Auckland War Memorial Museum

With our siblings on a plane still and a new day dawning, we decided to around breakfast, what it was we wanted to do to fill out the time my parents had left. One thing we had missed along the way was to experience some of Maori culture. The Museum was the obvious choice, to get a little piece of Maori, as well as other Pacifica cultures. Walking around the main floor, the major comment was about the intricacy of the work done by all the cultures. The amount of man-hours that would have been required to create these woven maps and sea shell jewelry would have been fantastic. The second observation was of the use of materials such as shells and teeth adorning tools and jewelry.

The amount of effort put into such a simple concept of a hand fan is spectacular and testament to the patience at artistry of these people. 

Walking around the Marae which was under restoration was also amazing, The carvings on every surface, the use of red, black, and white colours throughout, and paua shells as the eyes of facial carvings was truly something foreign and wondrous. Then we were treated to a cultural performance by some very talented people at the museum, highlighting the musical history of the Maori and some of their weapons. Singing was used to welcome people while the haka was a display of intimidation to enemies. Objects such as the poi were used to practice balance and strengthen the arm, but made for beautiful displays. It was a real treat and filled with information that was not easily obtained by reading displays throughout the cultural portion of the museum. We thanked the performers and carried on to see what else the museum held for us. 

In the back, a temporary exhibit was set up showing wearable art. For both Dad and I, it was a ridiculous exhibit, fascinating but not at all practical and difficult to understand why. Mom and Mary-Ellen just walked around laughing and taking it all in, how people would use different materials that no one would have thought to use for clothing. Then of course their was the more artistic side of it, making them into the shape of things. From paper mache  lobsters, to plastic and metal cars, to entire dresses made of wood. A vivid imagination came up with these monstrosities that no one in their right mind would wear on a given day, but that challenged our concept of both art and clothing, making for a very interesting exhibit.

Upwards to the next level we walked through a bit of natural history, showing Mom the great Moa and the hallway of stuffed birds, the cases of shells and fish, and even got to take a picture with a great white shark which had not been there last time we came through. Interesting to see, but by this point we had seen much of it alive across our journey.

Dad and I hurried up to third flour to see the planes and quickly go through the memorial hall for the two world wars. After finishing up their, we met the girls in the gift shop and eventually were hurried out to the sound of "the last post" being played at closing time. We wandered slowly down to the car, looking back at the great stone building and memorial behind us, and looking forward to the gorgeously planted Auckland domain in front of us, complete with wedding party kicking a soccer ball around.

Lions, tigers, and kiwis, oh my!

Ok, well we didn't see kiwis this round either but on New Years Day we did go to the zoo where we saw some pretty cool stuff. Piling into the cars for our last adventure before Geoff and Derek had to get on a plane and fly home. This was the last thing on Geoff's list and thankfully we got to do it. The weather cooperated nicely and in the mild temperature, we were happy to see a great deal of the animals. Wandering around trying not to do too much backtracking, we aimed to see every exhibit and hopefully the animals would cooperate too. Unlike the landscape shots, this time Dad's subjects were doing considerably more moving, but that adds to the fun of photography. There wasn't anything specific that we really desperately wanted to see, except maybe the little blue penguins. This time round, some animals, such as the tigers, were out and about patrolling their enclosures, while creatures such as the Tasmanian devils were no where to be seen.

The morning sun had turned to afternoon heat but we carried on, having only seen half the park. Mom got to see a few more birds that she could check off in the New Zealand birder's book including a nice close up with a Kea.

Mostly though, we made as the animals did and lazily wandered, basking in the sun. The meerkats were one of the few animals that seemed to still be in a rush to do things, while the lions and alligators had the right idea.

It was a nice pace compared to the rest of the trip as we had no hotel to get to, no reservations for attractions to meet. We didn't even mind when the Asian elephant was out for a stroll and blocked our way. We lingered round the monkey cages as some very small monkeys and marmosets gobbled down handfuls of peas.

Probably the best sighting of the day was the very end when we got to see the giraffe bend his front legs and bow his head to a small pond to take a drink. Just imagining the effort required to drink through one of the longest "straws" in the animal kingdom without the help of gravity. 

On the way out, Geoff with his neon green shirt that had been a beacon to his where-about, finally found a place where he could blend in. His orange toes still gave him away.

