About 3 days ago, I skyscanner.net-ed tickets between Brisbane and Auckland, and now I’m on a China Airlines flight about to land. Call it impulsive, but it was just in the cards for my only 3-day weekend for awhile. How many times have I google mapped what I’m seeing outside my airplane window right now? Too many to count. Last week I was talking to students at a Sacramento State Career Fair about Zorbing, and now I’m taking a weekend trip to New Zealand. The surreal life continues.
I always knew I’d love this country – apparently my Grandparents visited here together when they were younger, and it was one of their favorite places in the world. Now after only a couple days, I can see why.
Shaun picked me up in his little Pujot and we drove to his house on the one-lane road through the city, past the Sky Tower, around the clear blue harbor, across the Harbor bridge, and through the hilly green streets that define Auckland’s North Shore. With reggae on the radio and a perfect summer sunset, the laid-back Kiwi lifestyle immediately welcomed me, along with Shaun’s family and a table full of BBQ. After hugs and introductions, we all sat down for “tea and pudding” (translated: dinner and dessert – neither of which actually included real tea or pudding) which marked the start of my Kiwi food exploration. With tea, I tried a glass of L&P Soda (a delicious sprite/gingerale/coke tasting soda) and ate some yummy Hokie Pokie Ice Cream (vanilla with butterscotch pieces) for pudding. Over the next couple days, my food exploration continued – as you can see by some of the pictures scattered around. Some of the highlights include: Pineapple Lumps, (addicting chocolate covered pineapple flavored marshmallow candies) various flavored milks, (banana was my favorite) “sketty and beans” (canned spaghetti and baked beans on toast, for breakfast) a Fru Ju “ice block” (translated: fruit juice popsicle) Pavlova (meringue cake Shaun’s mom made with kiwis and blackberries on top) meat pies, and of course the kiwi shaped gingerbread cookie with “hundreds and thousands” (sprinkles) on top. Yummm. |
| Menu at the ice cream place - I was amused by some of the names/ingredients in the sandwiches... (note: Capsicum = Bell Pepper, Beetroot = Beets) |
But putting food aside, our beach adventures are what really made the weekend, as I was introduced to the equally stunning east and west coast beaches of Tawharanui and Muriwai (don’t ask me to pronounce either). The first was off a bumpy dirt road through the costal Kiwi “bush” thick with ferns, tall trees, and jungly vegetation poking out on either side of the narrow, windy pathway. When we eventually reached the beach itself, I was in awe – perfect turquoise water with jutting sandstone cliffs and silhouetted islands, surrounded in green rolling hills dotted with the happiest sheep I’ve ever seen. (Then again, if I was a sheep, I can’t think of a happier place to be. Check out the sheep, and the view, below.)
Muriwai was equally gorgeous – but completely different. Instead of small, rolling swells, the vast beachbreak had a mess of thrashing offshore waves; a perfect setting for the Beach Rescue show camera crews were filming within the 300 foot area that was “safe” to swim in. Another huge difference between the two beaches: instead of soft white sand, Muriwai is covered in sand dunes made of hot black volcanic sand that sparkles in the sunlight. We took a hike up and over the beach to a sea bird colony, and down into a huge cave beneath the cliffs. I took about a jillion pictures, but here's one of my favorites:
And as quickly as I got here, now I’m headed back on the plane back to Queensland… tomorrow is my first day of work, and I have about 3,000 flyers to staple when I get home to Leizel’s beautiful house in Brisbane. Another perfect weekend with an exciting week ahead. Can’t wait to see what life brings next!
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