New Zealand Part 3 - Rotorua

    Rotorua was one of the more interesting places we visited. Now, that is simply my opinion, and it  probably has a lot to do with my odd love of geology. You see, Rotorua sits in the center of a huge caldera, which is to say it's sitting in the center of a collapsed volcano. Because of this, there is geothermal activity all over the place - hot springs, boiling mud pools, and geysers too!
    We visited several tourist type attractions, which I will get to later, but I think my favorite thing about the place was just the nature of the city itself. Imagine a place that smells (quite strongly) of sulfur. Imagine walking through a cute little grassy park, but being surrounded by signs warning you to stay on the paths because otherwise you may fall prey to injury from a steam vent or some other such thing. It's crazy! I dug it.
    Anyways, on to the more specific destinations (all arranged by J's family). First was a visit to Te Puia NZ Maori Arts & Crafts Institute. While places like these are very touristy (probably the equivalent to most luaus in Hawaii, if I had to guess), they still serve as an interesting peek into NZ's native culture/traditions. A ticket comes complete with a guided tour of the grounds, as well as a cultural performance. If you're lucky enough to get tickets for the Te Po before they sell out, they also provide a nighttime experience which includes cultural performances and also comes with a Maori feast called a "hangi".

Just try and pronounce that name there... I dare ya!

Whose shoes are whose?

     We arrived in the late morning and met up for a tour of the thermal valley. Following the path, we passed by several cool geothermal features. The first of these were the mud pools. You can't quite tell in photographs, but it essentially looks like a lake of boiling mud. There are dozens of lumps and mounds of mud that are essentially steam dried at the bottom, but liquid and bubbling at the peaks.

Mud pools - lots of bubbles and lots of steam.

Close up of one of the bubbling vents.

   The next feature is probably their most impressive, and that is their geysers. Unfortunately, the largest and most famous of these geysers, the Pohutu Geyser (apparently the largest in the southern hemisphere reaching up to 30 meters high!) decided not to go off while we were there. But the smaller Prince of Wales Feathers geyser, decided to put on a show and just wouldn't quit!

Prince of Wales Feathers Geyser

    We had tickets for a specific time slot for the cultural performance, so we didn't get to see the rest of the grounds (I'm still a little sad about this). We met outside the Maori village and waited for the guide who would take us inside. Before we could enter the village, the guide explained, we would first have to participate in a sort of welcome ceremony (similar to how a host tribe would interact with a visiting tribe to root out their intentions- peaceful or aggressive). She chose a representative who would act as our tribe leader of sorts. How this ceremony works is, the hosting leader would walk forward and place a silver fern leaf before the visitor. If the visiting leader picks up the fern, it's a sign of peace, and they will then be welcomed as guests.

    So, after playing out this tradition, we were all welcomed inside for the performance. This included a traditional stick game (passing batons in time to the song's rhythm) as well as the Haka (a warrior's challenge). To anyone who has never seen the Haka before, I highly recommend looking it up on youtube, and specifically, I'd recommend looking up the All Blacks Haka (NZ rugby team- they do the Haka before every match!).

    After the cultural performances, we took a quick look around the wood carving school, where we got to see a carver working on a huge carving that spanned the length of the room. I took a bunch of photographs of carvings around the grounds. We also got to look at their Greenstone carving display, which included a huge block of jade (one of the largest I've seen). Greenstone jewelry is one of those items that can be found in just about every shop around NZ, and there is a lot of variety to be found. It is also fairly expensive, costing somewhere around $50nz for the smaller pieces and upwards of several hundred for larger pieces and those with elaborate carvings. I had originally wanted to get one such necklace for my sister, but with the prices being fairly high, and me not knowing exactly what my sister would like, I went with a carved bone necklace instead (also very popular).

