Mother Nature Soaks the Kiwis

Rain - The Most Annoying Element in Mother Nature's Arsenal
Whoever said, "The good thing about rain is that you don't have to shovel it," ought to be shot.  We picked up the rental camper van on Saturday afternoon just ahead of the rain that came down in sheets without a moment's pause until we managed to drive out of it on Monday at 4:00 pm.  I mean typhoon class rain.  During the height of it (Sunday afternoon) I would gladly have been standing in my driveway bundled-up with a snow shovel in my hands.  And this was nothing to the rain that devastated the east coast of Australia.  That was the most expensive natural disaster in their history.

There was nothing we could do other than huddle in the cramped confines of the van and listen to the drumming on the roof.  Sunday afternoon in Rotorua we sought out a sports pub and sat and watched tennis.  After the match we were able to catch the weather forecast.  The broadcast would determine which direction we drove in the morning.  Wanganui, on the west coast, was forecast to have sunshine by Monday afternoon.

On the drive towards Waganui we skirted mud, rock and boulder slides.  Some of the rocks were the size of fitness balls.  If a car was unlucky enough to be passing as one came down that would be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  We drove through flooded patches of highway.  Some areas were so flooded that only one lane was open and maintenance crews were on hand monitoring the situation.  I kept having visons of our van floating away across the tree tops like the scenes that took place north of Brisbane.  You just never know.

In Wanganui the sun was out and so was half the population.  There was a constant stream of vehicles driving down to the river to see the level and to witness the fact that a major portion of their boardwalk was underwater.

Man can control most things but not mother nature.  Whine, rail and complain all you like but that is the way of it.
Post script  - when Don and I picked up the camper van the woman signing it out  asked if we were on our honeymoon.  Imagine! I guess because of the cosy nature of the space.  After 3 days of rain in that van I thought that if we had been newly married we'd be divorced before the ink was completely dry on the certificate.


Neat Down Under Innovations
Two things that are neat innovations and are found in both Australia and New Zealand are:
1.  BYO restaruants - these are restaurants that allow you to bring in your own wine.
2.  Camping ensuites - a powered campsite with a private ensuite (a little cabin)  that  comes along with the sites.  Inside is a toilet, shower and over-sized sink.

Waitamo Area
The one  touristy activity that we did during the diluge was to go the Waitomo district to take in one of the cave excursions that the area is famous for.  Steve and Julia did the Waitomo Glow Worm cave cruise.  As I am not overly fond of the crawly little creatures Don and I went in the Ruakuri Cave.

According the the Maori legend ('rua' meaning den, and 'kuri' meaning dog) was first discovered 400-500 years ago by a young Maori hunting birds.  He was attacked by wild dogs just outside the original cave entrance.  The cave was re-opened in 2005 and is an amazing example of engineering and natural cave structures.  You descend into the cave by a spiral staircase (15 feet across) that was excavated one metre at a time and encased in cement as it was exposed.  The walkways are suspended from the cave walls by steel cables.  The dripping-water carved limestone features of the cave were varied: stalactites, stalagmites and ribbon formations.
(You actually do see the glow worms but they are in small clusters and off to the side instead of overhead.) An unexpected sign in the cave states, "No trespassing.  Trepassers will be prosecuted."

Apparently a local farmer in the 60's, because of the title he held to his land, said that he owned everything on his land that reached to the heavens and to the centre of the earth.  The case was tied up in the courts for a long time.  In the meantime the cave was closed to all but the Maori's.  The end result was that the farmer lost his argument.  It was deemed that the caves were just air and thus were not real estate.  Go figure.

Wellington                                                                                                       Thursday, January 26, 2011
The seat of Kiwi government since 1865.  I am constantly amazed at just how long both Australia and New Zealand have been well established countries.
We spent the day strolling around downtown, especially along the wharf.  Always lots going on at the seaport of major cities.

We sat and listened to an old busker sing and play the blues for over 30 minutes.  In that whole time only one person dropped a donation in his collection box.  A girl of 10 or so walking along with her parents and her brother, asked her dad for some money to drop in his open guitar case.  Other than that everyone walked by as if blind and deaf.
And, yes, when Don and I left we did make a respectable contribution.
There were quite a few museums to choose from.  We only went into one - the Te Papa Tangarewa Museum.

There were some unusual exhibits.  One was a simulated earthquake.  Not something you'd want to experience for real.
People living in NZ have to expect lots of little shake-ups from earthquakes - and, at some time, a big one!
Shake, Shatter, Slide
Ground shaking, rocks breaking, surface layers sliding - these are some of the effects of large earthquakes.
Wellington, like Kobe in Japan and San Francisco, is a city built on an "active" fault.  There's at least one shallow earthquake recorded under Wellington City every week.  Would you sleep well at night?

