Tramping Up a Storm

I like learning the vernacular of a new place. There are many Kiwi examples: bach (holiday home), westie (my personal fav - means white trash), and tramp. If you hear the word 'tramp' in North America, it would likely conjure an image of a woman who enjoys lots of extracurricular activities. But, here it means trekking or hiking. We did a lot of tramping around this past week. As I've mentioned before, Auckland is composed of many dormant volcanos which dot the city's skyline, and they make for a fun jaunt. Scott only worked 2.5 days last week (we love the laidback Kiwi lifestyle!), so we bought a hiking pack for G, slapped on some sunscreen (it was a beautiful week), and hit it.

First up, One Tree Hill (aka Maungakiekie) - the name is now a bit deceiving as it no longer has 'one tree' at the summit. A great pine tree stood here until the year 2000 when it was chopped down by Maori activists seeking revenge for the British hacking down a sacred totara (endemic NZ tree) in 1852. What can be found at the top of One Tree Hill now are amazing 360 degree views of the city and surrounding countryside, an obelisk to honour the Maori people, and lots and lots of sheep!

Mt. Eden (aka Maungawhau) - this is Auckland's highest cone. Again, the views at the summit are spectacular, and so too is the volcanic crater. It is an impressive structure, and one that is 'tapu' (in Maori meaning sacred) making it forbidden and disrespectful to enter it. No sheep here, but we did hang out with some chickens who were clucking around in the parking lot. It was all fun and games until a large husky snatched up one of the hens. Fortunately the owner was able to dislodge the bird (minus a few feathers) and it was still flapping when we drove away, so we're hoping it's no worse for the wear. I guess that's what happens when people leave their farm animals wandering in public places?!

Last, but not least: Rangitoto. We've been admiring this island off the coast of St. Heliers since we arrived. This is the youngest volcanic cone in the region, last erupting 600 years ago. It makes for a nice day trip from the city. So on Sunday, we packed The Peach, packed a lunch and caught the 12pm ferry. It is an hour hike to reach the summit where we were rewarded with more incredible views and a couple of tunnels to explore.

Glowworms and Goodbyes

We spent last weekend enjoying the last of our visitors for a couple of months. Gladys was in town after her tour of New Zealand, and mom and dad arrived back from their excursion on the south island to spend their last weekend in New Zealand. On Friday, after Gladys and I took in a Les Mills fitness class (FYI - this is the home of the Les Mills...Body Pump is part of the national identity here!), we loaded up the Subaru and went to the Auckland War Museum. It's an impressive structure atop one of the volcanic peaks that dot the Auckland skyline. After a nice lunch in the cafe, we took in the Maori cultural performance, complete with haka. I was worried that Georgia would freak out during the performance (especially since we are in full-on stranger anxiety now), but she loved every minute. That night, Gladys kindly babysat the little lady so we could go out to eat for dad's birthday - we found a great haunt in Ponsonby with some good eats. We'll be back.

Auckland Museum - a great way to spend a rainy day

Mom, especially, got really into the Maori cultural performance

Saturday was the highlight of the weekend. We rented an 8 passenger van (referred to here as a "people mover"), and tackled the 2.5 hour drive to Waitomo to visit the famous limestone caves. There are more that 300 mapped caves in this region, and some of them house the famous glowworms which are numerous and light of the ceiling of the caves like a mesh of thousands of tiny white lights. It is magical, and so too is the structure of the caves themselves. They are surprisingly large with very high ceilings and intricate limestone structures, and some of them have rivers and waterfalls coursing through them. We visited two of the caves - the Glow-worm Cave, and Ruakuri Cave which has special Maori cultural significance as traditional burial site.

In Ruakuri Cave

Check out these stalactites

All good things must come to an end, and so they did on Sunday. Gladys left early in the morning, and after enjoying a beautiful 'winter' day in Auckland, we delivered K and S to the airport on Sunday afternoon for their flight to San Fran. Five weeks went quickly, but it was great visit. Luckily, Scott had much of last week off so it was a great way for us to ease into a more routine life in Auckland, now just the three of us again.

Farewell brunch in St. Heliers

All Blacks

On Thursday, Georgie and I joined mom and dad on a bus tour of Auckland city. We decided to do the full circuit and not the hop on, hop off version, so we bussed it in to Auckland, had a nice lunch in the city, and then hopped on the tour bus for a relaxing and informative 1 hour tour of the hot spots in Auckland. Georgia loved it. We were sitting on the upper tier at the front of the bus, so she was able to bounce on our knees, bang on the hand rail in front of her, and loved her unobstructed views out the windows. In my opinion, the city (downtown proper) doesn't have the same character and sophistication that Melbourne does, but there are lots of areas we have yet to explore, so I think my first impressions may change.

Touring Auckland on the double decker bus

At the waterfront (with Georgie snoozing) - world class racing sailboats behind us

Two exciting things happened on Saturday - (1) we received tickets through Scott's work to watch the famous All Blacks rugby team play South Africa , and (2) we found a great babysitter in the neighbourhood - woo hoo! Pip is a 21 year old recent Uni graduate who has a lot of nannying experience, is lovely, and best of all, lives next door! She came over to watch the little lady (mom and dad are on their 6 day excursion of the south island) while Scott and I went to the All Blacks game.

All Blacks fans

It was a neat experience. Rugby is the most popular sport in New Zealand, and the fans may be even more dedicated and obsessed (ie. fanatical) than the Melbourne footy fans are, so watching the crowd was as fun as watching the game. The best part for us was seeing the team perform their world famous Haka (traditional Maori war dance) at the beginning of the match. It is one of the most intimidating displays I have ever seen - definitely worth a You Tube search of 'All Blacks Haka' if you haven't seen it before. The crowd was rewarded with a substantial victory over SA - 33 to 12 - the country celebrated! Scott and I celebrated this, and also knowing that we have someone we trust to hang out with G when we want to get out of the house past 6pm. Everyone was a winner.

Pre-game Haka...I'm obsessed with it

Auckland, Week One

We made it! Another move, another 'new home', another country. It has all gone relatively smoothly. We arrived in our new place after a long day of traveling, and instantly felt good about it. The couple whose house we are renting greeted us with a glass of wine, a cozy fire burning, and a full dinner they made for us. The house is roomy (4 bedrooms - visitors welcome!) and very comfortable. It even has a pool - fun for when the weather warms up. The community is very family friendly with great walking paths and a play centre near by. The town of St. Heliers is beautifully situated on the beach and though small and quaint, has almost everything we will need on a day to day basis.

K, S, and the Peach in front of our new digs at 16 Evesham Avenue, Glendowie

Millspoons on the beach in St. Heliers

In addition to getting oriented in the area, registering/insuring our car (used 1998 Subaru wagon previously owned by our friends Matt and Rach when they were here last year), buying Georgie furniture, stocking the fridge, setting up a back account, etc. etc. , we squeezed in some time over the first week to do a couple of day trips - one to Matakana to experience their Saturday market. Great food, great vibe, lovely place. We also took a small car ferry to Waiheke Island - a small island 45 minutes (by boat) from Auckland. A neat spot that is a good mix of richie richie and hippie-ville. We visited 3 great wineries and enjoyed some beautiful coastal drives here.

At Mudbrick winery on Waiheke Island

Cheers to the land of some great Pinots