The drive to the Coromandel Coast and the search for Gold!

(PIC) - Ancient Tane Mahuta.....

Blog 13 - The 'big tree' and the drive to the Coromandel.

Going south from our evening stay at the Lighthouse Motel we travel only a short distance down the valley on highway 12 to visit 'the big tree' in the Waipoua Forest. The Maori name is Tane Mahuta meaning Lord of the Forest).
Now this is a tree and a half, forget the average Kauri - this is big beauty! Just think about the dimensions of the biggest kauri tree in New Zealand. Total tree height is 150ft. The actual trunk length measures 60ft  and the girth is 45ft measured at human chest height around 5ft from the ground. Its reckoned to be between 1500 and 2000 years old and is still growing! Big as it is its surface roots are very sensitive and all visitors must stay on the viewing platform paths to prevent disease spreading. Standing looking at this awesome sight reminds me yet again that nature just cannot simply have evolved but surely lovingly created by a super being well above the human range of intellect and understanding.

(PIC Image) - Kaka Parrot info....

The forests in this region are an amazing sight - The rare native kaka parrot and kakariki (parakeet) are protected here, being so close to extinction. Native birds like the green and bronze feathered kukupa pidgeon and their noisy beating of wings can be heard. The only surviving NZ native owl lives here the More Pork. its called that because of its distinctive call "morepork morepork" its true honest. There are over 300 species of trees, shrubs and fern in this haven of nature. 30 are living happily on the ancient kauri Tane Mahuta alone.

(PIC) - Forest walkway....

At another neighbouring forest just a mile or so down the road at Trounson Park the land is a complex mosaic of vegetation developed over thousands of years, now sadly threatened by modern living and vermin. Possum, stoat, even feral cats are prowling here, over 22,000 tons of forest habitat are consumed each night in this huge forest alone.  Culling through shooting and laying poison is in place to preserve vegetation for the survival of the forests and their wildlife. We have to wash our shoes and hands even to enter, such is the desire to keep out alien bugs and to protect further this unique haven.

(PIC image) - The wild NZ Kiwi.....

The wild Kiwi roam here, they have two powerful legs and a loud voice but interestingly enough the domestic dog is their biggest predator. There are many reports of dogs killing kiwi and rangers are prepared to 'shoot on sight' so do not bring your dog anywhere near these kauri forests. The Kiwi is a nice wee bird, two large eggs each year, the Dad sits on the egg for three months to incubate them (I told you us men were useful!).
The parents never feed the young, they lead them to the worms and the Weta beetle and off they go, munch munch munching from birth. They just polish it off (there is a subtle joke there if you understand DKT's sense of humour!

The noise of the Cicada (tree cricket) in this forest is almost deafening. a high pitched 'click click click', these little creatures are rubbing their back legs together. I would just get blisters if I tried that! It's the males that do all the noise as they are looking to attract the female, see just one click of the finger or in this case the back leg and the ladies come running. Its all that fresh air, it must be.

(PIC insert) - The giant Weta......

The Weta is a ancient Prehistoric spider with ears in their knees, that must give them a big fright when they kneel down! They can grow up to 4 inches and weigh 30 to 50 grams (the picture is the Weta Punga meaning 'god of ugly things'). I am not holding the carrot believe me! This is the worlds largest insect or so I am told. Weta is also a destination we are heading for later down Wellington way (Lord of the Rings fans listen up!


In the streams of this forest the indigenous fish are very shy, they only swim at night, well that's what the sign said, I had no idea some fish only swam at night. I knew some eels did, but not stream fish.

It was then time for the long drive south down highway 12 and 16 around the huge inlet on the west coast which virtually cuts the country in half north of Auckland. We took this road to complete our anti clockwise trip to the Northlands preferring not to repeat the journey we took on the first day on highway 1 (one) when we travelled in the other direction.

(PIC) - Sally's Sister doing well 
stuck to a tree - (dream on!!)......

We missed out stopping at the well renowned Kauri Museum at Paparoa for we had seen the big trees in the flesh but we did have to stop and replace a couple of Sally Subaru's headlight bulbs at a very friendly garage near Dargaville. She is going well our 'rent a dent' lady, just a few niggles.

(PIC) - Road trip to the Coromandel....

The route was really interesting with varied changes in landscape, hillside flat meadow land and very good views of the inlet. We eventually rejoined Highway1 and by-passed west Auckland on the motorway. It was a very good trip with traffic lighter than expected and we made good headway, chugging away at 60mph.  We turned east near Papakura and headed for Clevedon and the coast route 25 around the Firth of Thames Bay. There were some very hilly sharp bends with great views. Sally struggled a bit as our long day was beginning to get dark - Good job we changed those headlight bulbs!

(PIC) - Our Thames B&B.....

We eventually arrived at the old gold rush town of Thames. Our B&B was a beautiful Victorian house lovingly restored by our hosts who owned the local garage. We were made very welcome and given a glass of wine to wash away the travel dust.