From North to South

On Friday we took the ferry to the south island.

 It travels between Wellington and Picton and takes 3 hours.


Other:

The only kiwi we have seen - a museum exhibit

                        

Looking for breakfast

 

Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga
New Zealand's  north coast ends in a peninsula.   Here the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean, in a spectacular swirl of currents.

The main draw of the north coast is Cape Reinga.  Situated  at the meeting of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Cape Reinga, also known as Te Rerenga Wairua, is a beautiful cape featuring a lighthouse that was first installed in 1879.

Many walking and strolling paths and excellent bird watching opportunities abound in the area.

Cape Reinga is a place of spiritual significance to the Maori.
The name of the cape comes from the Māori word 'Reinga', meaning the 'Underworld'.  Another Māori name is 'Te Rerenga Wairua', meaning the leaping-off place of spirits.
 It is the Maori belief that after death, the Maori spirit travels to the pohutukawa tree (believed to be over 800 years old)  located at Te Rerenga Wairua.  According to Maori oral history, the spirits of Maori deceased travel down the ancient roots of this tree into the ocean to return to their ancestral homeland of Hawaiiki.

 A sign post situated near the Cape Reinga Lighthouse displays the travelling distances to different areas located around the world.

Pointing in various directions, each sign has a destination on it, how many driving miles and kilometers it is to reach each location as well as a web site relating to each place.
As of January 2007, Cape Reinga is on the tentative list of UNESCO waiting to receive World Heritage Site status.

Below are some of the signs posted along the path to the light house:

1.  Descending to the Underworld
The rocky point jutting out to sea is Te Reinga - the place where the spirits enter the underworld.  Clinging to the rock there is thye ancient Kahika tree, named Te Aroha.  The spirits descend to the water on steps formed by the tree's roots. They then continue on their journey to Hawaiki, the spiritual home.

2.   Ancient Survivor
The ancient tree you can see on the rocky point, Te Reinga, is known locally as a Kahika.  It survives as pohutukawa trees often do,in what seems impossible conditions - even on a rock face lashed by salt winds.

3.  Waters for the Spirit
There are two springs in the hillside below here.  One is known as Te Waiora a
Tane (the living waters of the deity Tane).  It represents the cleansing of the dead person's spirit.  Water used in funeral ceremonies throughout New Zealand is called 'Te Walora a Tane,.
The name of the other spring is te wal Whero O Rata.  If the spirits drink the spring's water, they will carry on to the spirit world.  If they do not, they will return to the land of the living.

Don and I waited around hoping to see a whale or a porpoise swimming around in the bay around the Scratching Rock.

Now that we have visited the north coast of New Zealand, barring floods and earthquakes (tremors continue to plague Christchurch) , we hope to visit the south coast before we depart for Canada.

Working Dogs

Working Dogs                                                                                         Wednesday, January 19, 2011
This morning on our way to Cape Reinga, the northern most tip of New Zealand, we came across an interesting sight.  Two sheep herders on dirty, well-worn quads along with their herding dogs were working a flock of 300 - 400 sheep.  When we arrived on the scene two dogs already had the sheep bunched into a circle.   One of the herders was on the road,  the other was in the field calling commands to the dogs working the herd.

We stopped our car before we went past the herder on the road.  He motioned for us to go by.  We pulled up and said that we'd like to watch.  He responded, "Move ahead and you'll be alright."
We drove ahead until we were by the open gate, stopped and got out.

While we watched, the herding dogs got the sheep moving towards the open gate.  The sheep ran out of the  field and headed down the road and passed where we were parked.

One dog was ahead of the herd.  The herder called another command and the dog at the rear went running ahead of the herd and started to turn them back on themselves.  When the dog ran past our position it ignored us, as if we were invisible.

The turned herd ran back along the road, went past the gate they had exited and went into a gate further along the road.

 Soon they were contently eating in a new paddock.
There was a bleating across the road .  One sheep seemed to be bogged down close to the fence.  One of the dogs was trying to get it going but all it did was bleat.  The herder who had been in the paddock got  off his quad,  went and picked up the sheep, and tossed it over the fence.

Time to head in for a cup of tea.   A morning's job well done.

I have seen this herding done in exibition and on t.v. but it was a great expereince to see a real working pair of shepherds and their dogs.

Other scenes along the way:

90 Mile Beach

90 Mile Beach                                                   Wednesday, Jan. 19th
Ninety Mile Beach starts at the town of Ahipara and ends at the north shore.

