Day 7 – Auckland

So as we wind up our holiday, let’s look at Carly’s other journey. She started with a sore throat, then she lost her voice, then she developed a cough, did I mention the headache? Well, to continue on with this wonderful tour of her wellnessless (like that new word?), she has now moved on to the next stage of the cycle – sleeping. I was tempted to take a photo of her propped up on about four pillows as she slept sitting up last night to reduce the whole coughing scenario. This morning she woke earlyish, dragged herself into the bath, back into bed, and then back to sleep. She clearly needed to rest – thank goodness we didn’t have to move on and were spending another day and night here.

By 9:45am, as she was still asleep, I decided I would eat my arm shortly if I didn't get some breakfast so wrote a note and prepared to leave. Just as I was walking out the door, Carly's eyes fluttered open. She assured me she did not want or need anything and urged me to go out and explore…and she would sleep. So, I did (but I did feel guilty!)

After grabbing a quick (non Trip Advisor) breakfast that was very nice, I hightailed it to the tallest building – Sky Tower – because that’s where the bus stop for the hop on, hop off bus is. You didn’t think I was going up in the glass lift did you? It seemed like a good landmark to find – look up and follow the big tall thingy. What followed was a solo adventure of hopping – on and off. I saw views from the top of hills, walked beside the harbour, visited an awesome aquarium, visited the Auckland Museum which was fabulous, and walked through a number of parks. The commentary on the bus was also interesting and informative. I did have some trouble with the Kiwi accent – at one point the guy said “look at the lift” and I was searching around for a lift. It took me a while to realise he said “look to the left” lol! Anyway, I have actually found the names of places (and people) really confusing here – unpronounceable and often incomprehensible – I reckon it is easier in non-English speaking countries!

I  then ended up back at the hotel by about 3pm where Carly had spent the day sleeping. Well, she did also own up to eating a muesli bar at some point, but regardless it would have to go down as a pretty quiet day for her. Keen to at least get out one time in the day, Carly joined me for Linner. I am a little ashamed to say we had McDonalds…but that’s what Carly felt like, and hey, I was starving! We spent an hour or so wandering down to the waterfront, checked out a few shops, and arrived back at the hotel with some yummy cookies in hand for supper later. I just couldn’t wait to get my shoes off! Lots of walking today.

Carly seems a bit better now – hopefully the worst is past. We head back home tomorrow having really enjoyed our short break here in NZ. It was unfortunate that Carly got sick, but hey, maybe that just means we’ll have to come back one day and do it all again!

Day 6 – Taupo to Auckland via Hamilton

It had to happen. We had a day of disaster upon disaster today. It all started with Carly having a shocker of a night with minimal sleep, lots of coughing, some (ahem) vomiting, and ending with sleeping in the bath. Poor thing, she was not operating on all cylinders as we packed up and headed off for breakfast. Make sure you check out the photos to compare our breakfasts – I had smashed avocado & tomato with poached egg and bacon while Carly had plain cream cheese on a plain bagel. Regardless, it was yummy…again…thank you Trip Advisor.

So we set off for our first activity – a two hour drive away. There was no party atmosphere with actions for 90s rap songs today. Carly caught up on sleep – I must admit I felt a bit like the clock had turned back 30 years to her baby years – to get her to sleep, just go for a drive! So it was raining and I was driving on winding back roads. We passed two crashes, one with a car flipped over by the side of the road, so I drove quite conservatively. The Sat Nav finally said we had arrived but unfortunately we were in the middle of nowhere. Hmm. A quick check found we had put the wrong road name in so we were off course…but not too far…so a mere 15 minutes later we arrived at the Glow Worm Caves. Calamity! The glow worm tours were all booked up for hours! So, we decided to do a different cave – we raced and just caught the 10:30am tour. Great! Except as we started to go into the cave, Carly realised that there were heights involved and she decided she did not feel well enough to face that stress so she bailed out and sat outside the cave for an hour and a half! It was a very interesting tour and I took heaps of photos so that she could check it out later. Poor Carly!

After that disaster we decided to head on over to Hamilton to check out their famous Gardens. Once again Carly took the opportunity to snooze and an hour later we were pulling in to the car park. Still not feeling well, Carly struggled but we were able to spend 45 minutes or so pleasantly exploring some very nice themed gardens.

