Journeying South

 

After our hike around Lake Waikaremoana we drove down to Napier and found a local brewery so that we could treat ourselves to a well deserved cold one. Napier is located in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand and is known for its art deco buildings and wineries. We spent two days walking around town and driving out to a couple of wineries to have a taste. The highlight of our stay in Napier was the evening we got to spend with a woman we met on the Waikaremoana hike. She owns a nursery and works as a rural reporter so she had a lot of interesting information about New Zealand for us.

From Napier we drove down the east coast to Porangahau to try to get a white bait fritter at the pub in town. It turned out that the kitchen in the pub was not open on the day that we were there so all we got was a beer and a fun conversation with the locals. The next day we drove down to Wellington. Being back in a city was quite a shock to our system. Our guidebook says that “negotiating the inner-city one-way system is like the Krypton Factor on acid.” We will testify that they are not far from wrong and that the parking and narrow streets makes it even worse.

In Wellington we met up with our friends from Alaska, Emily and Jason. They are on a short trip to New Zealand so we wanted to make sure that they could get as much out of it as possible. We took in the sights around Wellington including the botanical gardens, Te Papa (The Museum of New Zealand), Old St. Pauls, Weta Cave, the wineries in Martinborough and a couple of pubs that serve local beers.

 

Our ferry ride from Wellington to Picton was wonderfully smooth and the passage through the Queen Charlotte Sound was beautiful. After landing on the South Island we drove straight to Blenheim. There is not much to do in Blenheim except visit the Marlborough region wineries and that is exactly what we did. We went on a full day tour of the wineries in the area with stops at a chocolate factory and a liquor store thrown in for good measure. In the evening we watch the Rugby World Cup final where New Zealand beat France 8-7. It was amazing how exciting such a low scoring game was. Emily and Jason flew out of Blenheim to Queenstown and we continued on to Nelson.

Nelson bills itself as the sunniest place in New Zealand so of course it has been raining on us. Nelson is an arty city and we made it into town for the last day of the Urban Art Show and walked around town looking at all the objects that had been covered in knitting. We have been relaxing without any real plan, but we are hoping to do some hikes or find another helpx spot in the next few days.

Lake Waikaremoana

We arrived at Lake Waikaremoana two nights before we were scheduled to hike around it. Upon our arrival at the lake’s main campground we were greeted by three guys who are following the All Blacks around the country in a converted delivery truck. The delivery truck was renovated with typical Kiwi ingenuity using shower doors for windows (shower doors are safety glass) and slept 4 fairly comfortably with couches that turned into bunks. We shared a few beers with the guys and they fed us a steak and kidney stew for dinner. The next day was fairly wet and uneventful. We picked up our tickets for the hike and changed our packing from camping to real camping.

Some people run the whole trail in around 5.5 hours, however most people take 3 or 4 days to walk around the lake. As it was our first overnight camping trip in New Zealand, we opted for the 4 day option. On the morning that we started the hike we took a shuttle (Route 38 phone: 06-837-3741 or mobile: 021-042-9972 just in case you ever need it) from just south of the lake to the north side where we were dropped off to begin the walk.

Our first day of tramping was quite a slog. It had been raining for the last few days and was even raining on us as we hiked. On this part of the walk the trail runs very close to the edge of the lake and goes through several very grassy, swampy areas that used to be the lakebed. Most of the track is on land that used to be lakebed because in 1946 a hydroelectric plant was installed at the outlet of the lake and Waikaremoana’s level was lowered as a result. It was impossible not to end up with wet feet and muddy shoes. We passed the first two huts that we saw (Whanganui and Waiharuru Huts) and were happy to finally see the Marauiti Hut where we were scheduled to stay. The hut had a wood burning stove in it and firewood was available so we had a warm evening to recover.

