New Zealand: Auckland and Bay of Islands

On receiving the boarding cards I was pleased to see we had seats A and B - a window seat! Nice view of New Zealand as we come in to land! When we got on the plane, though, what a disappointment! Not every row on the plane had a window. A few just had a blank wall and ours was one of those. There was not much in the way of an entertainment system, either, so it was a good thing I had my kindle to hand.

Or, I could do a bit of writing, maybe - only my ink gel pen had exploded and was seeping black ink all over everything. We had to call a stewardess to bring a tissue to mop it all up. 

Although in general passengers have to pay for food and to use the entertainment system, because we had booked through Singapore Airlines, who presumably promise free food and entertainment on all their flights, we got a complimentary meal and one of the entertainment tablets. The entertainment system would not have been worth the money ($14) if we'd paid for it. They only had about 5 films, two of which I'd seen on other flights. What it did have was a rather fancy solitaire game with some quite cool graphics. I was playing that - but it would not have been worth paying fourteen dollars just to play solitaire.

Auckland

Then we had to get over the hurdle of actually getting across the New Zealand border. We thought US and Australia were bad, but New Zealand, at least on the day we arrived, was a model of inefficiency. At immigration they only had three officials on duty and at least two large planes had just arrived, meaning queuing for about 2 hours. After they'd stamped our passports, we had to queue again, for another hour, for someone to take and stamp our customs cards. Then we had to have our suitcases X-rayed but thankfully there was only a five minute queue for that, and though there was a drug dog, we weren't required to go past the dog.

It wasn't so bad for us, since we'd only come from Australia that day, but some of those poor people had probably just got off a 26 hour flight and were then faced with all that queuing. Surely they could get one person to stamp both passports and landing cards so people would only have to wait two hours and not three? And/or, if you're expecting two 747s within minutes of each other, put on a few more staff!

Another slight wait for our rental car, a Toyota Corolla, which they described as brown but it looked silver to us. Only room for one case in the boot so one had to go on the back seat. Arthur asked if I wanted to drive first, but I declined as I didn't want to have to get used to a new car in a large, unfamiliar city in a foreign country. I'm sure Arthur didn't really want the stress of being my passenger in that situation, either, if the truth be told!

We got a little lost and ended up on the wrong road - but it wasn't too hard to work out how to get to our hotel, the Sofitel Auckland, by using a map. There were no signs for a hotel car park, though, so Arthur parked at the front door and went in to ask. He returned with a nice young man named Dominic who took our car keys - there are no signs for the car park because it is valet parking.

Views from the Sofitel Auckland as darkness falls

Auckland Sky Tower by day and by night

Very swanky hotel with water features and marble floors. We were checked in by a woman with an accent we couldn't place. She was not easy to understand. I got the gist of what she was saying about using the key card to operate the lift, but Arthur didn't understand her at all and then couldn't work out why the lift wasn't going anywhere.

The hotel was one of, if not the, best we had ever stayed in. Large corner room with a view of the marina from one window and the Sky Tower from the other. There's a balcony, a sink each, a huge bath, chocolates, robes, emery boards, slippers all provided. They'd left the radio on for us. It was playing classical music and it suddenly launched into an instrumental version of God Save the Queen! Just as I was thinking they programmed the radios to play the national anthems of their guests, the presenter came on and it turned out that the tune of God Save the Queen actually is part of some symphony or other, which I never knew.

Sadly, we only had one night there - next morning we were to move on somewhere else, so there would be no chance to see any more of Auckland than the marina. No opportunity to go up the tower.

We went for a walk to find somewhere to eat on the waterfront and then came back to the hotel for a nightcap in the bar. Made full use of the very nice bath and then went to bed.

Day 12: 21 November: Auckland - Bay of Islands

A very nice breakfast. I had a sort of cold porridge with fruit, which was a lot nicer than it probably sounds. A lady came round with the "detox of the day" which was carrot juice and ginger and something else, but I've forgotten what that was. That was very nice too, a nice healthy start to the day, but then we had bacon and eggs which undid all the good work, no doubt.

After breakfast we set out. We started out on a route which included a toll tunnel, stopping at a service station to purchase the ticket. 

You have to use a machine which only takes coins, so we were trying to work out what we could buy that would give us the exact right money in change. It was only after we had bought some things we didn't really need that we found out that although it only took coins, it would give change, so we didn't need to buy stuff that would give us the exact amount in change.

Only when we'd paid the toll did we see the signs for the free, scenic route!

We were supposedly driving along a coast road, but didn't see the sea for ages. It didn't matter that much as the scenery was stunning enough even without the sea. Rolling hills and lovely trees, and of course, a LOT of sheep and cows. In the UK a field of cattle or sheep might include about a hundred animals. Here, it's more like a thousand per field. Bigger fields, of course. We stopped off at a place called Lang's Beach which was rather nice, and finally arrived at a car ferry which we had to take. It was good timing - the ferry was there waiting.

