be very favourable to the vine.
After the walk, we picked up groceries for supper tonight, and more Steinlager because NosyNeighbour said it was a really good deal (NZ$15 for 18 beers, no tax and no deposit). Then we had a lunch on our patio of ham and lettuce sandwiches with onion marmalade and baby carrots. NosyNeighbour was starting to feel quite congested by this point, and took a cold capsule.We waited about 15 minutes for it to kick in.
I’m glad we did wait, because once we got onto Highway 10 towards Waitangi there was a nasty accident that looked like it had just happened. An army vehicle had pulled over and and the guys started to direct traffic around the accident and check to make sure everyone was okay. We saw the police car and fire truck heading to the scene as we got closer to Waitangi.
Parking was quite organized for the day’s activities. A large parking lot had been set up on the outskirts, with school buses leaving every 10 minutes to bring people to and from the Treaty Grounds. Usually visitors have to NZ$20 if you’re not a kiwi, but today it was free for all (or at least we didn’t pay).
We weren’t sure what to expect. The only information we found on-line had said you could sign up for workshops or entertainment, but they all seemed to charge.
The grounds aren’t large, but they are spacious with a big lawn. The buildings are functional and well kept. It would have been nice to have more interpretation than just the plaques that were scattered. But we learned what we could and listened to the locals conversations as well.
In front of the marae, NosyNeighbour was posing with Timmy II, when something unusual happened. A woman came up with her bear and said, “Oh, have you got a traveling bear? So do I!” Then we both said at almost the same time: he’s got a blog!
From there we followed the signpost that directed us to the Maori war canoe (or waka). About 40 Maori men of all shapes, ages and sizes were pushing and lifting the waka into its boathouse. This is quite the ceremony in Maori culture, with singing and spirits being called.
We strolled around the grounds for a while, past tents set up selling food, crafts, clothing and art. By now NosyNeighbour’s cold was full blown, and it was time to chill out at the motel.
Looks like I’ll get my opportunity to drive tomorrow, given that I seem to be cold free so far.
Northland pics are now up on Flickr. I’ll keep adding as web access permits, so check back over the next few days for new pics. I’m even trying to add descriptions as I upload.
Visit flickr to see them.
The day began at 7:45 with a bus pick up at the bottom of the lane way. We were one of the last passengers to be picked up, and two of six Canadians on board.
Our bus driver (Dune Rider) and guide was Craig, aka Kozzie (because he’s a kiwi who spent two years in Oz and picked up their twang in his accent). He pointed out various sites along the way, and one of the more interesting facts was the tin pieces wrapped around all the hydro poles. These guarantee a power supply across the islands by impeding the progress of climbing possums, which could then short out the lines. Read the rest of this entry »
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