In 1931 Napier was virtually destroyed by an earthquake. This Hawke's Bay city, just 20 minutes from our home for this week, was rebuilt leveraging Art Deco, the architectural influence of the time. On Tuesday we drive into the downtown and pick up a map for a walking tour. There are 75 buildings on the map, and we manage to walk by 54 of them before our feet are tired and the promised afternoon rain begins. Some of our favorite buildings are below and we've posted more on our photo site. When it is drizzling in an area with ~70 vineyards and wineries what else would one do but to visit some wineries? We choose the Tardale area. First stop is Mission Estate Winery. We enjoy the grounds then decide to have a cheese plate and a glass of wine on the patio. With some food in our bellies William drives us another 10 minutes down the road to Church Road Winery. James Taylor was in concert on their lawn last weekend playing for a crowd of 5,000. Too bad we missed it! The Cellar Door Manager waits on us and offers tastings of a wide range of their wines. They have an Italian varietal, Marzemino, which we have never tried before and we find quite pleasing. We pick up a bottle of the 2014 vintage.
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It's Monday morning and our week in Rotorua is complete. We pack up the car and resume our journey south. Our destination is Hastings in Hawkes Bay, approximately a three hour drive. Along the Thermal Explorer Highway we stop for gas at a unique establishment. Of course there's the gas pumps out front, but in an adjoining building they also commercially process and package Arataki honey. The large honey vats are out back with one bee hive in front for demonstrations. An interesting combo of businesses. Since our check-in time is 3-4 pm we are in no hurry. We stop at the Lava Glass Blowing Studio and Cafe for coffee and to check out their creations. The vases and other products are very beautiful (and expensive). Farther down the highway is Huka Falls, one of New Zealand's most popular parks. Entry to the park is free and it is a very easy walk to the falls. The Waikato River narrows from 100 meters across into a 15 meter canyon than drops 11 feet formIng Huka Falls. A perfect 30 minute stop to stretch our legs and see some of nature's beauty in action. Back in the car we drive another hour south to Waipunga Falls. Without Google Maps we would have completely missed this short turn off of Highway 5. There is a nice gravel parking lot/observation point. Closer to the highway there appear to be trails leading to the falls, but we don't need to do a bush walk today. We arrive in Hastings and make our way to our next home (for the week). We have rented a poolhouse/nanny suite behind a main house via BookaBach. It is true to it's description and photo's on the Bookabach website. It includes two living/kitchen spaces, a master bedroom and a second bedroom. They've also tucked a single bed into an alcove. Outside we have the view (and use) of the pool and chairs along a covered porch. There's also a covered patio next to the pool. This will be a pleasant place to stay for the next week.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley is located 30 minutes from Rotorua and sounds like a perfect spot to spend an early Sunday afternoon. It has a 2 hour walk from the visitor's center down through the valley to Lake Rotomahana. Buses then pick you up and return to the visitor's center. A gentle downhill walk sounds very doable with my tender knee. The landscape leading to the valley is beautiful. After arriving at visitor's center the the panorama with Tarawera Mountain in the background is impressive. We learn that the Waimangu Valley was formed by a violent volcanic eruption on June 10, 1886. Amazing how this all evolved in ~130 years. We normally think of such a lush valley being here for centuries. We walk through the wooded path down into the Southern Crater, working our way to the cold water Emerald Pool. Another ten minutes down the path we see steam rising and evidence of small bubbling pools, soon coming to Echo Crater and Frying Pan Lake. The steam rises from the lake, which has an average temperature of 55C (131F). We pass Cathedral Rocks and farther along there seems to be hot springs and creeks at every turn. The algae growing in some of the hot pools is an amazing bright green. The walk up a series of stairs rewards us with a view of Inferno Crater Lake, a pale blue jewel and at 80C (170F) it is even hotter than Frying Pan Lake. Portions of the trail are under trees while others are in the hot sun. We walk between small cliffs and come to the Marble Terrace which was formed by silica rich water. 20 minutes later we are walking along a cool stream and see Lake Rotomahana in the distance. When we arrive at the lake it is ideally set in front of Tarawera Mountain and there are black swans swimming with their young. Beautiful! We enjoy the scene before taking the shuttle bus back up the hill. This has been a great afternoon.
