If you ready my blog yesterday, my apologies. I have more time tonight, and was appalled when I read back through it. If you have a chance, read it again as I have fixed the numerous errors that were the product of rushing.
As today was not nearly as interesting as yesterday, before I move on, here's some more about yesterday.
The kayaking trip was really an amazing time. Our guide was full of all kinds of stories about the area. For example...
HISTORY TIME WITH HUGH: The bay we were in, Mercury Bay, is so named because when Captain James Cook (I wonder if he had a hook for a hand too...) was mapping New Zealand for the first time, he was using the sun and the planet Mercury in the night sky to calculate the latitude and longitude of the region. On the night he spent in Mercury Bay, the planet was directly overhead in the night sky, hence the name. The next beach down is Cooks beach, where Capt. Cook planted the Union Jack in the soil and declared New Zealand for England. This presented a problem, however, because the Mauri were already here.
This disturbed a local Mauri Cheif named Ka, so while on an expedition in Mercury Bay, he remarked how the island Motueka, looked just like his nose (It has two caves in the side that faces the beach, that's about the extent of similarity). To most, this may have seemed like a trivial statement. However, the Mauri believed that if a land feature looked like you, or some part of you, then it was yours; along with all that could be surveyed from that particular piece of real estate. Naturally the audience of Mauri with him immediately and enthusiastically agreed. Therefore, the island is named Motueka, which translates into, "the Island of Ka." And the name of the beach (can't remember that one or find it on google maps) translates to "the breath of Ka," as the winds on that beach supposedly come from the "nostrils of Motueka"... you should see the tweezers they use to pluck THOSE nose hairs.
Mercury bay in Hahei was also used in "The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Down the beach a ways is a huge hill, where the castle Cair Paravel (sp?) was built. They did eight months of work and shooting, for footage that made up about 3 minutes worth of the actual movie.
Today was relatively uneventful. Hahei is on the east coast, we have now driven to Raglin on the west coast. Raglin is world renown for it's surfing. There was actually a guy who surfed a single wave at a beach here for more than 10 minutes. That's a bit of a record as you might imagine. Those who chose to could take surfing lessons, for a nominal fee. Given my level of coordination (which is about the same as a tree), I opted out, and instead spent the afternoon at the beach.
Tomorrow we spend the day at the Waitomo caves, and tomorrow night we will have a Mauri "cultural night," so I most likely will not be able to post tomorrow night.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
And we're off...
Today started my tour of the north island.
We left from Auckland, making a quick stop at mount Eden; which I have talked about before, its is a dormant volcano in the middle of the city. It is still owned by the Maori people, and they use it for cattle grazing... which leads us to...
HUGH'S TRIVIA FACT OF THE DAY: When calves are born on Mt. Eden, after they have been weened and are released from their stalls, they must make a very important decision. They must decide whether to turn right, or turn left. While this may seem trivial to some, WAIT there's more! You see, since they live out their lives on the side of a mountain, depending upon the direction they first turn onto the slope of the mountain will determine the direction they will go around the mountain for the rest of their life. If they turn left, their right legs will grow slightly longer to compensate for the slope of the mountain, and if they turn right, their left legs will grow longer to compensate. Kinda makes you glad that you're not a cow born on a mountain, eh?
From Auckland we headed out to the Coromandel Peninsula. Our end destinations for today were cathedral cove and hot water beach. Once we had arrived and settled in at the hostel, those of us who had elected to do so, headed down to the beach for some sea kayaking. From the beach at the hostel in Hahei (ha-he) we kayaked down the coast to cathedral cove. Cathedral cove is a limestone cliff face that has eroded away over the years due to the sea water, and is today two separate beaches with a huge limestone passageway connecting the two. It is really quite stunning, especially from the water. On the way to the cove, we passed through a marine reserve, and past a sheer limestone cliff that goes up what had to be 200 ft., all the way down to the water's edge.
Once we arrived at the cove, just off either of the beaches there is a huge limestone rock jutting out of the water that has been eaten away on the bottom by the sea water. It looks something like a huge mass of rock sitting atop a pedestal, that is how narrow the base was.
