New Zealand's North Island

We start today with at 3am wake up call and trip to the airport for a 6am over seas flight. Yes, New Zealand still counts as OVER seas. The plane flew over the Tasman Sea and I had to go through international customs where I got a new stamp in my passport.

Iral (pronounced i-RAL) and I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare and wandered around in the duty free shops waiting for the coffee places to open and our plane to start boarding.

We arrived in Auckland near noon on Saturday, All Hallows Eve. A $75 cab ride to the Oaks Hotel and the wrong hotel (Iral laughing at the blunder, it's part of the adventure I told him.) before another cab ride to the correct Oaks Residence Hotel. Once all checked in to our new home we wandered around New Zealand's capital city, which to use a Aussie term was "very lovely". It's a hilly and green city, a lot like Seattle (in summer of course). The central business district slopes down to the water edge ofn the Waitemata Harbour. Most buildings look 20 or 30 years old with some more modern structures mixed in. There are a lot of people shopping and enjoying the sun on the streets. Many of the native Maori (Maow-ree) people are mixed in with the Caucasian New Zealanders and the tourist. It's refreshing to see the native island inhabitants so prominent. It's rare to see a Aboriginal in Melbourne and unfortunately the ones you do see are homeless and often intoxicated. The Maori's are much like the Pacific Island races. A thick stocky breed with the tribal tattoos proudly shown. I saw several women with their chins tattooed in a decorative warrior like pattern. Because of the Maori's were of a more aggressive (or defense) nature when the British came to settle the redcoats choose Australia instead. The aborigines are a less aggressive group and this simple fact meant they would be a decimated race and the Maori would continue to to thrive into the 21st century. Auckland is like many other cities with shopping districts, fast food outlets and coffee shops at every corner. There's even a pointy spire building with a rotating restaurant on top. I don't know the name of the building and we didn't go up. Having done this in several metropolis' across the globe I skipped it here. We did however manage to find time to lose $20 bucks at the local casino. I've learned over the years to keep my gambling addiction in check and we got out quickly when that 20 was gone. Luckily, Iral's not much of a gambler. After a couple hours of exploring we headed back to the hotel for what Australian's call a Nanna Nap, basically a nap to my American friends. We had gotten up early and had big plans for the evening that we'd need our energy for.

This day was more than just Halloween it was Iral's birthday. I've been sworn to secrecy about his actual age so you'll just have to guess. Before leaving Melbourne I booked us a sunset dinner cruise on a sailboat. We arrived at the dock in time to grab a drink from the nearest pub and sat to people watch for a few minutes. We quickly spotted another gay couple waiting to board the boat. When it was time to disembark we said hello to them and introduced ourselves. Our new friends for the evening were John and Wayne from Brisbane. (Mom, tell Bill I had dinner with John Wayne LOL) Walking the dock to the sailboat I noticed the name of the ship was "Challenger". This gave me a moments pause, remembering the 1986 space shuttle disaster. But Iral brushed it off and I quickly did too. Once on board our captain and crew gave us the details about our evening's events along with the safety spiel. " Floatation devices are not required to be worn and can be found at the back of the boat in an emergency." Our crew consisted of 3 people, and 14 guests. We set sail and in no time at all were moored up in a different harbour where dinner would be served. (I learned some new tricks for making movies I hope you enjoy them.) Some one was using their brain and sat the 2 sets of gay guys at the same table, which was very nice of them. The food was exceptional and we had a 3 course meal with a nice bottle of white wine and plenty of conversations. As it turned out we talked so long below deck during dinner we actually missed the sunset. After dinner we sailed out of Waitemata Harbour and into the Hauraki Gulf, under the cover of stars and moonlight. Each of us got a chance to sail the boat and lots of time to enjoy the cool night air with beautiful views of the city skyline.

After dinner a stop back at the hotel to put on our dancing shoes and a couple quick shots of Tequila before heading to the gay bars on "K" Road. We had to see how the Kiwi's celebrated Halloween and besides like I mentioned it was Iral's birthday so there was much more partying to be had. Shortly after arriving at the dance club, John and Wayne showed up. The 4 of us dance on the packed floor for several hours. Thumping and grinding to the beats along with so many others. Some people had on full costumes, others just simple things to get in the spirit and of course the drag queens were out in force! We had changed the clocks for daylight savings time a few weeks back in Australia and I don't know if New Zealand even does it at all. It doesn't really matter because the bars keep serving until 7am!!! About 3 am we had to go outside to get some air and decided it was best for us to walk the 3km (1.8 m) back to our hotel. I stopped at a 7-11 and got a BIG bottle of water and then we stumbled along our way. Thank God for the big pointy tower thing. It helped a lot to find our hotel. I'm not sure if we took the most direct route but we managed to get there. The walk and water did us a LOT of good.

