New Zealand / Sydney / Singapore

5 June - 24 June 2004
R&R without the Rest and Relaxation
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7 June, Auckland:

8 June, Auckland to Coromandel:

We picked up our RV/campervan/housecar in Auckland and hit the highways, on the left of course. Just about every road is 2 lane and the way to Coromandel was twisty so it made for an interesting first day out.  We drove 3 hours to reach Coromandel Town on the Coromandel Peninsula. Along the way we stopped to admire the gorgeous countryside. Once we arrived in town, the reality of winter season in small New Zealand towns hit. The sky was going to be dark by 5 p.m. and everything was closed. The one restaurant open was The Pepper Tree, a fabulous place we highly recommend if you're in the area.

Before dark we visited the Waiau Waterworks where everything in the park ran on water power from a clock to a musical instrument and of course all manner of bucket/hose/sprayer creations. There's also a fabulous play area with mouse wheels and flying foxes and the best part of all, we were the only folks there. In fact, when we returned back to the main office, it had already been locked up and next to the front door is an honesty box for future visitors to place their payment. The park was ours to run around in and get muddy and we did.  We did wood chip boat races, swinging inside a giant 2-person tire swing, an ET bike ride, and so much more.  During the summer I can see how this place would be packed with its lovely swimming creek and picnic area.  I had cut it off my list of options because I figured it would be too cold to enjoy.  It was chilly, but definitely worth it for interest and the ability to burn off lots of pent up energy.

9 June, Coromandel:

We would spend the new day in Coromandel. Our first night in the RV went pretty well, as well as cramming 7 people into one vehicle can be. It had 3 double beds. The one above the cab was mine and Ian's. The one in the back would belong to all the kids, sideways. The one in the middle was my mom's. Lucky lady, right by the bathroom. Heh.  Because the day before had taken longer to reach Coromandel than we'd anticipated, we spent this day at the Drive Creek Railway and the Gold Stamper and Battery.

The Drive Creek Railway is a one-man dream to build a small track up the side of a particular hill. He's a potter so the base is filled with potter materials and outdoor kilns of all sizes. The train currently travels about halfway up to the Eyefull Tower which will in the future be a stopping point with a view and a pint. Right now, it just has the view and the tracks that go through thick vegetation and tunnels. Some of the walls along the tracks are built up with empty wine bottles.  In the afternoon we took a tour of the only working Gold Stamper and Battery in New Zealand. It's an 1800s machine that mashes big rocks to get the gold out of them with the use of giant mortars and pestils and then liquid mercury. Since we were the only group there, our 1 hour tour ended up being 2 1/2 hours including some time for the girls to go panning in the creek. They came home with $5 of true gold flecks.

Then it was time to say goodbye to the area.  Coromandel is an amazing place to be introduced to the true New Zealand way of things. It's gorgeous, the people are friendly and we truly enjoyed ourselves. Though I really had wanted to get to the eastern side of the peninsula to see Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach, our day extension in Coromandel Town wouldn't allow the extra drive time. Instead, Matamata would be our next stop and we wanted to arrive in time to find a holiday park and get some sleep.


10 June, Matamata - Agrodome - Maori Show:

The Land of Hobbits.

Peter Jackson found the Alexander Farm via a flyover when looking for location spots for the Lord of the Rings. The north island of New Zealand is mass of hills both big and small, the perfect terrain for Hobbits and their holes but what tipped Jackson off to the Alexander Farm was the party tree next to a perfect little lake. And what clinched it was the lack of any visible manmade objects in every direction. Well, there was this one shed, but they painted that then hid it behind some bushes.

This photo is taken from where Bilbo's house was on Bag End. You can see the gorgeous party tree on the left over the party field, and across the lake is where the village and tavern were in the film. Our guide offered to videotape us dancing across the field but no one took him up on it. We did however have him take photos of us in the Hobbit hole.

Of the original 30+ holes created, only 16 remain and that's through sheer luck. As with every other film site, it was in the legal forms that there was to be nothing left behind when filming was complete. The drought broke as the hobbit holes were being taken down and the bulldozer couldn't continue. During that time, the Alexander family convinced New Line Cinema to leave what remained as a tourist attraction. Since the film site was on private property (even though the site still belongs to the film company) it was agreed that the holes could stay, but nothing could be done to return them to their former glory - no doors, no gardens, no paint. They had been constructed out of untreated lumber and the weather was taking its toll, so the Alexanders were thankfully allowed to prevent further degradation by putting in treated lumber and maintaining the grounds.

Agrodome.

The afternoon of our Hobbiton visit found us entering Rotorua in the upper center of the north island. You can't go through New Zealand without crossing the path of sheep. We found that out in more ways than one but the Agrodome was tourist central for sheep with a sheep show, sheep shearing, dogs herding sheep, a tractor trip through sheep pens and sheep products galore. Oh, and emus, alpacas, deer and other farm type creatures too for good measure.

Along the tractor ride was a stop in a kiwi farm. The fruit. Kiwis the birds are nocturnal and while we did see some later in our trip, this time it was to a kiwi vineyard where the kids had a taste of kiwi honey and the adults swigged some kiwi wine. If that sounds odd to you, it shouldn't. Wine can be made out of just about any fruit, and kiwis grow on vines and hang in bunches just like grapes. Didn't know that, did you? We had just missed the end of the season but there were some kiwis lingering. The wine was amazing. We bought a bottle and carefully packed it and babied it for the rest of the trip. I don't know when we'll break it open, it's too good and we only have a single bottle.

