Posted by: Jenn
We left Christchurch and drove to Kaikora, a beach town on the west coast of the south island. Our first stop in Kaikora was to a seal colony on the south side of town. I always love watching seals; I just think they are so funny.
We left Christchurch and drove to Kaikora, a beach town on the west coast of the south island. Our first stop in Kaikora was to a seal colony on the south side of town. I always love watching seals; I just think they are so funny.
We watched for a while before moving on. Not long after we got back on the road we passed a sign that said “sheep sheering show”. I guess I should preface this story first. I had been wanting to hold a baby lamb ever since we got to New Zealand because they are everywhere and they just look so soft and cute. So I went and talked to the farmer in charge of the show. He told us that if we pay for the show ($10 each) we could watch the sheering and hold a baby lamb. However, the show was later in the day and we didn’t want to hang around. But while we were talking to him we noticed that he had a baby sheep next to the barn – I’m assuming it was for the show. So when he walked away (he thought we were leaving) we snuck up to the lamb and had a small photo shoot.
It was just as soft as it looks and it was everything I thought it would be. I love animals – especially baby ones!
Ok, so that wasn’t even the best part of the day…this was. We had heard of another, better, seal colony further north of Kaikora. We had heard some rumors that there was a waterfall with a pool at the base of it and in the pool there were tons of baby seals. Sounds surreal right? No – completely true! During the winter the mother seals leave the ocean, climb up a creek (it took us about 15 minutes to walk from the beach to the waterfall so imagine a pregnant seal plopping up the rocks and creek), and have their babies at the base of this waterfall. The baby seals can then be born into a safe environment with no predators. They can learn how to swim, gain strength and get bigger before moving into the ocean. It was kind of like a dream to see. I felt like I was in a fairytale or some kind of magical wonderland.
Ok, so that wasn’t even the best part of the day…this was. We had heard of another, better, seal colony further north of Kaikora. We had heard some rumors that there was a waterfall with a pool at the base of it and in the pool there were tons of baby seals. Sounds surreal right? No – completely true! During the winter the mother seals leave the ocean, climb up a creek (it took us about 15 minutes to walk from the beach to the waterfall so imagine a pregnant seal plopping up the rocks and creek), and have their babies at the base of this waterfall. The baby seals can then be born into a safe environment with no predators. They can learn how to swim, gain strength and get bigger before moving into the ocean. It was kind of like a dream to see. I felt like I was in a fairytale or some kind of magical wonderland.
The seals were super curious and wanted to know what we were all about. If you splashed the water they would want to come check out what you were doing. We spent probably about two hours sitting by the creek and hanging out with the babies.
When they are hungry they make their way to the creek mouth on the beach about once a week and their mothers meet them to give them milk. After their tummies are full they join their friends back at the waterfall. Did I just blow your mind? Because it blew ours!
We continued north and took the Cook Straight Ferry to the North Island that night. Once on the north island we kept heading north, to try to cover as much ground as we could in order to make it to Auckland for our flights out, and spent the night at a campsite along the way. We took advantage of a nearby town the next day and used the free wifi at the library and the showers at the rec center. We ate lunch in the van in a grocery store parking lot across from the library where we were still picking up a wifi signal.
We used up most of the day showering, using the internet and eating so we spent the night at the same campsite again. The next day we spent the morning making our way to Taupo.
We made it into Taupo around lunchtime and decided that we would check out some sights around the area that missed the first time through. Our first stop was the Huka Honey Hive. We got to see some bees working in their hive through a glass viewing box and we learned some interesting facts about the bees.
Something I did not know was that when the queen bee lays eggs they are fertilized by the female worker bees. The bee will will born as a female worker bee and will start working on the hive the second it emerges from it's larva state. If for some reason the egg does not get fertilized, the egg will develop into a male drone bee. The drone bees cannot sting and their main purpose is to mate with the queen bee. They do not gather pollen nor can they protect the hive because they don’t have a stinger.
While at the Huka Honey Hive we got to sample honey wine and whiskey, try different lotions made from honey and taste all different kinds of honey!
While at the Huka Honey Hive we got to sample honey wine and whiskey, try different lotions made from honey and taste all different kinds of honey!
The next place we thought sounded interesting was Lava Glass. We got to pay $5 each to watch the process of glass blowing. It was amazing! I had no idea how it all happened and watching a simple bowl get made was fascinating.
Our last big excursion while in New Zealand was to try to hunt down some surf for Jonathan. Luckily we had to pass by Raglan on the way back to Auckland, which has some of the best surf in New Zealand. One of the breaks near Raglan is featured in the classic surf movie The Endless Summer. I think we got really lucky because the morning we arrived in Raglan the waves were going off. After talking to the surf shops, Jonathan found out that the waves had been next to nothing for the past few weeks. So he quickly rented a board and wettie and paddled out.
Talk about Endless Summer…more like endless wave! The waves were so long that it was easier and quicker to get out of the water and walk along the rocks back around to the break rather than paddle. The locals called this maneuver the merry-go-round.
The only disadvantage of this break was the locals. They were fierce. Most of them were older and I’m sure were just frustrated with all the tourists but seriously they need to get over it. Jonathan got dropped in on multiple times and every time (although he was not the one with bad etiquette) he got nasty looks, middle fingers and harsh words. One guy followed him out of the water and to the van where I was sitting. He mumbled some words trying to pick a fight but Jonathan just shrugged it off and the guy left. Here are some photos of the locals dropping in and stealing the wave.
