Kaeo, New Zealand

Days 56-59 - Friday thru Monday, October 20 - 23

Our transport picked us up at 6:25am on Friday, October 20th for the trip to the Noumea International airport that took over an hour. We arrived and checked all 6 of our bags (yes, that’s what I said). Our flight was an hour delayed, which put is arriving in Auckland in the afternoon (with the 2 hour time difference). We picked up our bags, breezed through customs and immigration, and were pleased because we had quite a drive ahead of us to get to our Airbnb on the North Shore of the north island. Our progress came to a screeching halt as we waited in queue for 2 hours to go through BioSecurity and another hour for the rental car. We finally headed out around 6:00 for a 4 hour trip that ended up taking 5 ½ hours due to the rain, fog and misguidance from the nav system. I have to commend Mickey for excellent driving on the “wrong” side of the road.

We basically dragged our bags in the front door of the cabin in the pouring rain and started a fire as it was chilly and this is the heat for the cabin. We dried off as best we could, brushed our teeth and called it a night.

On Saturday, October 21 we awoke to sunshine and a view of the Bay of Islands that is spectacular. We could see all of the scenery that we missed last night in the darkness and rain. There is beautiful scenery of the Islands, but also of the green fields and hillsides.

The Airbnb we are staying is called “Eco Cabin Ocean View Paradise” and while the ocean view is obvious what is just as special is the cabin and all the “off grid” systems that make it incredibly functional yet simple.  All water is collected from rain on roofs, filtered, treated and stored.  Power is entirely generated from solar panels and stored in a battery bank.  Heat is a combination of radiant sunshine from huge windows and a wood burning stove, which also adds heat through circulating pipes to the gas powered in-line hot water heater.  Of course one has to live in the cabin with conservation top of mind, but shouldn’t we all anyway?

Based on recommendations from our AirBnb hostess, we drove to Kerikeri, a nearby town to the Artisan’s market where 50 or so vendors sell their fruits, vegetables and artisan products. After exploring the market, we went into the town of Kerikeri, explored and had some lunch. We decided to return to the cabin and plan our explorations for the next few days.

Sunday, October 22, was a fulll-on hiking day. We started in the Mahinepua Pennisula for an amazing walk out to the tip of the peninsula. The almost 3 ½ mile track (that’s what it’s called here in NZ) took us a little less than 2 hours and was full of climbs up steps and steep paths to some spectacular views up and down the coast, including some black beaches. It was a great wake-up for those land legs. We took a picture of a Geodetic Survey marker, which are placed on the earth’s surface to establish “key permanent survey points.” We actually learned about these on our trek along the Inca Trail to Manchu Picchu.

Afterwards, we drove to Whangaroa for a hike up St. Paul’s Rock. This is a very steep climb up a hill that ends with scrambling up a rock cliff that includes chains to hang onto as you climb the last bit. It was lovely to sit on top of the rock and look at the Whangaroa harbor. There was another Geodetic Survey marker on top.

Afterwards, we ate lunch (fish and chips of course) at the Whangaroa Sports Club overlooking the harbor. Note the honorary Club membership card in the foreground.

For dinner, we opted to go to another nearby harbor town, Mangonui, for a nice dinner at Remarkable Cafe where we visited with the new owner. He recently retired, bought a vineyard nearby and decided to buy this restaurant as a way to promote his wines. We enjoyed it very much.

Monday, October 23rd, we embraced New Zealand and native Māori culture. We started our day with a drive to Paihia, a very popular tourist town. We took a ferry ride to Russell, also known as Kororareka, its original Māori name which translates to Sweet Blue Penguin. It was the first permanent European settlement and seaport in New Zealand. We checked out the museum, the Protestant church, the catholic missionary and walked around the town.

We returned via ferry and had lunch at Zane Gray’s in the harbor. Mickey had the green lipped mussels, which are native to New Zealand and this area.

Our afternoon was spent at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, home to what New Zealanders refer as the Country’s birthplace. Unfortunately, New Zealand’s birth is a tale of two different stories, two different cultures, two different languages and two different philosophies leading to unrealized equality, rights and representation for the indigenous Māori people. Over the course of five years, from 1835 to 1840, two critical documents were written and signed:

1. A Declaration of Independence by the Māori tribes across New Zealand and acknowledged by the King of England.
2. A Treaty which was offered by Queen Victoria of England to the Māori tribes who had asked for help in dealing with the influx of foreign settlers and tradesmen in order to protect their lands and culture. The Treaty offer was that for England’s protection, the Māori tribes would become subjects to the “governments” of the British Empire.

In the end neither document has served the Māori people well and their story is the same as many native cultures who have been exploited by European invasions.

We enjoyed a guided tour which included the Treaty House; the Monumental Flagstaff, the Norfolk Pine planted at the spot where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed on February 6, 1840; the Ceremonial Waka (war canoe), several museums and a cultural performance. If you want to learn more, check out this website.  https://www.waitangi.org.nz/about/history.

We returned to KeriKeri for a nice, upscale dinner at Plough and Feather, then back to the cabin to pack for the drive to our next stop in Coromandel.