the three of us (lynne, ann and i) had decided to take a quick road trip up to northland, the area north of auckland in the north island..there is so much beauty up there, and a lot to do activity wise..we ended up getting started a bit late, so by the time we got to the big tree, it was already dark..tane mahuta is the biggest kauri tree in the country..think redwood national park where the trees are so big around it takes lots of people to link arms to get all the way around the tree..tane mahuta is the same..unfortunately, since it was dark and rainy, we didn't get to see much..i should mention at this point that the road was REALLY curvy, so both ann and i were somewhat carsick..we got back in the car, drove north again, to a small village called opononi..we pulled into a motel, and the guy looked at lynne and i a bit funny when we got out of the car and waddled into the reception room..his confusion cleared up when we told him why we were walking so funny..sitting in the car, our muscles weren't able to relax much...dinner that night was basically leftovers of the stuff we had in the chilly bin in the back seat..bagels, rolls, cucumber, and i don't remember what else..opononi is a tiny village on hokianga harbour, which is the place of maori legends..it's beautiful..you can see dunes across the harbour, and we had lovely weather..a camera case had been left behind at tane mahuta, so we drove back..not fun going on the curvy roads again..ugh..by that point, lynne's leg hurt too much for her to walk w/out assistance, so she didn't get out of the car...the camera case wasn't there anymore, so we turned around and drove north again, continuing through opononi to a town that starts with a k (i can't remember what it's called) where we got lunch (more fish and chips for me, YUM) and a cane for lynne..she hated it though..more driving, more driving, and we arrived at cape reinga..it's not quite the northernmost point on the north island, but it's close..there is a lighthouse up there, and a sign pointing in different directions telling how far it is to different locations around the world..i'd been up there previously as well, but the entire area had been redone since, and is much nicer now..the weather was a whole lot nicer too..still super windy, but i'm pretty sure that's the norm up there..i don't think the wind is ever not blowing at cape reinga..one of the coolest spots you can see from the cape is the line where the tasman sea and the pacific ocean collide into each other..on a clear day (like we had) you can see exactly where it happens..you can see the waters creating waves in both directions..i hadn't seen it before, and was thrilled to see it this time..
we got back into the car, (i had been driving all day, and continued to drive for the rest of the time in nz) and drove back down to paihia..paihia is the main town for tourist accomodation in the bay of islands..since we were arriving so late, lynne picked a hotel listed in the gps, and that's where we ended up for the night..two bedrooms, a full size lounge, a full kitchen, and a great view..(though we didn't know about the view until the next morning..too bad we couldn't have stayed there longer, especially because we got the best rate of all the places we stayed..fantastic..
paihia is REALLY close to waitangi, the place where the waitangi treaty was signed in 1840..the treaty is what the crown in the united kingdom used as validation for "ruling" new zealand..there were two copies of the treaty, one in english and one in maori..it's now acknowledged that the maori copy doesn't say the same thing the english treaty does..the maori chiefs who signed the treaty thought they were signing something very different from what they actually signed..the treaties (there are 9 in all i think?) are kept in the national archives in wellington but there are reproductions at the treaty grounds..also on the grounds are the treaty house, a large maori canoe, a marae, etc..there is a large flagpole on the exact location where the treaties were signed..the three of us wanted to walk around, but the entry fee was a lot higher than we expected, (i'd seen it before, so it didn't matter to me whether i saw it again or not) so we had coffee instead..that afternoon we signed ourselves up for a cruise around the bay..it's one of the most popular activities, and well worth it..i think you get to see 9 different points of interest while cruising around..we saw a few dolphins too, they were playing around the boat..soooo cute! there were massive clouds over paihia, but as soon as we headed out, the weather cleared, and we were treated to a lovely afternoon..what a great way to end a road trip..i ended up getting slightly boat sick just after going through the hole in the rock, but that went away soon enough, partially thanks to the ginger beer the girls got for me..(THANK YOU!!)..a four hour drive back to auckland got us back around 2215..
the next morning lynne and i took the train into the center of auckland (ann couldn't come with us, as she had already made plans to go to wellington that day) and got on the ferry to waiheke (sp?) island..it's an island in auckland harbour, well known for the wineries all over the island..we hired scooters and drove around all day..lovely day..we got lost a couple times (the maps weren't great) and both of us tipped over, but the scenery was fantastic (again the theme of great natural beauty all over the country,) and the weather great..we took the ferry back to the city, and met up with amy and ivan for dinner at one of their favourite restaurants..and after that meal, i can understand why..we got there early, and for a while we were the only people there..i wish i could remember the name of the place, i can only remember that i want to go back!! we were all stuffed (and i mean STUFFED) but that didn't stop us from going to mission bay afterward and having ice cream on the beach..a perfect last night in a country i love..
that's it, my last visit to nz for i don't know how long..i will go back sometime, i just dont know when..
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