Trip North part 2

Auckland was just another city nothing to exciting but we were only there for a short time. It reminded us a lot of Seattle with the port and there is even a space needle to go up and take a look at the city from a bird's eye view. That night we were invited to stay with one of Megan's friends. Megan did not know we were going to be there the night before she arrived but she had given us the number of the women, Virginia, that was going to pick her up at the airport the morning of the 3rd. Once we arrived in Auckland we gave Virginia a call and she told us to come out to her place for dinner and a good night sleep. It was a pleasant evening and we had a great time going for a walk, playing music and talking. The bed was so soft and comfortable we both fell asleep fast. I woke early around 5:30 am to go with Virginia to the airport to pick up Megan. Who did not actually get out of the gate and through customs till around 7am but it was good to see her safe and sound in New Zealand. After resting and cleaning up we headed further North to the Bay of Islands. Again we took our time along the way stopping at places of interest. One of which was a little artsy cafe where we had a delicious muffin and hot chocolate. The structure of the cafe was made using a stucco technique by a local artist. It felt like a little hide out because there were little alcoves with tables and chairs but the whole cafe was completely open to the outside air and temperature.


Me at the entrance of the artsy cafe.

Trip North part 3

We made it to Paihi later in the evening and found a great little backpackers lodge known as the Pickled Parrot. That night we had sometime to walk around the town. It seemed to be a touristy town, lot of restaurants and hotels lined the streets, but there was quaintness to the town as well. That night we decided we would take a sailboat ride out into the harbor the next day. We were able to book a boat through the hostel and they gave us a great recommendation. The next morning we woke and had our breakfast excited to get out to the harbor and wait for our boat to arrive. Around 9:30am the Gungha pulled into port, this would be the sailboat we would ride on today. Our captain, Mike, was from Canada. He had been a commercial fisherman there but had been in New Zealand for twenty or so years and started up his sailing business. His wife as a great crew member and help with the business. She made sure we were satisfied with delightful snacks through out the day from orange slices to popcorn. What a great day for a sailboat ride it was sunny but the wind was good. There was also just the right amount of people on the boat. We did see some tourist boats that were packed and had a guide speaking over a loud speaker, “chooshk to the left of the boat you can see...” On the sailboat we just listened to the wind and the water as we cruised around the bay. Around noon we stopped in an inlet for a walk up a hillside that had a great view of the harbor and islands. Though it was a pleasant walk and a great view we were not able to enjoy it as much as we could have if we had worn shoes. The captain told us in a very sincere voice that we would not need shoes, "it is an easy climb to do bare foot." We decided after burning our toes and the bottoms of our feet that he may not have taken into consideration how hot it was that day and how hot sand and wooden steps covered in metal wire could get. I have never enjoyed soaking my feet in cold ocean water more then I did that day.


We tried yoga to ease the pain of our hot feet.

Beautiful view of the Bay of Islands.