Bay of Plenty

October 26th through October 28 is the 3 day Labour Day Holiday here in New Zealand.  So equipped with perfect spring weather, a small bag of clothes, our backpacks filled with tramping essentials, we set off for the Bay of Plenty, one of New Zealand's most popular  holiday spots.  Our first stop was Paeroa, a small town known for its antiques and designated the entrance to Bay of Plenty.  After a spot of tea and coffee and some retail therapy, we continued on to Waihi which is nicknamed New Zealand's Heart of Gold.  Yep ---- David found  gold!

This is quite a site!  We were able to walk all along the rim.  This is Martha's Mine and is still operating though is scheduled to close for good in 2014.  In the early 1900's it was the focus of the town and very successful.  It had been closed for a while and reopened in the late 1980's when the price of gold went up.

The pump house on site.

This gold mining truck makes David look diminutive.  Check out those tires!

A gear of some sort used in the mining process.  No I am NOT stuck!

                                   View of the rolling hills of Waihi from the top of the mine.

Now it was time to drive on to Katikati and check in at the Cotswold Lodge B&B where Alison and Des were our hosts and new friends.  After a chat and cuppa we were on our way to explore town.

Known as the mural town Katikati is chock full of art.  There are several murals painted on buildings throughout the town depicting the history of the town.  They are incredibly well done.

That's just a sample!

This town also has a Haiku Pathway - the largest collection of haiku stones outside Japan.  These are part of a unique millenium art project.  The pathway meanders along the Uretara Stream in town.  Hugh river boulders are engraved with these word paintings.  Here are just a few:

stationary bus

walking we visit places

within each other

over smooth grey stones

summer trickles away

Katikati dawn

heron call from river mouth

raindrops on mural

seated shadow

a butterfly pauses

on my hat

Clearly I just loved this.  Then along the Uretara walkway there were also incredible sculptures.  There is an open air art organization which keeps all this art looking beautiful and keeps it expanding.

Me and my Moa!

Before a wonderful dinner David sits with his new Katikati friend.  Everyone is so friendly and helpful.

At dinner we were joined by a few locals Mary and John  who own a kiwifruit and avocado farm.  They suggested some must do's while in the Bay of Plenty and gave us their contact info if we needed anything while in New Zealand ----- so nice!

Day 2 of our big labour day weekend started with a fun breakfast with the other quests and then a trip to Mount Maunganui ("The Mount") a fun resort town.  Of course we had to climb the mountain which is a dormant volcano --- this was rather steep and had a gazillion steps up one side.  Here are some views from the top.

This last pix is of Mount Maunganui from the bottom.  Mauao means "caught by the light of the dawn".  The beautiful white sand beaches go on for many km.  We were able to picnic and stroll along the beach before heading for one more tramp that day.

An overview of Mount Maunganui. 

We returned to Waihi beach and pushed on to do the Orakawa Bay Tramp.  The weather was still beautiful and this tramp went along the cliffs and through the bush to Orakawa Bay --- Just beautiful!

David in the bush --- many pohutukawa trees. And no he did not push this tree over with his brute strength! This trail eventually led down to a small enclosed bay.

I will end this blog with another haiku.  Our last day of this wonderful weekend will have its own blog.

beneath the moon

to the heron's slow step

towards frog-sound

I'm afraid we were moving toward a fish and chips dinner, gobbled on the deck at the lodge. Thus our own haiku:

Exhausted from tramping

so much to see

Peaceful deck dinner

Symphony to Flowers

Another fine weekend with partly cloudy (which means partly sunny) and mild days and nights.  The Howick Market was hopping this Saturday with fresh produce, Middle Eastern fare, and an assortment of plants.  Howickians were out in droves enjoying a cuppa with friends along the sidewalk cafes.  What a pleasant way to begin a Saturday.  Then it was on to Mangemangeroa Reserve for a quick 2 hour bush walk.  No pictures since I have already posted some from this walk.  We topped this relaxing day with a visit to the Vodafone Events Center for a concert entitled "We are Pasifika" with the Manukau Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with Auckland's Pasifica community.  The soloists were incredible and had absolutely beautiful voices.  The concert honored all Pacific Islanders and Maori beginning with the usual Maori greeting.  Children from the Auckland area played instruments and familiar songs in an incredible collaborative venture.  Their conductor was Irish and Samoan.  Here are a few photos.

You can see the choirs on the top bleachers that was made up of students from several schools.

Our friend, Chris, who plays a French Horn with the symphony invited us to this concert and was one of the musicians invited to play a conch shell at the onset of the concert.  Here is a picture of her taken after the concert.

It is so cool.  Each conch has a mouth piece inserted in it and each makes a different sound.  It produced an unusual musical sound.

Sunday was another perfect day for an adventure.  So we piled in Carol's car and headed 2 hours south to Hamilton to visit the Hamilton Gardens.  These Gardens are a public park owned by the people of Hamilton.  There is no admission fee.  Not only did we enjoy the gardens but continued on a river walkway into the town for lunch.  A beautiful area.