From there, we kayaked out from the coast a bit to Poikeke and Motueka islands. The whole trip was really stunning, but this par was really cool, there is a cave that goes through Poikeke island, and we kayaked through it! It was amazing.
After getting back to the shore, we hopped on the bus and went just down the road to hot water beach. This beach actually is what it says. You can dig a hole in the sand and it will actually fill with hot water, provided by the tectonic activity in the area. It works similar to a hot spring, just heating the ocean water already in the sand. Depending upon where you dug your hole, the water could be cold, or scalding. The difference between the two could be six inches. The whole experience is an exercise in finding just the right spot. If it gets too hot, just throw in a bucket of ocean water, and you're good to go. There was a mob of people there digging holes. But inevitably the activity is an exercise in futility, as all if this is done at low tide. At high tide, the ocean comes right up to the cliffs that are there, and all the holes are covered up.
We left from Auckland, making a quick stop at mount Eden; which I have talked about before, its is a dormant volcano in the middle of the city. It is still owned by the Maori people, and they use it for cattle grazing... which leads us to...
HUGH'S TRIVIA FACT OF THE DAY: When calves are born on Mt. Eden, after they have been weened and are released from their stalls, they must make a very important decision. They must decide whether to turn right, or turn left. While this may seem trivial to some, WAIT there's more! You see, since they live out their lives on the side of a mountain, depending upon the direction they first turn onto the slope of the mountain will determine the direction they will go around the mountain for the rest of their life. If they turn left, their right legs will grow slightly longer to compensate for the slope of the mountain, and if they turn right, their left legs will grow longer to compensate. Kinda makes you glad that you're not a cow born on a mountain, eh?
From Auckland we headed out to the Coromandel Peninsula. Our end destinations for today were cathedral cove and hot water beach. Once we had arrived and settled in at the hostel, those of us who had elected to do so, headed down to the beach for some sea kayaking. From the beach at the hostel in Hahei (ha-he) we kayaked down the coast to cathedral cove. Cathedral cove is a limestone cliff face that has eroded away over the years due to the sea water, and is today two separate beaches with a huge limestone passageway connecting the two. It is really quite stunning, especially from the water. On the way to the cove, we passed through a marine reserve, and past a sheer limestone cliff that goes up what had to be 200 ft., all the way down to the water's edge.
Once we arrived at the cove, just off either of the beaches there is a huge limestone rock jutting out of the water that has been eaten away on the bottom by the sea water. It looks something like a huge mass of rock sitting atop a pedestal, that is how narrow the base was.
From there, we kayaked out from the coast a bit to Poikeke and Motueka islands. The whole trip was really stunning, but this par was really cool, there is a cave that goes through Poikeke island, and we kayaked through it! It was amazing.
After getting back to the shore, we hopped on the bus and went just down the road to hot water beach. This beach actually is what it says. You can dig a hole in the sand and it will actually fill with hot water, provided by the tectonic activity in the area. It works similar to a hot spring, just heating the ocean water already in the sand. Depending upon where you dug your hole, the water could be cold, or scalding. The difference between the two could be six inches. The whole experience is an exercise in finding just the right spot. If it gets too hot, just throw in a bucket of ocean water, and you're good to go. There was a mob of people there digging holes. But inevitably the activity is an exercise in futility, as all if this is done at low tide. At high tide, the ocean comes right up to the cliffs that are there, and all the holes are covered up.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Merry Christmas?
Perhaps it's the Northern Hemisphere-ese (what exactly does a resident of the northern hemisphere call one's self?)in me, but this holiday season did not feel like a holiday season at all. I really think it had more to do with the fact of Christmas and the new year being in the middle of summer, than the holidays being celebrated differently here. Although, they are not nearly as big a deal here, at least so it seemed. What was perhaps funniest is that the Christmas carols are all the same. It is an odd sensation to be heading to the beach wearing shorts with the windows down, while listening to "Frosty the Snowman." Both days snuck up on me, and I only realized the day before each that they were arriving shortly.
