It's All About The Journey

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  • A place to surf…

    A place to surf…

    Libby really had only one request on the trip and that was to do some surfing. Well, better late than never, we are spending the last few days in the small surf town of Piha.

    Piha is famous for surfing. And the black sand beach, which is too hot to walk on bare foot, is a draw for surfers of all levels. Piha is only 40 km from Aukland but to get there is a slow, steep and windy drive over the mountain and when you arrive you can feel the remoteness and the isolation. But the people we met were some of the friendliest and most accommodating.

    We stayed for two nights at Piha Domain Camp, which is a two minute walk from the beach. There weren’t many stores or restaurants or places to stay at in Piha, and by 8:00 pm everything was shut down for the night. It was the perfect place to end our time in New Zealand.

    We couldn’t wait to get to the beach. It was the perfect beach day and for a Wednesday, really busy. Turns out it was a national Holiday in New Zealand. Wednesday February 6, 2019 was Waitangi Day. Waitangi Day commemorates the signing, on 6 February 1840, of the Treaty of Waitangi. Ceremonies take place at Waitangi, Northland to commemorate the signing of the treaty, which is regarded as New Zealand’s founding document. The day is observed annually and is designated a public holiday.

    We also spent part of the day looking for a surf school so that Libby could get a lesson and do a bit of surfing. For a surf town, this was more difficult to find than it should have been. We walked around for awhile and ended up at the Lion Rock Surf Shop. The resident surf instructor was away but we were given information and told to meet someone at the three surf board shaped signs outside the public washrooms on the beach at 10:00 am tomorrow morning. With those instructions, what could possibly go wrong!

    The next morning we were up early again and went to the Piha Cafe for a quick breakfast and of course another delicious cappuccino (I was getting spoiled). Then it was off, with lots of time to spare, so we could find our surf instructors. We came across someone standing beside a van and surf boards and after taking to him it seemed like he was our guy. But, as it turned out, we were in the wrong spot. No harm done, we finally realized we were in the wrong spot and he pointed us in the right direction. Even though it was now after 10:00 am we found the right surf instructors who promptly got Libby suited up and gave her a quick on land instruction then sent her after the instructor who was already at the beach with the other two students. In the water she went and she had a great time.

    A big shout out to Phil Wallace of Piha Surf School who was so friendly and helpful and to Iain ‘Ratso’ Buchanan at Lion Rock Surf Shop who gave us Phil’s contact information and arranged the lesson for Libby. I can’t thank them enough.

    Piha Cafe, great coffee.

    One of the last activities we did while in New Zealand was to hike to a waterfall, Kitekite Falls. This hike was easily walked to from our campsite in Piha and it was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

    Heading to the beach to watch the sunset.
    We are going to miss this place.

  • Cathedral Cove

    Cathedral Cove

    The day that started with our Hobbiton adventure would end with a hike to Cathedral Cove. It was not a long hike, a little over two hours in total and not too difficult, only a few short inclines and declines, and some stairs.

    Cathedral Cove is a gigantic arched cavern that passes through a white rock headland to join two secluded coves. The beach is beautiful and sandy and popular and can only be reached by walking or by boat.

    We started our hike at Hahei Beach.

    Libby stepped on a wasp, OUCH!

    The wasp sting didn’t detain us for long. After a few minutes of resting, a cold cloth and a bandaid we continued the hike. We had beautiful views of the coastline and even saw some birds.

    There were some goats enjoying a snack alongside the trail.

    Cathedral Cove itself did not disappoint.

    Now time to hike back.

  • Hot Water Beach

    Hot Water Beach

    The day we visited Hobbiton was another early start day. After the tour was over there was still a lot to get to. We were on a mission to get to Hot Water Beach for low tide to experience another unique geothermal activity.

    Hot Water Beach, its name comes from underground hot springs which filter up through the sand between the high and low water tidal reaches. Within two hours either side of low tide, it is possible to dig into the sand allowing hot water to escape to the surface forming a hot water pool. The water, with a temperature as hot as 64 °C (147 °F), filters up from two underground fissures located close to each other.

    Good explanation of what causes the hot water.

    We arrived in time and after renting our shovels we made our way to the beach.

    And then we started to dig! We tried a few spots, digging a few test holes, but only found cold water. As we were scouting a new spot to try a couple leaving offered us their hole, which had hot water. We were happy to accept. Our spa hole had hot water on one side and cooler water on the other so when they mixed it was very comfortable. I spent the next few hours happily digging (the sides kept collapsing) and soaking in the hot, albeit dirty, sandy water. Libby got a little bored and wandered off to the swimming area to play in the surf.