Tomorrow we start to find out more about the gold rush of the mid 19c that made this region so popular for European settlers. We are also going in search of the hot water beach, we are in the land of bubbling thermal waters and to dig out your own spa bath in the sand is a 'must do' for the traveller to NZ - but for now it is sleep                                                        
DKT

Blog 14 to follow

Gum digging - a big big New Zealand heritage!

Blog 12:  North Island New Zealand - The Big Tree - The Kauri Tree and the gum digging era:

We left the magic and spiritual grounds around the lighthouse at Cape Reinga and headed toward the forest land of the Kauri tree and the work of the gum diggers of 100 years ago. There is a Northland Park and ancient forest at Awanui just off the main highway south where a 'gum digger' village has been faithfully reconstructed around an original working gum field.

(PIC) - Kauri Gum.....

Kauri gum is sometimes called copal or mistakenly amber. Copal is a general term for resins used to make varnish. Amber is a hard, fossilised resin used to make jewellery, and much of it found in the northern hemisphere is millions of years old. There has been little carbon dating of kauri gum, but most I am told is probably only thousands or tens of thousands of years old. It can accurately be called copal or resin, but in New Zealand it is usually called kauri gum.

(PIC) - A reasonably young Kauri......
What and who are gum diggers? well there is kauri gum (as seen above) and there are diggers to get the gum out! Let me explain a wee bit further. New Zealand’s giant kauri trees ooze resin from their bark, leaves and cones. This protects the tree by filling holes and damaged areas. It builds up in the forks of the tree, around the roots and on the ground underneath. Kauri can live for more than 1,000 years, almost 2000 years in some places, over which time they produce a large amount of resin. Occasionally branches oozing resin drop to the ground, and eventually the tree dies and falls. 

(PIC) - New forest over ancient swamp land.....

Over time, the ground where kauri trees grew becomes a litter of wood and gum, which is often gradually buried by soil or drowned in swamps. Kauri gum is found naturally only in New Zealand, because kauri trees are endemic to the country. This is what happened in this forest over 100,000 years ago; the ancient Kauri died and the land became swamps through natural causes over the years. This is volatile land and is prone to earthquake, fire, flood, cyclone, volcanic activity, there has even been a tsunami or two. One was on record in 1450 with waves 32m high. There has also been a recorded cyclone of 170mph; who really knows, but what the swamps did was to preserve the fallen kauri. 

It was then just a simple matter of finding out where they fell, then digging down several feet into the old swamp lands which had created new forest and there if they were lucky were the ancient trees fully preserved. Specially adapted tools and hard graft were needed.

(PIC) - Digging to find the Kauri.....
Imagine digging and finding a tree that has an average girth of around 10mtrs, that's 30 feet to walk round, and up to an average total height of 40mtrs, half of which is the trunk itself! It was a skill in itself to find a kauri several feet under forest that was once a swamp. Special long prodding poles were used called spears later called 'jokers' because they could prod and bring up a sample to see if it was kauri or just some old bit of wood (a joke, hence joker) 

(PIC) - gum boots outside an authentic diggers home.....

The diggers wore 'gumboots' (we call them wellingtons). 

Gum digging was dirty, muddy work, and diggers working in swamps typically wore long rubber boots. New Zealanders call these gumboots – not because the boots were used on the gum fields, but because they were made from gum or rubber.

(PIC) - Kauri tunnelling by skeleton spades.....

When found, pits and then tunnels on a mini mining scale had to be dug out by hand using special spades called skeletons (the best were made of Sheffield steel) to get at the gum around and under the sunken trees. It was a tough graft over endless hours to fill their sacks and take them off for value. Most of the time the value was only enough to feed their families for the day. The trader or dealer taking the profits.

An early consignment of gum was reportedly sent to London in the early 1840s to make fire-kindlers and marine glue. This was what the Maori predominately used it for but its real value would be as an ingredient in varnish, which in the 1800s was made from the resins of various trees. Kauri gum was found to be superior to other resins, and by the mid-1840s was exported to manufacturers in the UK and America. By the 1860s, exporting kauri gum was an established industry and was to remain so for over ninety years. 

The end of the industry was in the 1930s when cheaper synthetics were developed for making varnish and linoleum. The price of gum fell, and by the 1940's it was a sunset industry.

(PIC) - A felled Kauri used in whole to carve out a waka (Maori canoe).....

The kauri tree had been a great asset, now it is rightly a preserved species for us travellers to marvel at. To just stand back and be amazed, not only by the majesty and size of this splendour of nature but to once again pay tribute to our ancestors who through hard work and endeavour changed a Country and its standing in the commercial world.

Digging and tunnelling was indeed a major 19th century source of employment of these two impressive islands be it Maori or Settler. Gold, Greenstone (jade) and coal were the hard graft labour intensive working environment industries a century plus ago. In further blogs I will be chatting about those as we venture further south through the Coromandel Peninsular region and on into South Island.

