After a 5-hour flight from Dili, we arrived at Auckland, New Zealand.
At the airport the customs checked our file; to check whether we had no intention of staying there (checked our return ticket and whether we had sufficient money available to fund our trip).
After the exhibition we had two days off so we did some sightseeing and it was marvellous! Let me tell you all about it:
Did you know Auckland has 50 volcanos? But last eruption was about 600 years ago. So don’t worry J.
The Auckland Volcanic Field is an area of about 360 km2 centered on Auckland city; within this field are over 50 separate volcanoes. At 196 meters high, Mount Eden is the highest of the Auckland volcanoes. Volcanoes in Auckland include small cones less than 150 m in height and explosion craters. We visited Mount Eden and had a terrific view of Auckland city and the crate.
At the picture, you’ll notice the Sky Tower.
After that, we went to Viaduct harbour,
which is located in the heart of Auckland city. The marina caters to commercial
vessels, pleasure craft and super yachts with 150 marina quays up to 60 meters.
We also visited the Voyager Maritime Museum and discovered New Zealand’s rich
maritime history.
We had dinner at Jones the Grocerhttp://www.jonesthegrocer.com/.
It’s a restaurant chain in New-Zealand & Australia. The place has a
reputation as the market leader for gourmet food. The artisanal cheese I ate
was the best I’ve ever had!
At night we visited the Sky Tower,
which is the newest symbol of the city. With its 328 meters, it’s the tallest
man-made building in New Zealand.
It was amazing. Not only a tower but the building also has a casino,
hotels (Sky city hotel and Sky city Grand hotel), bars, restaurants, .. The
building has a concrete shaft measuring 12 m in diameter and consists of 15.000
m3 of concrete! Quite safe it seems ;-)
You could even go for adventure and take a Skywalk (and walk around the
pergola at 192 meters up) or have a Sky Jump off the Tower!
I preferred a less adventurous visit and chose a 360° views panoramic
sights at 220 m height.
It offered us breath-taking views for up to 80 kilometres.
We had a drink in the bar and I bought a present at the souvenir shop
for my son, a little Sky Tower J
The tower is lightened in several colours, depending on the current
events;
E.g. blue in September (blue September), red & gold for the Chinese
new year, pink (breast cancer awareness month),..
The next day, we had a five hour drive on a bus to discover a magical
place: Cape Reinga!
Cape Reinga is situated in the far north (the most northern place you
can visit in New-Zealand).
On our way we saw several native Kauri trees (see picture). The Tane
Mahuta (in the Waipoua Forest) is the country's largest kauri tree, which is
approximately 2,000 years old and is still growing.
Nearly 18 meters to the first branch and 4.4 meters in diameter, it is
rightly called 'The Lord of the Forest'.
The tree is a remnant of the ancient subtropical rainforest that once
grew on the North Auckland Peninsula.
It was dug for its gum which is a fossilized resin detracted from the
tree. It was used for chewing or tattooing (used by the Maori’s), .. It used to
be an established industry at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries and
was a major source of income for Māori and settlers in Northland. The chasers
were called “gum diggers”.
We stopped at the Doubtless bay (aka Mangonui) and had cray-fish at
Mangonu fish shop.
The bay has a rich history: it has been discovered by the Maori’s,
captain Cook (who gave the place its name), Jean-François Marie De Surville,..
Our last halt was Houhore Heads where the family Wagener exposes a
museum, although not that special to me (pioneer stuff, natural history, Maori
objects, shells, Kauri gum, Katipo spider,..) Luckily the spider was dead
because it is the only poisonous spider in New-Zealand! They also have a backpacker’s
hostel, a camping ground & motor camp, so a lot of people who come up to
the north have a stop over there.
To reach Cape Reinga we had to cross the ninety mile beach. Luckily we
came by bus, because it would have been impossible to cross by car (the
assurances of a rental car exclude riding over beach and it certainly takes a
4wheel drive). The beach is enormous and reaches as far as you can see.
The last kilometres we had to go through the private The Paki Farm park
(owned by the Maori’s) and then we arrived in Cape Reinga with it has a 10
meters- high lighthouse and mostly its unspoiled nature.
The Maori believe that Cape Reinga is the point where souls of deaths
leave New-Zealand to Hawaiki. According to the legend, the souls cross the
ninety mile beach and then cross the river. The souls who aren’t strong enough
to drink of the river, die forever.
The Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean clash to create unsettled waters
just off the coast.
It was marvellous!
