Into the ocean!

Boxing day this year was a feast for the eyes rather than the usual feast and Aunt Jeans. Off we went to Leigh to see the Goat Island Reserve up close and personal. Meeting up at the Octopus Hideaway our adventure hungry travelers suited up for an afternoon of snorkeling. Mom was not feeling well, so her and Mary-Ellen sat out while I prepared to guide the boys through the deep blue waters of reserve. This would be the family's first experience in the ocean waters of New Zealand (other than feet). In their blue suits we took to the water, our eyes looking for movement in the slightly murky waters. 

Unfortunately the tide was high, so many of the fish were quite deep and difficult to see, but there were definitely still lots of creatures to see. Large schools of Parore were particularly interesting to see as these 50-70 centimetre fish congregated in the deep waters of the channel.

Many a time, I would here questions of "what's that" through snorkels, or "whoa" as I guided Dad and the boys through the beautiful waters. There were little equipment issues, which worked great so that everyone got to see as much as they could. The level of excitement, was stellar, and felt so nice to be able to take my family into the world I love so much. Several times we came up, deciding where to go next and with high levels of intrigue, discussing the different fish we were seeing, wondering what they were. Then we would don our masks and head back in, floating along the surface and in Geoff's case, even getting down a metre or so to get a closer look in his extremely buoyant suit.

We were able to see lots of red moki (a large red banded fish), parore (the heavy bodied fish with a large stripe along the dorsal surface), goatfish (scrounging the bottom with its chin barbels), leatherjackets (an elegant, mottled trigger fish), and spotties (aptly named with a large spot on their side). The most prominent fish was the snapper, a large pinkish fish with iridescent blue spots, which frequently followed us along.

All these fish set against the backdrop of recovered reefs and kelp beds. It was quite a different experience to the snorkeling any of them had done before, and hopefully a bit more informative having their own personal guide. They all seemed to enjoy it, even Mom taking pictures from the rocks, undoubtedly dreaming of her chance later in the trip. It was for me a wonderful time having my family with me and sharing my love of the ocean.

Regrettably, we called our snorkeling off in order to make it for our movie. We packed up our gear and left goat island behind for Matakana. Here, the lord of the rings junkies got one last experience, seeing the final hobbit movie in New Zealand. We piled in at the last minute into the decadent movie theatres and watched it in 3D. The movie theatre itself was an experience with the large chairs, ice cream, and very intimate atmosphere. We headed home to meet Mary-Ellen and Dad who had a meal of snapper (not from the reserve!). We again made for a earlier night as we would move into the second leg of the trip!

Kiwi Christmas on the beach

Christmas morning was very different. Sun shining through the window, we donned our swimming trunks (or togs if you are in New Zealand) and prepared for a day on the beach. We had french toast for breakfast with real maple syrup from Elgin New Brunswick before we received a call from the past. Skyping in from Christmas Eve in Canada, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins all vying for face time. It was nice to still be part of the celebrations and to see everyone. Dad of course rubbing in the great weather and the fact that we were headed to the beach rather than bundling up in the cold.

On the beach, we attempted our BBQ using one of those one time use BBQ's. Unfortunately it fizzled out in a spectacular failure, never even heating the charcoal. Plan B, we tossed our shishkebabs on the frying pan and portable stove, and had a few nibbles instead. Everyone enjoyed the walking up and down the shore, although the overcast weather was not so inviting. The number of shells on the beach made for some fun collecting, although Derek clearly forgot he had to pack his clothes in his suitcase as well, toting a large handful of shells back to the car. Not the best beach day, but we had a lot of fun, laughing at our BBQ and wandering the sandy shore of Orewa. No presents, just the wonderful gift of having family with us on the holiday, and no turkey, just Derek.

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve this year started out very differently than most. Instead of scrambling around in snowy or at least cold weather, finalizing the last of the Christmas activities, were were on the road, travelling over green hills in the bright and intense sunlight.Today we were off to a place called Raglan, known for it's surfing. After a few wrong turns, we ended up at Ngarunui Beach.

The lookout was refreshing, especially for me having spent so much time inland, it was nice to finally be seeing the ocean again. At the lookout point, we could see clear from one end of the bay to the other, the waters dotted with black surfers hoping for a good wave on a relatively calm day. They looked very much like seals from this vantage point so we jokingly kept our eyes open for sharks.

At the top of the lookout were also several stone carvings representing mythological beings in Maori culture. Although weathered, the statues were still very intricate and fascinating, being set up in a compass direction and representing many of the elements of life around us.

On the beach, we enjoyed a relaxing walk with no schedule to adhere too. We strolled along the black sand, surely kicking ourselves for not having brought the magnet which would demonstrate the volcanic origin of the sand by picking up the dark metallic sand. Despite the beauty of the beach, the water was not as inviting as many of the places we had been. With large surf and likely undertows, wading in was not the best idea. Lifeguard areas were set up where trained professionals could react to swimming issues, but we decided to stick to walking and enjoying the sand beneath our feet.

After a good hour of wandering, we returned to the car and headed to our next and last site seeing spot on this leg of the journey, Bridal Veil Falls. Again, there were some turn around but we eventually made it. This forested area housed a majestic waterfall, plummeting over the basalt cliffs created by volcanic activity many years ago.