Surprisingly to me I have seen little of NZ's main exporting industry of the past 100 years, lamb, dairy products and wool.  There is about 4.5 million people in New Zealand and 30 million sheep, where are they! I have seen cattle, llamas, deer, but few sheep. Perhaps I am not in the right part of the country. I guess maybe being the summer the lambs are already off the grass and heading for slaughter. Maybe I will see more baa baas on my journey south.

(PIC) - palm and tree fern grow abundantly....

(PIC) - Ferry journey at sunset....

We continued on our travels south past Ahipara on the west coast and the southerly start of the 90 mile Beach. It was getting towards dusk as we drove on a beautiful scenic mountain twisting road to the small car ferry at Hokianga, across a very scenic inlet bay.

(PIC)-The Light House Motel at 9am......

That evening after a truly wonderful yet exhausting day we stayed at another lighthouse, this time at Opononi, 20 minutes south of the ferry terminal (it's an ornamental structure in the front garden!) 

What a two day visit so far to the Northlands and it was not finished yet. Another kauri forest experience tomorrow and a 'wow' experience to see the 'big tree'. We are now on day 42 of our global adventure, four days into North Island, New Zealand.

                                                                                             
DKT

Blog 13 to follow

Maori Spiritual Home of Cape Reinga

Blog 11:  North Island New Zealand - To the lighthouse at Cape Reinga

Spent the morning in our overnight B&B town of Kaitaia with Sally Subaru (rent a dent!) at the garage having her washers worked on and another repair job to the rear window. Unable to repair the runner inside the door so we have one rear door out of action and a wonky window but Sally has a good engine so away we go! We travelled North in the early afternoon through some lovely scenery on route to the very Northern tip of NZ. An hour and a bit later we arrived at the Maori's sacred spiritual lands around the light house at Cape Reinga.

(PIC) - meeting of creation....

(PIC) - Tasman Sea and Pacific ....

This is where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. According to Maori legend, male ocean is meeting female sea and the coming together equals the creation of life (interesting!).  Many hundreds of years ago this is what the Ancestors would have seen as they approached this land in their waka (canoe) after many months at sea...

(PIC) - The Kahika Tree on the rock...

According to tradition, the peoples return via this point to their homelands after death, although the Maori does not mention death but rather "the end of a journey". This is that exact point on the their travels where their spirit leaves the land to return home to Hawaiki, their mystical original home before travelling across the Pacific to Aotearoa  (The tree you can see in the picture is the ancient Kahika Tree named 'Te Aroha' standing proud from the large rock. This tree never flowers and endures harsh environmental conditions but has still remained alive exactly in this position for 800 years. The tree roots by legend are the steps that the spirit of the loved one takes down to the water to travel home.

"Te waiora a tane" (waters of life)... There are two still active underground springs here; the spirit must drink this water to carry on their journey, failing to do so means they must return to the land of the living. 'Te Reinga' - the spirit enters the sea.  Te-Waiora-a-Tane bore much of the same relation to the Maori as the waters of Jordan bear to the Christian rites of baptism.

It is interesting these underground streams were once active above ground pouring out of the cliff into the sea below. The stream the Europeans settlers intended to use for their water supply when the lighthouse project was first proposed. A large reservoir was built to take the stream water, set into the hill beside the track leading down to the lighthouse. It is still there to be seen, but that is all. It is still empty, never used, for no sooner was the work finished than the little stream, Te Waiora-a-Tane, disappeared magically underground, and did not emerge until it reached the safety of the sea, where it still bubbles forth today in a clear spring at low-tide mark.

(PIC insert) - Sandy Bay......

Whales often swim into Sandy Bay near here to scratch on the rocks. Whales are in Maori cosmology the descendants of Tangaroa, the god of the oceans. They were thought of in awe, as supernatural beings, and often deemed tapu, or sacred. It is said that they can hear the spirit of the passing chatter or sing, and are showing them the way back to their ancestral home far away out away in the distant oceans. 

Now, you just have to be here to feel this spiritual place  - At times, although it is isolated and to some a desolate place I so feel an inner peace here. The ocean meeting the sea to create new life but is only a mere turn of the head away from the tree roots that takes the spirit of the departed back home again. There are many travellers and visitors coming to New Zealand that do not reach this Northern point, stopping short to ride their vehicle or book a coach trip on the sand that is the tourist attraction called 90 mile beach stretching south down the west coast. Not to come that extra mile to this magical place can only mean missing out on something very special and inspiring to the soul which somehow manages to put life into its true meaning and prospective.

(PIC) - Lighthouse at Reinga....

There has been a new lighthouse here now since 1941. It is fully automated and unmanned.  The beacon is powered by batteries that are recharged by solar cells. The beacon flashes every 12 seconds and can be seen for 19 nautical miles (35 km). A modern flashing light looks out to sea to warn the sailors of danger.  I wonder if they know what legends, traditions and spirits are on those shores and in the sea around them. I left with an inner freshness and peace marvelling at the simplicity of life from creation until the passing away to another place. Why do we make our lives so complicated?

