Chapter Eight

The Hills are Alive...

By:  Suzen

On a chilly but bright sunny day I left Waihoihoi Lodge to spend a few days in an area of Northland New Zealand called The Bay of Islands. One of the joys of traveling in New Zealand has been the Intercity Coach. If we had buses like this in America I would have traveled the entire country by now! These buses are punctual and reliable, are more comfortable than planes, cleaner than most cars... (no eating or drinking allowed) with a friendly conscientious driver. At least, this has been my experience. Since the buses are usually nowhere near full I consider the double seat as my personal suite with high back, reclining seats and big picture windows exposing the green and blue of the NZ countryside. I read or work on this journal or just veg while enjoying the scenery. As we drove north, the hilly green meadows were either graced with a beautiful stand of trees lined up across the ridge or the green ridges without trees gave you the distinct feeling that Julie Andrews would come twirling across any minute with her breathless song already on the rise.

Photo Above titled - The Hills are Alive

We pulled into Paihai in the Bay of Islands mid-afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day here as well, still verging on cold. (I know I know it is winter!!) Still, everything is sooooo green, and as I walked through town the smell of freshly mown grass actually made me feel warmer! One of the old homes, (an historic dwelling I have already forgotten) is currently the public library on the grounds of the village green. I took a risk and walked into this library knowing full well I may never walk out! I am a complete chump for libraries of any sort, but these small cozy ones with big windows and big chairs and books everywhere just about do me in!! Still, I was able to tear myself away (there were no chairs available), and continue with my plan, which was to take the ferry over to the next town.

Photo above-  Paihia Beach

The town across the bay is a waterfront town called Russell and has the appearance of a place 50 or more years ago. Very picturesque and, in the summer, I am sure it is lovely to sit out on the beach or at a sidewalk café. However, the afternoon I was there I just sat inside by the fire and enjoyed looking out the windows while sipping on something warm. The ferry returned us to Paihia just as the sun was setting. I got no pictures because I was so much enjoying the warmth inside the ferry and the reddish gold beauty outside while moving through blue waters. These are the times I feel so exhilarated and fortunate to be exactly where I am at the moment that to try to capture it almost causes the magic to diminish.

Photo Above- Russell

On the chilly and dark walk back to the Lodge after the ferry trip, I stopped at a local fish & chips place called Mako's Beach Bar and had an excellent dinner of, needless to say, fish & chips, next to a blazing heater which allowed me to also enjoy the cold Guiness that they featured.

Photo Above- Paihia Bay

A new phenomenon for me is the guesthouses and backpackers hostels. Of course, I have heard of hostels, but that was back when the words counter and culture were hip. The word hostel, or even backpacker for that matter, conjures up in my mind - shelter from the elements, big rooms of shaggy hippies, hiking boots and cigarette smoke. However, times, as they say, are changing. Now, according to Wikipedia..., "The traditional hostel format involved dormitory style accommodation. Some newer hostels include en-suite accommodation with single, double or quad occupancy rooms, though to be considered a hostel they must also provide dormitory accommodation. In recent years the numbers of independent and backpackers' hostels has increased greatly to cater for the greater numbers of overland, multi-destination travelers ...The recent eruption in independent hostels has been called, "the single biggest news in the world of low-cost travel". Right. Also, I discover, to my extreme happiness, that ensuite means attached private bath.

Photo Above-  Me At Saltwater Lodge

One of the appeals of staying in this type accommodation, aside from the killer price, is the opportunity to meet people from other countries and often very diverse styles of life. In addition, often those who run the guesthouse/lodge are typically in touch with the region on a more local level and the chances of learning about the area outside the touristy parts are much improved. The place I stayed in Painia, was called the Saltwater Lodge. I had a 4 bed "dorm room", but being winter, I had it all to myself with a huge, spit clean bathroom and hot and cold shower, refrigerator and hot water maker for tea or coffee. Then there is the huge common kitchen (merely label your food) and a lounge with tables, couches, computers and a big TV with lots of movies. My room was just under $19 US dollars per day. It was warm, clean, roomy and quiet. What's not to like?

