GOPR5622.JPGThis is our first introduction Jenny, our guide, and to each other.
Towards the end of October, Eliz & I took about three weeks holiday in New Zealand, having signed up for Haka Tours North-South island adventure tour. This was my selfish birthday present to Elizabeth, and I had insisted despite our busy schedules that we go before the end of the calendar year. We had a terrific time, and met a wonderful group of young people who had also signed on. (While Haka assured us we wouldn't be the oldest ones on our tour, we had at least a quarter century on all of them.)
Between us, we took almost 3000 photos, which I've winnowed down to about 750. I've further broken these into 24 pages, which you can jump between more easily. A few of the pages have linked video, or will have when I get around to uploading them.
Page 1, wherein we arrive to Auckland and explore the town and harbor.
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This is our first introduction Jenny, our guide, and
to each other.
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Ronnie
No one was especially shy in our group, and we quickly
became friends. The bus name was short for Veronica,
and became attached to our traveling family, which Jenny
christened "Ronnie’s Rovers."
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Mount Eden
One of the many dormant (or dead) volcanoes on the north
island, and our first stop on the way out of town.
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Our first of many group photos.
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And one of many couple shots. We were by far the senior
members of our tour, but we did our best to keep up....
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Our second night was spent in a cozy, self–contained
(portable?) unit in Whitianga, not far from Coromandel.
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We spent the first part of the evening making our own
Maori jewelry, instructed by an ex–pat German
engineer who demanded precision work of his pupils.
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This was a debrief on the adventures to come, which
we had signed up for ahead of time, but most of the
others were sort of deciding on spur–of–the–moment.
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Our first dinner together was at a roomy but nothing–special
pub a short walk from where we stayed.
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It happened to be Marc’s birthday, so his friend
and travel buddy Jon had arranged for the staff to provide
a cake. He seemed pleasantly surprised, though I’m
not sure he ever got a slice.
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The following morning, we headed to the Hot Water Beach.
At low tide, a shallow dig was rewarded with hot spring
water bubbling up through the sand.
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This felt quite nice on the toes, provided you weren’t
too close to the source (ouch)!
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With just the right mix of hot spring and sea water,
it made a comfortable hot tub.
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We signed up for the sea–kayaking, long with Marc
& Jon and a few others from our group.
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There’s Becca and Lynette in the foreground, and
Jen and Patricia in the background (along with Jon and
Marc).
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The water was cold, but we kept pretty dry (except for
the occasional splashing).
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Eliz had the much harder job of matching my erratic
strokes while operating the rudder pedals.
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Shark’s–eye view
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We paddled out to Cathedral Cove, where most of the
others met up with us after hiking over land.
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The outhouse had an amazing view of the beach!
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The cove was named after a similar, much larger formation
on the other side.
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A natural tunnel connected the two sides.
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Cathedral Rock
Here’s the cove’s namesake rock.
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The tunnel as viewed from the other side.
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And from inside...
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Back at sand camp alpha, our kayak leader had brewed
custom cappucinos, teas, and hot chocolates to order
— rather an amazing feat, when you think about
it.
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Eliz had her usual "flat white."
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Refreshed and back on the water, we paddled on to another
cove, where we had a rendezvous with our bus.
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From there, we drove to the Purangi Estate, a new winery
operated by a friend of Jenny’s near Witianga.
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Inside, we were treated to tastes of many liquids, none
of which I can remember.
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Danny
The owner also did a number of accents and impersonations,
and was very entertaining, even when he was a little
off–color.
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We made a short stop in Tairua for some fresh air and
goofing around.
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Eliz using the panorama feature on her phone to make
this cylindrical perspective from our spot at the back
of the bus.
Page 3, wherein a handful of our group go on a "black water rafting" adventure and check out a glow worm cave.
Page 4, wherein we check out a swing bridge and the Blue Spring, where the majority of New Zealand's bottled water originates. That night, we dine with the Mitai tribe and are treated to a demonstration of some Maori traditions.
Page 5, wherein Elizabeth and I go zip-lining in a native rain forest.
Page 6, wherein we visit the Waiotapu Thermal Park and check out the natural hot springs and Huka waterfall in Taupo.
Page 7, wherein we sail Lake Taupo on a boat that once belonged to Errol Flynn.
Page 8, wherein we enjoy a group barbecue and try our hands at Gumboot Throwing. We arrive to Wellington and enjoy a nice dinner.
Page 9, wherein Eliz and I hike to a view atop Mount Victoria, then check out the Wellington museum and the botanical gardens.
Page 10, wherein we meet the others for some street food and fireworks to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. The next morning, we leave our bus for a ferry ride to the south island. (Just in time as it turns out, since Ronnie lost her rear suspension towards the end and broke down completely when the next group took her over.)
Page 11, wherein we travel to Kaikoura, and Eliz & I swim with some dolphins. We end the day at a nice Haka lodge in Christchurch.
Page 12, wherein we go hot-air ballooning with Yen & Brian, then check out the Christchurch Art Museum.
Page 13, wherein we meet up with our group and head out to Tekapo, where we were all surprised by a snowstorm in the night.
Page 14, wherein we enjoy our first afternoon in Queenstown and take a gondola up to Bob's Peak to be amazed by the view and learn how to luge.
Page 15, wherein Eliz & I are joined by Lauren on a horse trek near Glenorchy.
Page 16, wherein Jon, Brian, and Yen join us in a "canyoning" adventure that was more than we'd signed up for.
Page 17, wherein Eliz & I enjoy a leisurely day on Lake Wakapitu.
Page 18, wherein we drive over a mountain pass to get to Wanaka. The following day, most of us take a hike up Mount Iron. Some of us also go to see "The Lonely Tree"
Page 19, wherein we make a number of stops for beauty on the way to the Franz Josef glacier.
Page 20, wherein some of our group hike to see the glacier.
Page 21, wherein about half of us go on a final group kayaking adventure on Lake Mapourika.
Page 22, wherein some brave singers stand up for karaoke night at the pub. The next day, we stop in Hokitika and see some live kiwi birds on our way to catch the train in Greymouth.
Page 23, wherein everyone but our leader boards the Alpine Express bound for Christchurch, the final destination for the organized part of our trip.
Page 24, wherein Eliz & I have a final day on our own in Christchurch, which we spend wandering in search of good eats and take a ferry to Diamond harbor. We also finally get a chance to check out the Christchurch botanical garden, which is definitely worth the visit.
Page created Nov 27 2017