It was only an hour and a half to Auckland. We had originally planned that we would drive to the airport, return the car, and then get a bus with our bags to our hotel. I could see this was going to be too much for Carly – poor thing was still not well. So, change of plan – we would drive to the hotel, I would drop Carly and the bags off, drive to the airport, drop the car off, and catch a bus back to the hotel. We left Hamilton a bit after 2pm, and I got back to the hotel at about 7pm. OMG – traffic jam capital of the world! Anyway, we finally made it, somewhat battle scarred, maybe down, but not out! Tomorrow is another day.

Room service, a hot bath, and an early night me thinks.

Day 5 – Taupo

It was a night characterised by the dreaded cough, cough, cough for Carly last night. Whilst bravely powering on, it was decided to look for a pharmacy and what were the odds that there would be one almost next door to the café we had chosen for breakfast? So, cough mixture in hand we settled in for yet another Trip Advisored yummy breakfast. We followed that with another stroll around Rotorua and were then entertained when we returned to our car by a major police bust directly across the road. There were police cars everywhere, searches made, and a very suspicious looking character looking very guilty. We hung around as long as we could hoping to see something really exciting but alas, it was time to move on.

So it was back to the hotel for a quick pack, check out, and then it was back on the road to travel to Taupo, a mere 80 or so kilometres away. It was a pleasant drive accentuated by antics associated to listening to ‘Carly’s Mega Mix’ via Bluetooth on the car audio. What could those antics be, you ask? Well who knew that certain songs require, yes apparently require(!), everybody in the vehicle to take part in the ‘actions’. I found that, even as the driver, it was mandated that my arms be thrown up, down, pushing motions made, and moved from side to side. The 90’s must have been a lot of fun as a teenager and my education regarding rappers and boy bands of that era is certainly well underway.

We stopped to view Huka Falls just before Taupo but the short walk exacerbated Carly's cough so we decided a quiet afternoon was called for if we were to undertake our planned big day tomorrow. We did call in to a couple of touristy attractions & shops and then went in search of our hotel. This was to be found after a lovely drive alongside Lake Taupo – there seems to be lots of water and boating activity on offer. Carly was sent in to beg for a room before official check in time as her Kim Carnes’ inspired, laryngitis voice was assumed to be more persuasive, and so it proved…we were in!

This is our most luxurious stop with a stay at the 5 star Hilton so we were hardly roughing it as we spent the afternoon watching TV. (It was actually a pretty bad TV movie that was so awful it was funny). Trip Advisor didn’t let us down for our Linner at 4:30pm where we enjoyed SFC (southern fried chicken) and chips at Pauly’s.

I considered spending some time in the thermal spa when we returned to the hotel but was loathe to interrupt the canoodling honeymooners who had taken up residence there. A little more TV viewing was most informative - in NZ Family Feud you only win $5,000 (!) and the news informed us that there had been 2 geo thermal eruptions in Rotorua in the last 2 days, for the first time in 8 years – who knew we would have such an impact?

To top off this day of rest and relaxation, Carly and I tried a Rotorua Mud mask – we’ll let you know tomorrow whether we have been rejuvenated beyond recognition. Looking for an early night tonight and an early start tomorrow.

Day 4 – Rotorua – Wai-O-Tapu – Buried Village

Poor Carly didn’t sleep too well. She awoke with a scratchy voice and feeling a bit average. It hurt to talk so I did most of the talking today…nothing new, you say. She did say she sounds worse than she feels, but she has been a real trooper, and we have done heaps! Seeing as I had the opportunity to hold the stage, as it were, I tried to convince her that we could always attend the last day of the Pakistan v NZ cricket test at Hamilton and she would get all the rest she needs. Strangely enough she passed on that idea. Oh well, it was worth a try.

We started with another yummy breakfast, once again sharing a savoury and sweet option. This was followed by an hour or two just walking around Rotorua checking out some shops. After that sedate start to the day, we hit the road in our trusty little Barina and set off for the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, about 30 minutes outside town. We then spent a couple of hours walking around the park looking at an array of awesome sights, thermal pools, mud pools, craters and the like. Certainly a sight to see – something you don’t see everywhere! At this point, we stopped for a brief arvo tea that included an awesome coconut rough slice – a great substitute for lunch.