The only disadvantage of this break was the locals. They were fierce. Most of them were older and I’m sure were just frustrated with all the tourists but seriously they need to get over it. Jonathan got dropped in on multiple times and every time (although he was not the one with bad etiquette) he got nasty looks, middle fingers and harsh words. One guy followed him out of the water and to the van where I was sitting. He mumbled some words trying to pick a fight but Jonathan just shrugged it off and the guy left. Here are some photos of the locals dropping in and stealing the wave.
And my personal favorite: the guy makes eye contact with Jonathan and keeps right on goin'...
Other than the locals, Jonathan said it was one of the best surf sessions yet!
So after Raglan we hopped back in the van and drove to Auckland. We spent our last night in Auckland in a hotel so that we could pack, shower, and prepare for our flights out the next morning. We wanted our last night together to be special so we decided to go all out and order as much Domino’s Pizza as we could (I love Domino’s).
So after Raglan we hopped back in the van and drove to Auckland. We spent our last night in Auckland in a hotel so that we could pack, shower, and prepare for our flights out the next morning. We wanted our last night together to be special so we decided to go all out and order as much Domino’s Pizza as we could (I love Domino’s).
The next morning we caught the hotel shuttle to the airport. At this point in our trip we have been gone for 14 months. I am exhausted and homesick. Jonathan is not. So we decided that I would go home and spend the next two months at home with my family while he visited Africa and came home in time for Christmas. Don’t get me wrong – Africa sounded amazing but not at this point in the trip. I am just tired and ready to go home!
We got droppoed off at the airport and then came the hardest part…time for goodbyes… Leaving Jonathan in the Auckland airport was soooo difficult. Imagine our last 14 months together. Every second of every day for 14 months we spent with each other (only each other, sometimes another traveler or two) and we became so close throughout this journey. Leaving him was like leaving a part of me, and that was hard! We said our goodbyes and the tears flowed (from my eyes) and he promised he would get home safe. It was such a bittersweet feeling. I was so ecstatic to hop on a plane to see my family and go home yet I was devastated leaving him in the terminal.
Now I can give you an explanation as to why this post has taken so long to get up! We left New Zealand on October 28th and I got home on the 30th. I have had such a wonderful time seeing my family and catching up that I have neglected the website…can you blame me! So I am happily home but missing the heck out of Jonathan.
We got droppoed off at the airport and then came the hardest part…time for goodbyes… Leaving Jonathan in the Auckland airport was soooo difficult. Imagine our last 14 months together. Every second of every day for 14 months we spent with each other (only each other, sometimes another traveler or two) and we became so close throughout this journey. Leaving him was like leaving a part of me, and that was hard! We said our goodbyes and the tears flowed (from my eyes) and he promised he would get home safe. It was such a bittersweet feeling. I was so ecstatic to hop on a plane to see my family and go home yet I was devastated leaving him in the terminal.
Now I can give you an explanation as to why this post has taken so long to get up! We left New Zealand on October 28th and I got home on the 30th. I have had such a wonderful time seeing my family and catching up that I have neglected the website…can you blame me! So I am happily home but missing the heck out of Jonathan.
Jonathan flew to Hong Kong for a day, then onto Dubai for a day and then to Nairobi, Kenya. He is safe and sound in Africa in the middle of a 40-day overland tour and there will be a post on his adventures when he returns. He is loving it though! Keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he traverses a continent so foreign to most of us!
Here are some interesting things about New Zealand as we wrap up another country.
Almost every town we went through had a quant "small town" feel, unfortunately this feeling came to a close everyday at precisely 5 P.M.
They sure love their Subway's here; they outnumber Mcdonalds 2:1.
No gas stations had the pay at the pump credit card option, you always had to go inside and stand in line.
They farm raise deer here. Most of the meat is shipped overseas but venison is widely available.
There are more sheep here than grains of sand on all the beaches in the world combined. Yes, there are that many sheep.
The only stop lights are in towns with 200,000 people or more. You can drive for days without seeing one. They perfer round-a-bouts instead. Something the US should consider adopting. They are very quick and convenient.
We hope you enjoyed New Zealand as much as we did!!! And don't forget - we aren't done with the blog yet so stay tuned for a summary post on our trip together to read about our favorite and least favorite places, the activities we enjoyed most, some other interesting tid-bits about our trip and Jonathan's adventures in Africa!
Here are some interesting things about New Zealand as we wrap up another country.
Almost every town we went through had a quant "small town" feel, unfortunately this feeling came to a close everyday at precisely 5 P.M.
They sure love their Subway's here; they outnumber Mcdonalds 2:1.
No gas stations had the pay at the pump credit card option, you always had to go inside and stand in line.
They farm raise deer here. Most of the meat is shipped overseas but venison is widely available.
There are more sheep here than grains of sand on all the beaches in the world combined. Yes, there are that many sheep.
The only stop lights are in towns with 200,000 people or more. You can drive for days without seeing one. They perfer round-a-bouts instead. Something the US should consider adopting. They are very quick and convenient.
We hope you enjoyed New Zealand as much as we did!!! And don't forget - we aren't done with the blog yet so stay tuned for a summary post on our trip together to read about our favorite and least favorite places, the activities we enjoyed most, some other interesting tid-bits about our trip and Jonathan's adventures in Africa!