Christmas Day, the Elys, the Peters, and I all went out to Karekare beach. This beach is on the West coast, south of Piha beach, which I have talked about before. They go south to north, Karekare, Piha, Bethells (which is my favorite). All three are absolutely gorgeous. We spent a while there, and played in the water. The waves on the west coast of NZ are huge. Much larger than the east coast beaches, which in some places have almost no waves at all, most of the time. After that we took a short hike from the beach (only about 10 min. walk), so some gorgeous water falls. There were a few smaller falls on the way in, but the main fall was absolutely amazing. It fell from what seemed to be, probably close to 200 ft. from the mountains, into a pool. I have a picture where a man had climbed up on the base of the fall, and he is tiny in comparison to the fall. It was really amazing.
Today I leave for my trek/tour of New Zealand! I begin my north Island tour today, it will last about 8 days. The south island tour will come after I am done with the north island. I decided to cut down the length my tours, for budgeting and timing reasons, but they are going to be great just the same. I will try to blog as often as I can, as I will have a great deal to talk about most every day; but will be limited to weather or not the hostels we stay at have computers, as I am not taking my laptop. Most of them do have computer access, but who knows. If you need to get in touch with me, email me (though it may take me a day or two to get back with you); or give me a call on my mobile.
Christmas Day, the Elys, the Peters, and I all went out to Karekare beach. This beach is on the West coast, south of Piha beach, which I have talked about before. They go south to north, Karekare, Piha, Bethells (which is my favorite). All three are absolutely gorgeous. We spent a while there, and played in the water. The waves on the west coast of NZ are huge. Much larger than the east coast beaches, which in some places have almost no waves at all, most of the time. After that we took a short hike from the beach (only about 10 min. walk), so some gorgeous water falls. There were a few smaller falls on the way in, but the main fall was absolutely amazing. It fell from what seemed to be, probably close to 200 ft. from the mountains, into a pool. I have a picture where a man had climbed up on the base of the fall, and he is tiny in comparison to the fall. It was really amazing.
Today I leave for my trek/tour of New Zealand! I begin my north Island tour today, it will last about 8 days. The south island tour will come after I am done with the north island. I decided to cut down the length my tours, for budgeting and timing reasons, but they are going to be great just the same. I will try to blog as often as I can, as I will have a great deal to talk about most every day; but will be limited to weather or not the hostels we stay at have computers, as I am not taking my laptop. Most of them do have computer access, but who knows. If you need to get in touch with me, email me (though it may take me a day or two to get back with you); or give me a call on my mobile.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A trip up to the falls.
On Saturday, Elijah and Daniel Peters, Neil Kumar, and I jumped in the car and headed out to the Waitakeres, a mountain range west of Auckland. We headed out to ferry falls. The drive out was very interesting. The further we got out of town, and the higher into the mountains, the narrower and narrower the road got, until finally it was the width of one lane, with a dotted line in the middle. Finally the dotted line disappeared, it was a futile thing anyways. This made it interesting, to say the least, when passing oncoming vehicles.
Once we parked, the hike into the falls was about 40 minutes, and not very eventful.
We came out at the base of the falls. I would guess it was about 100 ft. or so from the top of the falls to the collection pool at the bottom. The water fell from the top for probably about 50 feet, where it split into two different falls, one split in two again and the tow fell into a single pool, the other ran down a ledge and emptied into a pool about 20 ft. or so away. The pools both drained into a stream that continued down the mountain. I thought this was all there was, and it was pretty enough to justify the hike in, so I snapped a ton of pictures.
There was a ledge up about 30 ft. or so, where the water first split in two, there was a part that was dry so I found a way up onto the ledge to get some closer shots. After I was done being Freddy photographer, we continued on. The trail came out of the forest, where we had come in on one side of the fall, and then continued on from the other side, so we continued on as well. We could see from the bottom of the fall that there was a trail that crossed the very top of the fall, so we reasoned that by continuing on the trail we would get to that one.