We dove back to Rotorua to check out the Zorbing (?) that Carly was contemplating. This is when you get in a big plastic ball and roll down a hill – they refer to this as ‘fun’. After we sat in the car park for a while viewing the proceedings, Carly advised it did not look ‘fun’ enough so we moved on to our next activity which was another drive for about 30 minutes to the Buried Village, near Lake Tarawera. This was an amazing museum and site where you walked around what was once the village of Te Wairoa that was buried by volcanic ash in June 1886 when Mt Tarawera erupted and 120 people died. It was very interesting and well worth a visit. On top of that there was a lovely ‘bush’ walk to the Wairee Falls which were spectacular. Carly (and I) were particularly brave to climb down some pretty steep terrain to get to the base of the falls, but it was definitely worth it. We finished off with a quick viewing of the lake and then it was back in the car to drive to our hotel and dinner. Looks like it will be a movie and then bedtime.

We have really enjoyed our time here in Rotorua, looking forward to our next leg in Taupo!

Day 3 –Pauanui - Whangamata – Rotorua

Our little mountain chalet kept us warm and dry from the overnight rain, allowing us to wake as refreshed as the foliage. Actually Carly has had a sore throat for a day or two and is only feeling average, but she is soldiering on. I, on the other hand, am feeling fine (thanks for asking). We have been lucky with the weather. It has been mainly sunny, cool at times, and often windy, but we have only had one brief shower of rain to contend with so far and that was while driving.

After checking out of the resort, we headed back onto the now familiar winding roads that are a feature of the area. I must say that NZ roads seem to be pretty good though they seem loathe to employ any sort of safety barriers near steep fall aways- this seems to freak Carly out at times. It couldn’t be my driving, could it? Our breakfast destination, (chosen carefully from Trip Advisor), was a café at Whangamata – Blackies on the Beach. We had an awesome feed of french toast, berries and cream to accompany an egg & bacon buttie. Yes, that’s right, buttie. I thought that was a UK thing, but apparently not. I have also introduced Carly to jandals (NZ thongs) which she had never heard of. Anyway, amazing breakfast which we topped off with a short walk along the beach. Really nice scenery.

We travelled on for another hour or so and then detoured to McLaren Park Falls where we explored by car and walked as well. Pretty spot – would be good to visit for longer if we had more time. Back in the car and on to Rotorua where we grabbed a small arvo tea (note, no lunch!) and then proceeded to check into our hotel. All good there – lovely big room, big pool and spa which we may sample tomorrow, and very close to all the attractions. We decided we needed more walking (!) so headed off to the Redwood forest for a brisk 30 minute walk. It was lovely – we may go back tomorrow if time allows.

We were back, changed and ready by 5pm to be picked up to attend our Maori Village Cultural Night complete with Hangi Feast. The whole thing was great fun, and quite educational too. The bus driver, Aroha, was very entertaining and the various shows and activities during the night were great too. The hangi feast was really yummy, we bought our obligatory fridge magnets, and headed back on the bus, arriving home about 9pm. Should be another big day tomorrow.

Day 2 – Coromandel Peninsula

Against all odds both Carly and I have seamlessly adjusted to the time difference and we both woke up at about 6:30am. A leisurely cup of tea (yes, I brought the Lipton tea bags from home), and we set off to a café at Hot Water Beach. There we reprised our previous travel habits of sharing a savoury (bacon & eggs) and sweet (berry pancakes) for breakfast. It was very yummy and was only slightly disrupted when a larg(ish) bird of undetermined origin smashed in to the window where I was sitting. It seemed to survive the experience and flew away, if in a somewhat zig zag pattern. Hot Water Beach is famous for its warm water underneath the sand, only at low tide, and you have to dig…quite a bit. We had hired a spade from the hotel but needed to wait until low tide so we set off on another adventure.

