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We arrived in Auckland after about 3 days of rather rough weather thanks to an ex-cyclone that had moved down from New Caledonia and whipped up both wind and sea with swells up to nearly 5m. This resulted in a few events being moved - pre-dinner drinks were moved down from Deck 6 Lounge to the Dining Room where we could sit down safely and out of the weather, and all the exposed deck furniture being securely tied down.
Welcome to Shed 10, Queens Wharf, Auckland. As you can see, it's just about in the CBD. We didn't get to dock at that nice wavy building - I think that's reserved for bigger cruise liners. We got the shed (Shed 10 is a heritage listed building). Clearing customs and immigration for a mere 30 people was painless. Saying goodbye to our companions (both passengers and crew) from the last three weeks was a bit more painful.
We were going to visit our ex-Oman friends, Don and Vikki, in Auckland and were delighted when we were picked up right outside Shed 10. Thanks so much for your hospitality!
Above: Auckland Harbour and CBD from North Head at Devonport.
Above: Our lovely hosts in Auckland - Don and Vikki, and ???
Left: The Pohutukawas (New Zealand Christmas Bush) were just finishing their season, but enough were left to see the lovely blooms. Around Christmas the whole tree seems red.
After a delightful couple of days with Don & Vikki, we set off for a quick anti-clockwise lap taking in some of the Waikato and Bay of Plenty districts south and east of Auckland.
Left: The roadsides in New Zealand are rife with Agapanthus blooms. While they're considered a weed and tend to smother native plants, they certain add colour to the countryside along with the daisies.
The Bridal Veil Falls was a good place to break our journey and stretch our legs between Auckland and Waitomo.
We had planned on seeing the glowworms in the Waitomo caves but a lack of foresight on someone's part (<cough>me<cough>) together with school holiday crowds meant we missed out. Our BnB host suggested a place down the road where we could see them free, but after dark the heavens opened, so we opted to stay dry and glowworm-free for the evening.
Left: New Zealand has a lot of sheep. This may not be one of them.
Right: The Kiwi is a native flightless New Zealand bird, but being nocturnal, the only ones we could photograph at The Kiwi House were a bit static.
Above: This cheeky chappy is an Auckland Green Gecko.
Above right: The Tuatara is a native New Zealand reptile, but is only distantly related to lizards. Its closest ancestors died out 60 million years ago.
Below right: Another Tuatara hiding in the undergrowth.
Below: The Kia is a very smart native parrot with a can opener for a beak. It's also the world's only alpine parrot, and delights in stripping rubber from cars (trim, wiper blades, etc!)
Left: Sue manages to find a non-nocturnal Kiwi in the sunshine.
Right: Sunset over Lake Taupo.
Left: The Waikato River (New Zealand's longest river) flows out of Lake Taupo (their biggest lake) via a very narrow gorge at the Huka Falls where the river narrows from about 100m down to 15m. We decided white-water kayaking was not for us.
Below: Further downstream are the Aratiatia Rapids with a hydro power station around the bend.
From Taupo we made our way to Rotorua, home of a lot of geo-thermal activity. We remembered the all-pervasive suphur smell from our last visit, but this time it was a lot less obvious. Maybe because it was raining?
Left: Geyser activity at Te Puia Maori Cultural Centre
Right: Maori carving inside a well-known fast food outlet. Maybe their expression is because they've already sampled the fare?
Above: Te Puia is also a Maori cultural display centre and we were given a very informative tour. Above is the Marae or meeting ground.
Above: It is also the home of the National Wood Carving School where Maori students learn this prestigious art form from master carvers.
Left: Lake Rotorua, filled with Black Swans (more then we've seen in one place in Australia, and Canada Geese which were introduced to New Zealand in 1905 and "They are aggressive, territorial, noisy and excrete more than a kilogram of faeces a day" fouling up waterways. AKA: The Rabbit of the Sky.
Right: The regretably-closed (due to earthquake repairs) Elizabethan-style Rotorua Museum was originally a spa and bath house built in 1902. Its waters were piped in from nearby thermal springs, and offered theraputic treatments to visitors from across the globe.
Leaving Rotoru for Tauranga, we went via Okere Falls, a popular rafting spot on the Kaituna River.
Below: Fail to take the 'Recommended Exit' hint...
Right: ... and you end up going over a 7m set of falls. We believe experienced rafters/kayakers actually do this.
Above: Okere Falls
Left: Cold but fun?
Below: How to get your rafts and rafters back upriver.
Left: On the way we came across this delightful sign for roadworks. No mention of what kind of seal they repair - Weddell, Harbour, Fur, Leopard...?
Below Left: Barbara's Begonias
Below: At Tauranga we stayed with Sue's lovely friend, Barbara. Not much in the way of photos here as we spent most of our time talking and eating and catching up on news. We did however, drive down to The Mount to survey their delightful beaches.
Above: One place we'd never managed to visit was the Coromandel Peninsula on the east coast. This was the view over the Firth of Thames from our BnB.
Above: One of the great coastal drives of the world
Right: A view back over the Hauraki Gulf vaguely towards Auckland
Below: Another gorgeous view along the coast. No wonder this place is popular.
Left: As New Zealand is prone to the occasional earthquake and sometimes related tsunami, it's good to know that the place we were standing (the red mark) is unsafe, and we shouldn't drive to higher ground - "Walk - Don't Drive"
Below: A delightful break from driving as cows are moved from one field to another.
On our final leg back to Auckland, we stopped in at the Miranda Shorebird Centre. Even though the tide wasn't right, we got to see a number of the migratory and local bird species that feed on the tidal flats of the Firth of Thames / Hauraki Gulf.
Above: A Pied Oystercatcher coming in for a landing on the mud flats
Sue coming across a well camouflaged green bird (species unknown)
Left: Another species new to us, but with beautiful plumage.
Right: More Black Swans. Various sources say they either flew here from Australia or were introduced.
That's it. We overnighted at an airport hotel and flew back home the next morning to the usual Brisbane heat and humidity.
If you've lasted this far, then thank you very much! Stay tuned for the next Ross Ramble adventure. We're not sure what it's going to be, so can't give you any hints.
All the best,
Chris & Sue
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