New Zealand 2022: Day 5 Shopping in Whangarei

By the numbers

8,770 steps

6.52 km

 

The day started off wet and windy. It had been predicted and it was something I knew would be happening. There was something I needed to do before going anywhere else as I needed some more clothes especially another pair of shorts, so then I wouldn’t need to wash my clothes over the next few days. I don’t pack that much in the way of clothing and every couple of days I do the washing. This trip my bag isn’t moving very far from home and is just sitting around.

 

Mum had to go out and visit a friend in Whangarei and the plan was to have a look around and do the shopping. The first place I actually found was the bookshops, where I ended up with some magazines and a book about back roads on the North Island, I guess that would be helpful. Not a clothing shop though. I ended up at Farmers and that is the New Zealand version of Myers or David Jones. Not exactly heap and I did find a pair of shorts I liked in the red spot specials for 50% off, the best price. I took a wander around a little bit of Whangarei wondering what to do as it was trying to rain on me. As I was crossing the road to the Town Basin, I got a message that I could be picked up.

Once I was picked up, we went to somewhere that was a little more reasonable at Kmart and the Warehouse both were more than affordable for clothing that I needed. It was great actually as I had a new jumper and more shorts so I didn’t need to worry about anything at all. We did drive back to the house where we had a little rest, and headed out to Maunu Cemetery in Whangarei. The cemetery is where my great grandparents are buried and where my grandmother is going to be resting since we have the celebration of her life over the weekend. That is pretty much the reason why we are in New Zealand now. The workers at the cemetery had included the plaque to the headstone and also cleaned up the stone too so we could read the writing.

 

After our wet visit to the cemetery as we didn’t stick around for too long due to the rain, we headed into Kamo heading for the bowls club, while mum showed me some of the places she had lived as a kid and when she was married. The houses were still pretty much there still and not really any changes that had been made to the houses. School was being let out and we arrived in Kamo with school kids walking in the rain. There was at one stage traffic lining up in front of the bowls club and a taxi did let us in. When we left no traffic. The bowls club is going to be where the function is taking place after the cemetery and there were several people at the bar drinking, although they were just the regulars and they all knew Claude, which reminded me of Cheers. I learn the undertaker who worked at the Kauri cemetery had passed away recently and was why their flag was at half mast. It was nice to have a drink and chat with one of the locals who was a club member. We were told about what was happening on the Saturday as to the bar procedures. They tally up the drinks at the time and then sort everything out afterwards, all recorded for prosperity. I spotted books and was told no books on the weekend. I think the get together on the weekend will be pretty interesting and be good to meet other family member that I havnt met before or even spoken to.

 

We don’t know what will happen over the next few days until the weekend as the weather isn’t meant to be that good until at least Saturday. We could end up at museums, but all depends on how bad that weather actually becomes. It is that time of year I guess so is a lucky dip as to what we get.

 

 

New Zealand 2022 Day 4 Kerikeri wandering

By the numbers

1 car

8,113 steps

5.9 kms

 

The day came that we were going to complete part of our planned outing out to Kerikeri with the hope that the forecast rain wouldn’t hit us earlier than the predicted afternoon. We did leave early enough to drive out that way so that we would have enough time before meeting other family in the Kerikeri area. We did have a stop along the way out to Kerikeri as we needed a pit stop in Kawakawa before heading off. There is something with the Kiwis who are lead foots over here. It is like the speed limit is only a recommendation, while they wait until an over taking lane as everything from a horse trailer to a truck speeds past like you are sitting still.

 

The good news was I seemed to be the navigator as I was using Google maps without the data shock that would kick my butt. Places I had previously looked at showed up and I could direct mum, who was driving where to go. The first stop was the Makana chocolate store, where they made the chocolate there. You could watch behind the glass and because they made it in store, which was my they had a use by date. There was plenty of range to buy and it was the choosing what to buy was the problem. After that we headed to the next door Kauri workshop where there were plenty of wooden products including a table with the price tag of $20 grand. I ended up with several things on the cheaper scale. The chocolate factory did have a cafe, but that was closed for the time being, so we had something across the road at the Old Packhouse, where I ended up with a short black. That made a buzzing sound instead of the usual long black.