                                This waterfall greeted us as we took our first turn in the park.

                           These blue boys were sunning themselves on a rock in Turtle Lake.

                           Check out how the circle is completed in the reflection in the water.

No, it's not the Wizard of Oz --- though we did feel like we were following the yellow brick road.  This is Sue and our favorite NZ dog, Archie, Carol, and the Scarecrow himself.

My favorite was the Indian Char Bagh Garden with this array of flowers.  The dianthus and poppies were so vibrant.

This is the long view of the four-quartered garden built as an escape from a harsh environment in 16th Century India.

This is another example of the walled gardens.  It is an interpretation of 15th -16th Century Italian Renaissance gardens.

There were several examples of walled gardens that were fun to experience and walk through.

And I will end in the Te Parapara,  the garden demonstrating traditional Maori horticulture,  with two figures that are important in the Maori culture.  The extension of the tongue is not disrespectful as it is in our culture.  Notice --- no purple raincoat ----

                                                                          Kia Ora

Party - Tramping - TCF

Midweek was Carol's Birthday --- so we coordinated a surprise party with her good Kiwi friend, Carolyn.    Note the dollar store champagne glasses!

Starting on the left is the birthday girl, Carol. Hiding behind her is Carolyn, Grace (friend of Katie's)., Katie (daughter of Carolyn), Sue (Carol's flatmate landlady) and me.  We continued the surprise by meeting another couple and Carolyn's husband at the restaurant.  It was Carol's first ever surprise party.

Saturday ended up being a rainy, windy day so David and I worked out and then settled in for Saturday at the Movies right in our living room (which Kiwi's refer to as a lounge).  We would need our stored up energy for our Sunday explorations.

Sunday was mostly fine perfect for tramping.  So we took a ferry over to Waiheke Island which has numerous beaches, vineyards, art galleries, and laid back seaside villages.  A short shuttle ride brought us to Oneroa where we began our tramp doing a loop along the coast.  It was absolutely beautiful.

                                             View of Hurauki Gulf  from the Ferry.

What I love about tramping in New Zealand is the variety of terrain --- there is always some bush walking mixed in with cliff walking overlooking the coast.  I'll leave you to ponder the Valley of Tranquility...

We passed this Rudolph Steiner preschool --- vestiges of the hippy days on this island and the Waldorf School that Travis attended.   You've got to love it.

                                       We trekked right up behind this vineyard as we entered the bush.

The top photo is a view from the cliff and the bottom is along Island Bay Beach.

              And David even found a horse I might be willing to ride --- where do these things come from?

This was the point we had to turn inland before reaching Owhanake Bay on the other side of the island.

This was a good 3 and 1/2 hour tramp and just had beautiful views.

This is Matiatia  Bay --- the end of this tramp.  This is the ferry building where the ferries from Auckland come into.  We had taken the ferry from Half Moon Bay so landed on the other side of the island at Kennedy Point which made for an interesting adventure.  Since we were catching the 7 PM ferry back there were no more shuttles back to Kennedy Point.  What does this mean ---- We had an additional 1 hour walk from Oneroa after dinner ---- I was gobsmacked!

          When we dragged our sorry bodies onto the ferry it was party time!  You have to love the kiwis!

And now an update about TCF in Auckland.  We had our very first meeting tonight and it was great.  There were two other couples and one woman that attended along with Judith, the grief coordinator for Auckland - 8 total which made for a perfect first meeting.  Everyone was open to sharing and grateful for the group.  David and I are blessed to be able to get this started --- a great beginning.  Everyone said they were returning next month.  There is healing in sharing.  

         

Coastal Towns

Saturday and Sunday were both beautiful mild spring days with partial overcast skies --- perfect for long walks along the coast and exploring Devonport.  Devonport is a peninsula that you can drive to or ferry to.  Saturday was a perfect ferry day.

Eager to get a feel for the whole city not just the main street areas,  David and I tramped up the hills to see some of the oldest buildings in Auckland.

The perfect gingerbread trimmed green house.  Wouldn't you love it??

We also walked all along the coast where David always seems to find something war-like.

He's figuring out how it works.  This cannon is on display at the entrance of the naval base on Devonport.

We climbed up these stairs to a wonderful domain (park) in an out-of-way part of Devonport.  Following is a view from on top.

As in every day of exploration,  David seems to find a mode of transportation made just for me.

                                                       Panic Mouse!  Really?

We had a relaxing day on Sunday enjoying the sunshine and a long coastal walk from Half Moon Bay to Bucklands Beach almost to the tip.  Sunday was also a practice driving day for me.  I drove all the way to Half Moon Bay and back with no close calls and back and forth to the grocery store --- getting into a parking space seemed to be my biggest challenge.  I, however think this enlarged pix of Panic Mouse depicts David's posture as passenger.

To keep you all updated on the progress of TCF in Auckland.  Here is the article that appeared in the local Times yesterday.

Kia Ora