The next day was a sad one. It was finally time to admit that the family adventure was coming to a close. Although Mom and Dad would be staying on a few more days, we would not all be together. We went down to Potters Park and spent the morning throwing the Frisbee around which was fun, just thinking back to all the hours we spent doing just that on Mountfield crescent. The boys went up to Mount Eden to see it during the day, after which, we proceeded to eat the belated but very delicious Christmas dinner Mary-Ellen had cooked for us. With their bags packed, we headed to the airport, checked in, and waited at the gate to board. This was it and it was starting to hit me, that I wouldn't be seeing the boys again in person for some time. When we got home, with Mom and Dad taking a break at the hotel, Mary-Ellen and I entered the house where we had stayed these last two and half weeks. No suitcases, no air mattress, no Nintendos lying around. It was probably the loneliest we had felt since we left Canada. Thankfully, we still had time with Mom and Dad, so we tidied up and got ready for an early sleep, thinking of all the fun we had while the boys were here.

Lord of the Forest

New Years Eve day came early as we attempted to make it home over a distance that previously had been done in two days. On top of this, Derek had yet another forest area he wanted to visit, again with Kauri trees. We were hoping it would be different than the one we had seen in Puketi, and we were pleasantly surprised. Before we reached this area though, we traveled through the mountains and paddocks southward in the rain and drizzle.

Across the water by ferry at Rawene, trunk lunch in Opononi, and finally a good stretch of the legs at a recreational area in Omapere. Another picturesque view with a little bit of everything we had seen in the north; the rugged shore, gigantic sand dunes, blue waters, and stunted plants on clifftops. It was a nice last goodbye and reminder to all the wondrous sights we had seen along the northern coastline over the last three days.

Not far from here were the Kauri forest we had come to see. Unlike the forests before, we were really here to see specific trees, whose promise of grandeur was completely fulfilled. The first of these was the aptly named Lord of the Forest or Tane Mahuta. This amazing tree is the largest living Kauri tree in New Zealand, reaching a staggering 51.5 metres towards the heavens and girth around the trunk of 13.8 metres. We stood among the other tourists in awe at the shear size of this tree, and amazed at the likely age of 2000 years. This was truly an ancient tree, having seen much of New Zealand's history first hand. Sitting among a grove of much younger trees it appears to have the forest growing around it rather than being part of the forest.

Still reveling in the majesty of our last encounter, we continued a short distance down the road to the next grove of trees. The journey in was a bit more scenic with some less familiar sights, including some fungus growing on the trunk of trees. We wandered through the forest trails in staggered groups, joking more than usual in our state of tiredness. Imagining kiwis snoring in hollowed out logs, Indiana Jones style rock traps chasing us down the sloping boardwalk, and of course the stomping of dinosaurs and marauding orcs.

The four sisters was a set of four trees, reasonably large, all growing in close proximity and made for a good portrait spot.

The last tree was at the extent of the trail and was known as Te Matua Ngahere or the Father of the forest. Like the Tane Mahuta, a certain majesty surrounded this tree. I bit farther off than the last trees, the scale was not as easy to see, but it was without a doubt, an enormous tree. The trunk alone was 10.21 metres and its girth was an enormous 16.41 metres! This was by far the "fattest" tree I had ever seen.

With our memory cards nearing full, we headed back to the car continuing the jokes and saying goodbye to the forest. In the back of our minds, this was the last of our road trip and thus close to the end of our vacation. A little further down the road we stopped in at this quaint gum shop that sold Kauri gum and wood carvings done by local Maori, all materials of course obtained from swamps where dead trees are dug up rather than cut down. Back in the car, we cruised the winding roads through the forest, back through Brynderwyn, and to the nearest Burgerfuel in Auckland. Home again with the countdown to 2015 on, we waited till late before we wandered up to the top of Mount Eden. We relaxed as we waited and in the back of my mind I was so happy to have been able to see so much with my Family but knew it was coming to a close. Midnight rolled around and the fireworks began all over the city. Blasts of light in the distance wherever you looked was something different for all of us. The main show, being shot off the sky tower, was unfortunately shrouded in smoke. We laughed at the irony of trying so hard to make it home in time to see the fireworks and in the end couldn't see them at all. Another year had now begun, and we got to see it in together, before most people in the world. A great end to a great road trip, and what more could you ask for but to have the people you love around you! 

Sand, sand, and more sand

With bellies full of oatmeal and mini-wheats, we made our way along the snaking road to the very tip of New Zealand, the furthest north you can get, Cape Reinga. High up on the cliffs, you can see all the landscape around, with both rugged coastline and wave-swept rocks, to gigantic dunes of sand. The hillside at the cape itself was adorned with small hardy shrubs, stunted trees, and beautiful wildflowers.