Saturday mornings Rotorua has a farmers market in Kuriau Park, so of course we need to check it out. We walk to the park on a cool but sunny morning. The market has about 30 vendors. We find a large number of food vendors with families gathered about enjoying their delicacies. A cup of coffee (for William) and a small creme filled pastry for me draw us in. The German style pretzels call to me, but I resist. There's also vendors with local produce and a handful or jewelry and clothing artists. We pick up some local fruits and vegetables and then head home. In the afternoon we hike the Okere Falls Trek which runs along the Kaituna river. The river is popular for kayaking and rafting. The trek starts near Okere Falls which is a small waterfall on the same point as the remains of a power plant built in 1901. Another 15 minutes down the trail we descend to the observation point for Tutea Falls, which is claimed as the world's highest commercially rafted waterfall. It's exhilarating just to watch the kayakers handle the falls - we're not up to attempting the 7 km falls. A kilometer hike later brings us to Trout Pond Pools. It is a popular trout fishing as well as swimming location, although we don't see anyone fishing this afternoon. This is not a loop trail, so the only way back to our car is to return along the same trail (all uphill.....just ask William). As we are walking I feel as if I have a muscle pull in my right knee. It's not terribly painful, just tender and annoying. William jokes that I'm always worried about him being able to walk a trail and here I'm the one hobbling along.
Our first stop on Friday is Te Puia, a 70 hectare park within the Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley less than 15 minutes from our townhome. It contains the Pōhutu geyser, mud pools, hot springs and silica formations. They also have a Kiwi bird house and the national schools of wood carving, weaving, stone and bone carving. Our admission pass includes a one hour guided tour as well as the opportunity to explore the park at our leisure.
We start our tour with the wood carvers. Individuals of Māori descent compete for the opportunity to study ancient wood carving in a three year program. During the three years they receive free tuition and a stipend to pay for their living expenses. We observe some of the carvings which are in progress and one of the students gives an overview then answers questions. It's quite interesting.
Across the plaza is the weaving center. Students here pay for their classes. Turapa (woven panels) are on display as well as other woven items. Close by some Māori are performing historical dances.
Our guide sees that Pōhutu is erupting in the distance. As it normally erupts for 30 minutes then is inactive for 60 minutes he suggests we make our way to observe the guysers in action. On a calm day Pōhutu (which means 'constant splashing') can spout 30 meters (100 feet). Next to it is Te Tohu also named ‘Prince of Wales Feathers’ geyser, in honour of a British royal visit in 1901.
Following the geysers we visit the mud pools and then the kiwi house. As kiwi are nocturnal animals no photo's of any kind are allowed. We can barely see the one active kiwi in the extremely dark building.
10 kilometers away from Te Puia is Lake Okere with it's 5 kilometer boardwalk and walking path along the marshland and lake. We are delighted to see black swans, mallard ducks, poaka and putangitani birds. The conservation land abuts a farm, so we also get up close with some sheep. We walk along enjoying the scenery then resume driving the road that loops through a number of smaller lakes in the region. Blue Lake lives up to it's name and we stop for a few minutes to watch the people swimming and playing on the beach.
All in all, a very nice day exploring New Zealand. In the late 1800's New Zealand took steps to increase their timber production. Recognizing that the local trees took very long to mature, they initiated a forestry program and tried planting over 70 tree varietals to see what would grow successfully. In the early 1900's California Coastal Redwoods were imported and a program started to grow the redwoods in what is now part of the Whakarewarewa Forest. We start our exploration of the redwoods on Wednesday evening for the nighttime redwoods treewalk. 23 suspension bridges 6-12 meters above the forest floor form the walk. For the nightwalk over 30 David Trubridge designed lights have been hung in the redwoods, supplemented with multi-color spotlights in the forest floor. It's a delightful evening and I think it is more Impressive than doing the treewalk during daylight. On Thursday morning we return to Whakarewarewa Forest to do some exploring during the daylight. We choose the Waitawa Walk, which is 3.4km (just a little over 2 miles). We enjoy walking through the redwood forest, reminding ourselves of Muir Wood just north of San Francisco, which we (along with Lee and Mary Jo) enjoyed with William's parents on their 60th Anniversary Trip.
Wednesday and Thursday we explore the town of Rotorua. Our townhouse is just 1.5 kilometers from Kirau Park, a nice little walk. Located near the town center the park is home to a number of steam vents and bubbling mud pools. The scent of sulphur always seems to in the air in Rotorua, and the scent becomes stronger. We stroll through the park taking time to eye the evidence of this volcanic area. Another 1.5 kilometers further on the shores of Lake Rotorua is St. Faith's Anglican Church. The church's exterior and interior are influenced by both Christianity and Māori. From St. Faith's it is a three-quarter kilometer walk to Eat Street. Along the way we pass a bicycle sculpture. Appropriately named, Eat Street is a covered block of perhaps 20 dining and drinking establishments. We stop at BREW, a craft beer pub toward the middle of the street for a red ale and a glass of New Zealand chardonnay. After all this walking we should come our even on calories in-calories out, right? After all, we still need to walk 1.5 kilometers back home. On Thursday we decide to see the Government Gardens and the Museum. As we arrive at the Museum we are greeted by a sign saying it is closed indefinitely for earthquake assessment. Bummer. However, we are able to enjoy the exterior of the building and the rose garden. On the lawn in front of the museum is the Rotorua Croquet Club. Not something we see every day! Thursday brings the weekly Rotura Night Market. It is advertised to have the best the region has to offer in arts, crafts, produce from local producers and ethnic cuisines. We walk the 10 blocks to the market. There are 2-3 clothing/craft tents, one produce vendor and approximately 20 food vendors setup in everything from a remodeled 60's camper to tents. We stop check out a few then sit in a beer garden to watch the mostly local crowd enjoying the evening. Great fun!