    We spent a minimal amount of time in the gift shop (J pretty much dragged me out), and then headed off to our next stop: Rainbow Springs. Now, if I had to summarize Rainbow Springs in as few words as possible, I would probably say it's a bird zoo. There is a water ride near the back of the park, and several native lizards and fish, but it is still mostly bird-centric. The first stop made was to the Kiwi Experience.

    Now, as you may or may not already know, kiwis are nocturnal birds. They are also endangered. So, when you go into a kiwi enclosure, don't think you're guaranteed to see one. These enclosures are typically large rooms that are kept dark with only minimal lighting - this is to trick the birds into thinking that it is nighttime so that they come out of their nests. Still, it is very dark, so it can be hard to spot them unless they are moving. Now, unfortunately, they don't allow cameras in these enclosures, due to the kiwi's sensitivity to light and sound, so I don't have proof... but, I did, in fact, see a kiwi! We actually saw three of them. And they are just as awkward as you'd expect. Hunched over on their beefy legs with their teensy wings folded close to their bodies and their long beaks plucking food from the ground. They almost don't look real.. more like small rugby balls with legs.

No, these aren't real live kiwis.. they are real stuffed though.

    Other birds featured here are several species of parrot, this crazy cockatoo, a kea named Jenny, a kaka, a tui, and a huge pigeon. While I took pictures of pretty much all of them, I'll be kind and only post a few of my favorites.

Apparently, giant kiwi birds play rugby in their spare time.

J made a friend! This is Jenny the Kea.

 (left: Kea - right: Tui) (fun fact: Tui's make really interesting sounds. They kind of sound like R2D2. Don't believe me? Check youtube, they're pretty crazy!)

 (left: can't remember, but some sort of parrot - right:  NZ Kingfisher)

Apparently, these little guys have been around since prehistoric times. 

J & The Moa - an extinct species - huge and flightless.
Think - ostrich, but much bigger. This one was made of concrete.

    Rainbow Springs was definitely fun for taking photos, and I probably could have stayed longer, but dinnertime was approaching and it was time to go. Back to Tauranga, dinner, drinks, and our gorgeous view of Mount Maunganui and yet another cruise ship departing at sunset. It was a fun, full day.

PS: I am not posting all of my photographs here. I will eventually be posting more photographs from NZ on my photography website (link at the top of the page)!

New Zealand Part 2 - Mount Maunganui

The Mount

    Mount Maunganui is a small coastal city named for it's most distinguishing feature: an extinct volcano, known simply as "The Mount". On one side of the Mount is the deep blue of the Pacific ocean, and on it's other side is the bay and harbor. The main function of said harbor is shipping and exports (lots of lumber), but it is also a main port for cruise ships, of which there seemed to be a new one in and out every day of our trip. So, as  you can imagine, Mount Maunganui is a bit of a tourist town. It is cute and quaint and full of small shoppes and restaurants of every kind  - everything from taquerias to pubs to Indian and Thai food. On the second (or was it third?) day there, we made our first trip down to the Mount so that J's grandpa could watch a footrace. Starting on the beach, the runners would have to race along the coast, up the Mount, and back down to the start/finish line. While J's grandpa grabbed a seat to watch the race, J and I (along with his brother and mum) explored Moturiki, a small island, connected to the beach, where little blue penguins were reportedly nesting among the rocks. Sadly, we couldn't find the penguins, but we did manage to get a great photo at the end of our hike.

    Our second trip out to the Mount was with the goal of climbing to the top of its 760 ft height. In tow was myself, J, and J's dad, brother, grandpa, cousin Geraldine, and cousin James' girlfriend, Sarah. The first part of the trail upward is very pastoral: green grasses and lots of sheep. It also isn't terribly steep, with only a gradual rise as the trail wraps around the Mount.

     Then, about a third of the way up, you reach a huge sprawling tree and a small gate spanning across the path.