This is an area full of significance both from a cultural as well as a oceanographic point of view. The waters at the cape are actively mixing, with turbulent waters clearly visible where the greater Pacific waters meet the water of the Tasman Sea. For the Maori, this is the point where spirits depart this world for the next. For sailors, the lighthouse marks their arrival in New Zealand and warns of the dangerous coasts around. With the serenity of the location, the swirling of the different layers of blue water, and the almost untouched bounty of nature, it is not difficult to understand why this site holds such spiritual significance. It is the kind of place that you could easily sit and clear ones head, relax and soak in the glorious views that surrounded you. This was definitely on my list of must see places in New Zealand.

Of course, such a place is difficult to keep to one's self and the pure volume of tourists here was amazing, far greater than any lighthouse I had ever been too. The lighthouse itself was full of character, although very similar in architecture to the one at the hole in the wall. There was a signpost as well and it was interesting to see just how far we were from some of the familiar places around the world. Something I had not thought about, but we were closer to the south pole than we were to Canada! With much more left to see, we traversed back up the busy trail to head to our next adventure of the day.

...."We interrupt this blog post to bring you an important sports bulletin. We bring you live to the sand dunes at Giant Te Paki, for the final day of the sand surfing competition. This year has been full of excitement and lots of great races but it has come down to three contestants. From the finish line, we are awaiting the first of the three contestants."

"Stepping up to the mound first is the crowd favorite, the Blonde Blur, he is looking a little nervous here with his red board as he needs to qualify this round to not be eliminated for the finals."

" And he is off, the sand flying everywhere leaving his opponents in a blur as he reaches the bottom in a record time. That assures him a place in the final, as he stands up brushing the sand from his...everywhere."

"Next up for his final run, is The Cannonball. And there he goes, leaving a wake of sandy destruction in his path as he barrels down that slope. He has the momentum but will it be enough to blast his way to the top."

"We stop for a short intermission as the two remaining finalists take the arduous task of scaling the slope, and we catch up with The Cannonball. 'It was a good run, a lot of fun' he says as he wipes the sand from inside his ears."

"Next up is Tech-nicolour, the veteran on the slopes and back up professional "camraman", sporting his signature rainbow shorts. And he's off down the slopes, blinding the spectators on the way down; a side effect of constantly having sand blasted against the skull. He's making great timing and ... yes, he pulls ahead of Cannonball to take the lead in this competition. He's very happy with himself on that run and finishes big wave as he scrapes the sand off his head and out of his mustache."

"Last up is the Blonde Blur, he will need to have as good a run as his last in order to take the title. There he goes, his feet up, throwing caution to the wind he digs in only as he gets closer to the bottom to make sure he doesn't overshoot"

"And that is it folks, the official time is in! The Blonde Blur takes it all and he knows it as he gives us that sandy smile from the finish line. What an exciting day here, and now we will return you to your regular blogging program"

Getting later in the day, we made a trip to Dad's third beach, one known as Rarawa Beach. The incredibly soft white sand was like a warm snow beneath our feet. The incoming dark clouds and crashing waves were a stark contrast to the paleness of this sandy shoreline. Much like Cape Reinga, the wildness and serenity of the spot were refreshing as we walked barefoot along the warm but not searing sand.

The high part of the beach was full of flotsam cast upon the beach by the strong waves of the Pacific. Insects and small crustaceans darted between seaweed looking for a meal and goose barnacles lay stranded on their light volcanic rock which was their vessel in days gone by.

And the dunes alive with dancing grasses in the breeze, made for a great rest after the searing heat of the sand surfing. Personally, of all the beaches, this was now my favourite, so far from civilization and so peaceful. But alas, we had one more beach to get too and the weather was not likely to cooperate much longer, so off to the iconic Ninety Mile Beach.

Now, I am well aware there are likely other places to access the beach, but this one in particular was far from ideal. A logging road really, but unfortunately, it was probably one of the messiest clear cutting I had ever seen. It would have been nice, as a tourist, to have had the felled trees cleaned up and replanting started in all the cutting areas, not just a few.

After passing the barren wasteland, we did finally arrive at the beach. It was indeed long, stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction. Perhaps we had seen too many gorgeous beaches but personally, I was not overly impressed. We took the opportunity either way to get out and stretch our legs as Mom commandeered the car for some beach driving. 

With the better part of the day behind us, and grumbling stomachs, we ventured back to civilization for food and much needed rest. It was nice to sit around the picnic table at the campsite and discuss our favourite part of the trip thus far, trying not to think that in three days we would be saying goodbye to part of our company.