 From the Cape Reinga hilltop you can see where the sand spills into the ocean.

Along the 90 miles there are various access roads to the beach.  The following sign is posted at each access:

WARNING
Ninety Mile Beach is a hazardous
 stretch of coast, particularly
2 hours either side of high
 tide.
Many vehicles have been lost
 to the tides and drivers
are warned they proceed
beyond this point entirely
 at their own risk.

Not only is the warning posted at the entrance to the beach but all the guide books and tourist pamplets  give the same warning.  And if you are fool-hardy enough to attempt the drive after all the warnings then please do not do so in a two-wheel drive.
Because some people still choose to ignore the warnings Don and I became involved in a rescue mission.
After signing into a motel in Pukenui  we went across the street to the Take-out to see what was the latest we could order a pizza.  We were told 7 PM.  That gave us enough time to get our first glimpse of the Ninety Mile beach.
When we stopped at the entrance to the beach we saw a small group near the water's edge.  There were two girls, a young man and an older man.   They stood beside two vehicles, a small sedan and a four-wheel drive SUV.  As soon as we stepped out of our car the young man left the group and started towards us.  We were a little concerned as  clearly he wanted something.
He indicated the two girls.  He told us their car was stuck in the sand 2 kilometres further along the beach.  "Would we come and help push?"  We thought that would be fairly easy so we said, "Sure."
It turned out that the older man owned the SUV.  It was filled with fishing equipment.  Don and one of the girls got in with him.  Me and the olther girl rode with the young man.  I got in the back and soon realized that the seat was damp.  He said he had been surfing.

After the time all of us were together dealing with the car I realized what an international group we were.
The Canadians, Don and I.
The two girls (Lena and Maggie), were from China.  They were in New Zealand to attend a technical school..  They had only rented the car yesterday.  On the way north they had already been in a fender bender.  They made it to the north tip but due to the weather saw nothing.  They had driven onto the beach and saw two vehicles going by.  They decided to follow.
Gilly - from Chile. In New Zealand on a six month work visa. He had found work picking watermelons.  
Joe had grown up in the area.  As a young man he had taken tour groups up and down the beach.  Now he lived in Brisbane.  He returned to the area twice a year to fish.

When we arrived at the Honda we  saw that it did not look good.  The front end was sunk deep in the sand.  Using our hands we dug out as much sand as we could.  Then we put hand-fulls of the long sand-grass behind the wheels for traction.  Maggie got behind the wheel to drive and we all pushed.  We heaved with all our might but the car did not budge one inch.  The wheels were not connecting.  We realized that the car was stuck solid.  It was beyond pushing out.  The undercarriage of the car sat on a bar of sand.

Joe said he'd go back to his place for a rope.  He knew a short cut through the pines and would be back in 45 minutes.
 While Joe was gone for awhile we continued to shift  sand but soon gave it up as a lost cause. Poor Maggie was obviously over-wrought.  While the rest of us stood around talking she kept digging at the sand with an umbrella, which she broke.  She had the umbrella in one hand and her cell phone in the other.  She was trying to call a friend.  When she started to cry all of us except Don took a turn to try to console her.  When I asked her why she was crying she said she wanted her mother.  I guess the car accident and now this happening was just too much.

Lena told us that her and Maggie had been stuck for over an hour before they decided to walk back to the entrance to the beach.  On the way back they ran into Gilly.  Lena kept saying to me, "We waited and nobody came."  This perplexed her.  Then she would add, "This would never happen in China."
While we waited for Joe we kept an eye on the tide which was creeping higher by the minute.  At one point Don questioned as to whether we had left our car high enough.
Joe arrived  back with a friend 45 minutes later.  They were in a 4-wheel drive truck.  In no time at all the Honda was pulled free.  Don asked for the keys and said he'd drive the girls back to the main road.  None of us trusted Maggie to drive.  (Good luck to them getting back to Auckland unscathed.)

While Don was driving it was obvious that if we stopped we would be stuck again.  He poured on the gas!
We made it back to solid ground and  after hugs and good-byes we all went our seperate ways.
Don and I never did get our pizza.

KIWI LAND

KIWI Land
1.  Here we Are
We arrived in Auckland, New Zealand late Thursday night (Jan. 13th). It is a week until we can pick up our rental camper so we have rented a car (a tiny Toyota) and will tour the north.  This area was not part of our original plan as we felt we did not have the time.

