Road Trip......Kiwi Style......

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible!" author unknown

I't's hard to appreciate the overall tone of the trip and what exactly it means when one says "a true road trip", simply by reading written words or seeing pictures on a page, but I will try. I will say this though; whether you get the feel of the trip by my words or not, it was, without a doubt, definitely the best way to complete our time in New Zealand. A road trip with a Kiwi - how cool is that! The feel of the road trip was something like, you know when it is Friday at the end of a work week and you have plans with your best friends to go camping and hang out, and you have that incredible excited feeling....there, that's it......that's the feeling right there!

The plan was to drive north and head for Paihia (sort of pronounced like "pie here") for 2 nights; 1 night before we hiked Cape Brett and a night after. What is Cape Brett you ask? The Cape Brett trail is a 20 km hike of the worst infliction of pain ever imagined and bliss all in one breath, but I'll get to that later! From Paihia we would head further north to spend 2 nights in Ahipara to see 90 mile beach and the most northern part of the north island; Cape Reinga.

And this, my friends, is how it unfolded.......

Jen booked the Cape Brett hike and Delia booked all the accommodations. We rented a car, had our map in hand, gear and snacks packed and the girls were headed north - sweet as! Now between our main destinations, we had some touristy stops. This is where the feel of a "true road trip" came in. Our first stop was in Tanemahuta to see Tane Mahuta; the largest Kauri tree. Got out of the car....got to the tree....did some "ooohs and aaahhhs", click, click, click of the camera and then back in the car. We drove a bit further to Kawakawa where there is a bathroom that was totally designed and done by a local artist. People stop in Kawakawa just to go to the bathroom - the town's "claim to fame". Again we did our "ooohs and aaahhhs", click, click, click, a little pee break and then hopped back in the car. Now if that isn't touristy, I don't know what is, but man, it was fun! We talked, joked and laughed! Oh yeah, and of course we stopped for a coffee at a cute cafe along the way....and don't you have to agree, this is kinda' what you think of when you think of a road trip? Anyways, it was a blast.

We arrived in Paihia at the Admiral View Lodge just after lunch. It was a great place in a small town. The owners were amazing (of course - Kiwi's don't come any other way) and we had a view of the coast. We went shopping for dinner & breakfast food. Delia bbq'd red snapper, had sweet potato, corn and of course New Zealand wine....ah perfection. We watched a movie and got ready for our 2 day hike to Cape Brett. It is hard to have a favourite, but our Cape Brett hike was definitely a highlight - near the top of the list for sure.

I think I have told you this before, but the concept is the "heart" of our adventure and is worth saying it again. People often ask Delia and I why we love to hike and camp so much. What makes putting a 40 lb pack on your back, climb mountains, walk mile after mile, sweat and end your day by sleeping in a tent, so darn attractive???!!! Well, I will tell you, but I don't think you will understand it fully unless you do it yourself - and maybe one day you will - highly recommended - even if it is just once! In New Zealand you can literally drive and see unbelievable scenery as we did, but what you miss by not doing these incredible hikes, is the challenge, the feeling of accomplishment, how good freeze dried food tastes because you earned it and above everything else, the serenity; no people, no noise, no light pollution; just you......and nature. When you get to the end of the trail and you are standing at at the edge of the shore, looking out to the open sea, with no one but you and 2 of your best friends by you, the only noise is our own laughter and the only light is the sun and the moonlight.....well, it just doesn't get any better than that....it just doesn't happen in life that often. So when you get a chance to experience it; even if it means 20 km of bloody hard hiking, I hope you take it, because there is nothing like it in the whole world.....it is better than ice cream!

We woke up and finished packing our bags for our hike. We had a beautiful sunrise and the weather was outstanding. We drove to Rawhiti from Paihia via Okato where we took a short ferry across to the trailhead of the Cape Brett Track. Paihai is a small town and Rawhiti is smaller than that; a few homes and stretches of gorgeous beaches. We had to park our car at someone's home that has an agreement with hikers (for a small donation that you put in a box in a boat - too funny!) and walk 1 km to the trailhead from there. Oh yeah, BTW, no one really liked my driving, but when it meant that I could drop them off at the trailhead, drop the car off, park and then run back to the trailhead (for the start and finish of the trail)....hmmmm.....all of a sudden my driving doesn't seem that bad!!!......I won't mention any names......Jen and Delia...opps...it slipped out! Ah, who am I kidding, I love doing that!

