The Travels of Faith

On the road again! Lance still sick, I'm driving. Pre-drive saw a black shag drying off, which was really neat! It was also a rainy (on/off) day, so not bad to be driving.

Still on the Southern Scenic route. Warned of a motorbike event clogging up Invercargill, we skipped that - talking to a couple later, good choice. First stop was cozy nook, which was nice but not necessary. Then we hit Monkey Island beach, but not at low tide. The steps on the "Island" were visible, but unachievable. Next stop, gemstone beach - this was great fun! We wandered around the beach collecting rocks we liked. Then we took them to the car and went through them, picked a couple out (it says good to take a few on the website!), and brought the rest back to the beach. Last stop on the south coast, McCracken's Rest. Then we hit a small backpacker base town for a bite to eat & groceries.

Meandered into Te Anau about 4pm, and got our spot in the holiday park. Showers! Laundry! Cook food on a real stove! We also walked a short while along the river, and I went to town and picked up small things like bug spray. Dinner was quesadillas - turned out well despite biking mini corn instead of corn kernels. A couple nearby cooking asked what we were making and did not know what quesadillas were, so had to explain.

We also had electricity to run the space heater and it was getting down to 40 that night, so tested that baby out!

Herding trial today in Wyndham! Lance is sick and I'm sure I'll be right behind, no escaping here... I got up early and watched birds and read while Lance slept in a bit. Saw a white faced heron!

Made it to the trial, and wow is it different! Talked to people throughout the day about herding, New Zealand, when sheep are sheared... Started  the day at the huntaway trials, which were basically get the sheep up a really steep hill - this one, other courses are less steep sounds like - in as straight a line as possible. Or on line between the barrels for the "zig zag" version. Also - the dog needs to be continuously barking the entire time. This is how the dogs  are telling the sheep where they are, and apparently pauses in barking agitate the sheep more because they aren't as sure of the predator's location.

Yard trials were the closest to what we do in the US - although they also have an indoor trial, "catlans" maybe, that is most similar. Not at this event though! The yard trial was an outrun followed by bringing the sheep a short way down the hill, through a large gate, straight down an area and through two panels. Then you finish with a pen. Just like the US, many issues at the pen :).

They had a lunch & bar setup, Ben the Barman discussed why he doesn't like huntaways and gave wine country recs. I also talked with Maria quite a while, and after lunch she gave me a ride up to the "long pull". Basically a long outrun, bring the sheep down the hill and into a circle of stones where you stop them and show control. Only saw two successes here, and a few that ran out of time. Most of the ones that lost time, the dog had gone over the hill and out of sight on the outrun.

Judy & Ray gave me a ride back down to the huntaway, where the van was parked. Watched a few more runs, and then headed out. Ended up back at Fortrose for camping. Less birds were close, either because of the incoming weather or the dogs on the beach - who knows. Took a while to realize the gas can was low and the cause of not boiling water, but eventually we cooked up some chicken broccoli Alfredo (more or less) and went to bed.

Run this morning! 2.5 miles, ten minutes of it on the beach. Felt good. Finished with some stretches and walking into the water to cool my legs. Really neat - the waves were stacking, so it went from ankle deep to calf deep to knee to thigh over a series of waves/many seconds. The first one was a surprise, wave came in and I thought I needed to go further out... Then the next few came in and my shorts were hit!

Departing from Brighton Beach, we followed the scenic route. With a detour that led us (and another campervan on front of us) down many kilometers of gravel road in forestry/logging area, whoops. After that dusty debacle, we made it out to Nuggets Point Lighthouse. Stunning! Do recommend. The nuggets are past the main land, and the waves crashing in and sea lions playing in pools on them, as well as the cliffs all about - great.

Then we hit Purakaunui Falls, where we brought a picnic lunch on the short walk. The falls are multi tiered, and complete with forest and the drizzle that didn't reach us in the lunch spot - very peaceful. We stayed a bit extra. Also saw a wood pigeon up in a tree! Apparently they're pretty dumb and fall out of trees regularly...

Tried stopping at Tautuku to do a boardwalk hike, but instead found the beach (wind whipping the sand about was cool, but wouldn't stop here). Got back to the car before rain hit. Moved on to Florence Hill Lookout, by which point the rain had stopped. Had a neat little pond, like a tarn but not high elevation. While we were reading the sign could see the rain coming our way from far off, and sprinted to the car. Only got a little wet!

Cathedral caves was closed, on and off rain skipped some stops... Curio Bay! Wow! The plateau was a bit above main water height when we arrived, so the waves coming in would break in really neat ways and cover various parts, create temporary water falls and pools. Also, petrified forest from Jurassic times! Due to tides couldn't walk down to the petrified forest, but exploring the living forest was great fun, and we saw a new Zealand fan tail (bird), aka Píwakawaka.