After walking for a while, and going up several stairs, we got to the top to look down on the fall. It was a beautiful sight; then we tuned around. Coming from as far up the mountain as we could see was one waterfall after another cascading down the side of the mountain, each one emptying into a pool before falling again. It was amazing. The trail, via a great many stairs, wound its way up the mountain right next to the falls, so that you could get a great view of most of the falls and their pools. I counted ten or so falls, including the base fall that we had seen first; but those were just the ones I could see. To make things even better, right next to the falls and throughout the forest were massive Kauri trees. It was gorgeous.
The walk back was longer (because we were on a loop and not going back the way we had come), and contained an obscene amount of stairs (a conservative estimate, I would say around 540,000 stairs) as it wound its way up the mountain, around, down, and back up other mountains. At one point, the path went directly next to a huge Kauri, which is odd because they are usually back off the path, with warning signs saying to stay away, lest you damage the roots by walking too closely. So I finally got to take some shots right next to one to show how huge they are.
Today Elijah, Justin Cherry, and Justin's father-in-law John, and I, went over to New Lynn to help a family move. They were moving from a dilapidated house, into a brand new Habitat for Humanity house. There was lots of hands, so we made quick work of it. The lady, a single mom, could not have been more thrilled, she kept saying that her cheeks were sore because she could not stop grinning. They were a great family, and a lot of fun to work with. It was an awesome opportunity.
The weather here is beautiful. Usually in the mid to high 70s (Fahrenheit)during the day, and cooling off quickly into the 60's or so in the evening. Nights are chilly. It is rare for houses to have an AC, most have heaps of opening windows to let in the light, as well as the breeze to cool the house.
Once we parked, the hike into the falls was about 40 minutes, and not very eventful.
We came out at the base of the falls. I would guess it was about 100 ft. or so from the top of the falls to the collection pool at the bottom. The water fell from the top for probably about 50 feet, where it split into two different falls, one split in two again and the tow fell into a single pool, the other ran down a ledge and emptied into a pool about 20 ft. or so away. The pools both drained into a stream that continued down the mountain. I thought this was all there was, and it was pretty enough to justify the hike in, so I snapped a ton of pictures.
There was a ledge up about 30 ft. or so, where the water first split in two, there was a part that was dry so I found a way up onto the ledge to get some closer shots. After I was done being Freddy photographer, we continued on. The trail came out of the forest, where we had come in on one side of the fall, and then continued on from the other side, so we continued on as well. We could see from the bottom of the fall that there was a trail that crossed the very top of the fall, so we reasoned that by continuing on the trail we would get to that one.
After walking for a while, and going up several stairs, we got to the top to look down on the fall. It was a beautiful sight; then we tuned around. Coming from as far up the mountain as we could see was one waterfall after another cascading down the side of the mountain, each one emptying into a pool before falling again. It was amazing. The trail, via a great many stairs, wound its way up the mountain right next to the falls, so that you could get a great view of most of the falls and their pools. I counted ten or so falls, including the base fall that we had seen first; but those were just the ones I could see. To make things even better, right next to the falls and throughout the forest were massive Kauri trees. It was gorgeous.
The walk back was longer (because we were on a loop and not going back the way we had come), and contained an obscene amount of stairs (a conservative estimate, I would say around 540,000 stairs) as it wound its way up the mountain, around, down, and back up other mountains. At one point, the path went directly next to a huge Kauri, which is odd because they are usually back off the path, with warning signs saying to stay away, lest you damage the roots by walking too closely. So I finally got to take some shots right next to one to show how huge they are.
Today Elijah, Justin Cherry, and Justin's father-in-law John, and I, went over to New Lynn to help a family move. They were moving from a dilapidated house, into a brand new Habitat for Humanity house. There was lots of hands, so we made quick work of it. The lady, a single mom, could not have been more thrilled, she kept saying that her cheeks were sore because she could not stop grinning. They were a great family, and a lot of fun to work with. It was an awesome opportunity.