Photo Above-  My Dorm Room

When I arrived in Paihia I was encouraged to sign up for a tour to the edge of the world....no, really! It IS called the edge of the world!  Anyway, according to local legend the Maori Indians of New Zealand believe that when a person dies, his spirit travels to this spot where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean converge.  Here the spirit sprouts wings and is free to move about the universe.  However, if the person was evil during his lifetime, he will not sprout wings but rather fall into the sea to be eaten by a sea monster.

Photo Above- Convergence of the waters

That morning I was picked up at my lodge at 7:15...and began the excursion to Cape Reinga and the edge of the world. The tour consisted of twelve hours and quite a few miles of breathtaking scenery and tons of local history and Maori lore presented by one of the best storytellers I can remember hearing. (Of course, the lilting NZ accent is a treat in itself.) This tour was well worth the $100 it cost me.

Photo Above-  Morning Mist

The beginning of the trip took us through Northland countryside just as the sun was rising. There had been a frost overnight, (one of only 1 or 2 per year up here!) and once again, the fairyland quality of this frost on the lush green grass was impossible to capture, especially with a small digital camera...and from the window of a moving bus!! Still, check out this lovely idyllic scene.

Photo Above-  Me at the edge of the world

The destination and highlight of the trip was Cape Reinga, which is located at the tip of the north island of New Zealand. Today there is a lighthouse at the point where these two bodies of water meet and converge. The color actually differs from the more turquoise color of the Tasman Sea and the darker blue of the South Pacific, with a long stretch of turbulent water.

Photo Above-  Meeting Waters

Photo Above- Convergence of the Waters

The route to get to Cape Reinga was via the 90-mile beach, which is closer to 60 actual miles. However, the beach is spectacular no matter how many miles long it is. We drove the length of this beach to get to the Cape in a bus that had been built on a truck chassis and fitted for this type excursion. This is a wild beach in every sense of the word, although the day we were there it was quite subdued, still you could tell this was not an American beach!! There is no swimming, no sunbathing, certainly no tiki bars!! The undertow and swells are supposedly vicious, according to our tour guide, who told us that you can be in waist deep water one minute and the next minute the water can be at your chin from the swells. Often, too, there are rogue waves that can arrive suddenly and carry an unsuspecting object - say you - out to sea...next stop South America! There are 3 entrances or exits on this beach and only three for the full 60 miles. The sand dunes are huge and vast. We stopped several times and our guide warned us each time not to go into the dunes. (Pronunced - junes).

Photo Above- DUNES

He said one can easily get disoriented and very lost in the junes. Also, if you drive on the beach and decide to camp or otherwise leave your vehicle and come back after high tide, your vehicle will be buried in the sand and is virtually irretrievable in one piece.  We stopped several times to view different sights, one of which was a rare sleeping seal. And a big bird related to the condor....

Photo Above- SEAL on 90 Mile Beach

Photo Above- Water of 90 mile beach

In addition to driving on this very wide beach we left the beach by way of a "stream", according to our driver...whatever you want to call it, it was a tributary flowing from the surrounding area into the sea. It was wide and fairly deep in places and I am guessing a couple of miles long. Near the entrance to this stream were some dunes that had obviously been confiscated by the tour groups. Our bus came supplied with boogie boards and there was sand boarding for all!! Yippee! This I was really looking forward to. Until I saw the junes and watched some mature guys doing it... In the end, I declined...if I had not been alone and afraid of fractures or a concussion, with no one knowing who I was and no clue how many hours the next medical facility was, I would have been near the front of the line. Plus I thought of our beautiful soft sand dunes in Florida...with these junes on the 90 mile beach I may just as well have gotten on a boogie board and tumbled down a high steep red clay hill in Georgia!

Photo Above-  Sand Boarding

Photo Above- Beginning of the stream

Photo Above- The Stream

Finally we emerged from the stream and onto a hard surfaced road of sorts for another few miles before getting back onto a normal highway. A day at the beach in New Zealand is just not the same day at the beach that I am used to!! But a   day and a beach to remember. With all the development of my world, i.e. Florida, this beach is an amazing example of the undeveloped wonders still existing on this planet. 