Hit the cafe up for some food and a hot chocolate - low ratings. Still provide the same weird marshmallows too. Briefly visit the other viewing point, and a bunch of people were there - because yellow eyed penguin spotting! Out in the open, belly towards us. Got some great pictures on my camera.

Slope point next! Southern most point of mainland NZ. Mostly - a field with a ton of wind and a sign at the end of it. Finally we ended our day at Fortrose freedom camping site, right on a nice beach of a protected water body. Lots and lots of birds here. Royal spoonbill, Pied Stilt, terns, black swans galore, various oystercatchers, ... I took pictures until my camera died and then read by them. Decided against cooking after the cafe, so we wrapped the day with some bread, cheese, meat, and wine.

Started the morning on the beach reading. Prepped for the day, ate some food, waved Tony off as he left for another site. Then into Dunedin.

Started at the train station. Picturesque, but the best parts were the outside, rain itself, and the art gallery contained within. Booked a tour for the Royal Albatross observatory at noon, and started down the road. Killed some of the minor extra time at a garden along the way - mostly flowers we see in the US too. Beautiful, had since walks we didn't have time for, but nothing New Zealand specific.

The tour started with info about Northern Royal Albatross and a video. The observatory this year viewed 4 or 5 nests, but no flying was guaranteed because one of the mated pair goes off hunting for 4-5 days while the other just sits on the egg. We got to the observatory, saw the nests with them sitting... And almost immediately a juvenile (full grown but not old enough for kids) flew in and landed! The juvenile put on a show for us, and towards the end of our viewing time 2 others joined in. One parent also stood up so you could see some of the fuzz that was the chick underneath. It was an awesome experience. The way Albatross wings move and fold- so cool!

After the observatory hit the cafe and watched the sheep that lived there and the gulls. Headed outside, and the viewing area showed done beautiful cliffs with water crashing in. Sea lions also swimming amongst the rocks, handling the waves with ease. Rabbits were about - invasive. Dead juvenile gulls, the ones who didn't make it. Also one baby gull, so cute and fluffy and squawking for food. Talked to a lady who lives in Brisbane and traded recs 

Eventually tore off from the views and headed back to Dunedin proper. Saw some shags (bird) on the way in. Groceries! Followed by an outdoors store for a real day pack to hike with.

Wandered Dunedin a little, and went to Vault 21 on the octagon for dinner. I was very happy with my bang bang chicken.

On to the campsite! Attempt one was full, but attempt two was a success. A two minute walk over the field to get the beach. We parked and went exploring. Really neat rock and wave interactions, and a couple books and crannies to explore. Saw a Royal spoonbill! Came back out for sunset, and talked to early twenties woman named Louisa, from Germany. She had been backpacking Australia, then worked in NZ on the Northern Island for four months, and was now done working and exploring the South Island.

Beautiful sunset. The light on a cloud reflected off the beach pool after the sun went down. Write & bed! Still one day behind on writing, which irritates me... But gotta get all the sleep hours.

Plan for today, drive about 4 hours and eventually get to Dunedin. Many stops along the way. I had a few planned, but when temptation strikes!

Kicked off the drive by 8:30, after a first round of breakfast and done organizing. Past Lake Tekapo and the bigger one that starts with a P... Where we stopped for more breakfast and watched the tour bus people pose for pictures. One older lady was an expert aka queen - perfect positioning of body and accessories, effortless.

Carry on for a while. Mountains turned to fields, and then our first stop - Benmore Dam! Biggest earth dam in New Zealand, providing enough electricity to power ~300k homes. Lakes, rivers, another stop at a dam - biggest earth and concrete dam in NZ... Only powers in the tens of thousands of homes, much smaller. Skipped a few other dams, according to the signs there is a series of 8 along that one river.

Saw a sign for painted rocks and pulled over! The rocks were limestone, so prone to collapse, and much had been removed by European settlers - causing collapse... But still a decent chunk of Maorí paintings, pretty cool

Finally to our first intended stop, Elephant Rocks. These are a bunch of limestone rocks in a farmer's field - complete with sheep wandering by. The formations are neat, and you can walk on and about them. Chronicles of Narnia had a scene filmed there.

Carry on, next stop: gas! Really, Maoraki Boulders. This was cool to learn about, but pictures set your expectations higher than reality - these spherical boulders sink into the sand and break apart over time, so there aren't as many visible and almost none fully exposed. How the rocks are formed, the history, and the cracked open ones are really cool though. Worth a visit because it is very close to Katikin Lighthouse, which is awesome.

Katikin Point Lighthouse is really about the animals and the views. We saw two yellow eyed penguins from a bit away, and tons of sea lions. The views on the drive up are stunning. Same once you've arrived. We could have spent hours there, except they kick everyone out at 5:30 so we only stayed 50 minutes.