Our eight days at Devonia Cottage have flown by. We pack up and William points the car south toward Rotorua. Google maps says the trip should take 3 hours 10 minutes. As we are leaving at 9:45am, we should be at our next "home" around 1 pm. It takes almost an hour along New Zealand Highway 1 before we are out of the extended Auckland suburbs and into the countryside. The hills are filled with dry grass and ranching appears to be the primary livelihood we as pick up Highway 2 and continue south onto Highway 27. The dry grasses of the north turn more green as we watch the Kaimai-Mamaku National Forest on our left for 80 kilometers. The ranches turn into dairy farms and pasture interspersed with corn and potato fields. Along the way we stop in Waharoa at the Kaimai cheese factory. We pick up some of their blue cheese as well as a rouge snacking cheese. Quite tasty! By the time we reach Highway 5 (also known as the Thermal Explorer Highway) we are driving through forest. Then we slip along the shores of Lake Rotorua, arriving in Rotorua at the townhouse we have rented at 1:30 pm. Pretty good timing considering a couple of stops along the way. We find a tidy two bedroom townhouse which is part of a four unit building. As per the photo's on BookaBach, we have off-street parking, a side yard and deck. My only disappointment is that it does not have an outdoor grill. However, the full size stove is a nice step up from the range and countertop oven we had at Devonia Cottage.
After unpacking and some relaxing in our new digs we drive less than 10 minutes to the downtown area of Rotorua to find an early dinner. Hennessy's Irish Pub wins our business. I truly enjoy the tempura style fish and chips and William is in heaven as he tucks into a ribeye surrounded by peas. Today is Auckland Anniversary Day, a public holiday in the northern part of New Zealand's North Island. It commemorates the founding of the first British colony in the Bay of Islands (now greater Auckland) in 1840. It is a beautiful, sunny day with temperatures expected to rise to 24C (75F). In addition to the continuing Cloud Market and the Buskers Festival there are a number of aquatic activities today in Auckland. We catch the 9 am ferry and soon are walking along the seaport to some of the celebration venues. We begin with the dragon boat races in the viaduct. The teams have come from across New Zealand and prepare for their race with stretches, exercises and a chant/cheer. They load, then paddle determinedly to the starting point. The starting signal starts the teams paddling in rhythm to their drummer with the beat increasing as they approach the finish line. The determination and enjoyment shows in their faces and they pass the finish line, whether first or last. Next up is a tugboat race. The boats gather in the bay, with the captains having fun spraying water or "nudging" each other. Then they line up and are off. This is when we realize that tugboats are not known for speed. 😳
We stop for a late brunch at O'Hagens Irish restaurant. I order the chicken waffles with chipotle maple syrup, streaky bacon and lemon creme fraiche. William has the full Irish breakfast - 2 eggs, bacon, beans, grilled tomato, and a sausage. Both are very good, but I think I win for best meal. We take the ferry into Auckland to further explore the city. Queen Street is a primary shopping street and although there are some local stores, it is dotted with everything from McDonalds to Prada. We turn off of Queen Street and walk uphill a few blocks to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Our next stop is the Toi o Tamaki art museum. There is a special exhibit of Māori portraits which sounds interesting and because of the Auckland Anniversary holiday weekend it is free admission. The almost 120 paintings were completed by Gottfried Lindauer between 1874 and 1926. The Māori chiefs and leaders jump to life on his canvases. Unfortunately photography is not allowed in the gallery so we are not able to share an image or two with you. For lunch we stop at Shakespeare Brewery which is the first New Zealand microbrewery. Along with the Shakespeare Hotel, it's housed in a building which is over 100 years old. The beer and food are quite good. The International Busker's Festival is being held this weekend on Auckland's Waterfront. As we soon learn, a Busker is a street performer. We are able to catch three shows, the Kamikaze Fireflies (a couple from LA with Guinness World Records around Hulu Hoops), Quatour Stomp (four guys in pink tutu's doing acrobatic tricks), and Duke Dreamer (who's closing sketch includes lighting his bum on fire). It's a fun time.
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AuthorHi. I'm Anne. I wander around the world with William. Enjoy Some of our Favorite Links below
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