New Zealand, North Island 1 (Mar 3 - 11)

Twelve years ago we had the opportunity to live on the North Island in NZ for a year so coming back to the country felt a bit like "coming back home"! We landed in Auckland on Mar 3 and were met at the airport by Saniya, an Airbnb host who rented us a room for a couple of nights in the city. This gave us some time to get our bearings and make arrangements for a car rental for the month.

We left Auckland on Mar 5 and headed for the Coromandel Peninsula. The road, almost all the way up the west coast portion and parts of the eastern side, was winding, narrow, and had steep drop-offs with no shoulder, so it was a slow drive but very picturesque. Every few kilometers there was a "curved road ahead" sign and after driving this road for an hour or two, we decided it might be more helpful if they would rather have posted a sign indicating an upcoming "straight stretch" of road ahead since it was all winding!

Coromandel Peninsula

The north island of NZ impressed us again with its beauty. The hills were so green, there were so many sheep dotting the hillsides and the ocean views were spectacular. We also observed again the prevalence of possums (there are estimates that NZ has between 50-70 million possums). For those old enough to remember the Beverly Hillbillies tv show, Granny Clampett's would of had a heyday in NZ making possum stew from roadkill!

On the eastern side of the peninsula, we stopped at a place called Hot Water Beach. When the tide is out, you can dig your own little pool on the sandy beach and due to the hot springs underneath, it fills with hot water allowing you to enjoy a hot soak.It is fascinating seeing people from all over the world (like us) who came here to soak in the hot pools.

Hot Water Beach

Sitting in sandy hot water pools

Further down this coast, near Tauranga, we had another opportunity to housesit, this time taking care of 2 dalmations, Jake and Kassie, for a few days. The homeowners build their own small planes and were off to a gathering with 100+ other small plane builders in NZ.

Jake and Kassie, very affectionate dalmations we took care of

While at this house, we took a day trip to hike up Mt. Maunganui and to explore the small island just at the base of the mount. My sister and nephew (who had come for a visit when we lived in NZ) and our kids will remember our last visit and the piles of sea shells that we observed; this time they had disappeared and were replaced by an expanded beach.

View from the top of Mount Maunganui

At the completion of the housesit, we spent the early afternoon in Rotorua, the geo-thermal city and were fascinated again by the bubbling mud pools, the strong aroma of sulphur, the birds on the lake and the flower gardens. We were planning to stay the night but changed our minds late afternoon and decided to drive on to Gisborne where we had lived previously. It felt good to be back and even moreso when we were able to make arrangements the next morning to meet with one of Olive's friends (Jackie) for lunch and my former boss (Chris & Mary) for an afternoon drink. We really enjoyed both of these visits and were able to catch up on changes in Gisborne and the whereabouts of many of our previous co-workers.

Beach in Gisborne looking out at Young Nick's Head, the rocky outcropping. We spent many hours playing in the water when we lived here 11 years ago

From here we made our way down the east coast to Napier, the Art Deco city where we browsed the shops along the promenade and stopped in at the Opposum Museum, probably the only museum in the world dedicated to the eradication of its subject of interest. We continued on to Wellington for the night and caught the interisland ferry to the south island the next morning.

We have not been to the South Island before so it will be a new experience. Our plan is to be on the South Island for about a week and a half and then to head up the west coast of the north island

By the way, we keep hearing that the North Island will be hit by a cyclone this Friday, Mar 14. We plan to be well out of the way down south.