(PIC) - The views over 90mile beach....

We travelled south back down the same and only road, stopping to admire some views of the sea over the 90 mile beach. We were heading for the ancient Kauri forests where the 'gum diggers' applied their hard graft manual trade over a century ago. Kauri (pronounced "kah-oo-ree") is the indigenous tree which is absolutely huge in height and girth with many magical properties. For centuries the Kauri gave the country and its people, work, housing, trading potential, ornaments and, for the lucky few, wealth. This tree is also home to a fantastic array of wild life and flora and fauna species many only ever seen in this small part of New Zealand...

This is a fantastic story in itself so keep tuning in to get blog 12.

DKT

Bay of Islands and a day of heritage visits

Blog 10  - The Northlands trip begins from Auckland.

The journey North was quite uneventful really and a bit anti climatical. Auckland suburbs giving way to small provincial towns which had that American feel of one road (drag) through the middle arranged in blocks and intersections with one storey buildings on either side.  Driving on the left made it easy all round. State Highway 1 was a well maintained road and not too busy. I kept to the speed limits but I was the only car who did! Despite notices and posters every mile I was constantly been overtaken. No dangerous driving was witnessed, just a bit speedy. Maybe they just do not get caught,  I do not see any cameras around.

Mountains appeared in the distance but no 'wow' factor had hit me yet to be honest. Around 140 miles north we turned off to head towards the East Coast.  We arrived in Paihia on the Bay of Islands around 5pm. Our Lodge (The Retreat) was perched on a hill top over looking the sea. Stunning views across the islands and suddenly the trip from the city was soon forgotten at the sight before us.  

(PIC) - The Aurora moored in the Bay....

Would you believe it! on looking through the trees and moored way out in the Bay was the Aurora. What a sight to see. This was their first port of call after leaving Auckland and it was pure coincidence that we arrived this night by car in the same location. After booking in we went down to the town to see if we could find any cruise passengers we knew but they were back on board ready to sail for Sydney. We enjoyed a really yummy local fresh fish and chip supper that night back at the lodge.

I did however have to call out the AA for Sally Subaru who was ailing on two issues, A faulty rear passenger electric window and no windscreen washers despite a full water bottle. A temporary repair was completed on the window but the washer problem remained.  Unperturbed we were ready to explore the Bay the next day. This was a heritage day, to find out about the early settlers and the Maori way of life past and present. We are in the Northlands, the spiritual home of the Maori. 

(PIC) - The hole in the rock....

We arrived at the town quay early to board a Catamaran to tour the islands and get up close to the 'Hole in the Rock' at the very northern tip of Cape Brett.  The island itself was named Piercy Island by Captain Cook in honour of one of the Lords of the Admiralty – it is called Motu Kōkako in the Maori language and it is their land, their island. It is probably the most important island in the Bay of Islands in conservation terms, being in near pristine condition, with no evidence of introduced animals. There are nearly 100 types of flora on this island alone, and is home to a few petrels and lizards as well. The 60-foot hole at sea level was created over centuries by wind and waves making it one of the most naturally beautiful sites in New Zealand. We sailed through it which was a wonderful and somewhat spooky experience. Years of history just above our heads.

(PIC) - The medicinal properties of nature....

After a really wonderful trip to the hole in the rock with dolphin watching on the way we moored at a traditional Maori island and indulged for an hour in their village life.

I made a lip balm and skin balm and insect bite cream from natural ingredients including, lavender, bees wax, kawakawa bush leaves, sweet orange, olive oil and almond oil, heating up all the ingredients in a pot and then allowing it to set into a balm.

(PIC) - Flax flower arranging....

I also made an ornamental flower from the flax plant. Well, I did not want to go on the hike round the island, unlike Jacky, so I pampered my creative spirit! Clever little plant that flax. New Zealand flax is not a true flax like linen flax but related to the day lily. It has sword-shaped leaves 1–3 metres long that grow in a fan shape. In Maori sayings and songs flax is often a metaphor for family bonds and human relationships.

(PIC) - The historic lawn area....

After a quick snack back at the quay it was a short car trip around the Bay to see the original spot where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in early February 1840. On this lawn was a very historic moment for the Maori and indeed the British. The Government Representative of the time William Hobson verbally repeated with every Northern Tribal Chief' signature (150 on the day) "He iwi tahi tātou", meaning "We are now one people".  However the differences in interpretation and translation still wrangle away today both legally and socially and many NZ dollar millions are still being paid out in compensation to Maori tribes for mistakes made in the signing documentation. It was a fascinating time in the history of NZ and well worth reading more about the early settlers and their impact on this land and heritage. 

(PIC) - Kemp House (Kerikeri)....

Further up the coast is the town of Kerikeri (Mission Station). Here we visited the oldest European building in New Zealand. Kemp House was built by Maori timber sawyers and British missionary carpenters from the London-based Church Missionary Society in 1820-21, This house predates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi by almost 20 years. Inside there is a large range of furniture and personal items owned by the missionary families who lived here including James and Charlotte Kemp. This house is the sole survivor of the Maori Musket Wars of the 1820's. 

