Gisborne to Rotorua

After our "Great Walk," we spent 3 nights in Gisborne, a city on the east coast. In fact, it claims to be one of the first cities in the world to see the sun rise. There are plenty of monuments to explorer James Cook, as this is one of the many places he landed. Our stay coincided with a holiday weekend, as Monday, October 27 is Labour Day in New Zealand. So, ironically enough, lots of people were in town on holiday, but most shops and cafes were not open, or were not open by late afternoon. For the most part, this suited us fine. On Sunday, we recharged and caught up on the blog, as well as some planning. In the evening, we drove to a park overlooking the city and simply enjoyed the views. On Monday, we took our time over coffee at a cafe before walking around town. In the afternoon, we walked to the Gisborne Wine Center to taste some local wines. (Usually we have preferred to visit the wineries themselves, but it was a triple whammy of national holiday, wineries are not usually open Monday, and Gisborne had just wrapped up a wine festival.) We paid $15 to taste 5 wines. To put this in perspective, of all our tastings in New Zealand, we have paid at only 3 locations, and paid only $5. At the wineries they may not pour generously, but they do usually have 7-8 styles to sample. The Wine Center did help us locate an open winery outside of town, so we also visited Wright's vineyard. Gracyn liked the Gewurz and Alan liked the sparkling Moscata. 

The rain started in Gisborne and it followed us to Rotorua. On Tuesday morning, October 28, we drove from Poverty Bay to the Bay of Plenty (Captain Cook named these, based on his ability to find resources in each place), then inland to Lake Rotorua. Luckily Rotorua has a great museum, a building which used to be a bath house for Victorian visitors to "take the cure" in the hot, sulfurous water provided by the nearby volcano. The museum's intro video explains the Maori legends and history of the land and Maori tribes in this area, before and after the Europeans came. The star of this video is Temeura Morrison, a Rotorua native, who plays Jengo Fett in the Star Wars saga. My nerd worlds are colliding. We checked out beers at a pub called Brew, serving local Croucher Brewing creations. Gracyn's Black IPA was excellent. 

Since Wednesday morning started out with clear skies, we visited the Redwoods Forest. A hundred years ago, seeds from California Redwoods were obtained, and planted here among many other types of trees. The Redwoods flourished, and now cover many acres. We walked about 5 km, and certainly enjoyed ourselves. I have to say though, having visited Muir Woods outside San Francisco, I was not blown  away by these young saplings. As Alan pointed out, it is not often that America can claim an older landmark than another country, but the redwoods are a good example.

As the skies darkened, we returned to the Rotorua Museum to see the remaining exhibits. Later we were able to wander the downtown, before dining at Pig & Whistle, a pub in an old police station building.

Fool of a Took!

Humbling...overwhelming...daunting...a kick in the face.  All those words, and more, were uttered on the first day of our four day hike at Lake Waikaremoana.  Check out the track information HERE, especially the elevation spike on the first day.  It is no exaggeration to say that the first two hours of hiking were uphill and quite steep, but at least it was drizzling and cold.  We came to numerous breaks in the trees that we were sure would have afforded great views of the lake, except for the cloud surrounding us. We each had all we would need for four days on our backs, including sleeping bags, therma-rests, food, clothing, and a tent, and there were moments on that first day when I think both of us wondered if we had made a horrible mistake.  However, after four and a half hours of uphill scrambling, we arrived at the Panekiri Hut, our home for that night.  Huts are basic cabins with bunks of camp mattresses, kitchen space, sinks, and outdoor toilets.  Normally, each hut has a wood burning stove that provides warmth and a space to dry wet clothes, but the flue was out at Panekiri, so no fire.  After a change into dry clothes and some food, we felt much better. We made friends from Estonia, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, and New Zealand while at the Panekiri Hut.  Alan spent the better part of the evening chatting with some local New Zealand guys who were going the opposite way on the track. They had great advice about the upcoming terrain and campsites.  As you might imagine, they also discussed cultural differences between NZ and the states, with some global politics thrown in for good measure.