    It was really interesting watching as people dug their holes or passed them on to newcomers. We were all amazed how hot the water was and it was funny seeing a beach full of holes, full of people.

    Hot Water Beach
    My kind of beach…

    I was sad to leave our little spa of hot water but the tide was coming in and the holes closer to the shoreline were starting to wash away, ours would soon be gone as well. So we packed up and returned our rental shovels and drove the few kilometres to our campsite. We chose an ocean front campsite in Hahei which was within walking distance of Cathedral Cove, our final destination for the day.

  • Hobbiton

    Hobbiton

    If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings there is so much to see in New Zealand and one of the main sites that I had to visit was the Hobbiton Movie Set. Word of warning, this post will have A LOT of pictures.

    The Hobbiton Movie Set website provides the following description of the site.

    In 1998, Sir Peter Jackson’s team of location scouts were searching for the iconic rolling hills and lush green pastures of Hobbiton™. An aerial search led them to the Alexander farm, a stunning 1,250 acre sheep farm in the heart of the Waikato. They noted the area’s striking similarity to The Shire™, as described by JRR Tolkien, and quickly realised that the Hobbits™ had found a home.

    In one particular part of the farm, a magnificent pine tree towered over a nearby lake, adjacent to a rising hill. Bag End now sits atop that hill, overlooking the Party Tree, as that pine would later be known. The surrounding areas were untouched; no power lines, no buildings and no roads in sight. This meant that Sir Peter Jackson could leave the 20th century behind, and fully submerge himself in the fantasy world of Middle-earth™.

    In March 1999 the crew began the nine month quest to bring the ideas for Hobbiton to fruition; help was provided by the New Zealand Army, and soon 39 temporary Hobbit Holes™ were scattered across the 12 acre plot used for the set. Secrecy was key, and strict security measures were put in place by the production company throughout construction and filming. Filming commenced in December 1999, and it took around three months to get a wrap on The Shire.

    After an initial attempt at demolition, 17 bare plywood facades remained. These shells would serve as the catalyst that propelled Hobbiton forward into the public eye, with guided tours commencing in 2002.

    In 2009, Sir Peter Jackson returned to film The Hobbit trilogy, and he left behind the beautiful movie set you’ll see today; 44 permanently reconstructed Hobbit Holes, in the same fantastic detail seen in the movies. In 2012 The Green Dragon™ Inn was opened as the finale to the journey. Guests now finish their Hobbiton Movie Set experience with a refreshing beverage from the Hobbit™ Southfarthing™ Range. There’s an abundance of movie magic nestled inside the fully operational farm.

    Bag End

    There were lots, and lots, and lots, of Hobbit Holes.

    Of course, we had to have our pictures taken next to a Hobbit Hole, or two.

    Libby has never read any of JRR Tolkien’s books and she is not a big fan of the movies, but she wasn’t bored and was even impressed by the site.

    The party field and the party tree.

    Bag End, the home of Bilbo and Frodo.

    Sam’s house.

    Then it was off to the Green Dragon for a much deserved beverage.

    And finally, some fun in the gift shop.

  • Rotorua

    Rotorua

    So, after the unexpected detour back to Wellington and a lost 24 hours, we are back on track and headed to Rotorua. We had planned on spending two nights in Rotorua and will now have to miss some of our planned activities but we will do as much as we can.

    Rotorua, is a town set on its namesake lake on New Zealand’s North Island, and it is renowned for its geothermal activity and Maori culture. We had planned on visiting a Maori cultural site but had to give that up. We also did not have time to do an excursion to a geothermal site but close to our campsite we were able to walk to some free geothermal ponds.

    The geothermal activity in the area is what makes the water green and the mud bubble and boil and steam come out of the ground. It also creates a very bad smell. Especially close to the water where the sulphur smell of rotten eggs is very strong.

    There are also many natural hot springs in the area which we were unable to explore but I did get to dip my feet in a shallow pool in the park. And our campsite had two natural hot spring tubs that we enjoyed in the evening.

    We enjoyed a walk around town and had a relaxing dinner on the aptly named Eat Street.

    Libby insisted on taking a picture of me by the Obsessive Coffee Drinkers sign. I don’t think I’m that bad, but I do insist on a morning coffee. And, New Zealand has some of the best coffee I have ever had. I started almost every day with a freshly made cappuccino.

    The waterfront in Rotorua.

    Our campsite had a jumping pillow. Still a kid at heart.
  • Waitomo Glowworm Caves

    Waitomo Glowworm Caves

    We were hoping to sleep in the day after the big hike but we had a 1:00 pm time booked at The Legendary Blackwater Rafting Co. for a blackwater rafting experience to see glow-worms.

