Bay of Islands to Auckland to finish my tour of New Zealand

will be a bit nostalgic with my last look at all the beauty of this great country....New Zealand is definitely something you need to put on your "bucket" list....

Leaving the Bay of Islands would not be complete without a cruise of the bay...and what a journey that would be....beginning with Paihia and Russell Island....(could that be from the Kevin or Joel ancestry??)

Then it is off  to catch a glimpse of the many dolphins in the area....and we see quite a few....

Then off to the Piercy Island so named by Captain John Cook after the First Lord of the Admiralty at the time.  It is better known as the "Hole in the Rock"...standing 478 feet above sea level....So first a look at the rock we are going to travel thru from a distance...

Then closer...

and into the hole....

and out the other side...

So...here I am in my designer t-shirt from Rapteez....Kostas are you catching this man?  Google Rapteez and check out the line of t-shirts designed by one of DC's own - Kostas (also a part-time waiter at my favorite CAVA)

One last look at that rock....needless to say I was impressed...as were most of the 75 to 100 passengers on the boat that took as through.

Following the cruise I began my journey back to Auckland where we were met by one of the Queens.....Queen Mary of the Cunard line in the Auckland harbour....

plus....a final look at Auckland....

Oh, and let give you some of my other shots from the day....first...the one breed of sheep I did not include before...the infamous pinkie....

Not for real...it is a sheep farmers joke...he dyes these sheep for the tourist!!  But next up...when in New Zealand you do not have to buy....you can lease....take a look...

But the best for last....this is Alice...Alice in Wonderland per her owner who I met today at a small village about 50 km from Auckland.  Alice is a 4 month old German short hair spaniel.

And...the monkey is resting up...for our next adventure....Mardi Gras in Sydney....this is party time people...serious party time....

Tour to Cape Reinga

Leaving the Bay of Islands and Paihia in the early morning...

A full day...literally.....some 11 hours in travel and touring to the Northern most point in New Zealand...Cape Reinga where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.  One of the more interesting activities of this day was what is called a "Ninety Mile Beach" drive....in this bus

and on this sand/water of the Tasman Sea....

You can see a bus in the distance...but he is in the sand...we are in the water!! And this continues..well not for ninety miles...more like 30....we did stop for a dip in the ocean...everyone off with the shoes and step off the bus into the water....hey...is that a Rapteez shirt man on the beach?  Sure is....

Then off to the sandboarding area and some quick sand streams....Here are the sand boarders....you will not see me in the picture because I opted out....yeah...right...

This was not a picture from the quick sand streams otherwise it would be much higher up on the bus...but it does show what happens if a bus ventures into the "wrong" parking spot....Oh, this is not our bus....

Leaving the sand and the bus in the mud it is on to Cape Reinga...departing place of the Maori spirits where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet.  The lighthouse was shifted here in 1941 and flashes every 26 seconds and can be seen some 50km away.

Yeah it was a long walk down and an even further walk back up...but not as far as back to Washington which according to this would be approximately 8,000 miles.....

Finally, as the journey returns to Paihia and the Bay of Islands it is a tour of the Puketi Kauri Forest.  This gives me an up close and personal view of the immense size of these Kauri trees.  One can only imagine the Maori arriving in New Zealand and going into think tropical forest such as these and having to make some type of pathway.  But they did and found these immense trees which provides many uses for the Maori.  They often traveled from their native Polynesian islands to the New found New Zealand to hunt and fish and then make the journey back with their bounty

Tomorrow I return to Auckland to complete my tour of New Zealand but not before I cruise the Bay of Islands and take a ride thru the "Hole in the Rock"...

Auckland to the Bay of Islands

Auckland is a city....1 million strong...so there is lots of city hustle and bustle so after spending the night blogging and then a brief trip to the casino ( hey...who could turn it down it is 1 block up the street)...I only spent an hour in the casino last night and came out a winner - then came back to the hotel - way to go Bob!!

So as I leave Auckland for a couple days there is time for a rear view mirror look across the harbour.

The we head North to the Bay of Islands and become deeply entrenched into the Maori culture and beginnings here in New Zealand.  The first stop is the Kauri Museum in Matakohe.  The museum tells the story of the Kauri tree and early settlement. One Kauri tree is carved carved into a spiral staircase and the photos below give you some clue as to the immense size and height of these trees.

Want to see these trees close up?  I did and tomorrow when I am scheduled to go to Cape Reinga I will take a diversion to the "woods" to get a close up....not to be missed...believe me!

Some of the by-products of these trees is the gum.  It provides the basic ingredient to form beautiful jewelry and artwork.  A number of large and diverse pieces are on exhibit in the museum.

As I head North the history of the Maori is provided by a descendant of the original settlers in the region and the tour arrives at the birthplace of New Zealand at Waitangi.  A memorial flag staff overlooks the bay of Paihia on spectacular grounds.  The tour is invited to tour the treaty house and Maori Meeting house featured below.

And...as can be noted in the carvings the eyes and tongues are powerful to any Maori artwork....another example...

The giant war canoe is also a feature of the memorial grounds....one can only imagine coming across any part of the Pacific Ocean in this vessel.... Figi to New Zealand....wow...hard to believe...but if you have enough warriors anything is possible.

Okay...one last look at the grounds with one of the relics....the flag staff memorial...not me...well....

Rotorua to Auckland

Time to leave the Maori behind....but not really....since there presence is there in almost all of New Zealand.  But today it is off to the largest city in New Zealand...Auckland...comprising 1/4 of the total population of New Zealand at about 1 million.

Here is one of the interesting sights I saw was formations from a previous volcano.  It of course is probably hundreds of years old...these were fairly plentiful upon leaving Rotorua....

The beautiful Walkato River is in the center region of the Maori people (see I told you their presence was there)....

I just thought....maybe I have not shown the motor coach that has taken me on this journey through New Zealand.,,,,well this is the coach used for the Northern tour of New Zealand  (oh....and coach...same as bus...right?)

Next up,,,,,,

A busy city on a Friday afternoon at 5:00.....

So first maybe a stop at the Prime Minister Jackson memorial.  Jackson was very instrumental in the early thirties in bringing together the Maori people...

The flowers within the garden area of the memorial were awesome....and there were some first class bees enjoying the nectar.....

And off in the distance.....a Auckland landmark....the Sky Tower.....

One other landmark I must include for my Architect friend Joel......this is a building that is known far and wide within New Zealand as the toilet seat building....what do you think?

Finally I arrive at my room at the Rydges.....

and WOW.....look out my window.....

And.....now it is almost midnight.....and tomorrow....off to the Bay of Islands....