We knew the hike was going to be hard as Jen had done it before. She told us that we have 7 peaks to cross to get to the hut at the end of Cape Brett and as you can see from the picture above, they ain't small! As we made our first steps on the trail and we mimediately started to climb up a steep hill, I heard Jen say, "Who's bloody idea was this anyways?" Memories of the Kepler Track! Several times throughout the track, Jen did elude to what would possibly make her think that doing this hike again was a good idea! It is like any physical or mental challenge though; it is not the feeling during, but the feeling of elation afterwards that gets you there. And the views are not that hard to look at either along the way. It took about 8 hours of hiking in with some photo ops along the way. Because this hike is so remote, it is not unusual to expect to have the hut all to yourselves, but when we reached the hut there was a group already there. We were a bit disappointed, but as we got closer, I looked at them and I recognized two of them....true story. I smiled and I said, "Hemi?" He looked up in shock, wondering who could possibly know him in this remote place and then recognized Delia and I. Hemi & Emily were our diving instructors when we went scuba diving in the Poor Knights Islands a week before......way to funny! If we have learned nothing else from our trip, we certainly have realized how small our world really is. The group took a boat to Deep Cove and hiked from there (6 km hike) and they stayed for a 2 days. They told us about the swimming hole where there was a mom and pup seal. We did swim, but did not see the seals. It was amazing swimming. You were literally swimming in the open sea. There was a strong surf, but because it was a bit of a cove and protected, the surf was just enough to lull you to sleep as you floated. We had cheese, crackers and wine by the water....oh yes, always room for the weight of a bit of wine, cheese and crackers *grin*!!! Had dinner and then watched the sun set. Laid down in the grass and looked at the stars to complete the night. We were in no rush to leave the next day, but what we did on the way in, we had to do on the way out, so we knew were in for another long hike. We had pancakes for breakie....too many pancakes, but good and then headed back out. The hike out was equally as beautiful and actually seemed a little easier - not sure why that was, but it was a welcome feeling. We re-traced our path back to the Admiral View Lodge in Paihia to rest up. We showered, relaxed, had a cocktail and then spoiled ourselves and went out for dinner. Why do you need to know this? You don't really, but you can't believe how much you appreciate this relaxation after 2 days of hard hiking. Not that we are feeling sorry for ourselves as it feels amazing - I am just saying that it sure makes you appreciate the small things!

So from here we hopped back in the car and headed for Ahipara via the north shore, going through KeriKeri (stopped for a coffee and a bagel) and Mangonui for the best fish & chips in all of New Zealand. We stopped at Rangikapiti Pa Historic Reserve that overlooked Cooper's Beach (this is where Jen's Dad went as a kid) & Cable Bay. Both very beautiful. We reached Anipara and stayed at Bayview Motel. We had a gorgeous view of the sea and was within walking distance so did some swimming in the waves. From here we drove to Cape Reinga which is the most northern part of the north island in New Zealand. This is where the Tasman Sea meets the South Pacific Ocean. We did a short hike along the shore towards Spirits Bay, but did not go all the way due to the little hike we did the day before to Cape Brett =) It was still beautiful and relaxing just the same. Both nights at Bayview Motel we took it easy - a bit of swimming & wine and dinner by the sea - we even watched a rugby game. Rugby to Kiwi's is like Hockey to Canadians.