The trail at the start of the second day was not nearly as muddy as it stayed a little farther away from the edge of the lake than the first day and it was all under forest cover. At around lunchtime we took a detour off the main track and headed to Korokora Falls. It was a wonderful side trip as we were able to leave our heavy pack on the main trail and hike quickly up to the falls. After lunch the trail got much muddier. It was also the only part of the trail that was not under tree cover and of course it rained. We arrived at the Waiopaoa Hut wet and grumpy, but our mood quickly changed as there was a family there who already had the fire going. We were soon warm and happy enjoying dinner in a cozy hut with some wonderful people that we had met along the way.

The third day was our favorite day of the hike. It was the only day of the hike that was uphill, but we had been so worried about it that it ended up being easier than we thought. It was the shortest day of hiking we had on the trail and we were rewarded with incredible views when we reached the Panekiri Hut. The Panekiri Hut was also the coldest place on the whole hike because it is on top of the Panekiri Bluffs so the wind comes howling off the lake and up the face of the bluff to buffet the hut. It was the only hut that did not have any firewood available, but we stayed warm by making friends and talking into the evening.

On our final day of hiking we got an early start because we had four hours of hiking to do and were scheduled to be picked up at noon. We hiked along the top of the bluffs for two hours getting some incredible views of the lake. The best views were from Bald Knob and if you ever hike the trail make sure that you take the time to go out there. It is a little hard to find because the trail is faint, but you will be richly rewarded if you can find it. No matter which direction you do the hike make sure that you take in the views between the Panekiri Hut and the trail end at Onepoto because they are by far the best views on the whole hike. We were both happy and sad to reach the end of the trail but thoroughly enjoyed the pies we rewarded ourselves with at Osler’s Bakery in Wairoa.

A few additional thoughts on the hike in case you ever do it:

Lake Waikaremoana was formed when a landslide blocked the Waikaretaheke River and the water filled up the river valley and the valleys of several streams that feed into it. This makes the lake have a very unique shape and means that as you hike you have to follow an uncountable number of inlets away from and then back toward the lake.

Make sure that you go see the Mokau Falls before you do the hike. They are accessible from a campground just below them.

We would recommend that you do the hike in a counterclockwise direction. It means that you save the hard part of the hike for later, but you also save the great views for the end of the hike.

The nicest huts on the track are the Waiharuru and the Waiopaoa so if you can manage it try to stay in those huts.

If you do the hike during the wet part of the year like we did then the track will be muddy, but the waterfall will be wonderful. As the track dries out so will the waterfall.

You have the choice of using a water taxi or a road taxi to get on and off of the hike and we would highly recommend the road taxi that we used because the driver is very knowledgeable and the pickup and drop off point he uses are very convenient if you are heading back to the east coast like we were.

The hike could easily be done in 3 days but doing it in 4 means that your hike is much more relaxed.

The rugby world cup final is tonight so

Go The All Blacks!

East Cape

The first sign you see as you leave Opotiki.

From Rotorua we headed to the coast and briefly stopped in Whakatane before continuing on to Opotiki to spend the night. In Opotiki one has the choice to head inland and straight to Gisborne or to head out to the East Cape. We were feeling adventurous so we headed east. It turns out that there is not much to see on the East Cape except for 20 km of rough gravel road and a lighthouse. After our visit to the East Cape we drove south and passed through some incredible farmland and many small communities that had a very rural feel to them before reaching Gisborne.

Gisborne claims to be the first city to see the sun rise each day and is also the first part of New Zealand that was sighted by Captain Cook. We visited all the important Captain Cook sites, the museum and the local brewery before venturing south out of town toward Lake Waikaremoana. We will try to have a longer post on our adventures at the lake tomorrow.

While we are thinking about them here are a couple of quick updates on New Zealand news. The ship that ran aground just off the coast of Tauranga is still spilling oil into the ocean and is on the verge of breaking up. Some good pictures of the ship can be found here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/image.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10759388&gallery_id=122188#8166407. The All Blacks, New Zealand’s rugby team, beat Australia this evening to make it to the final of the rugby world cup. Next weekend will be one giant New Zealand party when they play France for the Webb Ellis Cup.