Sunday morning we slept in! Our room was actually a 1 bedroom apartment with a kitchenette. We had grabbed a few groceries the day before to make some breakfast at home while trying to re hydrate ourselves more. We did manage to get out of the hotel room about noon and explored different parts of the city. Walking quite a distance through more shopping areas, up a large hill into a beautiful park before wandering back to "K" road to get a look at the area in the daylight and some late lunch. Iral had a great idea of picking our rental car earlier, right at closing time on Sunday, instead of Monday morning to maximize our investment. So at 5pm we were mobile and took a drive out of the city into the countryside north of Auckland. We made a stop at Stanley Point to get some views back on to the city before venturing farther out to a little town called Helensville. There really wasn't anything there and we never even stopped. We just kept driving our loop track back to town. It gave us a chance to see a little bit of the life outside of the big city and venture into a part of the island we wouldn't have been able to see otherwise.

On Monday morning we woke up early, packed our bags and headed to the volcanic plain town of Rotorua about 3.5 hours southeast of Auckland. The rolling green hills were dotted with cattle, sheep and the occasional homestead. It's surprising how quickly the city fades behind you and the countryside seems to go on for ever. As we entered the township we stopped at the tourist information center to stretch our legs and get some info. Getting out of the car I got a whiff of the sulfur air so many people had warned me about when I mentioned I'd be going to this town. A highly seismic country and the area we were in was dotted with geysers and hot springs so the odor wasn't a big surprise, while noticeable not over powering. We arrived at the right hotel on our first try, The Heritage. Check in wasn't until 2pm so a tour of the gift shops and lunch was in order. I managed to check off quiet a few Xmas gifts in a short period of time. We found a GREAT little mom and pop cafe on a side street and had some awesome lasagna. There must have been a pound of cheese on every slice and the pasta was handmade! Some of the best home cooked food I'd had in a while. If you ever want to go to New Zealand let me know and I'll help you find this place again.

Back at our hotel before 2pm we checked in and spoke to the desk clerk about finding a free hot spring off in the woods some place. I didn't really want to pay $100 for 60 minutes in a man made pool with 50 other people near by at the popular tourist trap and knew there must be a place the locals go. She told us about Kerosene Creek near the town of Waiotapo about 30 minutes south. Iral and I made our way there and found the watering hole quite easily. Just as we arrived the only 2 people there left and for about 15 minutes we had the place to our selves. The water was about 28 degrees C (82 F) and closer to the falls the sand at your feet was much warmer. Probably upwards of 36 C (97 F). The current was so strong your feet quickly sunk into the deep sand and your toes got toasty in no time at all. Iral and I had a GREAT time snapping photos and I played the sax for a few minutes. It's a familiar tune to some of you by now. But it was a little hard to bring my music stand and sheet music into the water so I had to play from memory. I hope you enjoy it. Like I mentioned we had about 15 minutes to ourselves and then over the course of 30 minutes 4 or 5 other couples showed up. All od them tourist as best as we could tell because everyone had and accent and not just a New Zealand one. Iral and I had dinner reservations at 7:30 so about 4pm we headed back to town to clean up.

Once back at the hotel what better way to wash the rich minerals off our bodies then to jump into the spa pool side. The hotel heated all it's water from the thermal vents and even the large swimming pool was very warm. After dressing for dinner Iral and I killed at little time in the bar. A couple martinis and off to the 1284 Bistro with a bottle of wine. (Many places in Australia and New Zealand are "bring you own" even if they serve alcohol they allow you to bring your favorite wine in. Hard spirits are not acceptable generally) The clerk at the hotel recommended it the restaurant as the best in town with authentic New Zealand food and she was right. We had an ostrich appetizer (called entrees here). Not really NZ species but exceptional flavor and presentation. I had a lamb shank and Iral had the steak. Both melted in your mouth and the steamed vegetables we're cooked perfectly. Hold on to your bell bottoms I even ate the COOKED CARROTS! Something I have never really cared for since I was a kid and still generally pick out of my food. By the end of dinner we had finished the bottle of wine. Iral order a coffee and I did my usual pushing of the limits and ordered a 20 year old glass of port. It was incredible, the alcohol evaporated off your tongue and left the sweetness of the aged delite to linger on your taste buds. We did get dessert a chocolate carmel treat. I honestly don't remember what it was called but it sure was good. At this point we were fairly tipsy and headed back to the hotel for just one more night cap. It was our last evening on the island and nether of us wanted the evening to end.