Shout-out to Moeraki Tavern, our 3pm lunch choice, which had a local cider that was delicious (Scott's), decent views, great staff, and great garlic bread. Might not get dessert again, but I'd happily be a regular.

After the lighthouse, on to the camp site! This was a big free site, allowing tents on some sections, and complete with potable water. Five minute walk through grasses to a nice beach. We parked, met Tony - an 82 year old well traveled local with a passion for American history. He also had binoculars, which he called me over to use to see the sheep on the hill ("Hey, Philadelphia!"), and a bottle of whiskey. We had two fun and long conversations with him, visiting the beach between. Lance found a musical rock - chimed when it was moved and hit another rock in just the right way.

Cooked up some beef fajitas a bit late, then settled in for the night.

Lance and I have apparently picked up some quirks from traveling together. I started singing a song in response to him, but with intent to change one word. He started singing along and also changed the same word... Later we were going over a bump out stock barrier, and both said "bam!" at the same time.

I read into Lance got up, and then we ate quickly and headed to Mount Cook National Park! Drive along a beautiful glacial lake, with mountains in the distance and getting closer. Mount Cook most prominent, of course.

First hike, Sealy Tairns. 3 hour return estimate,  colloquially known as the  "stairway to heaven" because it goes up quick and has about 2000 stair steps in it. Koko Crater prepped us well! Great views of the mountains and valley all the way up. Pretty windy, and I counted about 1992 steps, +/- 200. Took us 45 minutes. At the tarns (definition: small mountain lake), we hung out for an hour. Took pictures, talked with various other hikers, ate food. Back down! Winds had picked up, some of the clouds on the mountains moved. One lady I talked to was going very slowly up the steps - aiming for the hut an hour past where the tarns! She had 7 days of food in her pack, and I think said she was a "warden".

Lunch break, very dusty in the parking lot with all the wind. Recommend not leaving windows cracked, car got dust everywhere... Then on to Hooker Valley Trail. We could see the whole trail from Sealy Tarns lookout, so had an outline. 6+ miles total, but pretty flat. Three cool bridges! People weren't paying attention to the 20 max signs by the bridges, but we all survived anyway... At the beginning there was a memorial to everyone who died in the oak, mostly from avalanches or falls while climbing Mount Cook. The trail leads to great mountain views and... a lake with chunks of glacier in it! Even windier on the route back, crossing one bridge it felt like I was floating for a second. The combo of bridge bounce, step timing, and big wind gust!

In the car and en route back to last night's campsite. We stopped at a few lake and mountain outlooks, and then again at Lake Tekapo. Too cold for a swim, but stuck our feet in and obtained decent food at a fancy place and a ramen place. Did order a hot chocolate - reasonable ranking. Wouldn't order again. Also the marshmallows I'm getting with all the hot chocolates have a slight flavor and I wish they'd use plain ones... Got to the campsite about 9, just in time for sunset and amazing clouds.

Woke up and mostly planned the first week of Southern Island travel... Finally. Plus read a bit. Lance came down and asked if I was running. So we went! Beautiful river a few blocks from where we stayed that we ran along. I did about 2 miles with Lance, and then stopped for some mobility/speed work - and a last half mile back.

After the run food/shower/pack quick, Roadrunner Rentals came and picked us up. Mariana (who also helped me book, owner?) brought us to the depot and set us up with our campervan. So much nicer than the Elements van! Visibility out the back too! Higher quality build, plus a bigger van, well organized instead of the whole kitchen thrown in a box... & real sized pillows. So happy.

Picked up supplies and on to Lake Tekapo! About a three hour drive. En route we stopped at a second hand store (bought nothing), and... Pretty much it. The lake was beautiful! Walked around a bit, saw the sheepdog memorial.

Back ten minutes to the camp area. Made chicken fajitas for dinner, with some cab sauv. A good meal :). Then we watched the sun set, and all the cool clouds. I fell asleep before the really good stargazing.

Travel day! But not until evening.

I woke up early and read on the dock for a while. Weather had cleared and it was very peaceful. Lance got up and we decided we both wanted to run but not deal with the lack of shower... So we didn't run and instead made breakfast (eggs, finish off the garlic bread, etc). Packed up and... Hung about! Lance went on a walk, I kept reading and did some research. Eventually we left and headed backwards towards Kiwi House, which breeds Kiwi's and other endangered birds. It was really cool! Kiwis are nocturnal, so they have dark rooms they are in and no photography or lights allowed. Eyes adjust and you try to spot the Kiwi - only two or three on a fair sized enclosure, so hard job. We saw a few of them. A nuisance shined his phone light on one that was eating by the glass, and the bird promptly scattered...

There were lots of other cool birds as well! A few types of ducks, native parrots, wood pigeons, owls... Also many lizards. The animal keepers were feeding a few of them, so we know some names. White with long thin beak is Steve. The white and black headed ducks (same species) are George and Matilda. It was also enrichment day at the zoo, so they were putting food out that was more complex to get! Steve had ferns in a bucket of water with snacks under, so he had to search a bit. The Keas and Kakas had some stuff in the way of their food, which took the male Kea a couple seconds to dismantle. Kiwi House was a neat place.