 

    Beyond this small gate, is where the going gets tough. In almost record timing, you walk from a grassy field spotted with young trees, to a thick jungle of tree ferns and brush, and then, all of a sudden, you're walking straight up. Okay, perhaps that is a slight exaggeration, but it becomes very steep. The second third of the hike was perhaps the hardest, and hottest, but after a lot of huffing and puffing, we made it up to the very top.
    At the top of every mountain in NZ (apparently) is a marker of some sort to signify you've reached the peak. J informs me that these are called "trigs". I have photographs of said trig, but unfortunately, due to privacy reasons, I have been forbidden to post photos of people (other than J and myself) online, and the only photos I have are group shots :(
    The views from atop the Mount are gorgeous. From above, you can see the entirety of Mount Maunganui with the Pacific Ocean on the left to the Bay (and cruise ship!) on the right. The colors are so beautiful and vibrant - the greens of the brush, the reds of the Pohutukawa trees, and the aquas of the water below. My only complaint? The heat! It was a gorgeous summer day, with the temperatures soaring well into the 80s, and, being in a sub-tropical climate, it was also very humid. As you can probably see in the photos, we were all just a bit hot and tired.

Pohutukawa tree in bloom.

The view from the top! On the left is the Pacific, and on the right is the harbor.

It was quite a trek, but we made it!

   A view of the path down below - on the left is the original photo, on the right is what happens when I find out my camera has a "toy" filter.


 The climb down was almost as difficult as it was up, but at the end of our journey was a delicious treat, courtesy of J's grandpa!

J got orange chocolate chip + orange chocolate chunk with pineapple syrup. I got chocolate :)

    Several mini-trips were taken to visit Mount Maunganui to do a bit of souvenir shopping - very important! J and I bought postcards to send people back home, and I bought gifts for my family (gorgeous tree-fern candles for the gals, chocolates for the guys, pohutukawa lotion for mom, a cool hat and licorice all-sorts for my dad, and a bone carved necklace and mug for my sister). At the end of one such expedition, we went to the hot pools. The hot pools are not natural springs in the ground as I had originally assumed, rather they are heated salt water pools - similar to a jacuzzi. The best part of the hot pools, in my opinion, is the view. From anywhere in the facility, you can kick back in the water and look up at the Mount directly above. You can almost touch it!
    After a nice long soak, we decided to grab some dinner we could snack on at the beach. We ordered food at a fish and chips joint and hiked back towards the beach. Along the way, we came upon Mount Drury (which is more of a tall hill than a mountain), and J's mum insisted that we climb to the top. I can't say I was overly thrilled with the idea of climbing, being supremely hungry, but after trudging up to the top, it proved to be worth the effort. The sun had just begun setting, and it made for yet another beautiful view of the Mount, as well as the ocean beyond. The fish, served in newspaper (as it should be) was greasy, but super fresh and delicious, and was probably one of my favorite meals of the trip.
    Once our bellies were full, we trailed down the other side of Drury towards the beach. Down by the boardwalk, J's mum called grandpa to say that we were ready to go. While we waited for our ride, J and I decided to walk down on the beach by the water. It was low tide, and the beach seemed to stretch on forever into the distance. But, of course, the first thing I noticed was this:

    Shells. EVERYWHERE! For those of you don't know, I LOVE seashells. Ever since I was a little girl, I've spent most of my beach time collecting small shells and pebbles and sea glass. There is nothing I love more than hunting for beach treasure.. I was not prepared for this. I don't think I've every seen so many shells in on place in all my life. And not just shell pieces, whole intact shells, some almost as large as my palm. It was amazing, and I ended up spending the rest of our time on the beach collecting them.
    I was so enthused by the shells, as well as disappointed that I had left my camera at home on this one occasion, that I made up my mind that we needed to come back the next night. It was our last night in NZ, and despite everyone else wanting to relax back at home, I was determined to stay out. We managed to get everyone out again to walk the base of the Mount one last time. The walk around was much simpler than the journey up had been, and surprisingly, the views were just as beautiful, albeit very different.