    The glowworm, Arachnocampa luminosa, is unique to New Zealand. Thousands of these tiny creatures radiate their unmistakable luminescent light in the caves. We weren’t quite sure what to expect of the day, and as it turned out, the day did not go as planned!

    All started out ok and because we left lots of time to complete the three hour drive we arrived at the caves early. Our 1:00 pm time was bumped up to 12:00 pm and we were getting suited up for our experience shortly after arriving.

    We were each given a wet suit, boots, helmet, and headlight, and after a brief safety talk we boarded the bus for a short drive to pick up our rubber inner tubes. This was the area where we got our first instructions on entering entering the water and using the inner tubes. Because there was an area in the cave where we would have to leap backwards off of a small waterfall we were given a chance to practice.

    Libby did much better with the backwards into the water leap than I did.
    I did not like it at all, and this was just the practice!

    We practiced the chain formation that we would have to use when navigating the caves in the dark.

    Now it was back on the bus and off to the cave entrance. There aren’t a lot of pictures because we were not permitted to bring cameras. All pictures I have were taken by the staff.

    This is not our tour but is exactly what we saw as we floated in the dark through the caves.
    There was an area of the cave that was open and light shone in from high above.
    The glow-worm!
    After a couple hours navigating and floating our way through the pitch black caves, we emerged into sunlight and warmth.

    So, what an exciting day we’ve just had. If only we had been able to truly enjoy it. As it turns out, on the drive to the caves I realized I hadn’t seen our passports in a couple days, and I had no idea where they were. When we first arrived at the caves we tore apart the camper van and our belongings to try to find them, NO LUCK! The passports were gone. I called Peter and he got to work trying to figure out what we needed to do while Libby and I went off on the cave experience. Yep, it would have been much more enjoyable if we knew we had passports.

    When the cave experience ended we gave the van another once over and again were not able to find them. At this point I was sure I had accidentally dumped them out of my backpack while shaking it out after the big hike. I called the campsite we had stayed at but they said that no one had found passports. I called Tongariro National Park and they had no passports in their lost and found.

    By this time Peter had spoken to Global Affairs Canada and had an e-mail from them outlining what we had to do. It was Monday, we are in New Zealand until Friday, lots of time to solve the problem. We need new passports so have to get back to Wellington (the capital of New Zealand) where the Canadian Consulate is. It’s now after 3:00 pm and a six hour drive to Wellington. Libby was able to determine where in Wellington the Consulate was and where we could get new passport photos taken (the e-mail from Global Affairs provided all of this information) and she booked a hotel close to these locations so we could get up early and start the process. The Consulate was only open until noon.

    The drive to Wellington was the fastest and least leisurely of all of our driving in NZ but we did see a beautiful sunset as we arrived on the outskirts of Wellington, and it was nice to sleep in a real bed and have our very own shower the next morning. (Trying to see the positive in a very crappy situation.) Also, there was this pigeon perched on the window ledge outside our room!

    While Libby was getting ready I was packing up the few things that we had brought in to the hotel with us. I was checking my wallet to see how much cash we had left, and, guess what I found!!! Talk about feeling like an idiot, but also being extremely happy and relieved. The passports were in the wallet, spine out so that when I did my frantic, panic search the day before, I completely missed them.

    So, suddenly, our morning was a lot less busy. We took advantage of the breakfast buffet at the hotel and by mid morning we were leaving Wellington, again. On our way to Rotorua.

    I was very lucky in all of this that Peter was at home and was able to quickly get in touch with the Canadian officials. He said that they were extremely helpful and responsive and sent the information e-mail quickly. In the end, it all worked out. And why were the passports in the wallet? The day of the big hike I moved them there so as to have them with us, because the wallet was coming. And then I promptly forgot what I had done. Libby’s advice, next time take a picture!

  • Tongariro Alpine Crossing

    Tongariro Alpine Crossing

    The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is said to be one of the best day hikes in the world and is a World Heritage Site. The track is 19.4 km and it crosses a volcanic alpine landscape of dramatic contrasts – steaming vents, glacial valleys, ancient lava flows, alpine vegetation and vivid crater lakes, all with stunning views. More information and pictures of sunny day treks (ours was not a sunny day trek), can be seen here, https://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz.

    The day we hiked the crossing started early for us. We were up before sunrise to catch our shuttle at 5:50 am. A shuttle is recommended because the trek is one way. Our shuttle dropped us off at the beginning of the track and we had until 5:00 pm before we had to meet it at the end. The shuttle drivers also provided us with some information about the hike and about Tongariro National Park.

