Honolulu, January 12

In transit - Flew overnight from Auckland into Honolulu. Security leaving Auckland was tight, likely because we were going into the U.S. Got different messages about whether or not we could have a carry-on bag, so opted for the prudent route, each putting laptops, cameras into a single bag. That was fine. Experienced a 'pat-down'; I was one of the randoms chosen for that experience - hmmm.

Arrived late enough to go directly to a hotel near the airport (don't bother with the Best Western there - grossly understaffed, none too clean!) Slept soundly, then took the city bus to Waikiki. Since we only had 12 hours until our flight, we figured that approach was the best option to get some exercise, see the sights, and enjoy ourselves. See photos for our Hawaiian experience. I really enjoyed just seeing the sights and people-watching. I noticed how pleasant the sun was - the sky was blue, and it was warm - 24 degrees C perhaps; but the sun wasn't painful as it had been in NZ at the same temperature.

I'd go back to Hawaii - my appetite is whetted for more exploration. Hmm, wonder if I can drive there??
So, that's my trip to NZ - hope you enjoyed travelling with me.
Karen

Monday January 11

Today is my last day in NZ. It's been a great seven weeks; being in this climate has surely been good for my well-being.

We've been staying at Rosemary's sister's (Gendy) home in Auckland. Gendy and John have been so good to us. They've driven us around, given us the royal tour over two days of their beautiful city. We saw One Tree Hill, Mount Eden, Mount Wellington . . . . all are volcanoes, and are only 3 of the 50 (yes fifty) volcanoes within Auckland. (www.aucklandnz.com)

When we came into Auckland last Thursday, I spent the afternoon at the Maritime Museum. Part of the admission fee covered an hour's sail in a large sailing boat. It had been restored or rebuilt on the plans of a vessel that had previously carried logs along the coast. The day was fine, though not hot, and it was so good to be in the salt air. I've been away from the West Coast of North America for 35 years, and I still miss the salt air. See the photo for Maritime Me.

Within the museum were a number of entire boats from many eras of NZ history, including the outrigger canoes on which the Maoris immigrated from other parts of Polynesia about 1000 years ago; smaller fishing and war canoes, and the entire “Black Magic” racing sail boat on which Sir Peter Blake won the America's Cup for NZ. Also included was a replica of a ship's hold, including the bunks on which families slept when they immigrated to NZ as steerage passengers. Whew – tight!!! see www.maritimemuseum.co.nz

Then, strolled along the Viaduct, where I saw millions of dollars worth of sea-going sailboats. They were registered from as far away as Jersey (UK?) and Cayman Islands, though that might have been for tax purposes. John tells me that some of the well-to-do put their yachts in the holds of cargo ships, and send them to NZ that way, rather than have someone sail them around the world. Hmm – Could I ever learn to be that wealthy?? I'll have to buy some winning lottery tickets in order to find out.

Had a wonderful last supper last night at a pub in Devenport – Mussels, fixed however you like them. Mine were steamed with lemon and cilantro. Yumm – we surely have eaten well here. See the photo for a look of pure joy.

Well, off we go on the next to the last leg of our journey. We fly from Auckland to Honolulu tomorrow; overnite there, then on to Ottawa via Vancouver, and home on Wednesday.

Au revoir.