Now, on to Auckland! Lance driving. Faith doing some planning. Stopped for gas. Had to wait a bit to turn the car in, only one dude. Uber to airport. No lines for security - also domestic you can bring water and things over 100ml through, so convenient! Flight got delayed a bit due to heavy winds and earlier rain, but got up about an hour after expected. Hit Christchurch about Golden hour, so the views out the window were... Golden.

Headed straight to the Airbnb, and then the grocery store for some food, and laundry. I read in bed a bit, and Lance was hanging downstairs. I heard the door open and got up - a family from China was stuck unable to get in the Airbnb, and had knocked on our door. Lance tried to help them out best he could, and invited them in to stay warm while one or two worked on the issue outside. They left some snacks from China and a nice note before heading to a hotel after 1am. I was asleep at 12 so all hearsay.

Took a chair down to the beach after waking up and read riverside for a while. To the car for food, and then we decided to get everything ready to go in case rain started soon. It hit just after we finished, perfect timing!

Drove in the wrong direction initially since we had no service - quite pretty. Rerouted towards Waitomo library, since it was wet and we expected time to kill. Driving on the west coast! Made an impulsive stop at three sisters.

This was a fun excursion out, which is low tide dependent! We were just in the window. Very muddy - I slipped and covered my pants with mud. Cool caves along the way. I also lost my night guard because it was in my pocket and fell out - twice, I noticed early the first time. Oh well.

This was also a black sand beach, other than the mud. Which I spent a bit of time cleaning off :).

Continued on, pulled off for various sights. Redirected towards Boscoe's, a food place past the library. I got a BLT, and... Hot chocolate! Beautiful, but flavor hinted at chocolate syrup/cheap. They did have Wi-Fi, so I uploaded pictures!

Skipped the library to make it for our Waitomo glowworm cave tour.. which was tubing through the caves! This was a blast. Wetsuits, tubes, and caves. Jumping off waterfalls (small), going back up one via the air pocket underneath it, floating under the glowworm stars... I recommend.

Hot shower and tomato soup after the cold caves, purchased the pictures, and off we go! First stop groceries. Lance got into an accidental conversation with an older fellow, who was originally from the US and moved 40 years ago and has 8 kids. Also invited us to sleep at his house, and gave us the address in case we changed our minds.. extracted and campsite time!

On the way to the campsite, two falcons spotted along the road! Rain was on and off. Camp was a parking lot on a lake, pretty nice. Fair number of other campers there. We cooked chicken and garlic bread under threat of downpour, but other than a few mists it held off. Shared a bottle of champagne, and hit the hay.

Today was a no plans day. Find a hike? Who knows!

Read for a bit until Lance woke up, and then we cooked breakfast on the camp stove - eggs with salami, more garlic bread, last few tomatoes, and cheese to top the egg. Really enjoyed the true car camping, need to do that more often!

We headed back to where we'd come from since we lacked service and that was generally towards Waitomo caves. Saw Lauren's Lavender Garden & Cafe sign said "open" today, and decided to stop! Still no service.

Lauren's Lavender was beautiful. All the plantings, many hydrangea, the lavender fields, the cafe setup... Very well done and well maintained. We both got hot chocolate (good but not top, came with flavored marshmallows), and I got a date & cinnamon scone - excellent texture. Lance got carrot cake, good but not his mother's recipe. There was also a walk down to the river, which was through the woods - you can boat in for a snack! Or a glass of wine. Lorraine/Lauren recommended we get gas and then continue west on the same road - Forgotten World Highway - to New Plymouth. Then we could take the coastal route to Waitomo.

Since we had no plans, we did just that! Got back into service and topped up the gas. Looked like a 3+ hour drive, so a little long. The road was mostly beautiful, had some construction - we were warned, there was a section that was only open 12-1 so we needed to time it well.

On the road, we were driving and a falcon (probably. Need to improve my birding) flew off the side wall right in front of the car! I had to show down to not hit it, we were so close. Really cool experience.

This was one of the first days we felt we saw more sheep than cows. At some points also could see where we'd hiked yesterday, including the volcano. The road ran alongside a deep gorge for a bit, and of course the tunnel! Which was labeled "Hobbit's Hole".

The drive was a bit too long, but we made it to New Plymouth - which has a nice black sand beach. Very windy. I went for a walk, and saw the lifeguards in training running and working out on the beach. Talked to a lady who said it normally wasn't windy. She owns her own electrician business and grew up in the area, and now takes her kids swimming at the beach most days after school. Neat! She was very enthusiastic about my plans, and told me there was a disc golf course just a few minutes away.

