Baggage Allowances

Airlines have variable luggage weight restrictions. International trans-ocean flights are the most generous, usually allowing two 50 lb checked bags for each person. However, because we didn’t book all our flights at the same time and on the same ticket, we had to comply with Air Canada’s baggage allowances for Canada to U.S. flights, only one 50 lb bag per person. Since we were traveling for three months, and it’s business travel at that, I thought we didn’t do too badly packing to that limit. We were slightly over, but Air Canada let us through.

Now, however, we are flying internally on Air New Zealand to the South Island for a week-long lecture tour. Their baggage allowance on internal flights is only 44 lbs per person. They only allow one 15 lb carry on per person, and your computer case is not exempt as it is on most North American airlines. My carry on bag weighs 7 lbs empty!

So we have found ourselves with extra weight. We’ve been here for 7 weeks, and we bought a gift or two. We have groceries, we have laundry detergent, and we have wine. We have a chilly bin (cooler). We have extra books to read. We have folding lawn chairs. We had to buy an extra duffle bag to hold all the stuff. And now we can’t take it with us.

I have given away the extra books and I have tossed the perishables. I am doing some hard pruning and will leave the extra stuff in the trunk of the Jaguar at our friend’s house, until we rejoin the Jag in mid November.

I can hear my children snickering now.

Auckland Zoo

We spent an afternoon at the Auckland Zoo. Definitely the highlight of the day was being allowed to feed the giraffes. The feeding platform is high enough to allow people to feed the giraffes at their height. This giraffe is Kay, the mother of the zoos' latest baby, a girl giraffe named Ntombi, which means 'girl' in Zulu.

Railway Not in Use (thank goodness)

There are a lot of one lane bridges in NZ. I think we see more than our share of them because we always seem to take the road less traveled. This one between Opotiki and Whakatane, however, takes the cake. It’s very long, so long it needs a traffic light because a driver can’t see to the other end for approaching vehicles. The railway tracks down the middle certainly gave us a bad moment, until we read the sign.

Beyond the Bean

On our way out of Opotiki we stopped for coffee at this mobile coffee van. Inside it is gleaming chrome & stainless steel. The owner said he starts out the day in town, then drives a few km to the beach parking lot, back to town for the morning tea break, back to the beach, etc, all day long. I took the photo because of the name (this one’s for you, Brian).

Opotiki

We stayed in a nice little cottage in Opotiki both before and after our East Cape trip. It was at the end of the owner's garden beside a kiwi orchard. This photo is of Barry beside one of the tree hedges protecting the orchard from the coastal winds. You can see its a hedge from the shadows on the left. Yes, it's really that high!

The Ladies Rest Room

New Zealand, like many European countries, has public toilets everywhere. This building, in Opotiki, is one of my favourites. It was built during the Art Deco period, likely in the 1930's. Over the door it says “Ladies Rest Room”, but it’s not actually a toilet anymore; there is a new building constructed next door to serve that function. The rest room appears to be an exhibit space now.

Painted convicts

Every small town and village in NZ seems to have one or two wall murals. Wherever there is a blank wall or a building that needs brightening up, there will be a big mural. This is my favourite though. It’s not really a mural, I suppose, but the windows on this old goal in Gisborne are boarded up and the wood painted with inmates looking out. The Churchill Park Goal was built in 1910 and was in use until 1953, when it was converted into a holiday camp, where campers could sleep in the cells!

East Cape Lighthouse

The East Cape Lighthouse is the first place in NZ to see the sun each day, being the most easterly spot in the country. It can only be reached along a one lane road 20 km long, ending in a small parking area. To actually see the lighthouse you have to walk back along the road from the parking lot, go through a gate and along a private driveway and up the hill, and through another gate and then up 700+ steps to the lighthouse. I had thought we would be able to see the lighthouse, or at least the sea, from the parking area. Think again! Although the drive there was beautiful, remote, rugged, somehow it seemed a let down to go all that way and not see even the top of the lighthouse. So I said, sure, I’ll walk part way up. The sign on the gate warned “25 minutes to the top”. The group coming down said “oh it’s not so bad, we made it up in 8 minutes!” Of course, they were younger than me.

I made it up to and past step 150 (it was etched in the wood). There was a bench about half way up where I thought I might stop. And then a man passed us on his way down who had a prosthetic leg and was using two walking sticks. He'd been to the top! That spurred me on. After a few more huffs and puffs there was a step marked ‘only 300 steps to go’. And then I found myself at the top! Of course, it took me more than 8 minutes. And I needed a rest when I got there.

I realize that most people take photos of the ocean and the cliffs from the lighthouse, but this photo was more important to me. This is a view, from the top, of the parking lot where I started the walk.

East Cape

We had six days to get to Gisborne (on the East Coast) from Auckland. We’ve wanted to drive the East Cape scenic route to Gisborne for some years. It’s a long drive just to get to the beginning of the East Cape from Auckland and the guide books all recommend taking several days to make the 330 km drive around the Cape. We attempted the trip last year but the weather prediction for the weekend we had available was rain, rain and more rain so we just holed up in a nice rental condo on the beach near Whakatane.

The East Cape is one of the most sparsely populated areas in NZ. The coast is windswept and rugged, and the road has spectacular sea views. Most of the population in this area is Maori, and here they own 80% of the land.