And yet again, the colour green was prominent in every shade, easily giving Ireland a run for its money with its 40 shades. This stunning feature comes crashing into a green pool leaving a trail of white mist as it falls and clouds of it billowing across the receiving pool.

To get a better look, we decided it would be worth the many steps to the bottom, 261 steps didn't sound so bad. There was even a sign of encouragement half way.

Despite our tired legs, we did make it to the bottom where the amazing basalt cliffs were even easier to see. The basalt is formed into columnar joints, texturing the cliff side with the long hexagonal pillars, similar to the giant's causeway in Ireland. 

The scale of the waterfall was only seen from below, as you peer up 55 metres to the clifftop. We stayed at the green slice of tropical eden for a short while before taking the knee-straining trip back up the 261 stairs.

We traveled back to Hamilton for lunch at Burger Fuel to fill up in the later afternoon. Normally on Christmas Eve, we would be having a light lunch in preparation for festivities at Aunt Eileen and Uncle Greg's house. Instead we were packing down burgers in the sunshine before we headed back to Auckland. Once there, we settled in, grabbed a simple but delicious home cooked meal, and opened a few Christmas cards. Tired and excited for our Kiwi Christmas, we retired early, turning off the Christmas tree and admiring all the cards posted on the wall with well wishes from family far away but close in our hearts.

Once again into Middle Earth

The afternoon was spent trying to find some lunch, striking out in both Otorohanga and Cambridge, so we moved on to Hamilton. Mary-Ellen and Dad jumped and the lord of the rings junkies pilled into one car and headed back down the road to the shire. At this point we were famished, so we enjoyed a meal at the shires rest, Derek scarfing down a "second breakfast". With a renewed sense of strength to carry on the tour, Derek found himself in a power struggle with Gandalf before we boarded the bus. 

Over farmland we traveled to the set that was used in both the lord of the rings and the hobbit, although not the original lord of the rings set as this was dismantled and rebuilt for the hobbit.
The sun was shining brightly across the vivid green hills, gardens in full bloom, and miniature doors and yards set up around every corner. For Geoff, Derek, and Mom, this was their first time, and the attention to detail for them was amazing, even going so far as to participate in some wood chopping.

They definitely have improved on the set, adding greater detail, including smoke coming from some of the stacks, and greater representation of different hobbit occupations such as the fishing and fromagerie.

One of Mom's favourite things was definitely the gardens. The guide was saying that they can have up to 30 gardeners working on a given day, and despite the heat, the plants were amazing, with numerous classic English species growing in yards and up walls and gates.

So we traveled around, our merry company taking photos at every hobbit hole, even getting to stand inside one of the sets, although Derek is a bit tall and too skinny to be a hobbit. Better chance of being a wizard!

Despite the large group we did manage to see everything, being fully immersed in the magic of this place. We wandered up to Bag End with its beautiful gardens and fake tree above. We also got to see a set of hobbit holes that were created only for the purpose of a backdrop should the camera angle ever go that way! We learned a lot about Peter Jackson, and just how stringent he was on details, having asked people to repaint the fake leaves on the tree above bag end because they were the wrong shade.

This is the view you won't see in any of the moves, only if you visit Hobbiton (or read this blog of course)

With smiles still beaming from the full experience of having been thrown into the manifestation of a world previously experienced through book and movie, we concluded our tour with a drink at the green dragon inn. We all shared a drink, toasting this and the many adventures we had done and would do in the week to come. We shared a few jokes and reflections in our brief time here before jumping on the bus once again, purchasing some memorabilia from the gift shop, and back to Hamilton for a wonderful dinner with the rest of the family.

Into the Earth

The 9th day of the Wilcox Family North Island adventure was a rather large one, so I'll break it up into the two activities. After packing up we once more traversed the twisting roads of New Zealand, going over farmed hills and great forested mountains and swollen rivers. This eventually landed us in Waitomo, and area rich in limestone caves and one of the few places where you can see glow worms in large abundances. There were a number of caves to visit but after the great experience we had last time, we returned to the Ruakuri caves. Once again Mary-Ellen and I found ourselves descending the spiral ramp into the world of Spelunking, this time with Family in tow!

Of course, for Dad this was a spectacular chance to take pictures, so many unique rock formations in such a small area. Stalactites, curtains, and popcorn were some of the more prominent ones (in order below).

The intricate beauty of the place is truly amazing, and the diversity of morphologies within the limestone rocks was in itself worth the trip. There were however, glow worms further down and in much larger numbers than the last time we ventured below. The starlight display of lights among the stalactites is created by a chemical reaction in the feces of these unusual creatures. We also got to see up close the actual animals, lying in wait for tiny mosquitoes to fly into their sticky strings.

The dark creature in the centre of the image is the larval form of the glow worm.

The rock that makes up the cave was created underwater from years of calcium rich mud compacting under the weight of new layers of mud above, and occasionally seperated by layers of other materials, such as dark volcanic sediments, creating the layered affect of the rock wall. Although these rocks have been lifted up and out of the ocean, it is water that continues to reshape them, creating the caves themselves and in the right circumstances, transforming these caves into galleries of rock formations.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of people on he tour and we often ended up stuck between people and unable to talk to much, but everyone seemed to really enjoy it. It was a very unique experience, one they will keep with them. And all of this was made possible by some carbon dioxide and a few drops of water, over thousand of years of course.