Northland and back home

Picking up where I left off with my last blog post...

We spent New Years Eve on the Hot Water Beach, where a hot spring runs underneath the beach in one very small specific spot of the beach that can only be accessed at the lowest tide.  People all come at low tide, bringing shovels and dig out jacuzzis (without the jets, of course).  There was a spot that people avoided because the water was way too hot to even walk in let alone lay in.

We aren't in the above picture.  Low tide on 31 December was at about 10 pm.  We stayed until about 11, then drove back to the bach to wash the sand from, well, everywhere!

The next day, we took a hike down to Cathedral Cove Beach.  It was a good hike for us and we were duly rewarded with an amazing beach for the kids to play in, shade for me, a loo with a view, and a fresh water pool and stream to wash off in afterwards.  Remember, Cathedral Cove is where one of the Narnia movies had a scene.

On our last day in the Coromandel, we went to Coromandel town to a Celtic Festival, where Blake pedalled for a smoothie and I bought yarn.

We then made our way to the Northland region of New Zealand to Paihia in the Bay of Islands where the original capital of Russell is located.  This is the northernmost peak of New Zealand.  We went on a very fast boat ride to "Hole in the Rock" which looks a lot like Cathedral Cove.  Unfortunately my camera batteries died just before we got on the boat, so you'll have to take my word that again the views were stunning and the the ride exciting!

From Paihia, we took a tour bus to Cape Reinga, at the very northern tip of NZ, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean.  The tour bus was driven by a very entertaining Maori guide who told stories about his own relatives weaved into the history of the region we drove through.  The tour started in Kaitaia with a traditional Maori welcome ceremony.

The bus continued north, stopping for ice cream at the "Best Ice Cream Spot in New Zealand" and hitting several picturesque beaches, before making it to Cape Reinga.  The turbulent water in the picture is where the Tasman sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east meet. 

After hitting the cape, we stopped at the great sand dunes for a unique type of sledding.  They could really do with a rope tow!

We then headed back via the 90 Mile Beach, which is actually not really 90 miles long, but I guess that name is more catchy.  The 90 mile beach is an actual roadway in New Zealand where road rules apply, but it is actually a beach, driving on sand.

Heading south, on our way back to Otorohanga, at one point, we had to wait patiently for a family of turkeys to cross the road.  Note that they are actually not making any effort to get off the road at this point, despite the minivan traveling behind them.

We stopped and walked through the Kauri forest, seeing the great Tane Mahuta (biggest Kauri tree) and also the oldest one at over 2000 years old.  The Kauri are now protected, but several tsunamis in the past leveled forests of them, burying them in the process.  For a long time, Kauris were dug out of the ground and made into all kinds of stuff (furniture, toys, trinkets, floors, houses, etc.).  The sap hardens and turns into what they call "Kauri gum", which is very valuable and sculpted into jewelry and ornaments, a bit like amber.

 

 
On the way home, we stayed the night in Matakohe at a Holiday Park where I made myself comfortable with coffee and the laptop and the kids spent hours at the playground on the trampoline.

 

The next morning, we hit the Kauri Museum before making our way back to Otorohanga. 

And now we're home again.  I was supposed to have 2 more weeks off, but asked to come back early.  Sounds a little crazy?  I really enjoy my work here (and may have needed a little adult interaction after 2 weeks in the car with the kids).