(PIC) - The Stone Store in Kerikeri....

The Stone Store is New Zealand’s oldest stone building and also the oldest surviving commercial premises, built between 1832-36. Designed by a Wesleyan missionary and built by an ex-convict stonemason from New South Wales, the store was meant to house supplies and  large quantities of wheat from the local mission farm. When the wheat failed the building was mainly leased as a kauri tree gum trading store. It was later used as a general store and in recent years the building has undergone extensive renovation work to retain its history.

Interestingly the store is the oldest remaining building linked with the import of goods from overseas, the storage of produce grown in New Zealand and the bartering of goods with the local Maori iwi (tribes).   The building contains artefacts and displays of its history, and true to its origins, still sells a range of heritage-related merchandise reflecting its earlier days as a trading post and general store. 

This building is also significant as the earliest intact building in New Zealand to demonstrate colonial adaptation to the use of local stone.  I like wooden buildings best, they feel homely and you can move them to another plot if you don't like the neighbours! The problem of course is earthquakes and fire as we will discover in other regions on our travels.

This day was extremely fascinating if you like to dig deeper into the history and heritage of the journey you are on, not just looking at scenery and objects.

(PIC) - An evening swim at the 'home stay' - nice.....

We travelled  a few more miles north around the coast to end the day in a home stay (a NZ term for B&B) in Kaitaia - a busy provincial town on the main highway to the North and the Lighthouse at Cape Reinga where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. Here is a place of great spiritual importance to the Maori where the spirit of their people return to their homeland after death.

DKT - Blog 11 to follow

Aukland NZ and the start of the journey to the Northlands

Blog 9:  Auckland, New Zealand - Day 38 of the adventure:

Leaving the Aurora was in fact a bit of a wrench - I quite liked that little ship but off we must go; the intrepid adventure continues.

We had arranged to stay on the first night with the local vicar of St Georges in Epsom (a suburb in East Auckland),  Martyn and his wife Honor and their two sons were members of our Church before Martyn was ordained a couple of years ago and moved to NZ.

After disembarking we took a Taxi to the Church where we dropped off all our bags and cases. I have accumulated several extra pieces of luggage and that just does not make sense. What is it with packing, I have only purchased two extra souvenir  t-shirts and yet I am loaded down with extra carrying. Our hosts were both working so after a quick hello we would meet them later in the day, we hopped on a bus and disappeared back into the city for a walking tour for a few hours.  They were great hosts and we had a lovely evening meal together. A special thanks to them.

(PIC) - Auckland landscape....

After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in February 1840 (more about this in a later blog) the new Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson, had the task of choosing a capital for the colony. Due to its all round geographical benefits, in particular a strategic harbour location, Auckland was officially declared New Zealand's capital in 1841. They retained capital status for only 25 years when the discovery of gold and a very clever bit of seafaring engineering called a refrigerated cargo vessel which could get lamb back to the UK in reasonable time meant a capital was needed further south and more central and that was Port Nicholson (later renamed Wellington)

(PIC) - A quaint house in Parnell.....

There are some quaint early examples of first European settlers cottages in the area called Parnell high on the hill above the harbour. This was the first suburb in New Zealand established in 1841.This was our first feel of the early discoverers' influence that fills the heritage of New Zealand. This area in now trendy with lots of fun shops. Strange there is no railway or tram stop here unlike most other city suburbs. Apparently Parnell was named after a local carpenter who campaigned around 1840 to give NZ their first recognised 8 hour working day. He was quoted as saying "There are twenty-four hours per day given us; eight of these should be for work, eight for sleep, and the remaining eight for recreation and in which for men to do what little things they want for themselves."  Now whatever happened to that in the UK!

(PIC) - Chinese lantern display....

We walked through Albert Park alongside the impressive University buildings and grounds which were being prepared for the Chinese Lantern Festival. The festival is over four days as is a big event for the local Chinese community following their New Year at the end of January. 2014 is the year of the Horse, which symbolises graciousness, dignity and momentum, and looking at the work that is going into the models, lights and fireworks it is going to be a fun time.

(PIC) - One Tree Hill.....

After a visit to the local Art Museum it was back on a city bus to our hosts' house high on the road leading to "One Tree Hill", an amazing working farm at 600 feet above sea level on one of the many once active volcanos around the city. The farm is reputed to be the largest city farm in the world. Its a beautiful spot to live. A wonderful large house with interior panels made from Kauri wood, the largest and most famous of NZ native trees. More on the Kauri in a later blog.
Irish rock band U2 wrote a song about the hill, "One Tree Hill", which appeared on their album The Joshua Tree.

(PIC) - St Mary's Church re-sited.....