The weather here is beautiful. Usually in the mid to high 70s (Fahrenheit)during the day, and cooling off quickly into the 60's or so in the evening. Nights are chilly. It is rare for houses to have an AC, most have heaps of opening windows to let in the light, as well as the breeze to cool the house.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Hitting the "high points"
I had the day off yesterday so Daniel Peters and I headed out to hit some of the higher places around Auckland. First we went to Mt. Victoria and North Head. Both are mountains right on the edge of the harbor, right next to one another. They are both at sort of the mouth of the harbor. In colonial days, on up to World War II, they were significant to the defense of the city, and nation. They are now public places. North Head is particularly fascinating, as it was home to a battery of huge guns that were dug into the mountain, along with a maze of tunnel systems and underground bunkers. Most of them are open now, so you can roam through them.
Hugh's tip of the day: If you should venture to roam said tunnels and bunkers, take a flashlight, as they are very dark in places. I do not recommend doing as Daniel and I did, using camera flashes to navigate through them. I did get some very interesting pictures from said camera flashes of the various innards of the fort; but we could only see for a fraction of a second, and then were totally blind in the darkness because of the flash.
These forts were home to some massive guns, placed here in the late 1800's during the "Russian Scare." At this time, New Zealand and Australia were fearful of a Russian attack, and therefore placed these massive guns on North Head, Mt. Victoria, and on a hill across the harbor to provide protection for the harbor inlet from naval encroachments. The guns, however, were never used in defense, and were only fired a hand-full of times in practice. However, even the practice firings were frowned upon because the citizens of nearby Davenport didn't take very kindly to having their windows blown out from the percussive force of the blasts. Yeah. Did I mention they were BIG guns. They were brought back again during World War II, along with additional guns; but again were never used in defense.
Interestingly enough, one of the only times the guns were seriously brought to alert was when Teddy Roosevelt's "Great White Fleet" (Google it) sailed into Auckland Harbour. America, at the time, was in a tussle with Japan and was not an ally of Great Brittan (Who New Zealand was still under). Great Brittan, however, had a treaty with Japan. A bit of drama anyone?
After we left North Head, we ventured into the City to "One Tree Hill." Which is a mountain, close to the middle of the city, that is a giant park. On the top stands a giant obelisk dedicated to a treaty signed between the British settlers, and the Maori (the native inhabitants) of New Zealand. The treaty granted the Maori all the rights, privileges and securities of British citizenship, and made them subjects of the crown.
The memorial is on the highest point of the mountain. Right in front of the memorial, a tree was planted, the only one actually on the highest part of the mountain where the monument is, thus making the name the name "One Tree Hill" a no brainier. Unfortunately several years ago, a protester chopped the tree down. The base of the tree is there, Which begs the question, If we follow the same line of reasoning that coined the original name of the hill, shouldn't it now be called "One Stump Hill?"
For those who see a correlation between the name of this place and the name of a TV show, there is indeed a connection. A full explanation of the association can be found on Wikipedia if you are interested.
Who knows what is next!
Hugh's tip of the day: If you should venture to roam said tunnels and bunkers, take a flashlight, as they are very dark in places. I do not recommend doing as Daniel and I did, using camera flashes to navigate through them. I did get some very interesting pictures from said camera flashes of the various innards of the fort; but we could only see for a fraction of a second, and then were totally blind in the darkness because of the flash.
These forts were home to some massive guns, placed here in the late 1800's during the "Russian Scare." At this time, New Zealand and Australia were fearful of a Russian attack, and therefore placed these massive guns on North Head, Mt. Victoria, and on a hill across the harbor to provide protection for the harbor inlet from naval encroachments. The guns, however, were never used in defense, and were only fired a hand-full of times in practice. However, even the practice firings were frowned upon because the citizens of nearby Davenport didn't take very kindly to having their windows blown out from the percussive force of the blasts. Yeah. Did I mention they were BIG guns. They were brought back again during World War II, along with additional guns; but again were never used in defense.
Interestingly enough, one of the only times the guns were seriously brought to alert was when Teddy Roosevelt's "Great White Fleet" (Google it) sailed into Auckland Harbour. America, at the time, was in a tussle with Japan and was not an ally of Great Brittan (Who New Zealand was still under). Great Brittan, however, had a treaty with Japan. A bit of drama anyone?