January 3

Another busy day yesterday. Graham and Rosemary are ensuring that we see as much of this part of NZ as possible, while they're here.
Graham took us to lunch at a nearby high-end restaurant. Right on the Lakeshore, the menu contained breakfast, lunch and dinner choices. I had what is probably the most unusual breakfast I've ever eaten, at least so far. Picture focaccia, topped with a large piece of poached red snapper, followed by a piece of 'middle bacon' (look that one up), and a poached egg. It was really very good, each ingredient perfectly cooked. Then, to finish it all off after 30 minutes of just admiring the view, I had a warm brownie, with ice cream and strawberries on top.
We went home and all had a much-needed nap – all that food!!! Then off to Taupo for a concert by an NZ legend Dave Dobben – he's like the Gordon Lightfoot of Canada – I don't know who the American counterpart would be. Not Pete Segar, not Springsteen – but, you get the idea. He was preceded by a girl named "Gin" (Virginia), who's a young bouncy blonde singer with a voice similar to Bonnie Tyler (remember "Its a heartache?). The crowd was about 3500, in an outdoor amphitheatre, on the grass. Beautiful setting; and because the venue, as well as many others in the area, is under a liquor ban to limit bad behaviour, the crowd was well-controlled. Like at the kite festival, there were lots of kids, all rocking to the music. A lovely evening.
And now, Rosemary and Graham are off again on the last part of their holiday, driving around the eastern coast, including Gisborne and other small spots. Graham has family in many of the villages, and will introduce his new wife to them all.
Marg is already back at work, and after I do some housework, I'll go up to the store and see if they need any help today. I've been lending a hand for a few weeks, just because I like to keep busy. Dave and Colleen have been so good to us, and I like to give back a bit, and those who work there are good company.
We're here in Omori until Thursday, then taking the bus up to Auckland for 4 days, departing Auckland on Tuesday, arriving in Hawaii on Monday, leaving for Vancouver/Ottawa on Tuesday. Got that? That international date line sure messes with my mind.

New Year

Spent a busy few days since Rosemary and Graham arrived back on New Year's Eve. I was working up at the little store with Colleen and Dave, just keeping shelves stocked, serving ice cream. Boy, are they busy!!!
The village has indeed filled up, as they had said it would. There are people everywhere, cars/RVs towing great big boats, kids playing in the streets – very strange, after the village was so very empty for so long. It should begin to empty out and the end of this week, but we'll be gone by then.
Anyway, back to recent events –Mervyn and Lesley Aitken, who are friends from Palmerston North arrived with R and G, and we had a great time. Went to a jazz/blues concert in a nearby vineyard, and heard great music, lots of people dancing on the lawn – must have been 300 – 400 people there if not more.
Then home for a NY Eve dinner, prepared by all of us – cold ham, boiled new potatoes, lemon mousse – yum. After that we settled down for a rousing card game – called Quidler, it's a word game, and because all of us love words (the dictionary continues to get a work-out), we had a great time. Silly, but fun.
Today, we all fixed breakfast together – NZ sausages, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, courtesy of moi-meme. . . Do we love to eat or what!
After Mervyn and Lesley left, R and G, Marg and I took off for Tongariro National Park, which is less than half an hour away. I think I mentioned in an early blog that a very canny Maori chief gave that land to the English govt in the 1840's, as a national park, hoping that it's sacred nature would be recognized and the land would not be developed. The Park contains several active volcanoes, including one used as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies; and, the entire park served as "Mordor" in the same films. The 'pretty' mountain, Ruapehu last erupted in 1995/1996, and the entire area within a 50 km radius was filled with ash . The land around the mountain is now covered with low bush, and flax bushes which grow wild.
A national kite-flying event was taking place at the golf course in front of the Chateau Tongariro, the one hotel on Mount Ruapehu. How beautiful it was to see dozens of unique kites, flying in a clear blue sky against the backdrop of Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom). And dozens of kids running, chasing the kites, and the kites' shadows, laughing wildly. Another food event followed, of course – another picnic, on the grass, watching the kites soar and dip.
To end the day, we went to the beach at Pakawa , which is the village next to Omori. There were hundreds of people there, but we found a place to set our chairs in the shade, and slept and read, and watched the people swim, kayak, water-ski. . . . Beautiful, of course. What a way to spend New Years Day. Very strange.
Bye for now.