The road trip was bitter sweet. As much as we loved it, we also knew it meant that we were near the end of our time in New Zealand. As we watched the sunset over the sea on our last night in Ahipara (seriously, I am not making this up), my heart started to ache. Canada is my home and I love it; I really do. But I would have to say that Canada is where my home is; and it always will be, but New Zealand is where my heart is. It is everything that I love - it is Canada, but smaller. The people are very much like Canadians; gracious, friendly and a great sense of humour. But in New Zealand, they have a fraction of Canada's population, so even in the city, you just don't get the crowds....and that is me. To top it off, wherever you are in New Zealand, you will have mountains, the sea and most often both. I....we, will miss New Zealand. We are grateful that we had this opportunity, we are very grateful for our family, friends and home and we are happy to be heading home, but I wish that it would last just a little bit longer. The feeling I had leaving New Zealand is the same feeling when I come home from Northern Ontario (north of Lake Superior).....I don't think I could live there as it is too far away from home, but I get homesick when I leave! Our journey is not over, but this was the hardest leg of our trip to let go. We were thankful that we had a long flight and lots of books and movies to keep our mind off how sad we felt!

The next morning we packed our bags and headed from Ahipara back to Auckland. We met the rest of the Wrigley family and had a nice bbq and visit. Jen's brother; Gareth, was kind enough to take us to the airport the next morning. Always better to be taken to the airport by a friend then a taxi - the feeling is so much better - thanks Gareth!

Good-bye for now New Zealand.........We WILL be back! xo

The Visit with The Wrigley's

"House Rules: Refrain from being seen with a half empty glass. Half full is fine, to the brim is absolutely excellent." billboard advertisement in NZ

On April 2, 2010 we drove from Ngunguru to Auckland to drop our rental car off and meet Karen and Jennifer Wrigley. Remember that it was Karen and Jennifer with their father; David, that we met on the Kepler track back in February. At the end of the hike, they invited us to contact them when we were in the Auckand area. Karen said to stay as long or as short as we wanted and later told us; after we stayed over a week, that we didn't have to take what she said so literally......ah, family and friends, that's what we do best...get comfortable and have really long good-byes - I wouldn't want it any other way!!! We had such a great visit and the Wrigley's are amazing. We were picked up in a Jag (remember all the clobber that we have) and were treated like royalty ever since. That night we had dinner with the family; David, Marilyn, Karen, Jen and their one brother; Gareth. Their other brother; Andrew and his wife; Jenny and their three children; Katherine, Sophie and Amy, could not make it for dinner, but we would meet them another time. It was alot of fun for sure. The pastries that Delia and I picked up in a bakery in Matakana were not a great hit, but made for a few laughs at our expense. The next day we took a 15 to 20 min ferry ride across to Rangitoto with Karen, Jen, Gareth and Jen's 15 year old mentee; Nina. Rangitoto is a 600 year old live volcano. We climbed to the top and looked over all of Auckland and the other islands around. That night we went out to dinner at Hallertau in Riverhead. Overall, just a nice relaxing day of sightseeing and visiting.

On April 4th we had another relaxing day. We headed to Piha Beach which is a famous beach near Auckland. The surf is known to be dangerous, but there are surfers that attempt their fate frequently and subsequently, the Coast Guards perform quite a few rescues. As we walked and played a bit of soccer along the beach, we watched some of these surfers. I know that surfing can be alot of fun, but it really is alot of waiting around for that perfect wave. It is not my thing, but the beach is stunning and I can see the attraction to surfing once you do get to ride the wave. We had a bite to eat and a drink at a cafe on the beach with friends of Karen's that we met. Finished off the day with pizza with the family.

Right from the very beginning, when Delia and I started to plan our Around the World adventure, as well as all the time during our trip; making a side trip to one of the islands off New Zealand, was an option. Either the Cook Islands, Fiji or Tahiti. Unfortunately, with all the reading and asking around that we did, nothing really enticed us to want to go. There was some political and weather unrest in the islands, but basically staying in New Zealand was just more attractive then going to a resort or any other type of touristy thing on the islands. Besides, although going to the islands while we were already in NZ would be cheaper than going there from Toronto, it was still pricey. We still had not completed the north part of the north island so even though we hummed and hawed over the 5 months that we were away, it really wasn't a hard decision to make in the end. And to make the decision even sweeter; with a bit of persuasion, Jen Wrigley agreed to take a week off work and take us on a road trip to the north part of the north island. And let me tell you, this was a true road trip in every way......in Kiwi style!!! It was a blast! ......hmmmmm......I think this deserves a blog entry of its own........