We returned to Paihia around 7:30 that evening after one last excursion up a gravel road to the top of a ridge where the Maninginangina Reserve is located.  We arrived at dusk and were all silent with a reverence for this forest. The Puketi Forest is an ancient forest, where the Kauri tree, which is totally protected now, can reach a height of 169 feet and up to 45 feet in circumference with an estimated age of 2,100 years.  The Kauri is among the world's largest trees in company with the Sequoia and the Giant Redwood, and is considered one of New Zealand's most precious habitats.

I really loved my last full day in Paihia. Walking around in an unknown town in a foreign country, not even the right season for me (winter in July) put me into another dimension. I had on my fleece jacket and 2 pairs of socks and good sneakers and a backpack and I felt as complete and rich as I possibly could at that moment.  A different climate, new food, not knowing a single soul was all kind of exhilarating. All I was responsible for was to wander...taking in the sights and smells of a new place, the exquisite little flowers, a sea of blue water, all the splendid little things that filled me up with gratitude. Wandering with no schedule, knowing when I was hungry I would eat and when I got sleepy there was a warm clean room. I really loved that day.

Photo Above- Winter Flowers

Photo Above- Tiny Flowers

 Photo Above- Flower

Photo Above- Breakfast

My last stop in New Zealand was at the Big Blue House in Auckland where I stayed for 2 nights before catching my flight back to Bali.  I arrived just in time for dinner, as my food karma continues to carry me along on a wave of culinary delights. The next day was cold and rainy and I spent the better part of it (after breakfast of course, more homemade bread!!) in my very cozy little room under the feather quilt in what felt like my mother's womb! The electric blanket under the mattress cover helped with that sensation and forbade me to exert much more effort than it took to turn the pages of my book...There were only 2 other guests in the House, two women from California. That night for dinner my host decided that she would treat us Americans to a traditional Kiwi dinner consisting of an all day roasted lamb with real mint sauce, a bowl piled high with a variety of roasted potatoes, green peas and lots of graaaaavy. Then, we had a New Zealand meringue cake with fresh fruit and hokey pokey ice cream. (Guess who woke up moaning in the morning?) Thankfully one of my new friends from California took me on a nice long walk around Auckland the next morning before I had to get a cab to the airport for the 12 hour trip back to Bali!  My new friend from California, Laurie, has a Guesthouse in the mountains near San Bernardino. How fortuitous!  It is called The Rainbow View Lodge in Running Springs, CA. Check it out at http://www.rainbowviewlodge.com/ The four us, Laurie and Anna from California and Wendy, our New Zealand host, and me spent several hours after the Kiwi dinner burning off our calories through talk!! We discussed everything from self-awareness in women around the world (we are all the same) to leasing a car for a 6-month stay in New Zealand...next trip!

Photo Above- WENDY, LAURIE & ME

Photo Above- Low Tide Auckland

I knew when I got to the airport in Auckland something was up. There was too much laughing and squealing and the energy level was just in the stratosphere. Turns out it was National Youth Day in Sydney where 60,000 "youth" were converging on the city...most of whom were on my flight!

The Sydney airport, (so far) is the only airport I have been hopelessly lost in. Thank God I had 3 hours to make my connection. Finding my gate took up most of my connection time, which involved a bus to a separate terminal which no one deemed important enough to mention to me, although I asked everyone walking in an upright position.  Finally, I am sitting in the midst of what feels like the whole of humanity waiting to board.  Stationed here, all of the people I will live with for the next several hours (including inconsolable children) parade before me. Sometimes repeatedly. My one bright hope is that dinner will be served...and earphones provided! Once more I will cross 2 seas from the island of New Zealand to the island of Bali before crossing seas and continents to get home. I would not have missed this opportunity in New Zealand for anything. The NZ tourism board is presenting NZ as the youngest country on earth and has an awesome video ad...check it out at: http://www.newzealand.com/travel/International/

One more stopover in Bali and I am heading home. Home, what a concept, filled with every warm emotion and all the longing of my heart.

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