A lot of the traditional NZ houses and buildings are made of wood and could be uprooted to another piece of land should the need arise. We saw an example of this with a church that was moved to the other side of a busy main road. Very clever really - a bit like the UK's large static caravans.  The church now forms part of the Cathedral grounds and shares services and functions with the modern Cathedral. Sir Edmund Hillary's funeral was held at Holy Trinity Cathedral in January 2008.
This is the only place I want to live in; this is the place I want to see out my days"  - words spoken by Sir Edmund Hillary of the Auckland West Coast

At 1pm on the second day on dry land we were due to pick up our rental car and start the journey North to see the tip of the Country where it meets the Tasman Sea. We also wanted to see the huge forests where live a number of rare and indigenous species of trees, flora and fauna. 

We arrived to pick up the pre-booked car and there was NO car. A very apologetic man told us that all of his cars were out and had not been returned by the due date - yes ALL of them! He offered us this Subaru Legacy Estate which was in the process of being serviced up on the ramp. We were on a tight schedule and knew that any further delay would be a disaster in terms of the diary so we accepted the car, waiting an hour for it to be finished.  

(PIC) - Sally Subaru......

This was a ramshackle of a car that had seen better days, 160,000 on the clock - scratches and dents everywhere and an automatic which I was not used to driving for 10 years and Jacky not at all! So there we were about to set off on a long 28 day 2000 mile journey in a wreck which would surely have been scrapped, certainly a MOT failure - but hey ho, if you treat it nicely it may respond in kind. After signing the forms we were on our way up State Highway 1, north to the Bay of Islands. The scenic views and landscape were not jumping out at me nor the suburbs or small towns - nice with some mountain back drop in the distance but as the miles went by this was about to change dramatically.

Onwards we went in our old banger - rattles and crunches but no breakdown YET!!

Bay of Islands Blog to follow
DKT

South Pacific

Blog 8:  It is now the evening of Monday 10th February:

(Image) - Leaving the magical tropical islands behind....

We are in the South Pacific very close now to our destination port of Auckland, New Zealand, after ports of call in American Samoa and Tonga. The ship's time is presently 13 hours ahead of GMT: Weather is cooling the further south we travel; we are now at the same latitude as North Africa so the tropical weather is behind us. The sea state is described as 'slight' which is a lifetime away from the sea conditions when we left Southampton 37 days ago!

We have now well and truly crossed the Equator and the International Time Line - the ship's entertainment ceremony was organised to represent the legend that permission was needed to be sought from King Neptune to allow the first time equator passengers to 'cross the line'. This was duly granted after a drenching and flour throwing session and all was very jolly indeed. What a very nice man that chap Neptune is, letting us proceed on our journey. The Equator was a bit bumpy having passengers jump across the line but we all made it into the Southern Hemisphere safely.

The stars are really wonderful and the night sky is so immense with the Southern Cross clearly

(Image) - The Southern Cross....

visible now on the horizon. The moon has a spectacular shadow effect on the ocean; leaning on the ship's railings and looking into the the Milky Way and our Universe, it is quite literally a whole world away from the weather and challenges in the UK. Through binoculars on a clear night you can also just make out our neighbouring Galaxy of Andromeda. What a wonderful and thought provoking planet we live on.

  (PIC) - the first dawn of a new day....

Looking back at the last few days of our voyage, we lost a complete day on Friday February 7th (the day that never was!). This apparently is normal on a West to East circumnavigation as we have gained an hour 11 times now on our voyage; to compensate we lose a day and end up with a change of clock to thirteen hours ahead.  The International Time Line is a bit jagged as some islands have chosen to remain on Eastern time schedules. Tonga where we visited last Saturday is actually the first inhabited location in the East to see the dawn of a new day. American Samoa on the other hand is still in time line with Western USA and therefore we were still eleven hours behind until the Saturday. All very confusing really, well it is to me.

(Image) -  the 1969 Apollo mission....

One of the ship's talks I went to hear was about the Apollo missions and the fact that in these local waters the first moon landing capsule dropped safely back to Earth in 1969.  I remember as if yesterday that July moment of history so was in a bit of a reminiscing mood for a while afterwards. 'The eagle has landed - one giant leap for mankind" etc.  According to our Speaker, Neil Armstrong actually said "one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind which does make the whole dramatic moment dialogue more meaningful...

(PIC) - Pango Pango....

On Wednesday 5th February it was Talofa (Hello) to American Samoa. We arrived in the capital and main port of Pago Pago - actually pronounced Pango Pango - The reason is extraordinary - Early Christian missionary discoverers did not have a letter N in their type set to record the name for posterity, so although they knew it as Pango Pango it has always through tradition been written as Pago Pago. Polynesians arrived on the island of Tutuila around 10,000 BC and remained ever since. Their heritage, crafts and cultures are still clearly visible today.

(PIC) - Tutuila coast line....

Although strategically situated in the South Pacific, there were no major attacks or invasions here during WW2 other than a single UBoat shelling in 1942. The enemy of all of the South Pacific plate islands is natural disasters. In 2009 a size 8.0 earthquake off the island caused a Tsunami of four waves 20 feet in height. The devastation was enormous and even today there are still many signs of destroyed homes and vegetation.  This small group of islands is a protectorate of the USA and the latter has poured millions of dollars into the regeneration project, but bizarrely Samoan citizens although having a free visa entry into USA still cannot vote in the USA Presidential elections. I have no idea why that is so and it does seem a bit unfair.