After our little stop, we headed for the Rainbow Fall, where I wanted to check out a waterfall that was close to the carpark for mum and Claude. Google map showed how far we needed to go and we kinda went in the wrong entry way, but I wont say anything as it was the navigator’s fault we did that. I moved on ahead, while mum and Claude caught up. There were two close enough lookouts for the waterfall that we all had a look at, and then they returned to the car when I walked down the steep path to the base of the falls and walked some of the bush track. I didn’t want to go too far as I didn’t want to leave the other to be waiting too long for me. The next destination was the Stone Store. I wandered across the bridge, while mum and Claude relaxed in the car. I think I would have worn them out if they attempted to follow me around. The area had changed a bit since I was first there especially with the Maori Pa now being sign posted. I was hoping not to get caught out when it rained, but the weather was not there yet as I headed around the historic Stone store and Kemp House that was all part of the mission settlement in the area during the 1800s in early New Zealand. The Anglican church had three incarnations as two were destroyed at the last one had been built in the 1870s. I didn’t want to take too long as people again were waiting on me and we did have other places to visit.

 

We were on our way to see a cousin, Brian who lived nearby, but we stopped for a bite to eat in Waipapa. While we were not there for long the next stop was pretty important as we stopped off at the winery on the Sovrano Estate for the Limoncello. There could have been wine tasting involved, but we did not have the time for that. By this time the rain was trying to settle in and we headed up the hill to the farm. By the time we got there and left the rain was slowly getting worse, but the strange thing was when we reached Kawakawa the rain had stopped for a little bit. We wanted to be back at home by dark as we were not used to the roads in the dark and you never know what the local drivers were like as they were more lead footed in the afternoon as well as any other time of the day. There is one thing I really like about New Zealand and its the shops that are known as Tiki Roasts, though not all of them go by that name, I would say they have some really great roasts, which are better than maccas or even KFC. You can bring home a decent roast meal that will fill you for the night.

 

I am slowly chipping away at the list of places I am wanting to visit on the two weeks we have in Whangarei. Some places we have visited before and others we have not been to. It is always interesting to see how these places have changed over the years or stayed the same.

 

New Zealand 2022 Day 3 Whangarei Hundertwasser

By the numbers

1 art museum

3,457 steps

2.54kms

 

The morning was starting to look a little iffy with the cloud cover and I wasn’t sure if we would get wet during the drive around the area. Looking in one direction it looked towards the north that it was raining and I hoped that it would hold off while we were out. The report did say that there would be wet weather mid week so that would be interesting to see if that was the case. One of our plans was to see the Waro limestone scenic reserve in Hikurangi, but it looked to be a little too wet.

 

For a wet day there was other plans that we did have and there was one new art gallery that was pretty controversial for Whangarei and that was the Hundertwasser Art Centre. I knew it was being built, but nothing more than that. I was wondering why it had been built when the guy was obviously European, but I only knew of the name due to the Kawakawa toilets. Before we entered the art gallery, we visited the information centre and found that it was no longer the information centre as that was elsewhere now, but we did bring masks with us this time. The ground outside of the building was lumpy and not flat with no real corners anywhere as we walked around to the entrance. The gallery itself was actually interesting as there was a video about Hundertwasser himself that was made during the 1970s of him painting and a little about himself. He wanted to be different to the established artists, and apparently was an outsider basically. He had a thing for water as it was peaceful and had something to do his art form. It became pretty clear that he was living in New Zealand and had been pretty much into environmentalism within the country. He lived somewhere within the Bay of Islands and from the records on the wall he had written many letters and even was a naturalised kiwi. There were other buildings across the world that had been designed by him, so it was not just several things in New Zealand, but many others. In 2000 he was on his way back to Europe, where he passed away on the QE2 from a heart attack, around or near Cairns at the time. I could almost call the man a Hobbit by the way he incorporated nature around his house, but that would bring the copyright wrath down on me. We didn’t eat at the restaurant as we were moving on. I should recommend the rooftop view from the top of the art gallery especially on a nice day.