Maori Dinner:

The evening of the Hobbiton visit and Agrodome, we had reservations for a Maori experience. And an experience it was from the bus ride over to the Hangi at the end. On the bus we chose a leader to represent us, and when all the groups had arrived there was a solemn welcome and peace offering. With the offering accepted, we were welcomed in by the female elder and we visited the village where Maori men and women were singing, dancing, using tools to hone their warrior skills and finally brought into the meeting house, the Wharenui. In the Wharenui we were treated to a variety of hand songs including the Haka along with samples of musical instruments. It was a moving experience and one I'm glad we attended.

The Hangi was the feast after the show. The food is cooked in an earthen oven, with the food in tightly woven baskets, over hot rocks and covered to keep in the heat. It was all yummy. Too bad Jonathon fell asleep about 30 seconds before the end of the show and the beginning of the food.  The rest of us were exhausted after the day we'd had as well but that didn't stop the girls from having dessert seconds or Ian from purchasing a Maori weapon.

Maori (pronounced Mow'-ree) people are seen through the country.  They were the original inhabitants after all.  What impressed us is the level of bilingualism still retained.  A majority of the streets are Maori words and names.  Government buildings are labeled in both English and Maori.

11 June, Rotorua:

Rotorua is the center of geothermal activity in New Zealand.  The entire country is on unstable ground filled with volcanoes, earthquakes and pits that are open scars to the sublayers of the earth.  We decided to forego the big tourist spots and went to a boiling mud sulphur pit called Hell's Gate instead. The only regret I have from this spot was that we didn't take part in the mud bath.  The sulphur seeps into your skin which requires all jewelry to be removed and not worn for 24 hours after.  We should have done it anyway, it looked really gooey and warm, and they did provide showers.

Each day the park has to check all the trails because gaseous holes can pop up anywhere and sulphuric streams can change directions overnight.   We saw it ourselves as a small vent was in on the side of the path and there were marks where streams had formerly crossed over.  The temperature of the liquid was 40C and up, including the waterfall.  As you can see from Nicholas, the general concensus was that it was stinky and our clothes did smell of rotten eggs for a few days after.  Before we arrived in Rotorua, folks told us it would take a day to become accustomed to it.  They weren't kidding.  But it was fascinating nonetheless to think about how active the ground right under our feet was. And not just right that moment, but 24 hours a day, for hundreds of years. Amazing.

Following Hell's Gate, we worked off some serious energy in a 3D maze.  Mom, Jonathon and I formed one team, Ian and the rest of the kids formed the other.  It was neck and neck to the finish and SO much fun we were finally not chilly.  Then we decided to head indoors to the Rotorua Museum since it was beginning to rain.

12 June, Waitomo Caves:

We'd reached the day of planned extreme adventure.  In the morning we went Zorbing. If you don't know what that is, don't feel bad. It's basically a huge plastic ball with a smaller plastic ball inside, with an entry/exit hole. There are several options for Zorbing. Dry zorb straps you in and you spin down, or you can try to stay upright and run down rather like a hampster ball. The other choice is wet zorbing. Put on your swimsuit, climb in, get hot water poured over your feet. It wouldn't make much sense to do a wetzorb in winter weather but what did that matter? We put on our swimsuits and chose the double zorb. Yup, Ian and I went together down the hill like a giant rinse cycle. Katherine wasn't too sure, but she dove in too and did a wet zorb down the kid hill, a slower but bumpier ride. The younger set wanted to go for a ride too, but the kid sized zorbs for flat ground weren't inflated. Bummer.

Relatively dry and definitely pumped up, we drove westward to Waikato, the caves district. My mom watched the kids while Ian and I did the action filled Haggas Honking Holes trip complete in wetsuits and head lamps, abseiling down waterfalls, crawling through narrow caves, and rock climbing, alternately frozen and sweaty. We saw glow worms up close, the larval form of some truly pathetic cave insects. We were lucky that it was just the two of us with 2 leaders and 2 trainees. It was 4 hours of "extreme" caving.  We were well protected.

13 -15 June, Waitomo to Wellington:

Since we'd extended our time in Coromandel and Rotorua, time was getting short to our departure on the ferry to the south island. Thankfully, there is nothing to do in the southern half of the north island. That's where people live their daily lives without the interference of lots of tourists. For us though, it meant quick sailing, with an overnight in the sleepy town of Wanganui.

Along the way, we had a close encounter.  Now we know what it means when we pass a truck that says "Livestock Moving"

We kept on trekking the following day to Wellington with a stop in Levin at a Family Adventure Park.  This park was no ordinary park.  Apparently there are several of these around the country and they are the ultimate playgrounds.  From obstacle courses, to flying foxes, a trampoline, the funkiest kinds of multiperson rope and seat swings, open fields, and equipment for the smaller set as well as the disabled.  We spent an hour there and could have spent more but the clouds were starting to open again and it was time we were off.  We decided to drop off our RV a day early. It was a challenge to live in it, and we were more than ready to be in a hotel with a bit more space.

Wellington was cloudy, blustery and a bit drippy the entire time we were there. It didn't leave a good impression as the rest of our trip had been gorgeous with sunny skies and wonderfully mild days. So our day in the capital was spent in the Te Papa museum and an Irish Pub for lunch.

A quick note on the cost of things in New Zealand. Even for breakfast it wasn't uncommon to drop NZ$50. It felt like more than it actually was, but I don't think there's any way to feel good about paying that much for hot cocoa and some pastries!

Wellington would end our time in the north. The 16th of June would see us travel across Cook's Strait by ferry to the south island.

PAGE 2, The South Island