Being a Tourist

Okay, so we are tourists everywhere we go in New Zealand, but in the last few days we have visited a couple of really touristy spots.

The first large city that you come to when you leave the Coromandel on the east coast is Tauranga. Tauranga has become one of the main ports in New Zealand by extensively developing their harbor and offering attractive docking rates to shipping companies. The down side of this is that they have opened themselves up to potential environmental disasters caused by ships running aground and spilling oil as happened on our fist night in the area.

While Tauranga has developed its economy by become an industrial town, the nearby town of Mount Maunganui (more commonly called The Mount) has become the main tourist attraction in the area by advertising its beautiful white sand beaches and great surfing. When we were working in Waimauku we met a British traveler who ended up moving to The Mount to work so we were able to stay with him. He works at a surf shop and was able to get me a good rental deal on a wetsuit and surfboard (free) so I gave surfing a try. It was easy to look the part, however my attempts to surf were a complete failure. Aside from surfing and enjoying the sun on the beach we also climbed Mount Maunganui to take in the incredible vistas in the area.

It was hard to leave the sun kissed beach and incredible surf of The Mount and head inland, but eventually we did. Our next stop was Rotorua, one of the first towns in New Zealand to market itself as a tourist destination. The marketing began in the 1880s with the development of the area’s geothermal attractions and was furthered by the opening of a state of the art bath house in 1908. Rotorua is built on top of a very active geothermal area and a bath in the waters was believed to cure many ailments. Many other tourist attractions have been added to the area since that time and now over 3 million tourists a year visit the area.

Our tourist route through Rotorua included a visit to the Rotorua Museum which is housed in the old bathhouse and a walk through the thermal park within the city limits. A little bit outside of town we went to a Maori culture show and hangi, a traditional Maori style dinner, visited Wai-O-Tapu to watch a geyser go off with a little help from organic soap and see the incredible geothermal formations in the area, soaked ourselves in a geothermal creek and stopped by the Whakarewarewa Forest to see some Redwoods. The forest was planted with over 170 tree species beginning in the early 1900s to determine which one would grow best in New Zealand. The winner was Radiata Pine (which is now all over the country), but some of the other varieties including Redwoods are still standing today. We also found a wonderful pub with New Zealand craft brews on tap and watched a couple of rugby games there before leaving town to head for the East Cape.

Coromandel

The Coromandel Peninsula is one of those places that people go to slow down and relax. You can feel your blood pressure drop as you drive across the one lane bridge that is on the main route from Auckland to the Coromandel.

Our first stop after crossing the bridge was the Kauaeranga Valley which is in the southwestern part of the Coromandel Forest. It is not really a forest at this time because the area is still recovering from the logging done in the early 1900s. The Kauri Trees are just starting to regrow and the hills are mostly covered in Manuka (Tea Tree) scrub. We took a hike up one of the old logging trails that had been carved into the valley as a supply route in the mid 1800s. It took us right to the top of a rocky outcropping called Pinnacles. From there we had a great view in every direction and got our first glimpse of the east coast of the Coromandel.

On our way north we grabbed some smoked mussels in Coromandel Town and drove out to Fletcher Bay on the very north end of the Coromandel. We camped there for a couple of nights, hiked the northern coast and caught fish for dinner. We were reluctant to leave, but the trip had to go on so we headed south and onto the east coast. Our next stop was a camping ground in a farmer’s field next to Otama Beach. The farmer was amazingly friendly and Otama Beach was a long white sand beach that squeaked when you walked on it so we had a wonderful evening.

From Otama Beach we drove to the biggest tourist hotspot on the Coromandel, the Mercury Bay area. The Polynesian explorer, Kupe, is said to have landed around this bay after leaving French Polynesia and Captain Cook made landfall on Cook’s Beach to take the first latitude and longitude reading of New Zealand. There is also a Hot Water Beach in the area as well as some incredible rock formations at Cathedral Cove.