     The path was completely shaded by pohutakawa and other trees, which also happened to be filled with cormorants!

    After filling my camera with photos of wings and waves, we eventually met up with J's family on the other side.  I practically had to beg J to help me orchestrate my plan to stay out late, but, finally, because J loves me ever so much, he convinced his family to let us stay out just a little bit longer. We told them that we'd meet them at precisely 9pm where we were picked up the night before near the beach, and we grabbed some dinner and were on our way.

    Much like the night before, J and I hiked up Mt. Drury (shown above) to eat our dinner, then walked down to the beach. The view of the sunset by the ocean was absolutely gorgeous, and I took about a hundred photos before the sun disappeared. I also managed to grab up a couple dozen seashells ;)

   We took a small trip out to the little island of Moturiki once more; one last attempt to catch a glimpse of the little blue penguins. While we think we may have seen some potential nests, no penguins were to be found, and so we decided there was only one thing left to do. So, I plucked off my shoes and socks (J was already wearing sandals) and plodded into the water. After all, what's a trip to the beach if you can't dip your feet in the surf? We walked side by side along the edge of the water, taking in the last glints of sunlight and enjoying the fresh air and sand between our toes. It was a great ending to our stay in New Zealand... with our feet in the Pacific, watching the sun set one last time.

   While we began and ended in Mount Maunganui, there are still a few mini-adventures yet to share! I promise, they won't take quite as long to throw together as these past few have been, so keep an eye out ;)

Sorry for disappearing..

     I just wanted to take a brief moment to apologize to all of you who read this. I have not been updating on a regular basis as I had intended to do. In part, this is due to a great many changes as well as due to visits with family and wedding planning suchness. A lot has happened since I returned from NZ, most of it not-so-great. 

     I went home a few weeks ago to visit my family and to begin the process of planning an out-of-town wedding. Thus far, this process has been terribly frustrating, mainly because of my pickiness combined with my budget restrictions. It is surprisingly hard to find what I'm looking for.. within my price range, anyways. I just want to get married in a garden somewhere with an outdoor reception, is that so hard?? 

    Anyways, the more troubling bit of news is that my grandpa (mom's dad) was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It wasn't completely unexpected news.. he'd started having trouble remembering short-term things a while ago, but doctors just assured us that it was just a mild cognitive disorder. But, when he began to get worse, and began to forget things, big things, we knew it was more than just a "mild problem". As much as I feel we were all prepared for the news, it was still really difficult to hear. At least he has most of my family nearby to look after him.. still...

   So, that's the gist of what's been filling my thoughts lately, and is part of the reason why I haven't managed to update this blog in the past few weeks. I'll get back on track soon, I promise. I still have so many photographs and memories to share from my trip that I want to jot down before it becomes too hazy. For now, I'll wish you goodnight, and see you soon.

New Zealand Part 1 - A Journey Through the Clouds

     So, as you know, J and I just returned from a two-week holiday trip to New Zealand. The main purpose of said trip was to celebrate Christmas and New Year's with J's extended family (yes, he is half Kiwi) while also exploring a bit and having some fun! In the next few blog posts, I will be introducing you to each of the main places/attractions we visited on our journey. Today, I'll mainly be covering the journey TO New Zealand.
     For those of you who don't know, New Zealand is that bit of island Southeast of Australia and is about 6,500 miles across the Pacific from California.

     So, as you may be able to guess, it takes a long time to get there. About 12 hours to be exact.  We began our journey in LA at approximately 10pm on December 23rd and we arrived in Auckland at approximately 7am on Christmas Day (skipping a day as we crossed the universal date line). In between, food was eaten, many movies were watched, and a couple hours of sleep were managed. I honestly can't remember much of the flight, apart from feeling very cramped and uncomfortable and being exceedingly tired pretty much the whole time, but I do remember the sunrise.