2.  Sleep Tight
Our impression of New Zealand is that it seems to be a relatively safe country.  The news seems to have less crime to report.  There are tragedies of course.  The decision to stop the effort to retrieve the 29 miner's bodies from the mine explosion is still headline news.  The family members are fighting to prevent the mine from being sealed - they want more of an effort to retrieve the bodies of their family members.  The authorities are pressing for closure as it is felt that the men's bodies have been reduced to ashes by the explosions and resulting fires.
 New Zealand has almost no animals that are venomous or really dangerous, especially when looking at its closest neighbour, Australia, which has the top 10 most venomous and dangerous snakes in the world, venomous spiders, sharks, crocodiles, dingos, killer jellyfishes, and the list goes on and on. And when you think of the long list of North American animals that you have to be wary of it is a breath of fresh air.
On land the only New Zealand creature that might kill you is the bee and then only if you are allergic to their sting. This means that you can walk through the forest or bush and feel at ease that no animal is looking to bite you, except of course mosquitos.
However, I want to remind you of the miles and miles of beaches that encircle New Zealand.   In the sea there is one animal with long sharp teeth that most people try to avoid – Sharks.   In the sea you will also find the stone fish, which is venomous.  However, they prefer warmer waters and for that reason there are very few around. There is also the giant squid.  It is not known to have preyed upon man but if you have seen Pirates of the Carribean II you know why I wouldn't want to encounter one.

3.  No Bad Habits
One morning Don and I stopped into a McDonalds for 'coffee'.  We mainly go there to use their free WiFi.  Don was working on the blog pictures and I was reading our New Zealand travel guide.  Actually I was trying to read but I found myself more interested in the conversation of the three octogenarian ladies sitting to my right.  As they enjoyed the pancake breakfast they commented on the state of the world.  Clothing styles and hair were discussed.  I was surprised that they were quite accepting of both.   Not so the state of parent-child relationhships.  The one that was obviously the youngest said, "The children rule the parents."  `The three shook their heads in disapproval and one of the others added, "Imagine us telling our father that we would not do something."
`Ah hah,` I thought , `sisters.` and sneaked a glance.
They must have sensed my interest because they turned to me and asked what I was doing.  After explaining, I then questioned them about the area.  They told us that they had grown up on a dairy farm near Orewa Beach and had lived there all their lives.  They confirmed that they were sisters (3 of 13 children.  8 still alive).  Their names, Hazel - 96; Eva - 95; Meryl - 85.  The two oldest still live in their own homes and do for themselves; Meryl is in a supported living  facility.  I asked their key to longevity.  Their reply,  "hard work and clean living".  As we were leaving Hazel said to me, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."  I replied, "I think I already have."  They thought that incredibly funny.

4. License Plates
In North America, Europe and Asia it is  a passtime to check out the license plates to see where people have traveled from.  In the Okanogan Valley (British Columbia, Canada) if you check the license plates in the summer months, over half will have traveled from,  Alberta.  Albertans favorite play ground.  
If you spy a car from Florida in Calgary in the middle of the winter you are absolutely perplexed.  "What are they doing here, this time of year?"
No such game can be played in New Zealand.  The cars all have plain black and white plates with no other adornment.  Cars do not come nor go from New Zealand.

5. Beaches
There are beaches and more beaches.  And they are busy.  New Zealanders are water people.  We have seen kids jumping off cliffs, docks, and trees into the water.  Everywhere you look there is water and in almost all the water there is someone swimming.  

6. Boat Docks
On Sunday afternoon we stopped in the Whangari dock area to visit the Chapman Clock Museum.  There are over 2,000 clocks.  In the same area there are shops, restaurants, and boat docking facilities.  We walked along the board walk looking at the boats.  It was a busy area with a number of boats that looked lived-on.  A couple had USA flags and one flew a Canadian flag.  Don was quite interested.  Sailing across the ocean!   How long would it take?  Which route would be the best?  Hmm. . .  

7. Other
Observations about the country north of Auckland:
The area is hilly with windy roads.  It takes a long time to go the shortest distances.  We wonder is there much call for cruise control?
Gas is expensive.  At home we whine if the price reaches 1.00.  How would you feel about paying $2.00/litre?

We have seen domestic animals that have gone wild- a wild horse, roosters, chickens with their young, and turkeys.

The forests are unparalleled.  So lush and beautiful.  The kauri (cow ree) tree is New Zealand's largest and most native tree.  It is a type of pine and is paradoxically a hard softwood.  The oldest tree, Te Matua Ngahere (Father of the Forest) is found in the Waipoua Forest.  It is estimated to be 2,000 years old.  The largest tree recorded reached a diameter of 43 feet.  Mind boggling.

The bridges are mostly one lane.  The signs indicate which side gives way.

Lastly, you do not go for a walk along a trail but a track.  And for the walkers, there are many tracks.