After a quick change of plane in Sydney and a half-second glimpse of the Opera House - we'll be back to see it properly in March - we arrived in Auckland, NZ. Lilly got very excited by her first glimpse of Nando's for 2 months, which sorted out our dinner plans - she was a bit shocked to discover that Nando's didn't serve alcohol (this is like the inverse of the first time you go to McDonald's in France and see beer on the menu) but other than that it was highly satisfactory.
For our first full day we headed north in our rental car to the Bay of Islands. This is a lovely spot 3 hours north of Auckland and a popular holiday destination, as we discovered when we tried to book a hotel on a day's notice. Fortunately my NZ guru Matthew had recommended that as well as the main entry point, Paihia, we could try Russell, which in the early 19th century was known as the hellhole of the Pacific. It's now a lovely little village on the shores of a beautiful bay and we're having a great time here (even as the weather cycles rapidly from sunny to overcast to windy). Our first evening saw the most beautiful 'pre-sunset' of our trip - all the good ones have been down to the colour of the sky after the sun sets (is this dusk? Twilight? Something else to do with vampires?) but here the sun sat low in the sky, with just enough cloud to block some of its rays and make it look like two spotlights beaming upwards. The low clouds were shaded by the ground and stayed white; the higher ones received rays and turned pink and orange. In front of us was a little jetty and a few moored sailboats, and on the far side of the bay, just below the sun, lies a long range of undulating hills and a few villages. Great stuff. (Picture = 1000 words, I know. One day.)
On the way up we stopped off at Whangarei falls, which Lonely Planet memorably describes as the Paris Hilton of NZ waterfalls - not the most beautiful but probably the most photographed. We also got our first haircuts since November, and not a minute too soon. Lilly had been happily telling me (against my better judgment!) that slightly longer hair suited me and I wasn't allowed to cut it. By the time she'd realised the error of her ways we were in Japan and China where I didn't trust a barber to speak enough English to meet even my simple requirements. I am now a much happier and slightly lighter fellow.
We took the scenic route along the coast for the last chunk. Recommend a stop-off at the Gallery & Cafe just north of Whakapara for brilliant views high over Helena Bay. A twisty, winding drive but great fun.
We have now also been to Paihia on the ferry (not nearly as nice) and strolled up to Waitangi, the site of the signing of the treaty which effectively established NZ. They're gearing up for the anniversary of this, Waitangi Day, on Saturday. We're making ourselves scarce before then on the advice of our kiwiguru as there can be a few tensions surrounding this...
Boats
Interior of traditional meeting house
Detail from exterior of meeting house
In the evening we (well, Lilly) cooked us dinner in the amazing luxury cottage that we've been forced to rent due to lack of any other options (or so Lilly told me). Very enjoyable and nice to get off the restaurant treadmill for once.
One more sunset...
Great start to our month in NZ all round. Hope it's all as good as this...
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