So we have managed to finally get away from Whangarei. That sounds horrible as it was bliss being at Danny and Catherines with their huge comfy bed, sky TV and big bath tub. Biff is sorted. He went in for his rust repairs and Danny and myself tidied up the body work after he had been welded. Seems I’m a bit of an amateur panel beater. We bogged (filled) in all the rough edges, sanded him down then spray painted him and coined the phrase "bog and blend" which we have been saying to everything (Kate saw a burnt out car the other day and reckoned it’d be fine after a bit of bog and blend!). We were up until midnight to get it all done before Catherines parents arrived for Christmas but it was worth it. So originally we got quoted $2500 to get him fixed but in the end it cost us just $250! Really made up as he now has his WOF (warrant of fitness) for another 6 months and after we sell him he is someone else’s problem.
Best thing though about being in Whangarei was that they have the best Dominos pizza in NZ. They won some award so we had to give it a go. We ordered 4 pizzas online plus some little pastries for pudding. When they delivered them they had forgotten Kates pizza and hadn’t given us any extra cheese on them. Kate rang to complain so they sent us the whole order again! We sat down to 7 pizzas and 2 boxes of pastries. Danny somehow crammed in both his pizzas while the rest of us had them for breakfast and lunch the next day. Result eh?
Kate will probably argue that the best thing about Whangarei was the fact that she got asked for I.D when we bought some thank you beers for Danny. It totally made her day as you can imagine. I remember the last time I got I.D’d and it does make you feel very special for that split second until you give them your I.D and they realise that you are actually over 30!
We left Whangarei then headed north to Kerikeri, so good they named it twice. Totally true as well as the town was beautiful. Quite modern looking too. The far north of NZ is quite long and thin with the land between the Tasman sea and the Pacific ocean sometimes only 10km away from each other. It is also a very spiritual place for it is believed that Cape Reinga at the northern tip is where Maori spirits depart for the underworld. In Maori legend their spirits walk up 90 mile beach on the west coast, past through Matapia, which is a huge hole in the rock of an off shore island. Then to an ancient Pohutakowa tree at Cape Reinga where they pass through the roots of the tree into the sea and travel back to Hawikie, which is the Polynesian island that the Maori people originate from. Amazingly, the pohutakowa tree is still there and spookily has never ever flowered. We got a bus tour up 90 mile beach (which is actually about 60 miles long) and saw the hole in the rock too. As we got to the northern tip of the beach we all got out and climbed these enormous sand dunes with boogie boards to go dune surfing. I made it to the top of one dune and nearly collapsed! I don’t know what happened. I thought I was having an asthma attack and a hypoglycaemic episode all at once. I waited for it to pass but it never so I crawled over to the edge of the dune and threw myself off on my board. I got to the bottom and staggered over to the bus feeling very faint. Kate kept an eye on me as I slumped against the coach. I felt a little better after a banana and some water but it was a good hour before I was right again. It was bizarre! I joked that it was because I was so unfit but I don’t know what it was and don’t care to experience it again.
On the bus route we stopped at the ancient Kauri kingdom workshop. Basically the Kauri tree is the second largest tree in the world. Thousands of years ago, before all the deforestation that the europeans carried out, loads of Kauri trees were mysteriously felled. They’re not sure why but think it may have been some sort of huge tsunami. These felled trees were absorbed into the ground as they were so heavy and some were covered in swamps. These trees are still being found totally preserved even though they are around 30-45,000 years old! They make furniture out of them so I had high hopes of getting a box for my brother. Alas, the biggest box was a cigar box made from 45,000 year old wood. It would’ve been an awesome final resting place for my brother but I guess I’ll have to keep looking. Sigh.
So we left Kerikeri yesterday and drove back south to the Coramandel peninsula. It was a massive 400km trek and brought our 2-day total of travelling to 1000km! We drove along the Pohutakowa coast and numerous blooming trees before arriving in the town of Coramandel. We are right next to the beach and the sunsets have been stunning so far.
As I write this it is Christmas day and it feels so strange being in the sunshine listening to Xmas songs on the laptop and being so far away from my family. I got a text from my little sister who reminded me that this is her first Christmas without seeing me. It made me quite sad but I have made this choice to travel and although the things I have seen and done this past year will never make up for missing a family Christmas, I am still content. I’ll ring my family tonight and wish them all a merry Christmas but words can not purvey just how much I am missing them. Christmas is such a family time and I can honestly say I don’t intend to spend another one away from them in the near future. It is scorching today here and by 9.30am it was already 25 degrees. There is not a cloud in the sky either but I’m a winter kind of guy so give me cold and snow at Christmas any day. The fact that the UK has had loads of snow too is sitting rather ill with me and I am supremely jealous! That said, in a few weeks I will be up to my waist in sweet fluffy powder. Oh yeah!
We have finally booked the finishing touches to our homeward travels too this week. We leave NZ on my mums birthday which is less than a month away now. From here we head to Los Angeles. L.A. is not my most favourite American city so when we arrive we head straight to San Diego for 5 days. It’ll be nice to relax and scout out the city and maybe go on a whale watching cruise or something. From there we bus it to Las Vegas in Nevada for a week. Quite a long time to spend in sin city but we hope to go to the Grand canyon too. I wonder if they have any poker in Vegas? I’m sure we will see how we do. From Vegas we head to Salt Lake city in Utah. Salt lake city has some of the best skiing in the states and a ton of resorts so we are there for 10 days. I have a lot of friends working there too which I used to work with at Coronet so might see if we can meet. From Utah we head off to Reno for some more gambling then onto San Francisco which is one of my favourite places. We are there for a week before heading up the coast to Seattle for a few days. After that we head into Canada and to Vancouver Island for a while. We are going for more skiing and more whale watching before heading back over to Vancouver for our wedding Anniversary. From there we have a car which we’ll drive through the rockies to something like 10 ski resorts before getting to Calgary. We finally fly home in April from Edmonton and that will be that. In all I think we are in North America for nearly 3 months. I am so looking forward to it too. I can’t wait to get back on my skis but also want to show Kate so many of my favourite places.
Anyway, Kate is cooking our Christmas dinner of Moroccan chicken and cous cous. We thought about a BBQ but it just seems such a cliched thing to do while we are here, plus we had so many BBQ’s in Whangarei. Thank you all for your messages of encouragement for Biff, he is back in our good books, hopefully for the rest of our time here.
Merry Christmas to you all from the sun kissed beaches of New Zealand. I would swap it for the cold and snow of home in a heartbeat though. I miss you all so much. HO HO HO MO FO’s!!
Peace
D
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