Our final stops on the Coromandel involved the mining area of the southeast. In the Broken Hills we took a hike up to an old mining tunnel and walked 500 meters through a mountain to come out the other side, in Waihi we took a look at the huge open pit gold mine that is within the city limits and finally in the Karangahake Gorge we hiked around the ruins of the old processing plants, wandered through mining tunnels and walked through a 1 kilometer long railway tunnel. The open pit mine in Waihi is the only one that is currently operating and so the other stops had a distinctly spooky vibe to them.

Leaving the Coromandel on the east coast is a more gradual process than entering it on the west coast because there is not a one lane bridge to let you know that you have left and the traffic does not get immediately worse. We will certainly remember the green fields running right down to the crystal blue ocean and the incredible beaches that make up the Coromandel.

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.

Bay of Islands and the Far North

It has been a busy week on the road. There was so much to do in and around the Bay of Islands that we ended up staying a couple of nights in Paihia. On the morning after the rugby match we went on a walk that took us around a small part of the bay. We journeyed along the beaches and cliffs from Paihia to Opua, took a ferry from Opua to Okiato and then followed a trail through the bush, mangrove swamps and paddocks from Okiato to Russell. There is a lot of European history in this part of New Zealand because it was where the Europeans first landed. Okiato was the first capital of New Zealand and Russell was the first European settlement.

Russell is a town of contradictions and so much character that it sucks you in. In its heyday Russell was a fishing and whaling town with drinking establishments and houses of ill repute to match. At one time the town was referred to as the “Hell Hole of the Pacific.” It was so bad that Charles Darwin made a contribution to help establish the local church, now the oldest in New Zealand. We had a drink at the local fishing club and then meandered around town before catching the ferry back to Paihia.

The next morning we went on a boat tour of the Bay of Islands. The tours include dolphin viewing, a trip out to the Hole in the Rock and a stop on the largest of the islands in the bay, Urupukapuka Island. Our tour was one of the luckier ones because we got to see dolphins and orcas and our boat went through the Hole in the Rock.

After lunch we went to the Waitangi treaty grounds where the treaty between the Maoris and European settlers was signed. We saw a cultural show and took a tour of the grounds. It is one of those places that you can feel history in the air.

The next stop on our trip was Pukenui. The family we worked for had some friends who live there and they were nice enough to let us crash at their house. From Pukenui we were able to do a tour of the Far North in one day. We stopped at Cape Reinga, Tapotupotu Bay, Te Paki Dunes, Spirits Bay and Te Hapua before returning to Pukenui. There is so much to say about each place that we stopped, but I will try to cram the important bits into one long sentence. Cape Reinga is where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean come together and the Maori believe spirits depart the land, Tapotupotu bay is a nice campground in a sheltered bay, Te Paki Dunes are the larges dunes that we have ever climbed, Spirits Bay is a beautiful spot with an incredible stretch of protected beach covered in small pieces of shell and Te Hapua is the northernmost settlement in New Zealand.

The incredible hospitality of Kiwis continues to amaze us as what was supposed to be a one night stay in Pukenui ended up turning into a four night guided tour of the area. The couple we were staying with took us to their local fishing club, over to 90 mile beach, south to shipwreck bay and into the gum fields around Ahipara. It is a remote area, but with such incredible hosts we were busy every day. We also learned a lot about their travels throughout New Zealand and got some local tips that we can use on the rest of our trip.

After saying goodbye, we headed south to the Karikari Peninsula and set up camp at the Maitai Bay campground. It was the most gorgeous backyard that we have ever had. We only stayed one relaxing night on Maita Bay before heading to Kerikeri. We picked a local hostel to stay in and went out with the hostel owners to the local pub for the Japan vs. Tonga match (Tonga won). Today we hope to do a little exploring in Kerikeri before heading south again.