    The day did not start out warm and sunny! It was cloudy, foggy, and rainy. Our packs were full of water and food and we had layers of clothing, including our rain coats. We did not have great views of the mountains and even when the sun peeked out occasionally the peaks were still obscured by clouds. Oh well, that forced us to focus on what we could see and it held its own beauty.

    The start of the trek.

    This warning came early! There was not another one.

    • Devil’s Staircase
    • A much needed break.
    Through the clouds we catch a glimpse of the mountain peak.
    Libby, carefully, looking over the edge!

    The first half of the trek was soon over, we hit the 10 km mark and started down. It soon became apparent that going down was no easier than going up.

    The path wound its way, down, down, down. It seemed to go on forever.

    Still making our way down. Libby was much faster than I was at this point.
    Oh to have the knees of a 20 year old.

    Finally, almost eight hours after we started, we finished.

  • Moving north…

    It’s the end of January and the end of our time on the South Island of New Zealand. We have a short drive to Wellington from the Abel Tasman area where we will catch a ferry across Cook Straight. The ferry runs between Picton on the South Island to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, on the North Island.

    Photo from https://www.greatjourneysofnz.co.nz/interislander/

    Once in Wellington we headed to our campsite for the night. And I got my first real city driving experience as we had to go right through downtown Wellington at rush hour. Once again my navigator was exceptional!

    We stayed at a free campsite for the night. It was close to a grocery store, allowing us to replenish our supplies. The “campsite” was in the parking lot of a harbour and we were lucky to get the last spot for the night. There were limited bathrooms onsite but a local aquatic centre let us use theirs..

    The next morning we left Wellington and drove to Turangi, which is close to Tongariro National Park. We are going to stay at a campsite in Turangi for two nights.

    One stop we made today was in the small town of Foxtown, which had a windmill! We had to honour Libby’s Dutch heritage.

    We got our first view of Tongariro National Park.

    The campsite was quiet and not as nice as others we have stayed at, but it did have horses.

  • Abel Tasman National Park

    Abel Tasman National Park

    Hiking and exploring and beaching in Abel Tasman National Park is the plan for today.  We boarded the water taxi at 9:00 am for a three hour ride down and up the coast of the park.  The coastline has numerous bays and beaches that can only be reached by hiking or boating, there is no road access in the park.  

    We disembarked at noon on Apple Tree Beach and headed into the woods to the hiking trail.  The trail is 7 kilometres long but adding all the side paths we took to look-outs and beaches we walked over 12 kilometres.  And the views were incredible.

    We ate lunch on a secluded sandy beach. And Libby had a quick swim.

    After lunch we continued our walk.

    The hike was invigorating and exhausting as the sun came out and the temperatures soared.  We arrived at our pick up spot in Anchorage Bay at 3:45 and enjoyed laying on the beach for the next hour.

    Highlights of the day included the beautiful secluded beaches, especially Observation Beach where we stopped for lunch and Libby couldn’t resist a dip in the ocean.  Another highlight was seeing a pod of 300 bottlenose dolphins that swam along side the boat and played in the wake.  

    Pick up was at 5:00 pm and we headed back for showers and dinner and a beer.  

  • A long drive…

    A long drive…

    Today we left Queenstown prepared for a long drive.  The plan for the next two days is to make our way across the mountains and up the west coast of the south island.  By tomorrow afternoon we should be close to Abel Tasman National Park. 

    One stop we made was in Wanaka to see the famous “That Wanaka Tree”.

    The drive was on a narrow two lane road, often steep and windy, going up, down or across mountainsides or around alpine lakes.  Our little Jucy camper was a trooper and managed the drive, although slowly at times.   Libby was a great navigator and passenger.  She was either hugging the cliff-face of a mountainside or staring down into nothingness, I preferred being the driver. 

    We stopped along the way for pictures or to have break and some food.  And for anyone who likes to drive, this is something you would enjoy.  Our first night we spent in a free ocean front campsite at Greymouth.  It had a rocky shoreline and we watched the surfers and the sunset. 

    The drive the second day wasn’t as long as the first and we were able to make a couple of stops along the way. The first stop was to see the Pancake Rocks.

    The second stop of the day was to walk across a swing bridge. There are many suspension bridges in New Zealand but we had not seen one yet.

    We arrived  late afternoon on the second day in Kaiteriteri, where we are spending two nights.  Our campsite is across the road from a sandy beach and it is popular as there are many families holidaying.  The weather is hot and sunny, 30C, and the locals are complaining because it hasn’t rained in over a week. 

    Tomorrow we are off to visit Abel Tasman National Park.

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