NZ Days 45 - 49 (Aloha to Aotearoa)

June 19 (Day 45)

Day - Drove to Auckland

Night – Auckland Holiday park (expensive)

June 20 (Day 46)

Day – Errands, Auckland city dinner

Night - Motel w/ Hil and JV

June 21 (Day 47)

Day - Dropped off Hil and JV, more errands, went to Muriwai Beach

Night – Muriwai Beach Holiday Park

June 22 (Day 48)

Day – Packed boards, tried to fly out

Night – International Travelers Airport Motel

June 23 (Day 49)

Day – Hang out in and around motel

Night – Fly to Tonga!

"You can take the girl from the islands....." oh wait, you can't.

 Our home for two days - International Traveler's Airport Motel. 

After unsuccessfully leaving NZ on our scheduled flight due to plane "weight problems", we elected for a hefty compensation to put towards Tonga, and settled into this crap hole for 48 hours.

TONGA IS NEXT

NZ Days 42, 43, 44

June 16 (Day 42)

Day – Cruised and relaxed in Tolaga Bay, Matariki festival

Night – Tolaga Bay Holiday Park

June 17 (Day 43)

Day – Cruised and Hiked / Surfed Cooks Cove (U’I’s big drop)

Night – Tolaga Bay Holiday Park

June 18 (Day 44)

Day - Left Tolaga Drove all day to Mt. Manganui

Night – Mt. Manganui Holiday park

Hangin out with Nikora and Waka at the Uawa (Tolaga Bay ) Bowling Club

We were invited to the local school Matariki festival, a time of celebration similar to our May Day, but with the cultural significance of Makahiki.  It was quite impressive, and we got to eat a Hangi (meal cooked underground) after the performance as well!

How to find Matariki 

 The next day was our last at Tolaga - we just had to hike it again.  

Look how excited U'i was - way out in front.

It was U'i's day to shine.  I watched her make one of the biggest and steepest drops of her life (not photographed).

Nearest surfer is an hour drive (+ 45min hike) away.

JV jumping in on the action

Warm waters await us finally!!!!

NZ Day 41 (Kayak Trip)

June 15 (Day 41)

Day—Kayak, Surf, Go Between Islands

Night—Tolaga Bay Holiday park

Early Morning Back at Tolaga Bay

10 min later, the ocean started to boil

The difference between the air temp and water surface temp was just right for a short while....

We woke up to ICE, not frost or dew.  My board was frozen solid with 1/4" all over.

JV caught my morning run to the John - and me not realizing till it was too late how cold it was.

After a couple hours of sun it warmed up, and we decided to kayak out to the cove, boards in tow

Morning Glass

The Hole in the Wall makai side

JV strokin for gold

Opihi makes good paddling fuel

and the Best Dressed winner is......

Between the islands off Cook's Cove

Looking North from one of the island's beaches.  Cooks Cove is around the corner to the left.

Hil's approach was graceful.

JV had the best of intentions

Gotta love a chilli avocado bowl after a long day

NZ Days 37, 38, 39, 40

June 11 (Day 37)

Day – Drive to Napier (Hil & JV wine tour, U’i & Ry Relax), Dinner in Napier

Night – Bay View Snapper Holiday Park

June 12 (Day 38)

Day –Napier farmer’s market, wine tasting (U’I’s first!), drive to top of Te Mata mount for cheese and wine.

Night – U’I and Ryan get kicked out of reserve: Bay View motel and holiday park

June 13 (Day 39)

Day - Drive back north (Ryan U’I relax, Hil JV boutique shops)

Night - Mahia, night at cafe

June 14 (Day 40)

Day—Head back up to Tolaga Bay, Ryan + U’I hike & surf island (choppy)

Night—Tolaga Bay Holiday park

Wine Tasting in Napier (U'i's first time ever)

Vineyard Backdrop

 The girls and the grapes (well just the vines)

Picnic atop Te Mata in Napier

U'i vs. Farmer's Market

Train Trestle on the way back north

Down time in the van, North Mahia Peninsula

Firecrackers

Empty Mahia Point Break

The Peninsula was a swell magnet

NZ Day 36

June 10

Day – Gisborne, Tairawhiti Museum (U’i already described in essay at end of blog), Library

Night – Oceanside on the grass, Auroa Point, Mahia Peninsula 

After leaving the marine preserve, it turned into a rainy day.  We stopped at the library in Gisborne for free internet and a rest.  We also stopped by the Tairawhiti Museum which had an amazing exhibit on the history of the east cape and east coast, specifically Tolaga Bay and South.  It was extra special having just visited all those areas to learn more about their impact on the future of Aotearoa.  U'i has written a long essay from information gathered at the museum, which we will post later when it is finished.  

We ended the day late at night in the grass (illegally) out at Mahia Peninsula on our way south to Napier.

Map of the marine reserve we camped at

NZ Day 35

June 9

Day – Radio Station UAWA, Waihau Beach, Bonfire

Night – Te Tapuwae O Rongokako Marine Reserve

After breakfast we hopped in the shower for one last warm water experience.  The holiday park plays UAWA FM 24 hours a day in the bathrooms.  We heard Nikora’s voice come on and describe how there were some visitors from Hawaii in town who would be coming on the radio later.  It sounded like we were committed, so we headed over to the station to say hi.  After some chit chat off air, he gave us a mike and we made small talk to the residents of Tolaga Bay.  Going on the radio is a weird experience….you don’t really know what you are talking about.  Jason recorded some of it on his iphone, and I later found out that I had blabbed on for a bit about Obama and gave him a B- among other topics of conversation. Then U’I stole the show with an ukulele / singing solo that brought down the house, and brought several of the towns folk elders down to the station to meet her and thank her for the music.  After some long goodbyes, we pushed on down the road.  We didn’t get too far, and stopped in at a marine reserve where we picked a relatively flat spot to park and built a large bonfire on the sand.  It was the first fire we had on our entire trip, and it felt nice.  

Nikora Curtis at his throne

On the air

 Goodbyes are hard

The Record is legit

The traffic is bad on the east coast

JV admiring his masterpiece

Warming up at last...