After a somewhat chilly night in the hut with 30 of our best friends, we set out to make our way down the ridge we had so courageously conquered the day before.  That next day was so much more pleasant.  We stopped for lunch at the next hut, hung out with our Swedish friends, and then set out for the Korokoro Campsite, our home for that night.  That was the most beautiful day of the hike (tramp, in NZ).  We had a great combination of forest, lakeshore, and rolling trail to view as we walked. We arrived at the campsite mid-afternoon, laid out our wet clothes in the warm sun, set up camp, prepared the fire-pit, took naps, read our Kindles, and watched a family of black swans paddle around the pond nearby.  In the late afternoon, Alan did his best Peregrin Took in Moria impression.  After "using the facilities," he somehow fumbled the entire (and only) roll of toilet paper into the outdoor toilet (those who know Alan well aren't exactly surprised).  All Gracyn heard was thunk-tha-thunk-splash and "Oh no!!" A good laugh ensued as Gracyn did her impression of Alan crying, "Oh no!!" Thankfully we also had a pack of kleenex along, and one of the huts later in the hike had TP.  After dinner and an evening stoking the fire, we climbed into our tent for a good night's sleep.

Day three was somewhat rough.  Whereas we had been beating all of the estimated hiking times up until that point, we found ourselves right on track, or even a little behind leading up to our lunch stop.  It was a nice enough day until noon, and then a cold breeze blew in, bringing rain along with it.  We both geared up for rain and set back out. As the temperature dropped, a light drizzle made its way through the tree cover, but the trail was relatively manageable, and we arrived at our campsite around 5:00.  We met three folks from Czech Republic there at the Tapuaenui Campsite.  After everyone had some dinner, the rain stopped, the skies cleared, and we were actually able to get a roaring fire going. We heard about all the work they have been doing in New Zealand with their Work Holiday Visas. It made Alan particularly sad that his age prevented us from having similar experiences.  Due to the need for an early start the next morning, we just rolled out our therma-rests and sleeping bags under the campsite shelter and slept "under the stars."

The last morning we awoke before the sun to pack up, eat breakfast and make our way to the landing where we would be picked up by the Water Taxi.  From all we could gather from the maps, it would take us almost three hours to get there, but after an hour of hiking, we arrived at the final hut of the track and saw a sign that said, "Water Taxi Pickup 45 Minutes." While that was wonderful news for achy bodies, we were bummed about missing out on an hour of sleep. During our hour waiting at the Water Taxi Pickup, a group of other folks arrived in shifts and we got to chat with them.

By 10:00 am on Saturday morning, we were back at the Campervan, with the heat cranked, preparing for the windy drive back to Wairoa where we would rejoin civilization and grab some lunch.

While the Lake Waikaremoana Track was humbling, challenging, daunting, and overwhelming, it was also beautiful, peaceful, and nice respite from the coming and going of the cities where we've been spending so much of our time.

Hobbiton Sponsorship Incentive

Not to sound too much like your local NPR affiliate fundraiser, but for all those who have been waiting to help support our adventure financially, we have our first incentive.  All those who make a contribution to our Adventure in the coming week (October 26-November 1) will receive a postcard from Hobbiton.  That's right, a piece of memorabilia from the actual Hobbiton featured in The Lord of the Rings movies.  We will be there mid-week, and will stock up on postcards.

In order to support us, simply click on the Support Our Journey tab at the top of the blog and follow the instructions provided. We appreciate all that folks have already done to help make this dream of ours a reality, and look forward to sending out these special post cards in the coming weeks.

The East Coast

We left Wellington on Monday, October 20, to head out to Cape Palliser, the southernmost tip of the North Island. The attraction in this area is a lighthouse, 250 steps up wooden stairs. I don't want to know how people climbed up before the stairs.

Alan is very small in the picture above.  And this is the view from the top...

Next, we stopped at an area known for being the largest seal breeding area on the North Island. We saw plenty of seals sunning themselves.

We could see the South Island in the distance.

Before leaving the Cape, we tried to stop at Putangirua National Park to see the "Putangirua Pinnacles." Unfortunately, the signs for the entrance to the park only face one direction, so if you are driving the "wrong" way on the road, you don't see them. So by the time we found the park and ate a picnic lunch, we only had time for a short hike before turning around, without seeing the Pinnacles themselves.

We backtracked around the Cape, and ran into a traffic jam.

Finally we headed on into the Wairarapa Wine Region, centered around the town of Martinborough. We tasted at 3 wineries-- Palliser, Martinborough Vineyards, and Muilea Rose. Pinot Noir seems to be the grape in this area, though Muilea Rose had some great Syrah blends. I also tried Agres, a style like sherry or port, very good.