After we left North Head, we ventured into the City to "One Tree Hill." Which is a mountain, close to the middle of the city, that is a giant park. On the top stands a giant obelisk dedicated to a treaty signed between the British settlers, and the Maori (the native inhabitants) of New Zealand. The treaty granted the Maori all the rights, privileges and securities of British citizenship, and made them subjects of the crown.
The memorial is on the highest point of the mountain. Right in front of the memorial, a tree was planted, the only one actually on the highest part of the mountain where the monument is, thus making the name the name "One Tree Hill" a no brainier. Unfortunately several years ago, a protester chopped the tree down. The base of the tree is there, Which begs the question, If we follow the same line of reasoning that coined the original name of the hill, shouldn't it now be called "One Stump Hill?"
For those who see a correlation between the name of this place and the name of a TV show, there is indeed a connection. A full explanation of the association can be found on Wikipedia if you are interested.
Who knows what is next!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The Beach? In December? You Betcha.
So, I know it's been a while since my last post. Give me a break, I was really busy doing... yeah I've got nothing. Actually the last couple of weeks have been quite exciting. I have visited some more places around Auckland whilst searching for a job.
Update: I have found a job. I started in the middle of last week. It's not what I had hoped for, but it is gainful employment and I am grateful to have it.
A couple of weeks ago the Ely's and I went out to Piha Beach. It is a west coast beach. We are much closer to the east cost, and some of the beaches in the harbor, but the west cost beaches, in my opinion are much prettier, and have massive waves. To get to the east coast from here, you have to cross the Waitakere (why-tak-a-re) mountain range. So the last half of the trip is fairly step downhill. And like everywhere else the road is as straight as spaghetti. Despite crossing a mountain range and driving across the nation to another coast, Since we are on an isthmus, from the Ely's house to the beach was only about a 25 minute drive. At this part of the north island, one could easily go from east coast to west coast in 45 minutes or so.
A few kilometers from the beach, there is an overlook that looks down on the beach. Although you are very close you are still way above the beach, it makes for some amazing photos. The beach is long, with a big rock plopped right in the middle of it. It's really quite breathtaking. Once on the beach, perhaps the most noticeable feature is the sand. It's black. The sand on many of the west cost beaches, at least along this region, are black because it is volcanic sand. It is also extremely fine.
We spent a few hours there, walking on the beach, enjoying the sites before we headed back.
Last week, I wanted to go to the beach again, so I headed out to Bethells. It is a west coast beach, just north of Piha, but a bit more remote. Bethells has a huge sea of dunes behind it. The dunes are being preserved, and so parking is behind the dunes. This makes for a very long walk to the beach once parked, my guess is about half a mile or so. But the walk is well worth it. The beach is very long and extremely broad. It is black sand like Piha, but the sand here, when the sun hits it just right is almost purple. The beach itself is really broad, and slopes gradually, so when waves come in they come way up onto the beach. Since the beach is so gradually sloped, when the waves come in, they hang on the the beach, taking their time going back out. This, coupled with the black sand below turns the entire length of the beach into a long mirror.
To the south, the beach stretches off to cliffs in the distance. To the north, similar to Piha, there is a huge rock that forms a small bay with some gigantic waves with massive currents. I waded into the water, only to about knee deep to take pictures of the waves crashing on the rocks, and the current nearly took me off my feet.
While I was on the beach there was a film crew there as well. I don't know what they were filming. A local told me that this is a very popular beach for filming. It's easy to see why. With the length and breadth of the beach, its sheer beauty, and its isolation due to the sea of dunes; if I was filming a beach scene, I would do it here.
On my way out I ate at a small cafe behind the dunes. There were no open tables, so I sat with a couple, originally from Holland. They have lived in New Zealand for 45 years, so they were very articulate in letting me know that despite their heritage they consider themselves Kiwis. They were so very interesting. At this couples advice I ordered a burger. They said that the burgers at this place were really good, and they weren't kidding. This bit may be hard to take in for Texans, but I might have to say that the best burger I have ever had was at Bethells beach in New Zealand.
