It is winter time in New Zealand as I write and the weather is not unlike that of our winter, so woolies on it was and off with us at high speed once more for a two week visit of the North Island.
The one and only Miss Hazel Purcell picked us up from the airport in Auckland and drove us, with only a few wrong turns, to her lovely home in the country which she shares with her husband to be, Aaden, and her stepson Caleb (yes we heard her nagging an´ all!). We took our rest for the night and immediately set off for Wellington in the morning.
An eleven hour bus journey on a warm comfortable bus that took lots of breaks was nothing short of a luxurious treat for us. The countryside on our way was only stunning and reminded me of home in lots of parts, except for the presence of volcanoes perhaps and strangely enough a few alpacas too! We saw sunshine, cloud, and snow on the journey and had egg sandwiches and tea at every stop, a treat indeed!
We were picked up on arrival by our welcoming Wellington hosts Jason and Adrien who were more than happy to take on the weather and show us some sights in spite of a string of hangovers.
Wellington makes you like it straight off. Its got all we look for in a city, atmosphere and atmosphere again! Our first day was spent wandering around the waterfront and the city streets in glorious sunshine, taking many breaks for tea and snacks along the way. There werent too many egg sandwiches on the menu but I put on my cool face and got over it.
The next day we were chauffered around the surrounding bays by our lovely hosts´ buddy Garth who drove very well while also providing much of the in-car entertainment. Unfortunately the sun didn´t shine on our trip of the bays. The wind and rain was just like home and a good ol´ shkinning awaited you if you chanced getting out of the car to take a photo. The bays were beautiful nonetheless and we even caught a glimpse of the South Island far away through the rain and wind.
A visit to Mighty Mighty in the evening showed us just how hip and alternative Wellington can be. We had a ball downing jugfulls of Macs Gold all the while being entertained by poets, ukeleles, oil wrestling, and dancing ´real hot bitches´(thats what they were called, really!). Dancing occurred on our side too, possibly even on a few chairs and tables but we did manage to hold back from the oil wrestling(just!)for fear of spoiling our nice tshirts.
We also squeezed in a visit to Te Papa before we left, taking in some New Zealand Artworks as well as a giant squid in formaldehyde.
We decided to take the scenic route back to Auckland stopping overnight for some windy walks in Lake Taupo, some rather smelly geo-themal activity in Rotarua, and some beach-side skipping and jumping in Mount Maunganui.
Weather for ducks at Taupo.
Big huge mud pools letting off some smelly steam in Rotarua...
...and more smelly steam this time of the music video kind...
...Loud gurgling can be heard from under the ground all over town, bubbling to the surface in places. Steam can even be seen rising from people´s backyards. The sulphurous stench is not so pleasant though.
Sunny weather in Mount Maunganui...
...made us jump for joy...
...it was nice while it lasted.
Back to Auckland and to Hazels country retreat for the weekend. I´d be lying if I said we didnt watch loads of TV while there but me? guilty? I think not, the home comforts were flying as I tore into one sliced pan after another while simultaneousy pouring a constant stream of tea down my throat. I´ll never forget you for this Haze!!
A day in the city of Auckland saw us setting up camp in a string of shops on K road, a Przem and Les dream sequence of a street. We threw budget to the wind and equipped ourselves with all sorts of vintage delights, Przem buying no less than 15 cds which he intends to take on a tour of South America.
And the sand on the black beaches around Auckland really is black!! It´s black and volcanic and it sticks to your shoes and gets too hot to walk on in summer, Ill have to take their word for the last part. What´s Hazel on about though?!
Twas sure hard to leave the home comforts behind and board our flight off into the unknown once more. Huge thank yous to Hazel, Aaden, and Caleb in Auckland and to the boys Jason and Adrien, our Wellington correspondents.
2 comments:
Awh Les, I have a lump in my throat reading that...you can't beat a drohans sliced pan and nice cuppa tea! x.
Oh .... I think I am more envious of your time in New Zealand than anywhere .... I have always wanted to visit there. India and The Ganges was my other "big wish on the wishlist of places"). I heart the photo of you both on the waterfront in Wellington too - sweeeeeeet :-) Thanks again ye both for the super blog updates xx
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