Well I must say my intentions were there, but this is sadly my first blog post of the trip and I've been here for almost a month. Oops! Apologies to those who have been checking this site in the last few weeks without finding an update. I'll try my best to do better as my travels continue!
First things first, Lola, for those who don't know, is in fact a vehicle. She is more precisely a 1994 Honda Odyssey that has been painted by her previous owners to a degree that cannot be explained in words, so here's a portrait:
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| Lola striking a pose on night one of our Northlands trip. The opposite side is equally bright and colourful. |
Upon arriving in Auckland on October 6th, I met up with my boyfriend Antoine, a fellow Canadian I met tree planting this summer who has been in New Zealand since July skiing, working and
wwoofing. We toured around the city for a few days taking in the sights and hunting for a car.
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| The Sky Tower |
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| Fish Bento box at a Japanese restaurant in the Food Alley, a highly recommended hidden gem off Albert Street where one can kind all sorts of food from a variety of cultures. We returned on three occasions! Delicious. |
We found Lola on day two and headed to the Northlands for four nights. It was still the start of spring here so not the warmest weather but we were able to see and do everything we wanted to. Cue picture summary:
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| 90 Mile Beach, a massive stretch of drive-able and dirtbike-able sand on the west coast. |
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| Beach selfie :) |
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| Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of NZ, where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet (shown in the picture as the white waves to the left of the lighthouse). |
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| Me and Antoine at country's end |
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| The Te Paki sand dunes! |
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| Sandboarding, weehooo! |
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| Rolling green hills as far as the eye can see. Roadtripping isn't so hard here! |
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| Tane Mahuta, the largest living kauri tree, estimated to be around 2000 years old |
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| More ocean views |
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| Piha, just west of Auckland, a popular getaway for city folk and surfers |
We then headed to the Bay of Plenty region on the east coast for a week of wwoofing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms). So far this has been my only experience wwoofing but it was wonderful and I'm looking forward to doing more. It's a great way to spend some time in an area, learn about farming and gardening, meet locals and see how Kiwis live, and save money! The lovely couple who own the small farm actually left town for two nights, leaving their farm in our rookie hands. Luckily we managed to keep all the chickens, ducks, lambs, sheep, fish, dog and cat alive and happy.
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| Antoine feeding little Sammy the lamby |
When our week there was up, we entered right back into tourist mode at Hobbiton, the home of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies. Although all the gawking, selfie-taking tourists on the (ridiculously expensive) tour were a little much after our week on the farm, it was still really cool standing where Frodo and Gandalf stood and seeing where the magic happened. The tour guide had a bunch of interesting facts to share with us, too.
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| Cute little hobbit holes |
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| And the most important spot: Bag End, home of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. |
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| Major fan-girling! |
We spent that night and the rest of the weekend on the Coromandel peninsula with some wwoofing hosts with whom Antoine stayed in August for three weeks. They live way off the grid up in the hills on rolling green farmland with a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. We spent a lovely weekend exploring some touristy spots on the peninsula and spending time with the family and their six school-age children, milking cows, duelling at table tennis and pool, and sharing music and stories in their home.
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| View from their farm |
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| The trek (Kiwi for 'hike') from Hahei beach to Cathedral Cove |
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| Neat rock formations at Cathedral Cove |
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| More trek snaps |
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| Hahei Beach from the track (= hiking trail) |
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| One of the farm family's hen's eggs hatched the day before we left. So naturally, baby chick cuddles! |
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| Hot Water Beach, where underground hot springs lie beneath the sands, attracting flocks of tourists who dig pools in the sand to bathe in the sometimes scorching geothermally-heated waters. I didn't bring my phone near the hot pools but in this picture you can see the crowd of people dotting the small patch of hot sand with pools. |
En route to New Plymouth, where we will be wwoofing starting on the 30th, we had a few days to explore the central North Island.
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| Zorb, in Rotorua. We both rode the Zig Zag track, and boy do you get thrown around inside these water-filled orbs. A wild ride! |
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| Hot springs! This is a geothermically hot area where the Otumuheke Stream joins up with the Waikato River, providing a few pools for soaking in with the cold, refreshing river just a few steps away. |
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| Huka Falls, near Taupo |
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| Trekking around the glowworm caves of Waitomo and Ruakuri |
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| The Ruakuri Natural Tunnel, a high-ceiling cave with the Waitomo Stream flowing through it. |
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| Limestone outcroppings everywhere along the walks. Bestefar, this picture is for you! |
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| I can't get enough of the brilliant green landscapes here. And although there are no creatures in this snap, sheep and cows are absolutely everywhere in this country! |
We're in New Plymouth now, couchsurfing for a night with a lovely, knowledgeable local before we begin another week of wwoofing tomorrow just outside of town.
Cheers!
-Sonja
