Week(end) Two

On the second weekend we went on a trip around Northland, up the east coast and down the west. Our first stop was Bream Bay, which was one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever been to. Perfect waves, perfect temperature water, and soooo blue. Also a nude beach, but most of us opted to stay clothed.

Bream Bay

Lots of pictures at the link!


After that we went to Ruapekapeka pa, which was a historic site of a battle, notable because of the trenches and tunnel systems they had built. There were fantastic views from up there, and lots of fun holes to jump into.

View from the top

So pretty!

Tori, Lydia, me, and Lina in one of the trench holes

We also stopped in Kawakawa, a town famous for the toilets designed by Frederick Hundertwasser. He believed that straight lines went “straight to hell,” and so designed these toilets without any straight lines. Pretty cool!

Kawakawa toilets

A little later on we arrived at our weekend destination, a little town called Paihia in the Bay of Islands. We stayed at the Saltwater Lodge, which was a really nice hostel, and they were kind enough to have a barbecue for us the first night! We went out to a local bar later that evening and met all sorts of interesting travelers and tourists who were also visiting the area.

The next morning we went across the bay to Russell, which used to be known as “the Hellhole of the Pacific” because it was a notorious pirate town. Now it’s really nice though, with some cute shops and cafes along the waterfront. We took a tour around the Pompallier House, which is where missionaries used to print books for the Maori and learned all about the printing and binding process.

On the way to Russell

We stuck around the town for a while after the tour and then headed back to Paihia, where we were able to do various activities for the rest of the day. Some people went skydiving, parasailing, and fishing (we ate their catch for dinner that night). My friend Sarah and I decided to do a little kayaking and then go on a horseback ride, which was nice since we’ve both been riding for a while. We biked up to the stable, which was about 25 minutes away, but were not informed that it was pretty much uphill the whole way! In the end it was well worth it though, we got some great views and had an amazing ride through the forest and along the water. We’re planning on taking a multi-day horse trekking trip while we’re here, I can’t wait!

Kayaking!

View biking up to the stable

Me and my steed Remu

(we weren't expecting to go riding, so we were inadequately dressed)

Sarah and Savana

On Sunday we went to the Waitangi Treaty House and took a tour around the facilities and learned a little about the treaty. It was supposed to be a document stating that the Maori would cede their power and land to the Queen of England, but the Maori version implied more of a partnership than the sovereignty of the English version. There’s been a lot of controversy over the treaty and whether or not the mistranslation was done on purpose.
Soon after we left Paihia and headed for the west coast. We stopped in Hokianga Harbor in the small town of Opononi, where some of our group took a ferry to some dunes and went sandboarding. The rest of us stayed in Opononi and jumped off the dock and spoke to some locals, which was really cool.

Hokianga Harbor from above (sandboarding was at those dunes across the water)

After Opononi we went to the Waipoua Kauri Forest, which is home to Tane Mahuta, the largest kauri tree in New Zealand. The kauri industry used to be one of the biggest in NZ, since the wood was really good to work with and make ships out of. The trees came really close to depletion, though, and now they can only be used if they fall naturally or are dug out of swamps.

Tane Mahuta

It was a pretty exciting weekend, and we were definitely wiped out by the end! There’s so much to see in New Zealand, and I can’t wait to do more exploring. Until next time…cheers!