Stony Bay

This is Stony Bay, definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The photos we have don't really do the place justice. It is a great place to spend a few days, if not because of the beauty, then because of the remoteness, which keeps the crowds to a minimum. We spent three days here and enjoyed hanging out, going for hikes and swimming/snorkeling in the warm water. We also spent a lot of time lying around under the giant pohutukawa trees in our campsite.

Here is the view from our tent. The
sound of waves lapping on the rocks
have a soothing effect and help you
get to sleep at night.




















Here is a picture along the Coromandel Walkway, which connects other bays and campgrounds along the tip of the peninsula.

The Coromandel is a popular destination this time of year and Cathedral Cove is probably the most crowded spot in the area. Fortunately we were there early in the morning so we avoided most of the crowds.

It was a really pleasant 45 minute walk down to the cove and there weren't many people on the beach when we got there. In a short while, though, more and more people were coming down the trail and tour boats were crowding the water. We knew it was time to leave when the banana boat showed up.





























There are actually three bays along the trail so we stopped to check out the others on the way back. The first is Gemstone Bay, where Scott went snorkeling. It has a snorkel trail of buoys with photos and information about the species that live in the marine reserve.

First stop... Rotorua

We've just returned from our tour of the Coromandel, at the north end of the North Island. It was a wonderful ten day vacation of warm weather, white sand beaches and turquoise water. But first, we stopped in Rotorua, a hot spot for geothermal activity, on the drive up.







The whole town smells of sulfur and every hotel and campground has it's own geothermal pool(s). We decided to skip the expensive goethermal areas and spas and checked out Kuirua Park instead, a city park with some bubbling mud and steaming pools.




















I'm not sure if it was quite as cool as Geyserland would have been but you can't beat the price (free!) They had a couple of built pools where you could soak your feet in the hot spring water and bridges across some of the steaming ponds (see Scott's photo.) Check the next post for photos of beautiful beaches!

Taranaki - Part Deux

This is a picture overlooking Back Beach right in New Plymouth. This is where Scott went surfing.




We did a short hike along the White Cliffs walkway near Urenui, just east of New Plymouth. The first part of the loop was over private farmland, which was really interesting because we had to walk through the field where the farmer was out baling hay. I had never seen the machine that makes those giant rolled bales of hay in action. The farmer would be driving his tractor, pulling a hay baler along, and when the baler was full he would stop and the machine would pop a hay bale out the back. This is the view from the top of the farm, looking back over the field we walked through.















Maribeth using one of the stiles along the White cliff walkway.




















This is Scott on a bridge halfway through the hike.




















The second half of the loop was along the beach. This is a picture of the high cliffs and black sand beach on the walk back.




















Overall it was a great trip, Scott is already planning our next visit. Hopefully we'll get better surf next time though. This weekend we're off to the Coromandel, at the north end of the North Island. We'll be on the road for about ten days, so look for some more photos in a couple of weeks!

Taranki, part 1

Rather than sit around windy Wellington on boxing day, we decided to make a run for the Taranaki area. It was a long 5 hour drive, but definitely worth it. The weather was so much warmer and the winds were far tamer. This spot is without a doubt a great place to pass a few days (or many days). This is the iconic Mt Taranaki, located smack in the middle of an oversized peninsula.

The waves in the area are legendary, and arguably the most consistent and best in all of NZ. Unfortunately, we were unlucky and the swell kind of died when we arrived. There was enough left over to catch a few small ripples. Here I am groveling in some Great Lakes sized surf.















Golf anybody? After you sink your triple bogey putt, you can chase the sheep to blow off a little steam. I think the Kiwis have things figured out.













Here is a picture representative of the rugged Taranaki coastline.















We're tired from all the driving so that's all for today. We'll try to post some more photos from the rest of the trip in the next day or two.

Christmas in NZ

It's Christmas day in NZ! We decided to get a tree the other day because we weren't feeling much holiday spirit. It's a bit of a Charlie Brown tree but it brightens up the living room. Radiata pine is the standard Christmas tree here, no firs.















We went to the beach this morning and took some photos of the pohutukawa trees. They're known as New Zealand Christmas trees because they always bloom this time of year. They are beautiful trees and the hillsides turn red when they're in bloom. Very festive!















Jason made us eggs Benedict for breakfast and we drank mimosas this morning. Scott got to surf this afternoon and now we're baking a ham for dinner. Overall it's been a very nice Christmas. We miss you all though!

Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

We visited the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary over the weekend. It's a preserve just outside the city of Wellington, mostly for birds but they also have habitat for tuatara (ancient lizards) and weta (giant bugs).




















Maribeth at the gate headed beyond the fence into the Karori bird sanctuary. The fenced boundary gave it a Jurassic Park feel.

The fence really isn't this tall throughout the park but it is effective at keeping certain predators out of the park. It is tall enough to keep the possum from leaping over and has an over hanging top hat to keep animals from climbing over. The fence is also tight meshed to keep smaller animals from squeezing through.

Here is the fence from afar.




















This is the Kaka. I believe this bird was virtually extinct from the main islands of NZ, but has made a small comeback due to the formation of this reserve.




















This is the Tui. This bird probably has the most interesting and varied bird song. It is known to mimic other birds and other animals as well. The populations of the Tui in the Wellington area have increased substantially since the completion of this sanctuary.