The Maori name for New Zealand is "Aotearoa" which means "the land of the long white cloud"

     Sunrise, as seen from a plane, is pretty spectacular. I mean, a sunrise is beautiful to begin with, but when you're above and below clouds, with the sun just barely peaking out in between, it's just so ethereal. The clouds below taken on the appearance of great mountains and swirling seas, and the sun seems as though it's resting just below the horizon instead of above.
     While the clouds were beautiful and made for spectacular views from the plane, they also meant stormy weather, and when we finally landed, it was raining. Exiting the gate at Auckland, a bunch of J's rellies - dressed in reds greens and funny hats suiting the holiday - were waiting to take us to the hotel, where they had reserved a room so that we could freshen up for breakfast/brunch. Brunch was a rush of meeting and eating. I met some of J's cousins as well as aunts and uncles, only one of which I had met previously, so it was a bit overwhelming. All was made better with food - and I must say, if this kind of complementary breakfast is the norm in NZ, I will definitely be returning. There were eggs, muffins, waffles, pancakes, bacon and sausage, a plethora of fruits, and even tater tots! We also each got a party popper (the kind that you split apart and there's a prize in the middle), which was fun and apparently a big thing among J's rellies.
    Too soon, it was time to pack up again to catch our flight out to Tauranga, where we would be spending the rest of the trip. We said our goodbyes and hopped on a tiny plane for a much shorter flight (20 minutes) to our final destination. J's grandparents picked us up and drove us, luggage and all, to their home.
    After getting unpacked and settled, we took a trip to the local store to stock up on food and drink. I was quickly introduced to some of J's mum's favorite foods, many of which would become everyday staples of our vacation diet. The most commonly consumed food on our trip was the potato top pie, which is exactly what it sounds like: a beef pot pie topped with mashed potatoes instead of pastry (. The other was a pavlova, something I had heard of but had no concept of taste or appearance. A pavlova, as best as I can think to describe it, is an extremely light cake/meringue-type dessert (think Angel Food cake but even more airy and sweet) that was served with fruit or whipped cream or both. I can't say I'll be going out of my way to find either of these foods anytime soon, but they are worth a try.
    The best part of every meal? The view! Bordering the dining room are windowed doors that lead out to the wrap-around balcony, which has a gorgeous view of the bay as well as Mount Maunganui, which juts out separating the bay from the Pacific Ocean beyond. Below is a sampling of photographs of Mount Maunganui - all but two of the photographs were taken from the balcony.

     The next post in our New Zealand series will cover our explorations up and around Mount Maunganui, as well as along the beach, and the nearby Moturiki Island.

New Zealand - A Foreword by J

               Hello Everyone!  Many people reading this know already that Alyssa and I spent 2 weeks in New Zealand, visiting some of my many relatives there.  Some of you also know that I've been there several times - it is a beautiful country, in which I have made many fond memories.  In previous trips, I have been much farther afield than in this last trip, partially because it's a little more difficult for some of my relatives to do the kind of bush-walking that you need to do in order to see some of the most spectacular sights.  Also, New Zealand doesn't have the same level of road infrastructure, and has at least 200 more north to south miles of distance in order to go north to south via the roadways.  It takes a lot of planning and preparation to do New Zealand properly in a short amount of time. 

View from the summit of Mount Maunganui

                Most times that I have visited, we have mainly focused on the most important thing, visiting my relatives.  This time was no exception, as we spent most of our time in and around Tauranga with my grandparents.  Tauranga and nearby areas have a lot of fantastic things to offer - adjacent to Tauranga is the city of Mount Maunganui, which has Mount Maunganui (Mauao to the Maori), which I have run and hiked up countless times, a downtown that is alternatively quaint for shopping, or great for nightlife, hot salt water pools, Ocean Beach and Pilot Bay Beach.  The one has great surf, and the other is a great place for fairly smooth sailing.  In Tauranga proper, downtown Tauranga has a nice downtown area, a number of beautiful parks and athletics locations, more than a few nice trails, and other places that are good for shopping and dining.  Some of my favorites include the Tauranga Domain, the Waikareo Walkway, Kulim Park, and Ferguson Park.  