Dinner at Salt. Good but not great - the sauces were the highlight. Grocery store stop for a small food to up and a bottle of wine - dessert when we got to the campground.

Campground turnoff was a wooded gravel drive, felt like we were driving in a jungle, and then popped out onto a great spot by the river. Black sand beach on a river!! Lance and I took the chairs, wine, and chips down to the beach and stayed until the stars came out plus a bit more. After it got dark crazy bird noises started sounding from across the river. Sounded like fighting or some very angry bird, was a bit scary! Probably didn't like us hanging on the beach.

Wrapped up the great evening, headed back to the car, setup the bed, and wrote this! Service at this campsite... In certain spots not including the where we parked.

Early morning! Rough night of sleep with all the light, woke up before the 5:20 alarm. Got ready quickly, and hopped on the bus about 6.

Arrived at the park about 6:30, and the bus driver gave a quick safety overview, and if you turn around early call the shuttle company. If the volcano unexpectedly blows, run. The final quote... "If you get to the top and are thinking you can't make it... Know we just had an 87 year old gentleman finish it in under 8 hours, so... Dig deep."

On to the trek! Started off fairly flat, then picked up. The wind also picked up, put on a layer. Hiked in the clouds a lot of the way up, so also got a bit damp. Very windy! We got to the high point a little after two hours, and saw our first lakes. The lakes blended in to the fog, it was beautiful. Will have to re-hike later in the day sometime, so I can see the actual views. The backside, eventually the sun pierced through and the cloud started dissipating. Of course, layers off as the sun comes out, start getting mobility in the fingers again. Stopped for lunch and a bunch of photos - had a walking and lunch buddy for a bit, Gareth. Lots of changes as we went down, rocks to plains to green. Did a little racing. Total trek about 5.5 hours.

Waited 1.5 hours for the shuttle back. Ate lunch. I paid tolls, talked, and caught up on some writing. Back to present day! Post shuttle, Lance is taking a nap while I write and then look for hikes to do tomorrow (and a different place to stay).

... Decided to play tomorrow by ear a bit, found a campsite without a shower but that sounded quiet. Used the kiwicash successfully and took showers at the park & ride site (and I napped), and then drove to the new site, about 50 minutes.

Beautiful camp site. On a river, no houses in view, quiet, and no lights! Five campers total came by end of night. I read a bit on my phone, and then Lance and I cooked up pasta (with sauce, cheese, salami), a mini arugula and tomato salad, and garlic bread. Very pleasant meal at the picnic table by the river. The older couple that was here before us had a bottle of wine, which in hindsight would have been a good addition for our meal.

Talked, cleaned up, and looked at the stars. Forgot to mention that the other day we were looking for the southern cross, and pointing at a constellation just as a shooting star went right through it! Very cool. No shooting stars tonight, but clear skies and the moon wasn't up yet.

We decided to go for a run this morning. Since we were in an outdoor activities park, just looked for trails as we went. Did about 2.5 miles, staying mostly together. Then we headed to Rotorua!

Checked out Kuirau park in town, a free walk with hot springs and mud pools for viewing. They also had two baths you could go in (head above water to avoid amoebic meningitis), but I stuck my hand in and it was too hot for me.

We went on to redwood forest, doing a short walk to the cafe. Too little time before the Whakarewarewa tour at 12 for the tree walk. Got some lunch there - I got the fritters, which were way too healthy but tasted good. Then we went to Whakarewarewa, the living Maorí Village, for a guided tour.

Hot day, so tried to stick to the shade when possible. The tour guide was excellent, her father is the current chief. A lot of history and customs discussed. Also how the hot springs are used for cooking, bathing, health. Tour included corn cooked by hot spring, which they took out and served - very cool. Did not taste like sulphur, thankfully. We did not get to see a performance, that was a separate ticket.

Pretty lethargic at this point, but rallied for the redwood forest tree walk again. Much, much cooler in the forest than by geothermal hot springs in the sun, so we revived a bit. The tree walk was a lot of fun - I've never seen redwoods before, and they were very impressive. Watched a guy pull himself up a tree (via climbing rope attached to his foot).

Post tree walk went on another walk through the woods, very pleasant. Back to the car, looking for a grocery store to get food for the Tongariro Alpine crossing hike scheduled for tomorrow. Post store, on to Tongariro!

Stopped for gas, and then again for food by Lake Taupo. Thought I lost my wallet, was considering how we'd need to change plans to go back to the gas station if they had it... but found it after dinner. Phew!

Dinner was excellent - really good. The Plateau Bar & Eatery, north side of Lake Taupo. I got the lamb, and we shared the ceviche and carrots. Ceviche was good, but the lamb and carrots were the stars. Dessert was eh :). I had a second glass of wine so Lance could drive the part by the lake!

The drive was beautiful, albeit blinding. Golden hour driving the length of lake. Stopped a few times at lookouts.