It's also well known as having few facilities, ie motels, restaurants, gas stations, etc, although the road is now mostly paved! We filled up the Jaguar with fuel before we left. We stocked up on groceries. Our six days included a long holiday weekend so we decided to pre-book our accommodation, not usually necessary in the off season.

Our somewhat funky motel did have a restaurant, and it was open from 6pm-7pm. Get hungry after that and you are on your own!

Front door?

When you arrive at the bach in Muriwai, you have to walk up a set of wood steps to get to the entry. It's a frosted glass door, as are many front doors in New Zealand. However, the manager of the property directed us around the corner to the huge deck and the sliding glass doors that open from it. I didn't think any more of it.

We soon realized why she didn't take us through that front door. The photo shows that it's actually an exterior door to the (only) shower, so that people coming up from the beach can shower off the sand.

The shower curtain doesn't go all the way around, however. We were surprised when we realized just how much can be seen through the glass, but then we saw the humour in it. We just hope that no-one comes to call when the owners are in the shower. Apparently it's an even better view from the outside!

Fishing

Everywhere we go in NZ we see fisherman. Of course there is a lot of coastline, and many rivers. Even the New Zealand Herald has a daily fishing calendar on its weather page. This sign was posted at the top of the steps down to a favourite fishing spot at Muriwai.



The fishermen go out on the rocks near the gannet colony, but it seems to me that they are flirting with danger. This photo was taken just after high tide, when the huge waves were still washing over the flat rock shelf.

Parasurfing

Muriwai is famous for its black sand beach. The black sand was created by volcanic activity, and apparently it’s very hot to walk on in the summer. However, the beach is 60 km long and is very popular with surfers. One afternoon we walked for a long distance up the beach to watch the parasurfers practicing their sport. They ride the air currents parallel to the beach and sometimes take giant leaps into the air and do somersaults, supported by the parachutes.

Gannets at Muriwai

The Gannet Colony at Muriwai is quite well known. Many Aucklanders will make the day trip out here for the beach and to visit the gannets. It’s one of the few mainland colonies in NZ (ie. not on an island) which means you don’t need to get on a boat tour, people can walk to the viewing platforms to watch the birds doing their mating rituals and building their nests. There is a larger colony on Bonaventure Island in the Gaspe which we visited many years ago; we have a photo of that colony on our kitchen wall.

Muriwai Beach Bach

We had five free days, so decided to get out of Auckland and stay at one of its rugged west coast beaches. We found a bach online at Muriwai Beach, high on the hill that overlooks the ocean, so off we went. It turned out to be a great decision.

The bach has a private set of stairs and steps and ramps to get down to the main road. 106 of them! We walked up and down every day, to get to the small cafe at the beach and to walk the beach or see the gannet colony. Sometimes I had to rest halfway back up, if we'd had a particularly strenous walk around the beach hills.

One Tree Hill

This used to be Auckland’s most distinctive landmark, a single wind-blown tree on top of its highest (extinct) volcano. There’s only an obelisk there now, because the tree that was there on our first visit here was chain-sawed down by a Maori activist several years ago. It’s over a kilometer to the top up a steep winding road that circles its way to the top. We walked up it one afternoon, but forgot the camera to record the view from the top. Some people passed us jogging up to the top and back down but that’s still beyond me.

Auckland

We are now in Auckland where we will be based until the end of October. We have a small one bedroom suite in a businessman’s hotel.

We walk to the nearby Foodtown (grocery store) nearly every day for supplies as our suite has a kitchen but only a small under-counter fridge. There is a tiny restaurant in the hotel but it is only open Monday to Thursday for dinner. We found out why when we decided to stay in the city for our first weekend to see the sights and turned out to be the only guests in the hotel!

The downside of borrowing a car

Did I mention that our kind friends lent us a car to save us having to hire one? Did I also mention that it's a Jaguar, although an older model? On its first night in our Auckland hotel parking lot it was burgled, possibly because it's such an upscale car. None of the other cars were broken into. The side window was smashed in and our phone charger and GPS holder were taken, together with Barry's favourite pair of sunglasses. It seems a pointless theft: how much can they get for some cables and a pair of sunglasses that our children say are definitely 'uncool'.

Our friends just shrugged and said 'Lots of this going on in Auckland, we'll just get it fixed'. The car was only gone for a day. One of their cars was broken into in their driveway last year.

But what a bother to replace these things. The phone charger wasn't too hard, it's a recent model and I bought a replacement charger in an electronics shop. The GPS unit, however, was never imported into NZ and therefore there are no holders to be had. I was able to cobble together something from a cell phone holder and the USB cable that I brought to back it up.

So we've learned the hard way to never leave anything in the car that might indicate to a thief that there might be electronic items inside. We hide the cables and take the GPS unit with us. We've noticed lots of signs in parking lots that say 'Car thieves operate in this area, take your valuables with you'.

Visiting Paeroa

We spent another weekend with Harley & Lilian and the dogs, this time at their own bach in Paeroa. It’s not at a beach but in a typical small NZ town. We visited the farmers market on Saturday morning, and then went on a long walk along the peaceful Karangahake Gorge. Barry is walking Bessie across one of the pedestrian bridges to start the walk.

Coromandel’s first gold rush started in Paeroa in 1875. On Sunday morning we went on another long walk in the Gorge, this time along the former rail line that once served the gold mines. We saw many ruins of the old gold mining buildings.