 

It was drizzling a little bit, so we had a look through some shops and one glass ware shop had someone out the back doing some glass blowing, although I had to walk out and pay for the extra hour of parking or else we might get into trouble or not. Some of the shops in the Whangarei Basin were interesting and the best one to always stop in was the fudge shop as it had coffee and I ended up with fudge in my pocket that went pretty quickly. Pocket fudge is a great idea until the packet becomes empty for unknown reasons. Behind the Clock museum was something new, the Whangarei Rolling Ball Clock. You could see the balls rolling to tell the time by the second and after a minute went, the ball would roll down to the next level marking minutes and then hour. When 1pm rolled around all the balls in the display rolled off so it could refresh itself. A little something that was different that I am pretty sure it wasn’t there when I was in the area around 2019.

 

On our way back home, mum showed me a place she used to live as a child and it was actually pretty funny as I had walked the next street away after walking into town along the bush tracks. The old house was still there and there was a great view of Whangarei township as well parts of the river. Along the way there were other locations like the High school she went to. By the time we made it back to the house, another visitor turned up and that was a local cousin who I hadn’t seen since the last time I was leaving NZ for the lockdowns. It was a great catch up especially as we wont see them over the weekend for a catch up with other people, so it was all good. The day was a pretty easy one as the weather was crappy anyway, and kind of getting cold too.

New Zealand 2022 Day 2 Wandering Whangarei Falls

By the numbers

18,174 steps

13.74 kms

After falling asleep several times while having a chat about photos the night before I hit the sack as I was zonked out. I did wake up in the early hours, although it was a different time back in Australia so that would be a bit weird if I tried getting up. I actually rolled over and went to sleep again, not waking up until 9am. I didn’t really have a plan for the day other than trying to take it easy.

 

Once I got ready to go as I had a bag with me for water even though it is basically still winter here in New Zealand. The only thing I didn’t have for my aimless wanderings was something like a muesli bar with me. I had a jumper with me as I wasn’t sure what the weather was going to do even though it did look cloudy. My plan was to walk to Whangarei Falls and into Whangarei on a Sunday. I had done this walk a few times and thought it would be good to get some walking in. Out I went towards the waterfall until I seen a walking trail decided it would be good to follow it as I was wondering if this was another way into Kamo an area near where I am staying. Along the way I ended up with my jumper around my waist as it had gotten pretty warm.  I followed the river that runs into the Whangarei waterfall as it winds its way along the back of farmland with horses. I soon came to a road that was called Vinegar Hill Road, which actually goes out to Kauri, which is another little town in the area. There are books in the local art gallery on the history of these specific areas that I do have a look for whenever I visit Whangarei. I don’t think I seen this track when I was last in Whangarei, but you never know. There was a sign down one end saying that there were a strand of trees planted in 2019, and what looked to be a new housing development near Vinegar Hill Road.

 

I turned around and walked back to the waterfall, where I was debating where I wanted to walk to. I thought I had the time so I headed towards AH Reed Park and another waterfall by the name of Paranui Falls. I had not been up that way for a number of years so I thought it would be nice and then don’t need to visit the township itself. I also thought that I had left on my walk late enough that any shops I wanted to have a look at being a Sunday would be closed by the time I made my way there. There were a few people walking along the trails that I could see and some running as well. I could feel the burn as I walked uphill on several parts to reach the waterfall lookout. The area was known as the AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park, which is named after the author AH Reed who lived in the area. He was a great walker and writer about his travels. I had last been to the Paranui falls around the early 2010s and I couldn’t remember if there had been a set of stairs constructed up that area at the time. This was also where the local Kauri trees are located, which were once sought after by the timber millers back in the day. There was a chill in the air as I decided to make my way back home. I was starting to get hungry too. I was more worried about the weather changing for the worst as I didn’t want to get caught in the rain.

 

I was happy to have a short day especially as I was starting to feel the walk as I knew I needed to get some walking in on my trip away. I ended up at the local dairy convenience store looking at pies and decided to get some chips instead with a drink. There were no sandwiches, so that wasn’t a real problem. When I returned to the house we were going to visit the local supermarket and off we went after a little bit of a rest. We soon found that we had forgotten something once we had entered and that was a mask. Between Australia and New Zealand I have no idea what the rules are, but there were still people without wandering around so it wasn’t being enforced. I was looking at some of the prices and some ham that I thought it was $2 a kilo, but it was per 200 grams. They are good at catching you out. There was Bluebird brand chips, but I couldn’t see Smiths over here. Brands that I would recognise did not seem to be in New Zealand. By the timer we went shopping and returned it was kind of late in the day and it was starting to cool down a bit.