The beach was so beautiful that I took the Ely's back with me the next day. We played baseball on the beach. When we got bored with that, we played Bachi ball (I hope I am spelling that right). I had never even heard of Bachi ball, but the Elys had a set, so we played it. While we were playing some Korean guys walked up and asked if they could play, so we paired off into teams and played. It was really a lot of fun. I know I say this a lot, but this place is absolutely amazing. Each place you go is seemingly more beautiful and grandiose than the one before.
Update: I have found a job. I started in the middle of last week. It's not what I had hoped for, but it is gainful employment and I am grateful to have it.
A couple of weeks ago the Ely's and I went out to Piha Beach. It is a west coast beach. We are much closer to the east cost, and some of the beaches in the harbor, but the west cost beaches, in my opinion are much prettier, and have massive waves. To get to the east coast from here, you have to cross the Waitakere (why-tak-a-re) mountain range. So the last half of the trip is fairly step downhill. And like everywhere else the road is as straight as spaghetti. Despite crossing a mountain range and driving across the nation to another coast, Since we are on an isthmus, from the Ely's house to the beach was only about a 25 minute drive. At this part of the north island, one could easily go from east coast to west coast in 45 minutes or so.
A few kilometers from the beach, there is an overlook that looks down on the beach. Although you are very close you are still way above the beach, it makes for some amazing photos. The beach is long, with a big rock plopped right in the middle of it. It's really quite breathtaking. Once on the beach, perhaps the most noticeable feature is the sand. It's black. The sand on many of the west cost beaches, at least along this region, are black because it is volcanic sand. It is also extremely fine.
We spent a few hours there, walking on the beach, enjoying the sites before we headed back.
Last week, I wanted to go to the beach again, so I headed out to Bethells. It is a west coast beach, just north of Piha, but a bit more remote. Bethells has a huge sea of dunes behind it. The dunes are being preserved, and so parking is behind the dunes. This makes for a very long walk to the beach once parked, my guess is about half a mile or so. But the walk is well worth it. The beach is very long and extremely broad. It is black sand like Piha, but the sand here, when the sun hits it just right is almost purple. The beach itself is really broad, and slopes gradually, so when waves come in they come way up onto the beach. Since the beach is so gradually sloped, when the waves come in, they hang on the the beach, taking their time going back out. This, coupled with the black sand below turns the entire length of the beach into a long mirror.
To the south, the beach stretches off to cliffs in the distance. To the north, similar to Piha, there is a huge rock that forms a small bay with some gigantic waves with massive currents. I waded into the water, only to about knee deep to take pictures of the waves crashing on the rocks, and the current nearly took me off my feet.
While I was on the beach there was a film crew there as well. I don't know what they were filming. A local told me that this is a very popular beach for filming. It's easy to see why. With the length and breadth of the beach, its sheer beauty, and its isolation due to the sea of dunes; if I was filming a beach scene, I would do it here.
On my way out I ate at a small cafe behind the dunes. There were no open tables, so I sat with a couple, originally from Holland. They have lived in New Zealand for 45 years, so they were very articulate in letting me know that despite their heritage they consider themselves Kiwis. They were so very interesting. At this couples advice I ordered a burger. They said that the burgers at this place were really good, and they weren't kidding. This bit may be hard to take in for Texans, but I might have to say that the best burger I have ever had was at Bethells beach in New Zealand.
The beach was so beautiful that I took the Ely's back with me the next day. We played baseball on the beach. When we got bored with that, we played Bachi ball (I hope I am spelling that right). I had never even heard of Bachi ball, but the Elys had a set, so we played it. While we were playing some Korean guys walked up and asked if they could play, so we paired off into teams and played. It was really a lot of fun. I know I say this a lot, but this place is absolutely amazing. Each place you go is seemingly more beautiful and grandiose than the one before.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Elvis has left the building!
The past week and a half has been very uneventful, especially in light of my first week here and the Northland trip. I have really just been looking for a job. My goal was to find a job in the renewable energy sector. There are actually lots of places here that sell and install solar panels, solar hot water systems, and small wind generators. Despite my best efforts at securing gainful employment at said businesses, none of them are hiring. I actually thought one guy was going to hire me, but he changed his mind. So I have applied at Hill and Stewart, and Noell Leaming; these are similar to Best Buy or Circuit City in the US. The Hill and Stewart guy told me that he would call Monday to set up an interview. That would be swell for sure.