Got to the campsite - the park and drive, where the shuttle picks you up - about 9:30. A bit bright, but convenient and good facilities. Kiwicash was obtained in Rotorua, so we can use the showers and such because it's another Kiwicamp. If we want to anyway.

Booked a 5:45am shuttle to the hike, prepped, and went to bed.

This was a fantastic day.

First, our decision to not camp at one of the sites that was full (there are specific parts of the parking lot for campervans marked) was vindicated when a license person came and checked an the spots at 7am.

Then we did a rush morning to get out and drive to Hahei beach, where we were lined up for a 3 hour cathedral cove kayak tour!

There were 6 of us plus Max, our guide. Every pair was solid at kayaking, so we got around! First we went around an island, which was extremely neat. The breaking waves on it were fantastic. Not a lot of pictures because phones were in the dry bag. Then we went to cathedral cove, which had many cool rock patterns and erosion. We did not stop at the cove, because the surge was a strong and it would have been hard to launch after. We then tracked the coast for a bit, taking in more beautiful formations and crashing waves and cool birds, and back to the beach. At the beach we got hot chocolate (part of the tour, coffee and tea also were offered). A good finish!

Max recommended going north to another pair, for better beaches and "Luke's pizza". We had time to kill before low tide at hot water beach (next destination), so we decided to go, even though it was a 50 minute drive each way.

Turns out, great decision! The drive was gorgeous. We arrived and the beach was beautiful! We went to Luke's, and the food was good, along with the view. The other pair (mother and son) we kayaked with sat down after us, two tables away.

After lunch, there was a short "30 minute return" hike next to where we parked, with an archway over the entry. We decided to go! Turns out, very free people do this hike and it is a bit overgrown. My legs got destroyed by seemingly harmless plants on the path.

Then we went into the water for a bit, and I went to take a nap but got distracted by trying to find clean water to rinse my legs off (failed) and ending up by the icecream shop... Got some Icecream even though we'd also bought a small carton of blackberry apple Icecream from Luke's that was thawing enough to eat still.

Back in the car to hot water beach! Also split the icecream :).

Hot water beach was great fun! It looked ridiculous, crowd of people on a small part of the beach, but it was a good time trying to find the hot spots and building barriers/digging pools that wouldn't get wrecked by the waves. Lance did more digging (though I found the spot people used!), while I talked to people and got recs for various traveling. I went off to the swimming part - huge currents, the lifeguards had a very small part named off. Talked to a lady we'd worked with building hot pools, and she gave some South Island recommendations, including a spa at the top of Luke's Pass.

Eventually got out of the water, and just after the lifeguards closed down, so perfect timing! Rinsed off, got in the van, and Lance took his turn driving. Decided to go to a campsite near Rotorua, in prep for the next day.

Got to the campsite at 9:15. Nice secluded spot, lots of spaces. All the facilities if you were prepared with kiwicash! Which we were not. But bathrooms still available, and very clean.

The stars were actually visible! We guessed at where the southern cross was, and turns out my instinct was good! Lucky. Also it looked like a kite, which is like a cross, so...

Updated the journal a bit, and off to sleep! Highly recommend the coromandel peninsula. We had a fantastic day. All activities were winners.

Lance was up first! He went on a run. Then I went on a run, 2 miles. Ate some food, packed up, and headed to Paihua to catch our ferry tour!

The ferry tour had a great operator lady, but was overall fine. We saw the "hole in the rock", a bunch of cool birds, and landed on the biggest island. Had a great conversation with the couple from UK next to me, and got some recs. There we walked around for some good views (and lots of sheep!). Also had a decent lunch on the island. Picked up by the ferry and back to land about 1:30. 

We then started driving towards coromandel peninsula. This was a long drive (4+ hours?). Originally I had an in between campsite decided on, which we headed to. It was a very rainy drive! That spot we decided to move on from, but first picked up some dinner at a local shop. Convenience store with burgers. An hour through big rain later we got to a site, but it was full - so we carried on to a second site. This one didn't have bathrooms, but was five minute walk to a third site (also full) that did have bathrooms! They were both alongside a shallow water/sand area. Ours was a bit nicer other than the lack of grass. Booked a kayak tour for the morning, and then went to sleep in the much darker area.

Did some last minute laundry, packed up, and went to pickup the campervan this morning. No fancy breakfast, stuck to some oatmeal.

Stopped in at a New World grocery store en route to lunch in Matakana, so we could pickup supplies. Also hit a pharmacy and found new contact solution! Took more attempts than expected to find that...

In Matakana, turns out there was a market day! So we checked that out. I talked to the quilt lady who has the same style quilting as my mother, and she gave us some tramping (hiking) tips. Be prepared for all weather on Tongariro Alpine pass! She also has in-laws in Northbridge, MA! So when I said I was from MA, she said "where". Quite a fun conversation.

