Back Among Friends

Kerikeri is a small town with a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere and just the right amount of trendy shops. Unfortunately we did not spend as much time in Kerikeri as we wanted to because the weather took a turn for the worse. In addition to wandering down main street our visit there included a stop at the Stone Store and the Kemp House (New Zealand’s oldest stone and wood buildings respectively) and a drive out to Rainbow Falls.

From Kerikeri we drove south to Kawakawa to take a look at the Hundertwasser toilets. After our brief bathroom break we continued down State Highway 1 to Ruapekapeka (translates to “the Bat’s Lair”) which was the site of the last battle in the Flagstaff War between the Maori and British. Ruapekapeka is significant because it was the first defensive site the Maoris built to include trenches, bunkers and underground tunnels connecting buildings.

After enjoying the history lesson, we got back in the car and headed to our evening destination of Otamure Bay. We had a cozy night in the car while thunder and lightning raged around us. The weather had improved in the morning so we took a short walk before heading south along the east coast. Around every turn there was another small town that we could retire to and there were so many incredible white sand beaches along the coast that we soon stopped taking pictures of them. We made it to a small brewery in Whangarei for lunch before heading south and back to the east coast.

We made it to Mangawhai Heads and were having a picnic dinner when Jenni spotted some dolphins that were cruising along the coast. The light of the setting sun reflecting off the dolphins’ backs made for a memorable meal. After eating we headed into Mangawhai to spend the first of three nights back among friends. The next day we drove further south along the east coast with stops at the wonderful Matakana Saturday market and beautiful Anchor Bay. By the evening we were in Helensville to watch the All Blacks play France (the All Blacks dominated) and enjoy another relaxing night with friends. Last night we had our third incredible meal in as many days with the family we worked for. It was wonderful to see everyone again even though it meant saying more goodbyes.

Our next stop is going to be the Coromandel Peninsula.