We arrived at our accommodation, Bay of Islands Cottages. It was quite rustic, a rambling garden and chickens everywhere, and a little cottage nestling among it all. There didn't seem to be any people around, but when we followed the signs to "Our Home" we found the owner, whose name was Peter, who gave us our keys.

The cottages are very nice inside - almost like a little studio flat with a spare single bed, a kitchenette equipped with crockery and a fridge, and a balcony with a lovely view of a bay. 

Bay of Islands Cottages

The view from Bay of Islands Cottage

Peter asked us what time we'd like breakfast in the morning. Our default answer was "8.30" but I suggested we should look at our itinerary as there were a number of excursions on it and it was entirely possible we'd have to be somewhere earlier than that.

I was right. We had to be somewhere that would mean leaving the cottage by 7am. In that case, Peter said, they would bring us a tray.

Russell

Arthur said we would go and look round the nearest town, a place called Russell. "It probably won't take long," he commented to Peter, which I have to admit I thought was a slightly insulting thing to say about our host's home, town even though it was likely to be quite small.

Russell is a charming little town with a few restaurants strung out along the waterfront. We saw a sign saying that booking was advisable so we went into a place called Sally's and reserved a table.

We turned out to be virtually the only customers. The food was good - I had a prawn starter followed by snapper on marmalade risotto and for dessert banana cheesecake with pokey ice cream. Pokey ice cream is a New Zealand thing, which is basically vanilla ice cream with bits of butterscotch in it.

We had a lovely view of the bay and the pier as the sun was going down, so we took some pictures, and when we had finished eating we went for a walk on the pier.

Russell Pier by day

Russell Pier by night

Returning to the cottage, we regretted not popping in to the supermarket and getting a bottle of wine to sip on our balcony, so we had a coffee instead.

I woke up in the middle of the night and heard what sounded like someone whistling outside, and creaking that sounded like footsteps. We had found that the door to our cottage didn't actually lock, or at least, we didn't have the knack of locking it, so it made me feel quite nervous - who was out there? What did they want? Were we about to be murdered in our beds by some prowling axe man? 

After a further three weeks in New Zealand, I am sure what I heard was a bird; there were certainly birds with cries that sounded like whistles and the creaking was probably the wind or the temperature changing.

I managed to convince myself I had been watching too many horror films and went back to sleep only to be woken before dawn by a cock crowing, and then again by Arthur saying "One minute". For a second I thought he was telling me that it was one minute until we had to get up, but he was actually talking to Peter, who had arrived with our breakfast tray.

Day 13: 22 November:  Scenic flight to Cape Reinga

The breakfast tray was pretty substantial with muesli, yoghurt, fresh fruit, toast and marmalade. We were to find that in many of the places we stayed, a tray brought to the room was the preferred means of serving breakfast. The tray would typically have all the above items on it plus a cooked option which we would have chosen the night before. Although at Bay of Island Cottages, that wasn't the norm, but a concession because we had to leave early.

Our itinerary gave us a choice of ways to get to our scenic flight. We could either go direct to Kirikiri airport, or we could catch the ferry at Russell to Pauhui and get a shuttle bus. We opted for the latter, since we knew exactly where the ferry stop was in Russell and how long it would take to get there, though as we sat on the ferry, which appeared to be hanging on for the trail of schoolchildren dragging their feet down the jetty, we did wonder if we'd make it in time.

When we got off the ferry, a young man walked up to us. "Julie and Arthur? I'm Daniel, I'm your pilot for the day." We had not been required to communicate which route we were going to use to get there, so it was lucky we had made that choice. Or perhaps Salt Air staff are psychic. Or perhaps nobody EVER elects to go straight to the airport.

In retelling the account of this day, Arthur is fond of saying that our pilot "looked about 14." I would have placed him at least mid 20s and possibly as old as 30, but all the same, he did look awfully young. Oh dear, I suppose that means I'm getting old - they say when policemen look young to you you're old, I guess you could say the same about airline pilots.

Our plane to Cape Reinga

Our fellow passengers were a couple from Germany and Daniel's girlfriend. Two other people were supposed to come but hadn't turned up.

We learned that the town of Kirikiri got its name because the Maori word Kiri means digging, and the Maori had observed the European settlers doing a lot of digging there.

The flight was quite bumpy. Normally, on a commercial flight, I get quite nervous about turbulence while Arthur always seems completely unconcerned. On this plane, with Daniel explaining where the bumps were coming from - usually because of air currents from a hill we were passing - and telling us that they would only last momentarily I felt relatively safe, and it was Arthur who has gone on about how scary the flight was ever since. 

I say it wasn't nearly as bad as our flight out of Innsbruck a couple of years ago when we got no explanation from the crew at any point why the plane seemed to be falling out of the sky and no apology, and no reassurance that we weren't going to hit a mountain. The main problem with this flight here, I found, was that the bumps invariably hit when I wanted to take a photograph.

