As I write it’s the afternoon of Boxing Day – December 26th – and I’m very aware that Christmas traditions vary according to where in the world you happen to be at that time of year! This year, I am sitting in a small apartment looking out over the ocean in Napier, the town that was completely rebuilt after an earthquake in the early 1930s. As a result the town’s major buildings – even its shopping centre are in the Art Deco style and that trend really sets it apart from other places. The cinema reminds me of the one in Pembroke Dock where we went to ‘the pictures’ as children on Saturday mornings.
I’ve been saddened by the lack of Christmasness here. The shops were closed yesterday and many in nearby Hastings – including the wineries and the galleries are also closed today – but we have seen nothing indicative of the real meaning of Christmas. There are churches but they have no welcome messages or even service times posted outside the closed doors. The weather may be warm and the service is good – and with a smile – almost everywhere but there is an emptiness.. hardly heard a Christmas carol and there has been nothing very special on television. Our Christmas Eve drive to the Fiesta of Lights in Hastings was more properly described as a fiasco – tubes of lights against wire, showing cartoon characters and all of a five minute drive through!! Costing ten dollars for the two of us!!!??
Since leaving Australia on Dec 12 we have traversed the north island through all kinds of weather and have experienced the majesty of the scenery: beautiful vistas, even when they are shrouded in the long thin cloud for which New Zealand is named.
Our journey began in Auckland – a pleasant city with one or two lovely parks, galleries and craft shops. On the very first morning I had decided what my own souvenir of New Zealand would be. I still haven’t found exactly what I want, but I’m sure I will before I return to Australia on 13 January. We stayed at a hotel near the harbour and treated ourselves on our final night there to dinner in the rooftop restaurant: lovely views! And superb New Zealand lamb – such a treat!! Service was quite slow, but that didn’t matter a bit as we enjoyed the changing lights over the bay.
On our final morning we walked a couple of kilometres in drizzly rain to pick up the car that we’d booked. Great for me that it was a Mazda 3 – saloon version. An easy drive that made the journey north much easier.
We had decided that the best plan would be to aim for Cape Reinga – New Zealand’s northernmost point – first after Auckland and then work our way down through Rotorua and Lake Taupo to be in Napier by Christmas Eve. That was our first fixed point. We had also been advised to try to find time for the Coromandel Coast so it was with these points in mind that we set off for the north. With no real idea where to stay we aimed for the small coastal town of Paihia on the Bay of Islands. We had no regrets! The accommodation we chose was right on the seafront ad within walking distance of restaurants, shops and all the major attractions. Our first stop was the tourist information centre where we decided on the program for then next few days.
Drizzle was still in the air as we set off to drive to Cape Reinga the next morning. Although we wondered a couple of times if the low cloud masked the end of the world, we enjoyed the views we had through the cloud and were rewarded with one or two quite clear moments both along the way and at the Cape itself. One interesting moment was when we reached a roundabout and I expected to go straight on to the gravel road which was supposed to take us to the Cape, only to find that we had already reached the Cape: beware out-of-date information in guidebooks!
On the way back to Paihia we visited some of the dunes that separate Ninety Mile Beach from the hinterland. There are tour companies running coaches up and down the beach – but hire cars are not insured for driving on sand.
The next day we had booked the Bay of Islands Cream run – a day on the post boat! Although the drizzle was still with us, there were moments when the views were clear and some others when the lack of visibility added to the effect. The highlight of this trip is being taken through the Hole in the Rock at the ocean end of the bay. Because of the weather, we were almost in the hole before we saw it!! Another occasion when a boat’s captain got it right and made the most of a situation that might have others complaining.
That whole day was a good one and allowed us a day in the fresh sea air before moving on to the Coromandel Coast the next day. That was to be a long day’s driving but we were careful not to be in Auckland – where the major highway goes almost right through the centre of the city – during rush hour. We reached the small town of Thames just in time to book into another seafront hotel and take a few photos before dinner and a lazy evening in yet another room with a view.
Despite the rain we decided to drive on the next day and reached Whitianga by mid-afternoon, having had lunch in Coromandel Town where we almost decided to stay as it was raining really heavily and we didn’t want to miss what seemed to be stunning mountain views. But we did move on and were able to enjoy Whitianga for two nights of fairly constant grey skies and drizzle.
One area near here has a beach where you can dig and reach the hot water coming up. We decided to drive to the nearest point but we didn’t see much!
The compensation was a gallery with some very original work and a cafe with excellent coffee and food!
Rotorua was next on our itinerary and I had high expectations of it despite everyone’s reservations. So off we set via some of the coastal scenery we had already enjoyed and then on through the hills to the town renowned for its geo-thermal activity. This was different from anything I had seen before and we soon decided to stay a third night. The accommodation we found was right on the lake away from all the sulphuric gases unless you walked past a drain and the hotel had a spa with its own thermal pools. For me, apart from its mud, this place will be remembered as the city of deals! Great hotel prices and spa offers to take advantage of. The redwood forest was an unexpected delight; the museum, surrounded by bowling greens and croquet lawns, was well presented with helpful interpretations and some great views from the roof, while the drive later in the week to Lake Taupo took about six hours instead of the two predicted by Google Maps because there were so many interesting places to stop along the way. We walked to the crater of the volcano and through the valley covered with ferns and native trees and wondered at the range of colours in the water and rock formations.
Lake Taupo brought lovely lake sunsets and good fish and chips and after just one night there we drove through the mountains past sheep farms and logging forests to Napier which we have now been enjoying for a couple of days. Hoping to meet friends here tomorrow before moving on to Wellington and our last couple of days on the north island.
Living the Journey 