Some of the Polynesian traditions are quite quaint e.g. do not stretch your legs out in a public place, it's a sign of lack of respect. Also never eat 'on the go'; meal times are sacred and snacking is a 'no go'. This is a bit ironic as they just love their two island MacDonald outlets. Traditions may be changing as the mainland American way of life is now coming along very fast to this lovely island.

(PIC)- The Ladies of Samoa....

This was our first warning of Mosquitos present - non malarial but itchy to the skin so we needed to 'Deet' up as we were travelling inshore. The dress code for visitors to Samoa is to wear nothing too daring, no 'speedos', not a problem for me although my varicose veins are now tanning up quite nicely so I am sure my legs are worth showing off to the local ladies (NOT)!

(PIC) - Tour coach - Tutuila....

The buses here are basic, colourful and unique in style - open sided, hard seats, a bouncy ride but somehow quite quaint and definitely no place here for a bendy bus or a double decker.
There are no windows - natural AC as standard.

The older Fagatogo village around the port is still steeped in the history of the old but now gone USA Naval base from 1900 to 1951. The buildings are still here and are now used as headquarters for Government including the Police. There are Museums, Churches, a few shops and small bars but nothing really commercial. This is a quite peaceful place  - no begging happens on this island unlike at other stops along our route. A very polite and respectful community, happy with themselves and their way of life. In the Museum there are a lot of papers and information surrounding Samoa's role in the Apollo missions. The Samoan flag was carried to the moon by the astronauts to say thanks for the fact that it was in their territorial waters that the landing capsules splashed to earth and were transferred through the port back to the USA.

(PIC) - Flower Pot Rock....

 There are plenty of photo opportunities and visits along the coast lines including Flower Pot Rock and Leone village where there is a fine church of the first Christians dating back to the mid 19th century which has now been renovated after extensive damage in the 2009 Tsunami. There is a story that the Early Christians settlers mistook the word Samoa which loosely translated is a thanks after a meal for "some more". The locals kept plying their visitors' plates with more food which they could not refuse as that was seen as disrespectful. As a result the Missionaries got very fat indeed. I am not sure if that is true but I liked the play on words. Food for thought (a very bad pun)!!

(PIC)  - an empty golf coarse....

There is a golf course with picturesque panoramic views on this island and would you believe only $5 dollars a round. It is well maintained and unbelievably empty so come on guys get on a flight and have a round or two in pretty pleasant weather conditions all year round.
It rains a lot in Samoa especially at this time of year and that means lush vegetation and tropical rain forests, flora and fauna. Their National Parks are full of rare species so the nature buff is in their element with trails and tracks for the walker, quiet beaches for swimming and snorkelling. Something for everyone would make this an ideal holiday destination.

(Image) - typical tapa cloth..

Meals include  breadfruit, spinach cooked in earth ovens, coconut milk, guava and sweet potato. The famous tradition of producing Tapa cloth is very interesting - made from the inside bark of a tree using wooden stencils and a stamping process. They can churn out many cloths from the same mould and have being doing it this way for centuries  - I guess this must have been the world's first mass production plant long before Mr Ford invented the Model T factory line in the USA.

I really enjoyed my visit to this gem of an island and would quite easily return there again one day.

Saturday 8th February:

We then had one day at sea (losing Friday completely) we were privileged to be one of the first people in the East to see the dawn of a new day. We are now 13 hours ahead of GMT: I was up early to see the coastline and the dawn silhouettes of the island of Tongatapu.

We had arrived in Tonga - malo e lelei (mah-loh-eh-leh-leh-e) translated to mean hello or welcome.

(PIC) -The flatness of Tonga....

The main island of Tongatapu is situated in an archipelago of 176 land masses in four main groups of small islands. The total population is only 105,000 living on 40 inhabited islands scattered over 420,000 square miles of ocean.  Two thirds of the total population are living in the capital of Tongatapu which is our docking port Nuku' Alofa.

These are raised coral limestone islands so different from Samoa. Tongatapu is flat with a lagoon in the centre. Lots of greenery and vegetation but I cannot help but imagine if the sea level rose or there was a huge Tsunami wave then it could be goodbye to many of the Tonga islands.

(PICs)  - James Cook 1773 landing place and famous banana tree plaque.....

The Dutch first visited here in the 1600's in the hope of setting up some trading routes. Captain James Cook on his arrival in 1773 dubbed the islands 'the Friendly Islands'. His landing place after anchoring the Endeavour and the famous banana tree under which he sought shade to write his diary is marked with a plaque and is a popular tourist site situated alongside the beautiful lagoon. The intrepid Captain loved the people here and visited Tonga twice more before he was killed in a skirmish with locals on Hawaii in 1779 (see previous blog).