The last little while has not been entirely devoid of enjoyable extracurricular fun. I went one day last week with the Elys to "Operation Christmas Child." This is an organization that collects shoe boxes from across New Zealand that have been stuffed with Christmas presents and sends them to kids in Fiji. Our job was going through boxes people had sent in to make sure that the gifts were appropriate, and that all the items in the boxes would make it through customs. That was really a lot of fun. It was interesting to see some of the things that people put into their boxes. As we went through the boxes, if there were certain items missing we would find things in the warehouse to put in the boxes; or you could combine boxes. One box I got had, no joke, a package of 5,000 stickers in it. Being the astute box sorter that I was, after a short deliberation I made the judgment that this was way too many stickers for any one child to possess (and I'm sure that particular child's parents would thank me for that decision). I really had a lot of fun doing that.
I also went to the FIFA Under 17 woman's Soccer world championship game, which just happened to be in Auckland this year, and the USA woman's team just happened to be one of the teams. It was USA vs. Peoples republic of Korea (that's North Korea). I know what you are wondering, and no Kim Jong-il was not in attendance. My guess is he was probably at an Asian Elvis impersonator contest (seriously, you cannot tell me that you haven't thought that that guy doesn't look like an Asian Elvis). It was a really good game. The North Korean Team won, but it was still a good game.
HUGH'S TIP OF THE DAY: If you are going to go to a soccer game where the US is in contest with North Korea, and your team is the one wearing red, white, and blue; try not to sit in the middle of the Korean cheering section (learned that one from experience). We learned in that game that it is possible to be excited and cheer for your team, "on the inside".
Today we went to an all organic farmers market, it was great. Organic food is a pretty big deal here. Even "regular" Grocery store food spoils much quicker here, simply because it doesn't have nearly as many preservatives as food in the states. Food here, however, is much more expensive.
I hope you are all enjoying winter! I am going to the beach, I will think of you all whilst there. ;)
The last little while has not been entirely devoid of enjoyable extracurricular fun. I went one day last week with the Elys to "Operation Christmas Child." This is an organization that collects shoe boxes from across New Zealand that have been stuffed with Christmas presents and sends them to kids in Fiji. Our job was going through boxes people had sent in to make sure that the gifts were appropriate, and that all the items in the boxes would make it through customs. That was really a lot of fun. It was interesting to see some of the things that people put into their boxes. As we went through the boxes, if there were certain items missing we would find things in the warehouse to put in the boxes; or you could combine boxes. One box I got had, no joke, a package of 5,000 stickers in it. Being the astute box sorter that I was, after a short deliberation I made the judgment that this was way too many stickers for any one child to possess (and I'm sure that particular child's parents would thank me for that decision). I really had a lot of fun doing that.
I also went to the FIFA Under 17 woman's Soccer world championship game, which just happened to be in Auckland this year, and the USA woman's team just happened to be one of the teams. It was USA vs. Peoples republic of Korea (that's North Korea). I know what you are wondering, and no Kim Jong-il was not in attendance. My guess is he was probably at an Asian Elvis impersonator contest (seriously, you cannot tell me that you haven't thought that that guy doesn't look like an Asian Elvis). It was a really good game. The North Korean Team won, but it was still a good game.
HUGH'S TIP OF THE DAY: If you are going to go to a soccer game where the US is in contest with North Korea, and your team is the one wearing red, white, and blue; try not to sit in the middle of the Korean cheering section (learned that one from experience). We learned in that game that it is possible to be excited and cheer for your team, "on the inside".
Today we went to an all organic farmers market, it was great. Organic food is a pretty big deal here. Even "regular" Grocery store food spoils much quicker here, simply because it doesn't have nearly as many preservatives as food in the states. Food here, however, is much more expensive.
I hope you are all enjoying winter! I am going to the beach, I will think of you all whilst there. ;)
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