Leaving the farmers market we grabbed a Hungarian flatbread, and then went to Matakana Kitchen for the rest of lunch. Beautiful spot overlooking a creek, decent food. I think I ordered poorly and there was better. We did follow this up at the chocolate store, where I got some great chocolate and also hot chocolate with a big chocolate marshmallow! I didn't take a picture of the two together sadly, the size comparison was comical.

Next stop, we pulled over at a random waterfall, which was a great little dude trek! 26 meters. Very short walk to get to it. Was also a place we could have camped for free, but not our destination.

Carried on to our first freedom camping site near Bay of Plenty! Bathrooms and showers - even hot if you tapped your credit card. Backed up to a cycling trail and farm, which I walked a bit on. We got the camp chairs out and played a very subjective game of "I spy" while we ate, and competed for speed in sudoku. Prepped the back of the van, booked a morning tour, and bedtime.

After a late night, we were a bit tired today... Slept in and then lazed about for a while. Was planning to rent a car and drive to a West coast beach, but axed those plans.

Eventually got up and went to breakfast at Le Chef, the place across from Melba. Great food! Hot chocolate not as good. Then we wandered about, including to the park I'd hit the previous morning and in the area of the university. Eventually headed back and did laundry!! Went out again for lunch and attempted some shopping.

At about 3 Lance suggested the Auckland Museum, and we hitched a ride over. 1.5 hours in the museum (closing time was 5) was pretty good, probably recommend 2 with some flex. Really cool Maorí exhibits, and a fun natural history section. We did not get to the 3rd floor, the war museum portion.

Was planning to join friend Amanda for dinner, but didn't really traffic took the drive from 20 minutes to 45, and also my last messages didn't get through to her anyway... Lance and I walked back from the museum (so much walking!) along a nice path for the start. Back to the apartment for a bit before we headed out for dinner - found a place a block away from the breakfast spot.

Lazed the rest of the evening away, campervan tomorrow!

Crossing the dateline here. This date is NZ based!

Lance lazed about, so I went out to find breakfast by myself. Went to Melba, which was on a very cute side street across from another good looking place called Le Chef. Melba had good food, and great hot chocolate. Very pleasant morning. From there I explored and sat in Albert Park for a bit, enjoying the big trees. Then I hit the library! Spent 1.5 hours catching up on journal, finances, and planning a general Northern Island itinerary.

Rejoined Lance at the apartment, and took a small nap. Then we walked to the museum (40 minutes) to catch the ride to kayaking. We were not early enough to hit the museum, but we did have time to hit the cafe for food and check out the winter garden. Winter garden was really cool, albeit small, and behind it was Fernz Fernery! A whole garden of ferns and fern associates. There are some very big ferns!!

Daniel of Auckland Sea kayaks, our guide for the sunset kayak to Rangitoto, picked us up at the museum atrium, and we headed through traffic to the put in. It took a while to get going, due to a missing life jacket and various other delays, but we got to meet the others - one Irish woman whose name I can't spell, Byron from UK, Edith & Mariana from Mexico, Sue from Melbourne, and Stanny from Australia. It was a really great crew, Irish & UK were extremely funny and had an instant report.

We kayaked across - slowly, Edith & Mariana got towed by Daniel a bunch. Lance was in lake kayak mode sometimes (forgot the rudder is the steering, not changing paddle sides), but we were mostly in good sync. Had a few battles with Byron & Cliondha :). On the island, Daniel cooked up dinner (steak), and then we started walking up. Due to the delays, we did not get to go to the top, but the view was still amazing as the sun went down over the city in combo with the clouds. As we headed down raindrops started to fall. Lance ran ahead early, and as it picked up Cliondha and I also ran the rest of the way. Rain stopped as soon as we reached the kayaks.

On the way back we rearranged - I was with Mariana (me in the back still), and Lance was with Edith. This was much smoother, though Stanny & Sue were a bit slower than the rest of the boats now. Mariana kept great consistent paddling, so it was very easy to sync up and quite enjoyable. At one point a fish popped out of the water and hit my arm before falling back in, that was cool! Also kayaking at night - so peaceful and gorgeous and calming. Love it.

Got in very late, after 11, and helped pack up. Eventually got home a bit before midnight, where I promptly... played on my phone until 12:30 before going to sleep.

Woke up and decided we were game for Waiheke. Booked the walk on ferry tickets with a hop on/hop off bus access add, and headed to the quay! We got there 7:49, just missing one ferry, so went and found breakfast nearby before the 8:15. Ferry ride was 35 minutes, and hello Waiheke!

Unsure when the bus started, we decided to walk one of the trails. Had to disinfect our shoes to protect Kuari trees. The trail itself was great - a blend of "humans shaped this" and "mildly unused", which worked really well. Got to a viewpoint, reasonable views but nothing crazy special. Found the road and a winery, but it was closed until 11. Also found the olive oil farm, which opened for tastings at ten. Close but a little early, so walked around until tasting time.