King George Topou 1st unified all the islands in the four groups in the mid 19th century. Tonga became a British protectorate colony in 1900. Independence was later gained in 1970 and membership of the United Nations in 1999. There is a 90% literacy rate as schooling and family traditions are the core essentials of the Tongan way of life.

(PIC) - The Royal Palace....

The Kingdom of Tonga is the only country in the South Pacific with an unbroken royal dynasty for more than 100 years. Tonga has never been controlled by foreign powers. The Palace is on the sea front next to where we disembarked. It was a striking welcome to this island, this view plus the colourful welcome from the island's Police band.  A new King is to be crowned shortly continuing the blood line. It was the old queen Salote of Tonga that took the coronation of Queen Elizabeth by storm in 1953 by riding in the procession in an open topped limousine showing off her fantastic hat and colourful clothes.

(Image) - Paanga Dollar...

Tonga have their own currency the Paanga Dollar which is worth about half of the American Dollar. The cost of living here is pretty good as lots of the fruit and vegetables are obtained freely from the land and families live on their own 'handed down' plots of land. No foreigner can buy land here as the land must by law be passed down to family. All the family members of different generations live on the plot and there must be total agreement between them to sell off any part of the land.


Nothing however remains for ever and emigration these days is high especially to Australia such is the pressure of modern life and more influence on the Polynesian cultures from foreign superpowers. China is beginning to assert some influence here and gradually snippets of land are being purchased to create the commercialised 'beach resort' so much now intruding on many South Pacific islands.

(Image) - Tonga Rugby Players...

Sport is big in Tonga and I mean 'big', especially Rugby Union which is their national sport and that means huge really guys.  Size brings with it some challenges  - 90% are overweight and 40% of those are diagnosed as obese, in fact Tonga has been declared as the most obese country in the world. This is a hereditary situation as their diet of fresh fruits vegetables and fish would be seem to be healthy living in the wider world.

(PIC) - typical tonga bus service....

Lots of locally made handcraft from the exquisite ngatu (tapa) cloth making and weaving to the lava lavas (sarong). Black pearl necklaces are beautifully made and a good barter insures a mutually agreed friendly handshake on the sale.

The bus time table non existent - just flag one down and pile in (sitting on somebody else's lap is custom and practice on a bus in order to pack them in and stack em high).

There was an unfortunate and unsavoury moment in the market when one of our passengers had an attempted robbery of their handbag. There appears to be a drug habit amongst a few (I stress a few) of the youngsters here due to lack of work and some boredom. The western culture is coming here fast. The local Police and Security are so laid back that there needs to be a rethink if more Cruise ships and Tourists are going to make this a 'must see' island on their South Pacific travels.

(PIC) - Ha'amonga Trilithon....

Despite this incident, crime on the island is rare, It really is an island worth visiting - its beauty is not as striking as the volcanic mountains of Hawaii but it makes up for it with its differences created by polynesian cultures and heritage. The only ancient monuments and tombs in the South Pacific are on this island unless you take in the famous figures of Easter island. The terraced Tombs (Langi) date from around 1200 AD from a former dynasty and are an impressive site made from huge blocks of coral rock, rising in terraces to a height of 4m.

(PIC) - Classic Tonga beach setting....

With its fine Royal Family residences, still many unspoilt beaches and nature reserves with rare wading birds in the lagoons like Pacific Black Duck and the Reef Heron, the Tern and the Plover plus over 100 different marine species this island offers a complete package to any Tourist wanting a bit of everything in a faraway idyllic setting and something different from French Polynesia and the delights of Tahiti and Bora Bora .

Now we are nearing our destination of Auckland New Zealand to arrive on the morning of Tuesday 11th and the start of a  28 day 'whistle stop' tour by car of both islands to include an overnight stay in the very southern Stewart Island. We have over 20 B&B's booked plus the cross island ferry and a couple of tours including the Bay of Islands and a trek in the Mountains made famous as one of Lord of the Rings film locations.

I have been invited to play a in a bowls match in a lake side town and I am very much looking forward to the fast and swinging NZ green. Its all going to be very exiting. There is lots of free WiFi so I can start to include pictures with the blogs as they are published. Hopefully I will find the time as we are travelling extensively.

The Aurora has been a splendid 37 day voyage of discovery and I cannot recommend highly enough the ship, its crew, its entertainment and food. We have met some absolutely delightful fellow passengers. We have visited once in a lifetime destinations and now we are in a position to compare the two other cruise lines we are travelling with later on our adventure, Princess and Cunard. That is for later blogs.

Total nautical miles from Southampton to Auckland = 14,094nm. I also carried a pedometer and just on the ship I personally walked over 90 miles covering over 200,000 steps. It's a big ship and a long way to dinner especially as I never used the lift. Unfortunately that did not help my weight and the 12 pounds I have gained must now come off in NZ if I am to fit into my clothes for the next voyage of discovery.

NB - A nautical mile is 1.15 statute miles.

DKT