Christmas

Christmas Eve we went to a carolling concert at the local community centre. About 200 people were there – they are streaming into the community now, and kids are everywhere. (am missing my grandchildren and great grand-children right now.) A Christmas pageant was integrated into the concert, and the shepherds were played by two great big men in gum-boots, a NZ fashion statement. Mary and Joseph were played by a well-respected couple in the 70's; Joseph's only role was to burp the baby – he told me so, later. Our friend Krishna was in the choir, and she had a great time.
Christmas morning, we went to a Roman Catholic church service in Wahai, a tiny Maori village nearby. The church was full, and the service was noisy, informal in a formal sort of way – not nearly as restrained as the Protestant service we attended later that week. I took photos of the interior of the church – the walls were decorated with traditional Maori weavings and carvings, each panel unique, each representing an important symbol of Maori life. For example one panel pattern represented a flounder, another a fern, and the 'stairway to heaven' decorated the panel behind the altar. As well, the rafters supporting the roof were carved and painted in traditional fashion, each one different from the other in pattern and colour. Very rich in colour, symbolism, but no velvet, no gold. . . . Lovely.
And to top off the morning, we put our feet into one of the thermal pools on the lakeshore in front of the church. Hot, hot, hot. Graham (a Maori), says the women used to cook in the thermal pools, and build steam cookers over them. I can see why!!
For Christmas dinner, we grilled vegetables and Graham barbecued a WONDERFUL beef roast – rare, lightly spiced – yum. And for dessert, a Pavlova, which is a meringue filled with fruit and whip cream – lots of whip cream. Santa found each of us, though we were far from home.
And, next day I got up early to call home – see the sunrise?
How much I have to be grateful for.

Dec 18

December 18, 2009
Went to Taupo today – a friend of Dave and Colleen's named Tony was taking someone else to the airport, and offered to take us sight-seeing. It's a 40 km drive, but slow even though SH – 1 is the main highway between Wellington (capitol city) and Auckland (largest city). The highway takes us north, winding between the lakeshore and high hills, mostly covered with pine trees. Some areas have been clear-cut – what an ugly sight! Owned by Maori Trust organizations, they're mostly replanted, but still need another 15 years or so until the scars heal.
Taupo is a tourist town, making its living on fishing, hiking (tramping in NZ-speak) in the summer, and nearby skiing in the winter. Lots of souvenir shops, good coffee shops, some of the major NZ stores. Prices are lower here than in Wellington, but still higher than in Ottawa, even if you count the 20% difference in our dollars. Their sales tax (GST) is included in all prices, so the price you see is the price you pay, unless there's a small rounding up or down to the nearest 5 cents. No pennies in NZ; the coin that is copper-coloured and looks like our penny is a 10 cent piece. Very confusing.
After Taupo, Tony took us to Huka Falls, an important waterway here. Much of NZ's electricity is generated by water, or by thermal hot water. Huka Falls is the sole exit from Lake Taupo, and the water does race through the narrow channel – maybe 20 feet across at its narrowest.
Also saw the huge thermal power generation plant – one of many through-out the country. Being built on a volcanic region sure helps the national government generate power.
On the way back to Omori, Tony made sure we had time to take photos of two fascinating sights – first, Mount Ruapehu, which even now is snow-covered. It's about 50 km south of us, and is one of three active volcanoes in this area. It's about 2700 Metres high (a little less than 10,000 feet.) It last erupted in a major way in 1995, covering the area in clouds of ash and steam. The 1996 ski season was a write-off, as eruptions continued to cover the ski slopes in ash. It erupted without warning in 2007, accompanied by a small earthquake, injuring one person. Hmm – so much for civil defence and warning systems. Ah well.
The second sight, related to the first is the thermal fields which underlie the hills surrounding Omori. As you may be able to see in the photo, the steam rises from them, through-out the forest. Evidently the fire service gets several calls each year from tourists, telling them that there's a fire in the forest – the fire services goes to the spot on the road where the steam can be seen, but ignores it. It's too dangerous to go up there, as one might fall into a steam vent – poached firemen anyone? Sorry, that's grim humour.
So, thanks to Tony who has the last word. When I asked him how would we know if a volcano was erupting, he said "if you can see it, it's too late." Ha!