                We went a number of other places near Tauranga on this trip, including Rotorua.  Rotorua is known for more than a few things including volcanic activity, cultural history, and a number of other tourist concessions.  Rotorua has a large geothermal reservoir underneath it, which results in having hot springs, mud pools, and  geysers, with an unfortunate side effect of a bad egg smell.  Rotorua had a history of having a Pa (Maori fort) and being a place of cultural significance.  The Maori have a number of cultural exhibitions in Rotorua.  Other tourist attractions in Rotorua include Rainbow Springs, which has a great daytime kiwi encounter exhibit (which is difficult, since Kiwi are nocturnal), a number of extreme sports concessions (including items on Lake Rotorua), and a number of agricultural displays (sheep shearing, cow milking, etc.). 

                Matamata, which most people now know as Hobbiton, is located in the Waikato, a region south of Auckland between the Kaimai range and the west coast on the North Island.    It also has the city of Hamilton and the University of the Waikato, my mother's alma mater. 

                Now for a few places in the south island, where we didn't go on this trip.  Christchurch was a beautiful city when I last saw it.  My aunt, my uncle, and my cousins still live there.  It is the city from which most aerial missions to Antarctica are based, and has a fun Antarctic Centre.  The city center of Christchurch was iconic and beautiful, and I have fond memories of going to see the Wind in the Willows there with my relatives.  Unfortunately, in the last few years, it has been rocked by multiple magnitude 6 and above earthquakes, as well as more than a few magnitude 4 and 5 aftershocks.  As a result, the city center has been almost entirely destroyed, and most of it still remains closed to the public.  One of these high magnitude earthquakes hit the ridge below my aunt and uncle's house, causing significant damage, but leaving my family unscathed.

                On one trip, we traveled from Christchurch to Queenstown by way of Arthur's Pass and Westland National Park.  I have been hiking in the foothills below Mount Cook and Franz Josef glacier, both of which afford spectacular views.  After that, we went to Queenstown, which is known for its extreme sports offerings, and is centrally located at the bottom half of the South Island.  They offer everything from bungee jumping to skiing to water sports. When I visited, we went on a jet-boat (the Shotover Jet).  That (again, a fairly long time ago) was a rather fun trip.

                Last and certainly not least is Auckland.  We always fly through Auckland, as do most people from most parts of the world.  Auckland is a beautiful city which was built atop numerous small volcanoes, some of which are still active. Situated between two harbors, you are never more than a few miles from the ocean.  Many events have been hosted here, including several America's Cup sailing races (owing to the fact that it seems like every year, the kiwi sailors win, even when they're sailing for an owner in another country like Larry Ellison), and the most recent rugby world cup, in which New Zealand dominated in every game except for their close win in the cup final over France.  In the past I have also gone up the Auckland Sky Tower, gone to a nearby island wildlife refuge (Tiritiri Maitangi, home of many rare birds including kiwis, kokakos, kererus, and some cheeky takahes), and explored the city center. Alyssa particularly  enjoyed Kelly Tarlton's, which is an aquarium that houses a small population of Antarctic penguins, as well as huge stingrays and other native sea life. I have many fond memories of meeting with my granny's side of the family in Auckland.  All of the gatherings, whether in the airport, at the home of one of my many relatives, or at aquariums, are always filled with happiness and boisterous laughter.   

                It was a marvelous 2 weeks, but as always, it was too short.  Over the next week or so, Alyssa is going to tell the story of our trip in her usual excellent prose, with her excellent photography (I promise, I took all the bad photos), and other photos taken from my mother's camera.  Suffice it to say - we had a Merry (if hectic) Christmas, and a Happy New Year, and I hope that everyone reading this enjoyed their holidays, and has a great 2013!