The views of the coastline of the far North of New Zealand were breathtaking. We flew over the famous 90 mile beach, which isn't 90 miles long at all. It's actually about 60 but because the Australians had a beach that was supposedly 80 miles long, New Zealand wanted to go one better! 

Ninety Mile Beach

This beach is actually a state highway - one can drive one's car down it, and normal rules of the road, ie drive on the left and keep to the speed limit, apply. Much of that area isn't very accessible by road so it may be that the beach is the only road to some places. We didn't see anyone driving on it today, though.

We flew over national pine forests and on to Cape Reinga, which isn't quite the northernmost point of New Zealand but is pretty close.

Our itinerary had said that we would land on an "airstrip" which turned out to be a field. On the side of a hill. Arthur said his life flashed before him as the plane hurtled down a hill he would not be able to drive his car down.

Landing - in a field!

Waiting for us beside the airport was Joyce, a Maori lady, and her minibus, ready to take us on the ground part of the tour. Our first stop was the Cape Reinga Lighthouse, where you can look out and see where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. This area is said, by the Maori people, to be the launching off point of souls on their way to the spirit world. An island, just visible out to sea on a clear day, is where the departing soul gets its last drink of water on Earth before moving on.

The lighthouse at Cape Reinga

The meeting of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea

The next stop was a beach with crashing waves where we went for a walk while Joyce laid out a snack of tea and homemade peach muffins. Arthur asked the German people to take a picture of us on the beach, which they did, and we offered to return the favour. As they posed for their picture, a big wave came in behind them and they got rather wet. Arthur's photo must have captured the shock on their faces!

Us on the beach

The third stop was at the giant sand dunes, where one could, if one wanted, try sand surfing. Which is like sledging down a sand dune. Nobody fancied having a go at that so we just wandered around taking pictures.

The giant sand dunes

Joyce took us back to the field for our flight back. Less bumpy this time. Even at the airport, Daniel elected to land on the grass beside the runway as it was "easier on the plane". He assured us he hadn't missed the runway!

Views on the return flight from Cape Reinga

Lunch stop in Pauhui and caught the ferry back to Russell. The thing lurched just as I was sitting down and threw me onto the floor in a most undignified fashion. I thank my stars Arthur didn't have his camera out at that point!

Russell re-visited

Back in Russell we decided to check out the museum, only to find it was about to close. Museums in small towns tend to close at 4pm. We just about had time to pick up a leaflet about their heritage trail instead, and go for a walk around the historic spots, like the historic wharf; the Duke of Marlborough Hotel which is allegedly the first hotel to be licensed in New Zealand; the Custom House and Police Station; an old fish factory; an immigrant cottage; a church which still had musket holes in it from some long ago conflict, and the cenotaph to name but a few.

The church - one of Russell's historic buildings

According to our guide book, Russell was the site of a riot on the beach that started when two women started fighting over one of the whaling captains and all their families joined in. Perhaps that was the inspiration for the Jerry Springer Show.

Stopped off at the supermarket for a bottle of wine to drink on our balcony later.

We ate at Sally's again. Everywhere seemed much busier tonight. We got a table outside, and I think we were served by Sally herself. We learned from Peter that Sally's is where the locals tend to eat. 

Another sunset. Arthur's attempts to get a good photograph were frustrated by a child which spent ages throwing pebbles in the sea. Though a bit of human interest in a photo isn't necessarily a bad thing, I think he wanted a clear shot of the view without any people in it.

Back at the B and B we cracked open our wine and observed the night sky. I spotted Orion right away because of the belt, but Arthur couldn't see it until he realised that, just like the moon, it's upside down in the Southern hemisphere.

Day 14: 23 November: Begins in Bay of Islands 

Meeting some local celebrities

Today we had breakfast in the main house where Peter's wife Jenny had prepared some delicious pancakes with a hot berry sauce, and pastries full of alcoholic mince pie filling in addition to all the goodies we'd had on our tray. Strangely, though, no fresh eggs, which did seem odd given the number of chickens they had.

There were some other guests, who were minor celebrities as it turned out. One was a guy called Peter Latham, a photographer who produces calendars with views of New Zealand - likely he produces much more than that, but it was the calendar he had on hand to show us. He was there with an older woman called Nan who was chatty and friendly.

The other guest was called Brian and he had been, on at least one occasion, one of the professional dance coaches on New Zealand's Dancing With the Stars, which is their version of Strictly Come Dancing. He had partnered a woman named Beatrice who presumably everyone in New Zealand would have heard of, but we had no idea who she was. Brian was there to give a dancing lesson to the Russell Ballroom Dancing Club, of which Peter and Jenny are members. He does this at least once a year and always stays at the Cottages.

What is our claim to fame? We were asked. We said I was a soon to be published author, which aroused some interest as they are keen readers. Promised to let them know when the book is out.

We took to the road, stopping briefly in Russell to take a picture of the "Welcome to Russell" sign to show Arthur's former colleague whose name is Russell. 

The "Welcome to Russell" Sign