Carly had heard that Cathedral Cove was a “must see” so we set off to check it out. We luckily jagged a parking spot in the car park and then set off on the walk, signposted to be 45 minutes each way. What they failed to tell us is that there are thousands (I don’t think that is an exaggeration) of steps and very steep hill climbs. Although I can say now that the walk was worth it, at the time we weren’t so sure! There were also a couple of side tracks (with more steps!) to get down to Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay – Carly insisted that we had come this far… Anyway, it was pretty fabulous at the beach at Cathedral Cove – lovely scenery.

With legs shaking, out of breath, and a good sweat worked up, we were back in the car and heading back to the Hot Water Beach. We decided we couldn’t possibly dig after all that exercise so we walked down to the beach and watched the hordes dig holes so that hot water could seep up and they could lie in it. We were happy enough to live vicariously through these strangers for a little while and then it was back to the car and off again.

Our next stop was the Lost Springs in Whitianga…and didn’t we need that after all that walking? There were a number of thermal pools of varying heat that we sampled. It was fabulous and we spent a very relaxing hour and a half there. Our next stop was in the village of Tairua where we found a café still serving food at 4pm and we had Linner (our version of a cross between lunch and dinner). You may recall this is another travel habit of ours – one that allows us to have chocolate for supper as we have really only had two meals in the day, (well, that’s our reasoning and who dares argue with it?) So after our Linner of beef burger (Carly) and creamy pasta (me), we were back on the windy roads of the Coromandel Peninsula and back at the resort by 6pm.

After such an adventurous day we were more than happy to rest up for more adventures tomorrow.

Day 1 – Sydney – Auckland – Pauanui Beach

After an uneventful trip to Sydney last night, and a good night’s sleep at the Airport Rydges, Carly & I made the trek across the road to the International terminal this morning to begin our adventure. A small hiccup occurred at security where Carly was scanned, patted down, tested for gunpowder and other deviant activity…all coming back negative with an errant zipper on her pants being named as the culprit that brought her to the notice of the officials. With all that sorted we grabbed some brekky, had a short wait, and then boarded our flight for Auckland.

A surprisingly pleasant second brekky of a fruit plate on the plane, and a movie later, and we arrived in Auckland safe and sound. After picking up our hire care, and most importantly setting up the much needed Sat Nav, we set off. With me behind the wheel and Carly occupying the navigator’s seat, we amazingly had no problems, wending our way along motorways and country roads alike. One of the things I immediately noticed is that the houses aren’t brick as you would see in Australia. A quick Google search confirmed this is because of potential earthquakes. Happy to say that the earth hasn't moved for us yet.

Within two hours we had arrived at Pauanui Beach where we were booked into a lovely mountainside resort. Our chalet is nestled among the ferns and trees of Pauanui Mountain, a bit of a trek up from the car park certainly, but good exercise after sitting all day none the less. Carly did say “dad would not be enjoying this!”

After checking in we went in search of dinner, first checking out the beach and enjoying the local  scenery. A mix up at a local café meant we waited over an hour for what turned out to be an average tasting pizza. Carly vowed we would trust Trip Advisor unreservedly from now on – this place was lowly rated and our comment of “how bad can it be?” continues to ring in our ears. It was then back to our room where we found the Jets v Melbourne Victory on TV. It could have been a perfect end to the day…but a 2-0 loss put paid to that. A brief wrestle with an errant moth provided some entertainment, (you would have loved it James!),  before we settled in, trying to come to terms with the 2 hour time difference, so a 10pm bedtime Australian time is midnight here…but we can sleep in, so it’s all good.

Posting photos on the blog is way beyond me...not sure how I ever did it before...check Facebook for photos.

Here we go again...

That's right. Carly and I are heading off on another adventure. This time it is a very short, (but hopefully sweet), 7 nights in New Zealand. We are heading on down to Sydney tonight and flying out in the morning to Auckland. From there we will wend, (well drive actually), our way around the North Island, arriving back in Auckland for a couple of days and then back in Sydney the following Saturday.

Join us and live vicariously through our adventures. I have totally left the planning up to Carly who always does a good job. She has asked for some input and so far I have said that white water rafting is not totally off the books, rolling down a hill in a big plastic ball may be a possibility, and bungee jumping is an "over my dead body" option. (Probably because that's how I believe it would end!)