Our time in New Zealand was “sweet as” according to the local slang. In other words – rather good.

After our time up north of Auckland, we headed out on the Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast for a few days at Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove – one of our favorite beaches so far.

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The trail to Cathedral Cove

Hot Water Beach is one the few places where a thermal spring bubbles up from the sand and allows you to create your own hot tub on the beach when the tide is right.  This feature is amazing in theory and is pretty awesome if you can manage to regulate the temperature of your tub with the oncoming beach break waves but this section of beach might be the most densely populated 500 square meters of beach in the entire country.  Sharing the duties of canal diverting and tub building with dozens of other tourists from all over the world becomes a serious game of international diplomacy.

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Chaos on Hot Water Beach

After Hot Water Beach we were off to Raglan on the West Coast but first we had to stop at the home of he Hobbits – the Shire in Middle Earth.  We found it hilarious that the Tolkien film set location was marked for miles out by road signs directing you to the “Tourist Farm.”

And yes, Hobbiton is a serious tourist attraction.  We were a little daunted at first by the steep ticket prices and endless stream of tour buses but how can any Lord of the Rings fan pass up a chance to spend a few hours in the Shire?  In the end, Hobbiton exceeded all of our expectations and was a highlight of our time in NZ.

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The swell in Raglan

Our journey to Middle Earth was followed up by 4 days on the west coast enjoying the surf, black sand beaches and the laid-back atmosphere of Raglan.  Raglan is famous for its long point breaks and it did not disappoint.  Gil caught the best wave of his life – so good he didn’t really mind that he lost a contact during that session. However, the logistics of having a replacement contact made and shipped to a reliable and known destination half way across the planet has been no small feat…

Our last night in NZ was spent at the residence of Tony and Bridgette Jones in Auckland.  They are friends with a Samish Woods family and graciously opened their home to us.  We shared an enjoyable afternoon at a nearby park with their small sons, Henry and Patrick, followed by a divine classic NZ lamb dinner. We are so grateful for their hospitality!

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Until next time NZ…

 

 

It is unanimous – we all fell in love with New Zealand from day 1.  In fact, we can’t figure out why everyone isn’t already living here.

After landing in Auckland we drove north and took two days wandering around empty beaches and exploring random roadside hikes before we reached the Bay of Islands.  We feel like the areas we have visited are the perfect blend of the San Juan Islands, Scotland and Hawaii. Seriously, why isn’t everyone living here again?

The bay of TutukakaWe took a quick detour to the Tutukaka region which was an amazing section of coastline on the east coast of New Zealand north of Auckland.  The beaches were almost empty except for the local school kids on field trips.  We found incredible masses of oysters and mussels on the rocks which was heartening to see with the struggles facing our shellfish back home.  Campbell even stumbled upon a Portuguese Man of War.

We finally ended up in Paihia which is the portal city to the Bay of Islands.  This area reminded us a lot of Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands.   There was a nice beach and many small hikes and shops to explore.  Our motel was run by a super nice couple named Sue and Dan who’s family had owned the place for 40 years.  Upon arriving at the motel, Sue immediately gave us a small pitcher of milk which apparently is a New Zealand tradition to welcome travelers.

 

The next day we did a much anticipated visit to a glow worm cave south of Paihia. imageWe learned quite a bit about the glow worm life cycle and cave ecosystems. It was the underground version of the bioluminescence we experience in the Salish Sea during the late summer. Nature’s beauty is often immeasurable, but here is an image to share a little of the magic.

Later that day, we executed a late night birding adventure (The Big Year style) to see wild kiwi in their natural habitat. We got to the Aroha Island Eco-Centre around 9:30pm and was greeted by Bob the local camp host who gave us some special headlamps and quick orientation of the islands “bird tracks.”  We walked around the island employing our best Explorer’s Club fox trot in the pitch dark while listening for any bird calls or rustling in the bush.  Those nocturnal kiwi were not out and about yet.  Then around 11:15pm we heard a kiwi calling it’s mate nearby.  We tried to track the location of the call, but our amateur tracking skills were not matched for this kiwi.  After 15 minutes we gave up and upon returning to the car, we heard the same kiwi call out from the darkness.  That bird knew he had beaten another tourist looking to catch a glimpse.  While we didn’t make a sighting, it was a unique and memorable New Zealand evening.

We left Bellingham in the early afternoon headed first for Oahu’s North Shore.  Months of gear planning was whittled down to what, in theory, are just the essentials that fit into a carry-on size pack.  Kim is betting there will still be several items that will be deemed non-essential and cast off at some point – like settlers along the Oregon Trail. Regardless, we each managed to fit six months of personal effects and gear (including two snorkels and masks!) into our 35 to 44 liter packs – not a trivial task.  At some point we can share exactly what we elected to bring and how we organize it all – our medical kit alone is worth a post in itself…

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Our packed bags are ready!

Arriving at the Bellingham Airport, we were greeted by a group of Campbell’s friends and the Davis family for one last goodbye (Tracy and Skye).  As excited as we are to begin this adventure, our week of goodbyes prior to departure remind what an amazing place we call home.

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We are ready for three days of R&R on Oahu before the real world trip starts.