Waimarino Kayak Park

Waimarino Kayak Park

We had no idea how the day was going to unfold today when we woke up. The kids did their homework by 10 o’clock they were anxious to roll. We heard about a white water rafting place and decided to check it out. When we arrived we discovered a private Kayak park with kayak water slides, obstacle courses, and climbing walls. The kids noticed school bus after school bus of other kids being dropped off for a field trip and they were invited to join right in with the classes. They had a great day and met a number of New Zealanders.

The Zorb

The Zorb

Have you ever gone down a mountain inside a massive beach ball filled with a second beach ball and then filled with water? If you have then you have Zorbed. The kids saw it and begged and pleaded their way into getting a ride each. They loved it so much that they decided to spend their own money and buy an additional ride which is not cheap but perhaps something they would never get a chance to do again.

Sheep, sheep and more sheep

Sheep, sheep and more sheep

If New Zealand is known for the Kiwi Bird and Kiwi Fruit, it is also equally know worldwide for its sheep industry. We couldn’t come here and not experience this agricultural phenomenon. There are approximately 65,000,000 sheep in New Zealand and only about 17,000,000 people. Of the shep being farmed there are over 20 different varieties. We had a chance to see them all when we visited the Agridome south of Rotorua. Lizzie participated in the show as a surrogate Ewe, feeding the lambs by bottle. The most famous of all the sheep varieties is the Merino. The Merino wool is the best in the world and Tracie and I treated ourselves to a couple of sweaters.

Hiking Mt Maunagua

Hiking Mt Maunagua

Tauranga has a very notable mountain called Mt Maunagua (say it three times fast). Once at the top it gives you a view of the Eastern shores of Tauranga. I have taken quite a few shots of this place and if this doesn’t get you booking your tickets nothing will.

Homemade Sushi

Homemade Sushi

We went grocery shopping today and past by the oriental section and Emily and Lizzie decided that they wanted to make sushi for dinner. Ayano has spent many days teaching them back in Calgary over the years but this would be their first attempt outside the supervision of their master teacher. We decided to let them try. Here are a few pictures of what they accomplished.
Afterwards they all climbed in bed and watched movies on Emily’s laptop.

Tamaki village and an evening with the Mauori People

Tamaki village and an evening with the Mauori People

The Mauori people we originally from Polynesia and were the first to occupy New Zealand in 1200AD and they had practiced their traditional ways under Captain James Cook discovered New Zealand in the 1700’s. New Zealand did not have any large mammals on the island other than those brought from Polynesia and the islands were largely populated by birds and lizards. So the Mauori culture developed close to the sea and did not progress inland for centuries. After Captain Cook claimed the islands under the British, Europeans began to migrate there. War ensued and the Mauori’s were nearly wiped out.
The village we visited celebrates the Mauori culture and its restoration. The village was an actual reconstruction of a traditional village and the participants show the culture and ways of the past.
Anyway we had to take a bus to get to this place and the driver was clearly nuts. She was singing songs and going so fast around the roundabouts that we were literally on 3 wheels as she sang “Comin around the mountain when she comes” and proceeded to whip around the turn bucket 8-10 times in a row. Fun but nuts all the same.

Polynesian Spa

Polynesian Spa

The Rotorua area still has a lot of volcanic activity and there are thermal pools and spas everywhere. For those of you who are familiar with natural spas, while they are incredibly relaxing, they stink like rotten eggs. Nonetheless we had to experience it and decided to ignore the sulphur smell and jump in the water. While we were there, we met a couple of people from Auckland, a little girl named Laura and her father Robert with whom the kids made fast friends with and are now pen pals.

Rotorua and the Alpine Luge

Rotorua and the Alpine Luge

In a town about 60km away from Tauranga we learned that they had an Alpine Luge set up complete with gondolas and chairlifts. We had to go and check it out. The entire family spent the afternoon racing each other down the mountainside all the while enjoying the scenery of the Sulphur Lake and island.

Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua and the North Island of New Zealand Nov 6-14

Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua and the North Island of New Zealand Nov 6-14

We flew to Auckland today which is a 3.5 hour flight and we lost another 4 hours in time zone as we are now 20 hours ahead of Calgary. We rented a van from Omega instead of Avis and for about $500 NZ and headed to our Auckland Hotel. We are staying overnight in the City of Sails because it was too late to drive to Tauranga tonight which is about 4 hours away on the east coast New Zealand. The hotel is no great shakes but it is clean and on the way. We will have a pizza and movie night in the rooms and get a good start.
Its morning and we are on our way. If you have never been to New Zealand, you would find it to be one of the most green places on earth. Everything is so lush and fresh. The temperature here is about 12 degrees colder than Australia and is a cool 12-14 degrees Celsius. The kids are whining about it and then I reminded them how cold it was back in Calgary at the moment and silence befell them. On the way from Auckland to Tauranga, we past about 5 little towns each with about 5 bakery /eateries lining their main streets. We decided to stop at one and we were amazed at the baking and variety of food. We ordered a bunch of stuff and spent the next hour sampling and drinking coffee. The food in New Zealand is truly notable and amazing.
We arrived at Welcome Bay and were pleased to see that the home we rented was right on the seaside. It was low tide and the bay was beginning to empty. In front of our house were the mud flats where the kids decided to go clam digging.
Tracie found us this furnished home on the water in the City of Tauranga Welcome Bay. It has 3 large bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, large kitchen and a deck which surrounds the home and juts out into the bay. It has a hot tub on the back deck overlooking Welcome Bay and a carport. Perhaps the only disappointment is that there is no internet connection and we are going to have to find another NZ broadband. When we opened the home we found a welcome fruit basket complete with wine and sweets. Not a bad start to the New Zealand trek I would say.

Leaving Australia

Leaving Australia
I am somewhat sad to be leaving this marvellous country. We have had an amazing adventure here and would highly recommend this vast and divers country to anyone. I was asked if there was anything that was annoying or aggravating and although there were a few instances, they were certainly overshadowed by all the splendours, the water and sea life of the Great Barrier Reef, the wildlife, the people and the beauty of this land by a factor of 100 to 1. I would however give you a travel advisory on dealing with Avis rent a car. They will not honour a quote issued by their head office and our rental van ended up costing us double what it should. The van served us well and we logged 8500 kilometres on it over the past 2 months. The buggers charged us $5900 Canadian instead of the $3200 we were expecting. As Tracie says, if that is the worst that has happened we should consider ourselves lucky.