 

 I should say this could be just a slow day and needed to take it easy before the days picked up where we would be doing heaps of stuff. We were making plans for what we wanted to do like some of the local walking trails, although one does take 3 hours one way to walk and being winter might not be a good idea. On talk about going to KerriKerri, I thought I heard there was a carrot museum there, but it was a Parrot museum with 300 parrots. That is over the next couple of days, so you never know what we might come across.

New Zealand 2022: Day 1 Back to New Zealand

By the numbers

1 plane

1 car

The day started pretty early as we had an early morning flight. This time the journey to New Zealand was different due to the fact I was going with mum. This was also the first time we had returned since the pandemic had forced me to return home the last time as both New Zealand and Australia were going into lockdown. It was going to be a happy and a sad trip at the same time, but the best thing is that we will have a car on this journey as I usually catch the bus when I visit New Zealand.

 

We left in darkness to the airport and the lady at reception had to check our travel declaration passes as this is a thing we now do before leaving the country. Its not the customs card, but to say we are vaccinated and where we will be staying. The lady was shocked we were born at the same hospital in New Zealand. Security wasn’t that bad at all as it was moving and people only needed to put their loose stuff with computers under the plastic flap with bags on top. That was just to get into domestic as international was another lot of security. That wasn’t open for a little bit and while waiting we both had a coffee. The Air New Zealand flight from Auckland had been cancelled, so I would guess the flight back would have been the same as well. It did seem that people didn’t quite understand the message when being told no liquids when going through the second part of security. A whole family suddenly realised then needed to do something about their water. It was easy going through that part of security and I didn’t get checked, but mum had to go through the body scanner, while I laughed when I seen where she was. She had been right behind me.

 

There wasn’t that long of a wait for the plane and strangely they did not call for the row numbers to board first, but it was basically every man for themselves being scanned in. We were told to board from the rear and when we went to it was raining and they said no to boarding from the rear. No airbridge and everyone had the feeling they would be wet on the plane in winter. If they didn’t want us to have the rona, we would have a cold instead. We did dry out pretty quickly and the flight was actually quicker than we had first thought. It did not seem to be a very long flight at all. We did have to fill in the customs card and I even filled out the wrong part, but crossed it out so hopefully no one noticed. I could blame the light on the plane or that I was still pretty much tired. At least the only long wait in New Zealand was for our bags.

 

Even going through customs was pretty quick as they pretty much asked mum the questions and stamped everything. Along the way we had to take a rats test as we had to test ourselves on day 0/1 and again on day 5. Once we were spat out the other end into the main part of the airport, we were picked up by the car hire company to be taken to the car. There was an issue since the car was keyless and soon found the reason we had troubles was that the keyless key had a flat battery. Once that was sorted we soon found the GPS was going flat and soon dawned on us the cigarette lighter wasn’t working as a powerpoint. Down the road I also learnt that I should turn off my data as I had spent $50 outside of my plan. That is a great lesson and a better message instead of a month later when I got the bill. Mum went as far as Albany to show me where she grew up. Many of the now busy roads she rode her horse on as a kid, and she went to school opposite a cemetery that was no longer a school. We did turn off for the back roads and mum was shocked the bridge was still one way. We did go up hill and that was a narrow road where you couldn’t exactly pull over.

 

On our way to Whangarei we did stop along the way at Wellsford to have our tests and a pit stop as well. The tests came up negative, so that wasn’t a problem at all even though I got the email at the airport telling me to have the test and to report it. There was no barcode or anything, so you could actually answer in anyway you like, so its a honesty policy. It was dark by the time we made it to Whangarei. We got over the hill and we could see the weather moving in as it was going to rain and it hit us when we entered the city. It was great to finally get there and to get some rest after the long trip from Auckland though it took nearly all day basically. We caught up once we arrived and parked the car, so it was all good for the first day.