The next morning, we had a long day of driving ahead to reach Te Urewera National Park for our trek. So we cued up The Fellowship of the Ring audiobook and set out. Our main stop of the day was in the city of Napier, famous as being the "Art Deco" city. An earthquake destroyed Napier in 1931, and everything was rebuilt in the height of style...at the time. I was forcibly reminded of the Universal park in Orlando.

We stopped in Wairoa for dinner, and the selections were limited. We decided on Indian "take away" to eat once we arrived at Lake Waikaremoana. This could have been a dangerous decision, before started a 4 day trek, but it turned out to be excellent instead!

Worship at St. John's Presbyterian

Alan's writing this one, because he wants to geek out about church stuff for a bit.

On Sunday evening, we made our way to downtown Wellington to join the gathered faithful at St. John's Presbyterian Church.  Thanks to Lisle Gwynn Gentry for recommending the evening service to us. Generally, we tend to gravitate toward more traditional worship services...yes, we like high-fallutin' liturgy and hymns with five or six theologically informed verses...and we also love the tight knit community that can occur in smaller congregations. Well, on Sunday night, we kind of had the best of both worlds.  For the evening service, the folks at St. John's set up their version of a fellowship hall with tables and chairs, a stripped down "chancel" area with small pulpit, projector/screen, and music setup.  We had a bulletin, but it was more for announcements and such.  All the liturgy was displayed.  Before we even walked into that space, though, we were greeted by a young woman named Rose, who happened to be walking in at the same time we were.  She warmly introduced us to other folks, made sure we had coffee or tea, and took the time to get to know us.  In fact, throughout the evening, she hosted us in a very welcoming way.  In the end, I'd say about 30 folks gathered around tables that evening to pray, sing (praying twice), encounter scripture, hear the world briefly proclaimed, and engage in conversation around the week's scripture passage ("render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar"). I had never sung any of the songs, but they were easy to pick up, and the theology was good, if not great (only one reference to the blood).

Worshipping communities like this really fascinate/call to me for some reason.  I truly believe there are places where threads of various worship styles are being woven together to create something deeply connectional...connectional with God and connectional with one's fellow human beings.  And, in my limited experience with such worship services, there seems to be an intergenerational draw.  The room wasn't full of hipster young adults, although there were a few, but rather people of various ages.  It is my hope that I will have the opportunity to be a part of such a worshipping community in the future, whether I'm in a leadership role, or as a participant (not that leaders don't participate in worship...nobody call the worship and sacraments ordination exam police).

After the liturgy concluded, we shared a simple meal of pasta and bread with the our fellow worshippers.  As everyone began walking out into the night, we were made to feel welcome anytime, and invited to worship with them again when we come back to Wellington at the end of the month.  If we were moving to Wellington, I feel quite certain that St. John's Presbyterian Church would be our community of faith.

...So I sent them one, too.

Now the North Island - Wellington

On Thursday, October 16, Alan and I drove to Picton to take a ferry over to the Wellington, on the North Island of New Zealand. We arrived early and had a picnic lunch near the harbor, watching the activity in the cove (including a plane landing on the water). When we went to board our ship, we were told there would be a 2 hour delay, so found a coffee shop in town and did some long(er) term planning.

On our first day in Wellington, Friday, it was incredibly windy, rainy, and cold. So we decided to hunt down some wifi (Burger King is the best), and get some logistics things taken care of. In the afternoon, we went to the "cinema" to see Gone Girl.

Saturday was a much better day for outdoors activities, so we went downtown to follow a Sculpture Walking Tour detailed in our Lonely Planet Guide. We started in Post Office Square, then walked along the waterfront and past the National Museum, Te Papa, before hooking into town to the eclectic Cuba Street. On Cuba Street, we stopped for a coffee, and ended up being serenaded by a brass quartet playing Katy Perry chart toppers.

Somewhere in the middle of the sculpture tour, we detoured up to the Mt. Victoria Lookout, which was quite a climb, but it yielded an excellent view of the city. Plus, as we found out later, the scenes from The Fellowship of the Ring, where the Hobbits need to "stay off the road", were filmed here.

On Sunday, we visited the National Museum, checking out about half the exhibits. It would take days to see everything, as it is 6 floors. We will have to try again, on our return to Wellington. In the evening, we visited St. John's Presbyterian Church, which has an evening worship service/discussion/dinner. We were warmly welcomed by Rose and many others, so we enjoyed the fellowship and the conversations.