The olive oil tasting was superb. Highly recommend. Very educational about olives, delicious olive oil, and I even tried an olive. Still didn't like it, but not as ruin-the-dish offensive as normal store olives. If you are in my Waiheke, go here. Allpress, only one on the island.

Got some recommendations for Waiheke from the olive oil people, and walked to Mudbrick winery for views and our first wine tasting. The reserve Chardonnay was my favorite of the 6 we tried. Deb and Rebecca also gave us many recs for New Zealand itself, and a few places on South Island to hit. The views as we wandered around with our glasses were on point. Another great experience.

From here we got on the bus and headed to Heke brewery & distillery for lunch. Burgers, fries, and I got a delicious honey rye. The atmosphere at Heke was great, with the chefs singing off key to the music and the wind lightly blowing through. After lunch Lance jumped on the jumping bubble thing they had (his jumps were much better than the kids we saw).

Split off and I went to another tasting at Tantalus next door to Heke. Syrah was the highlight here. The decor was excellent, but not the same warmth. The food passing by looked delicious!

Back on the bus and to the beach - which after Hawaii beaches was a little ehh. Walked along it and just missed the next bus, so got some Icecream and found a shady spot while we waited. Jumped on the bus for Batch Winery, touted as the highest winery on the island with excellent views and soaking l sparkling wines.

The views were excellent, but before the winery we went on a short hike. Cascade falls, which did have water! The track to it was boring, but the little loop itself was gorgeous and worth it. Back up the hill to the winery, and they were closing, whoops. Walked around a bit and the manager came out and said if we wanted a glass we could, just no food - so took in the view with a sparkling rose. The wine was beautiful but fine. The views were worthy of a stop here.

Bus and to the ferry! Sat outside and it was quite windy. As we got closer to Auckland, sailboats were everywhere. Seemed like some serious sailors, boats had sails dipping into the water as they sped along, a few people for ballast sitting on the other side.

Wandered in the general direction of the Airbnb, and stopped at a dim sum place for a solid dinner. They did not speak English. Continued the wander, and eventually got back, where we lazed about until bed.

Travel day! Destination: Auckland, New Zealand.

Went on a short run along the channel to get some of the crater hike muscles loosened up, packed, and left the Airbnb at 10. Went to Maguro's Spot for some poke, and caught an Uber to the airport from there. Checked in via agent (the only working option), discovered we needed a ticket out of New Zealand already booked, so got flights from Churchchrist to Melbourne for the 18th, dictating twenty seven days in New Zealand.

Flight was non eventful, time change only one hour from Hawaii (and a day). Touched down about 9:20, wasn't completely dark as we flew over the islands so got some glimpses of the country! Through customs and straight to the Airbnb for the night.

Rental car and drive around the island day!

We picked up the car and headed straight to Koko Crater trail head! Which is basically rail tracks going up a mountain for a mile to some great views. 21 sweaty minutes after starting, with a scary part on the "bridge" - rail ties not directly on the ground, so a drop if you misstep. On Strava it gave me QOM for the post bridge to top section! I think many people don't have Strava...

After Lance got to the top, we looked around for a bit, and then went down. Lance faster than Faith in this direction. Chatted with a few locals, esp the one with two dogs (one pictured!). Took ~1 hour total. Got a rec for a beach at the top, and decided to follow that.

Following directions to Waimanalo Beach - the people told us to go past the public camping area. I diverted into a side road, and we found a less known entrance that was beautiful! A grove of trees that went right to the beach, and was next to get clean public bathrooms. The water was so calm, Lance was told by a fellow "I've lived here twenty years and this is the calmest I've ever seen it". Really, really nice stop. I went in the water, and Lance went in a bit later. There was a quick drop but then it came back up onto a shelf that was fairly shallow. Played around a bit here and sat on the beach while, very peaceful all around.

Eventually moved on and took the coastal road towards Waimea Botanical Gardens. Stopped at a group of food trucks for sandwiches and smoothies, and again for a ten minute nap when the driver felt tired. Scenery for the drive was A+.

Waimea Botanical Garden, so cool. The trees and flowers were beautiful, and the gardens were well laid out. The recreation of a native village was also neat.

The garden was bigger than we realized and a bit tiring for the of a day starting with Koko Crater, but we covered a decent portion of it. Also saw the endangered bird, and a few other birds (pictures stuck on camera). I jumped in the waterfall pool and cooled off before we went back.

On and off rained as we left Waimea, so after driving through Haleiwa we didn't stop and returned to Waikiki,  where we got dinner at Fireside grill. Margaritas we started with were bad, but they helped us resolve that and food was reasonable. Drive through the middle of Oahu - saw a pineapple plantation, but views were often blocked by plant based barriers.