The Area Office essentially closes down over Christmas and New Year, so we decided to take a little trip to the North country and see the sights! On our way we stopped at a famous cheese factory and had lunch. Puhoi is a very quaint little town! Their cheese and yogurt are amazing
Fountain on the grounds of the Puhoi cheese factory. They even have baskets and
blankets and a large lawn area in case you want to eat picnic style!
blankets and a large lawn area in case you want to eat picnic style!
This church of St Peter and Paul was built in 1881 and is evidence of the
quaintness of the town.
quaintness of the town.
Traveled on north to Paihia where we spent the night. Had dinner at "Jimmy Jacks".
Best ribs ever!!! Put it on your bucket list Tom and all you foodies!!
Best ribs ever!!! Put it on your bucket list Tom and all you foodies!!
The next morning our Maori bus driver picked us up and off we went on a 12 hour
trip that was pure delight! Our first stop was a Kauri forest. These trees are massive,
like the Redwoods in California. They have been cut so extensively for their beautiful
wood that they are now protected.
trip that was pure delight! Our first stop was a Kauri forest. These trees are massive,
like the Redwoods in California. They have been cut so extensively for their beautiful
wood that they are now protected.
We stopped at a Kauri Museum and this Kauri tree has a staircase winding up
to the next level of the building. Only one of its kind. Beautiful old tree,
estimated to be 1600 years old!
to the next level of the building. Only one of its kind. Beautiful old tree,
estimated to be 1600 years old!
This wooden sculpture of the old Maori fisherman stands about 12 feet high.
Since the living trees are protected, there is a large business of recovering trees that
are 30k years old from some of the bogs and swamps where they have been buried.
These huge logs are then sold to craftsmen.
Since the living trees are protected, there is a large business of recovering trees that
are 30k years old from some of the bogs and swamps where they have been buried.
These huge logs are then sold to craftsmen.
Stopped in Houhora for a yummy lunch of fish and chips. Beautiful bay, like so many
here in New Zealand.
here in New Zealand.
The beautiful Pohutukawa trees bloom in time for Christmas and they are everywhere!
They look like the US bottle brush plant, but are enormous trees and many hillsides,
beaches and yards display them. It is often called the New Zealand Christmas tree!
They look like the US bottle brush plant, but are enormous trees and many hillsides,
beaches and yards display them. It is often called the New Zealand Christmas tree!
Our driver, Hughie is Maori and hales from this northern region so he had many stories
to tell and even sang a few Maori songs for us. Our stop at the giant dunes that cover the
northwest coast of NZ was as close as we would get to sledding this December!!
Some of the sledders would manage 45km as they raced down the 4 story dunes!
This is as far as I got...about 20 feet up the hill! HA!
Had to use a telephoto shot to be able to make out the "sledders: at the top. Hughie had
boogie boards under the bus, so many of our fellow travelers got quite a ride!
boogie boards under the bus, so many of our fellow travelers got quite a ride!
Finally we reached Cape Reinga, which is the northern most tip of New Zealand.
A breathtaking sight.
A breathtaking sight.
The lighthouse on the point has guided many a ship through turbulent waters!
An enlargement of the sign by the lighthouse gives an indication of how far we are
from anywhere!! Not sure where Bluff is??
The sign below explains the photo above! :-) (Pacific side)
A view from the Tasman Sea side, below.
Beautiful views from this northland paradise.
Elder and Sister Brown with the wild Tasman and moody Pacific Oceans beyond.
This plaque explains the scrawny little tree on the furthest rock...but wait....it has more significance than you might think!
Hughie told us the Maori legend that this little tree is the gateway to the hereafter.
ALL Maori, no matter where they are living, when they die their spirits come to this
tree and are transported to Hawaiki, their native homeland. They then can enter one of
three heavens: The first is the "long heaven", the second is the "big heaven" but the
third is named after the Maui fish that cannot swim backwards, symbolizing that once
they enter this third heaven, they are then allowed to continue forward forever.
ALL Maori, no matter where they are living, when they die their spirits come to this
tree and are transported to Hawaiki, their native homeland. They then can enter one of
three heavens: The first is the "long heaven", the second is the "big heaven" but the
third is named after the Maui fish that cannot swim backwards, symbolizing that once
they enter this third heaven, they are then allowed to continue forward forever.
Heading down the east coast our driver took us along 90 Mile beach, which is really only 63km. He mentioned that driving through this stream to get to the beach was a little tricky and the secret is to keep moving so the vehicle does not get caught in the "quicksand". That was comforting! Arriving on the beach we drove about 95k/h on the hard packed sand. The tide needs to be out obviously, but we are told that some brilliant folks have lost their vehicles by not paying attention to the state of the tides!
We spent a bit of time walking the beach and finding shells, but Hughie was watching his clock and soon we were scattering seabirds as we drove down the sandy highway.
The Tasman Sea is rougher than the Pacific Ocean and we saw far fewer islands and rock formations on this side of the northern peninsula. This was our view where the bus stopped.
This intrepid little fellow was quite the traveler. He said he loved Thomas the Train and
although he lost several meals on the windy roads, was as cheerful as everyone else!
although he lost several meals on the windy roads, was as cheerful as everyone else!
Thus ended our adventure to the North country- greatly enriched!
A few other holiday shots for you to enjoy! We took an evening and went down to the Hamilton temple to see the Christmas lights before they were taken down.
Had to chuckle at this view of the Visitor's Center with Christmas lights AND flowers!
Nearly 9:30PM and it was just getting dark enough to see the brightness of the light display.
Certainly not as extravagant as the Salt Lake Temple, but very lovely!
On New Year's Eve, we had many of the Senior Missionaries over to our flat to eat, play games and watch the fireworks display off of the Sky Tower. Gotta love our view!
I love seeing what you are doing. I envy your view! I loved it when we visited there in 2012. Things slow down on a CES mission from the second week in December until the second week in January. I'll be glad to start our institute classes again and possibly even enjoy baking treats again. Have a great year!
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