Last leg of the New Zealand trip

The last couple days were more relaxed and filled with small day-ventures in Auckland. We went for a beautiful walk through Cornwall Park, strolling through stone walled walkways and pathways over fences and lush green spaces.

Unlike most of the parks we have been through, these pastures within the metropolis of Auckland were grazed by cows and sheep who wandered freely through the designated paddocks. Dad lead on through the heat and animal droppings, taking pictures with the city in the background as the cattle grazed without fear.

Cornwall park is truly a slice of paradise and calmness among the otherwise overly busy, fast paced life of the big city. Rock walls set up as fountains, grove of trees creating archways along the paths and roads. These groves offered a much needed shade on an extremely hot day. The park is also home to many an ancient tree, standing huge and tall as monuments to nature and shading vast areas where visitors can sit beneath them and enjoy the beautiful weather of summer.

At the exit to the park, and the entrance to One Tree Hill, we enjoyed beautiful walled gardens with meadow flowers in bloom under the flowering Pohutukawa tree. We treated ourselves to an ice cream before heading back to the car to traverse One Tree Hill.

From the monument at the top of this volcanic cone, we could see in all directions; the vastness of the city, the volcanic cones that sit as sentinels around the city, and the great green park which we had enjoyed that afternoon.

The next day we headed to Mission Bay, one of the nicer beaches in Auckland and a great place for eating. We strolled briskly along the beach, retreating to the shade at our earliest convenience. Although Mom and Dad may not have had their fill, Mary-Ellen and I were definitely at full saturation.

Lunch was had above the little village at a Belgian Pub. Mary-Ellen and I had some fish and dad sampled some local mussels, a bit fresher than the Green-lipped mussels he can get at home! After a delicious meal we settled in under some trees to digest and relax. Mom and Dad couldn't help but get one more dip in the warm waters.

Our last full day, we took Mom and Dad down to Piha, to show them the black sands, the big surf, and the ridiculous driveways that would spell certain death for any Canadian in winter. It was quite clear this would be the last adventure we would have and the next day, they would get on a plane and fly away for who knows how long. We laughed as we thought back on the antics of our journey, and Mary-Ellen and I thought how despite the time away, some things never change. Dad still finds himself behind his camera lens, doing what he loves, capturing memories to share with friends and family, and to bring us all back to the great times we had. Mom playing in the waves, enjoying the peace and serenity of the nature around us while at the same time participating in the ageless ritual of running back and forth in the waves with a huge smile on her face.

That evening we enjoyed a good movie filled with laughs. It was a difficult evening knowing that the next morning they would fly out. We had a great time, one that is hard to express in words, having been reunited with one's family after nearly two years apart and soon to be split again for an undetermined amount of time. Skype can only go so far, and as Mom says, it is a bit difficult to hug through it. We said our goodbyes the next morning at the airport as they headed through the gate and we headed back to the house. Mary-Ellen and I both sighed in relief to have survived our vacation, but also sat sad to have to part with our family. We were not sure how long it would be before we would be reunited again, but without a doubt, this would not be their last trip the New Zealand!

A day of sheep and goatfish

With the boys gone, we did one more big day of adventure. We made our way back to Rodney district, to Warkworth and Leigh. Today we crossed off three of Mom's to do list; a sheep dog show, seeing the lab at Leigh, and snorkeling, which she sat out on the first time. Off to sheep's world we went and after pushing Mom through the gift shop, we ventured out to see the numerous farm animals and feed a few of them. Tiny lambs grazed just outside while large rams fought for our attention and the food in our hands.

Still a little early for the show, we wandered around using up as much of the feed as we could, petting the goats, cows, ponies, and donkeys. 

Dad, no longer tempted by bacon, was quick to make a friend a the pig pen. Funny though how we can look at an adult pig and think, "...hmm, I really wouldn't want one of those as a pet", and yet we think how cute they look when they are little piglets.

Then on to the main attraction. Two working dogs and a puppy who would be taking the old dog's place on the far left. Adorable as they were, these were working dogs so no petting unfortunately. In New Zealand, they use two breeds of dogs. The collie uses eye contact to stare the sheep into going where he wants, where as the other, a mix of several breeds including black lab, German shepherd, hound, and collie, uses its bark to flush sheep out of grassland where the collies' eyes will have no effect.

It really was quite amazing to see the collie demonstrating its herding behaviour, as it crawled along the meadow, stalking the sheep who hastily made their way down to the smaller pen. Balling up in defense and pinning themselves against the fence, they moved exactly where the dog was commanded to put them.

Once the dog part of the show was completed, the dogs settled down as we sorted and then lead to shearing the sheep. Our comical host showed how pressure points can be used to essentially immobilize and control the sheep while he carefully removes the immense coat of wool. The sheep is relatively relaxed, even allowing a view of its teeth with no resistance.

The sheep was done in several minutes or so, but apparently the world record is well under a minute, hardly an easy thing to do when covered in the oil on the shears that inhibits sweating. Mom was one of the few brave volunteers who got up to give it a go. I am sure Hunter (their dog) would have loved to join in on this part of the days activities.

With some more PB and J sandwiches in us, we headed to Leigh for our snorkel. Once again, with three blue suited adventurers, we ventured into the beautiful waters around Goat Island. With low tide, we were fortunate to see much more this time round. Including numerous busy goatfish, foraging along the sandy bottom.

For Dad, much of this was similar to what we had seen the first time, but for Mom and Mary-Ellen, it was a completely new world, with spotted snapper following them around through the kelp. It was not long before all members of our party were scattered throughout the water, questions and exclamations still heard through their snorkels.

Mary-Ellen was the first to spot an eagle ray, something we missed the first time round, and unfortunately, I was the only one able to keep up with it. I sped along side it for a good two minutes as it leisurely floated over kelp beds and rocks.

We had a blast, one last big hurrah on a spectacular journey. I guided Mary-Ellen in to shore, left Mom happily bobbing in the shallows, and then Dad and I headed into the channel to see what else was around.

Far in the channel, where few snorkelers ventured, species such as kelpies (below) and eagle rays were more comfortable and ventured out into the open. We poked around the rocks for a while before heading back through the main channel.

Larger schools of fish sat low against the bottom, waving with the kelp fronds in the constant surf. Dad and I bobbed up and down in the water as we swam back against the tide to the beach where the women were waiting and reminiscing of the sights they had seen.

With a wandering around the lab, a return of our gear to the Octopus Hideaway where we had rented them, we finished the day with a burger cooked by my good friend Jan before heading back to Auckland. A great day and it was nice to finally be able to bring my parents and wife into a world I love so much.