This is our second trip in less than 2 months in New Zealand. Ravi likes travelling and is restless if he has many days off. Nothing was planned for the Christmas holidays, so we made last minute decision to go on a vacation to the Bay of Islands. The bookings and the itinerary planning was left to me, as I have "nothing to do" these days. Never mind, I used the Internet as a tool and worked my way into the place to visit, the motel, things to do, etc.... etc.
We set out on Christmas morning and started driving towards the north of Auckland, to the North land. The drive to the Paihia town, where we had booked our accommodation for 2 days was beautiful. Like every drive through the country side of New Zealand this one was no exception! The region was hilly and mountainous, so the terrain was curvy. We were reminded of the roads of Western Ghats back in Karnataka, India. The only difference being the dense forests surrounding the western ghats. These motorways are surrounded by either huge pine forests or large grazing lands dotted with horses, sheep and cattle. After a 3 hour drive we reached the quiet town of Paihia, and settled into our motel room. It was lunch time and as we had expected all the shops and restaurants were closed. Finding vegetarian food became much more difficult with a very few eateries open. Luckily we found a pizzeria which served veg pizzas! We were happy to find one, after a long search. There were only a few eateries, so the ones that were open charged a surcharge of 12.5%!!!!! So we ended up paying more.
We set out on Christmas morning and started driving towards the north of Auckland, to the North land. The drive to the Paihia town, where we had booked our accommodation for 2 days was beautiful. Like every drive through the country side of New Zealand this one was no exception! The region was hilly and mountainous, so the terrain was curvy. We were reminded of the roads of Western Ghats back in Karnataka, India. The only difference being the dense forests surrounding the western ghats. These motorways are surrounded by either huge pine forests or large grazing lands dotted with horses, sheep and cattle. After a 3 hour drive we reached the quiet town of Paihia, and settled into our motel room. It was lunch time and as we had expected all the shops and restaurants were closed. Finding vegetarian food became much more difficult with a very few eateries open. Luckily we found a pizzeria which served veg pizzas! We were happy to find one, after a long search. There were only a few eateries, so the ones that were open charged a surcharge of 12.5%!!!!! So we ended up paying more. Haruru falls
After the pizza lunch we headed to a waterfall called Haruru Falls. The fall turned out to be a small one with water flowing down a 2 to 3 feet tall rock! There was a short forest walk all along the river bank. We skipped it and went ahead to the Waitangi heritage site. This is a historical place with some of the important political developments of NZ recorded and treasured. There are various cultural shows of the Maori playing here. The Maoris are considered as the natives of this island country. The site can be explored on own or through some of the guided tours. It was closed for Christmas, so we decided to come back later.
After an hour of a good nap we headed to the beach to play. The sun sets at 8.30 pm and there is sunlight till about 9 pm in summer, so we had lot of time to play in the sea! After a long romantic walk on the seashore we headed back to the motel.
The next day was planned for a small cruise in the Pacific Ocean to see some of the numerous islands that make
the Bay of Islands. The main attraction of this cruise was to see the "hole in the rock" and the dolphins! The cruise left early and we sailed into the sea gazing at the beautiful lonely islands......some fortunate businessmen have their own holiday homes in some of these islands. Lucky bunch of people! After a few minutes we reached the dolphin zone. We saw many of them, they were loving the attention i guess. They came close to the cruise sometimes. The dolphins jumped out of the water to breathe and snorted! Seeing the dolphins in their natural habitat was good, better than the caged ones. Next on the itinerary was 'hole in the rock'. Hole in the Rock
Hole in the rock is about a big hole that naturally paves a way through a huge rock. The hole is so big that a cruise can zoom through it. There are different rides that one can take to experience this. There is a fast boat that breezes through the hole or there are slow cruises, like the one we took that slowly takes u through. The rock is huge and there are many crevasses all over it, but this is the only one that is a big hole. This was unique and amazing!
Another evening in the beach ended day 2 in the beach town of Paihia.
An old canoe
We checked out of the motel on day 3 and headed to the Waitangi Heritage Trust. I wanted to see the cultural shows, but time did not permit it. So we bought tickets for a guided tour explaining the history and the birth of the country. The guide took us around and showed us the biggest canoe ever built by the Maori and the flagstaff where the first flag of the country was hoisted. He narrated the stories associated with the birth of the country, the wars fought and how the country became independent. After delving into the history we were left to roam around the site and explore the place by our self.
There is a huge meeting room decorated with carvings. In this hall, traditional Maori welcome is rendered to special guests visiting. There is also an old house believed to be of an English General, preserved and turned into a mini museum.
The half day trip to the Waitangi brought our Bay of Islands vacation to an end. It was time to head home. We took a detour and headed to see the oldest living trees called Kauri trees in the Waipua forest.
One need not go into the forest all my himself to see the trees and get lost. The layout of the forest is displayed before entering it. In addition to this, the estimated time required to complete the walkway is also given. There are proper wooden pathways laid out all along to reach the tree. One should keep to the walkways so that they are not lost in the forest! This was impressing and encouraging to take the walk. We saw the oldest living tree called Tane Mahute - Lord of the forest, and many others. There were walkways and precise directions to all the trees that are considered heritage. Though the forest is filled with the Kauri trees, the attractions are some like the tallest, the oldest etc, among them. One fascinating amongst them was Four sisters, this was four trees grown close to one another, so close, that it looked like they shared the same root! I don't know if they really share the same roots but the name gave me the understanding :)
We checked out of the motel on day 3 and headed to the Waitangi Heritage Trust. I wanted to see the cultural shows, but time did not permit it. So we bought tickets for a guided tour explaining the history and the birth of the country. The guide took us around and showed us the biggest canoe ever built by the Maori and the flagstaff where the first flag of the country was hoisted. He narrated the stories associated with the birth of the country, the wars fought and how the country became independent. After delving into the history we were left to roam around the site and explore the place by our self.There is a huge meeting room decorated with carvings. In this hall, traditional Maori welcome is rendered to special guests visiting. There is also an old house believed to be of an English General, preserved and turned into a mini museum.
The half day trip to the Waitangi brought our Bay of Islands vacation to an end. It was time to head home. We took a detour and headed to see the oldest living trees called Kauri trees in the Waipua forest.
One need not go into the forest all my himself to see the trees and get lost. The layout of the forest is displayed before entering it. In addition to this, the estimated time required to complete the walkway is also given. There are proper wooden pathways laid out all along to reach the tree. One should keep to the walkways so that they are not lost in the forest! This was impressing and encouraging to take the walk. We saw the oldest living tree called Tane Mahute - Lord of the forest, and many others. There were walkways and precise directions to all the trees that are considered heritage. Though the forest is filled with the Kauri trees, the attractions are some like the tallest, the oldest etc, among them. One fascinating amongst them was Four sisters, this was four trees grown close to one another, so close, that it looked like they shared the same root! I don't know if they really share the same roots but the name gave me the understanding :)
Waipua forest
The detour was a long one and we reached Auckland by late evening. We were driving for more than 5 hours that day with very small breaks. This had exhausted us and we were ready for a good sleep.
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