Tuesday morning we got up with no real hangover (very lucky trust me) and gathered our things. The days adventures would take us around Lake Rotorua and back to Auckland for a 9pm flight. Once we were checked out and loaded into the car. I drove us northwest of town skirting the edge of the lake to a short hiking trail I'd found on the web that was said to have 4 water falls and be popular with kayaks. My fabulous (if I do say so myself) sense of direction got us to the trail head at Okere Falls Scenic Reserve in no time at all. From the parking lot you could hear the rushing water. A short trip down a steep flight of stairs takes to to a small landing at the water's edge. However the level was so high the landing was covered in white water. But from the last step we were able to see 3 kayakers (look under the trees to the right of the one you can see) honing their skills in what looked to be fierce torrents of water. Back up the stairs and farther along the trail we saw another beautiful water fall and a side trail that led you down into some caves the used to hide the Maori women and children in time of war. The pictures didn't really come out that well so you'll have to imagine what it was like 150 years ago. The entire hike took about 1 hour and was a nice little jaunt into the woods. Giving me a taste of what New Zealand had to offer for the outdoors man. Back in our car we proceed westerly around the lake, heading back towards the capital.

We managed to get back into the city about 3pm and had to have the car back by 5pm to avoid additional day charges so Iral indulged the crazy American and allowed me to eat at WENDY'S. I had found it on our first day in Auckland and you know how I NEVER shut up about some things. Well from the moment we saw it I kept saying we have to eat there! There are none in Australia as far as I know and it's a place I would always pick over McDonald's or Burger King back in the states. Now seemed like my best and last chance. Just walking into the restaurant brought back memories of the Big Bacon Classic burgers and my mouth began to water. Looking at the menu they even had Frostys. Iral and I made our selection and ordered. It was at this point we realized they didn't take credit cards and our Australian debit cards didn't work in NZ. We had to pay with cash. Since we only had a few hours left in the country we had spent most of it. I ended up using the $15 I had put aside to place in my collection to eat lunch with. That's how bad I wanted a burger from home! We sat on the stools facing the street and watched people go by as we enjoyed the flame broiled burger with fresh lettuce, tomato and 2x onions (Iral gave me his). Everything tasted exactly as I had remembered it. Even the french fries (Aussie call them chips) were the thick cut style I had learned to love back home. We had to settle for regular diet coke since we didn't have enough cash to upgrade to Frostys. There's no 0.99 cent menu here. Damn it!

I think Iral was happy to experience it and to have me finally shut up.

Back in the car we made our way to the airport, with 4 hours to spare before our flight. I went to a cash exchange and changed some of my Australian dollars into New Zealand bank notes so I'd be able to add to my collection after all. Going through customs we learned there was a limit on liquids and gels. So the $12.50 I spent on kiwi jam in Rotorua got confiscated along with a 200 ml bottle of Bailey's Irish creme. I offered to drink it right there but the lady didn't seem impressed by this suggestion. We then spent about and hour in the duty free shops. I practically bought my weight in alcohol. Really just 4 liters but after carrying it around for 3 hours it felt like much more. Iral, I found out has a passion for expensive colognes. He bought 5 bottles in total, some were gifts to his credit, spending much more than I did on the booze. Booze in Australia is HEAVILY taxed and a 750ml bottle (A 5th) of good vodka is $60 AU I got 2 full liters for $100 NZ. 20% cheaper with just the exchange rates.

A couple more hours of sitting and waiting before we finally start to board our plane. The flight home was uneventful as most flights home are. We got our luggage went through customs where I learned I can go through the Australian nationals line since I have a 457 work visa stamp in my passport and no longer will have to wait with all the commoners in the massive tourist line.

Getting Tommy the Tank out of 4 days in long tern parking for only $70 was great! Home and in bed by 2am.

In all a GREAT trip! New Zealand is a beautiful country that I must visit again! and you should too right after you visit me!

Happy birthdays go out to Eric Hanson's his was on the 1st of November. His daughter, Ava's, was on the 10th, my nephew Matt's is on the 12th, My mother's is on the 16th, Corina's is on the 18th ( I think) and I feel like I'm forgetting some one so I apoligize!

I'm planning another thankgiving dinner this year and it's looking like it'll be the first weekend in December. Australian's don't realy understand the holiday and several key friends can't make it on Thursday the 26th. Besides it's going to be hard to cook all that food while I'm at work! This year I know a few more American's and am asking them to help out making the traditional dishes.

My next blog entry will be after that I imgine. Until then friends and loved ones take care and COME VISIT ME!