The Tutukaka Coast

After three days of glorious sunshine and high temperatures it all came crashing down.  The skies were gray and unpromising as we left Whangarei for the Tutukaka coast about 30 minutes away, however it did add an interesting atmosphere to the drive. It reminded me of driving around the central coast of California.  We passed many farms and ranches framed with walls of block volcanic rock and lots of green moss and dense woods.  Everything was imbued with a sense of enchantment and mystery by the thick grey mist that obscured the far reaches of the landscape.  The rain held off long enough that we took a short detour over a hill to a big bay and made a short trek to the top of a lookout for a wonderful view of the circular bay and bordering town with it's giant sand bar. 

When we reached the town proper of Tutukaka the sky finally opened and the water began to fall.  We figured it best to find accommodation for the night, and perhaps the weather would clear up and we could resume our beach hopping the following morning.  Little did we know.  We made an attempt to find some sort of entertainment in town for the night, but quickly realized there was none to be found.  The town of Tutukaka consists of one hotel, one restaurant, a wharf, a general store, and a few baches (Kiwi vacation homes) which were empty as far as the eye could tell.  It's mainly used as a hub for scuba diving at the Poor Knight Islands which is apparently one of the world's greatest (secret) dive sites.  

In the morning we hit the road, again to grey misty skies.  But they were dry grey misty skies so far.  We continued our drive along the coastline, stopping at a few bays to take some photos before getting out to do a short hike to Whale Bay.  It was a short walk, but I wasn't prepared for the raw beauty of this little bay.  It's located on a little headland in between two larger bays, and it is completely free of any coastline development.  Once you're on the beach, it's just you, the sand, and the forest for a backdrop.  It was reminiscent of some of the beaches I'd visited in Costa Rica, pure in it's (almost) untouched state.  Sun or no sun, the teal water beckoned me forth.  I waded around in the water on the soft sand for near an hour, gazing back and forth from the sea to the forest behind, listening to the bird song and the sound of the waves simultaneously.  This little bay made me impervious to the grey skies above.

Back on the road again, this time for a longer haul to the small port town of Russell on the Bay of Islands.  This is when all hell broke loose.  The sky became a waterfall as we were battered with wind and monsoon level rain.  It made all further attempts at stopping severely unenjoyable.  We passed many miles of bays and coastal views hidden from view by the torrent from above.  We did receive an example of kiwi kindness, however, while detouring a isolated and mostly undeveloped peninsula an old man offered for us to park in his driveway next to his house for the night so as to better escape the wind and rain, rather than brave the open landscape of the campground.  

Shortly after arriving in Russell we checked into our campground and quickly evacuated the car to the dining facilities on the grounds. In what seemed like mean spirited teasing, when checking into the park they had a tourism video playing in the lobby showing all the amazing views, beaches and activities surrounding the town.  All with cloudless sunny skies.  Luckily all would turn around tomorrow, and that video proved to be more a premonition than a mean joke.  

Northland Part I: Uretiti

Batteries charged.  Gear loaded.  Tunes cranked.  Windows down.  We set off from Auckland in a buzz of caffeine soaked excitement.   Our destination was shifted slightly northwards upon the realization that the campsite we had planned on was full, but nothing could diminish our enthusiasm.  We crossed into the Northland for the first time and a wave of relaxation swept over me as the vacation became a reality.  After Velma (the van) gave a good slogging trying to push us and all our gear over the crest of a big hill, a vast expanse of deep blue sea and mountains stretched out before us, adding a new wave of euphoria to our already elated senses.

We pulled over to snap a picture, a monument to this special moment in time, and as we made our way down the other side of the hill, the highway met up with and ran parallel with the beach we had seen from above.  Up ahead, a sign appeared, reading Uretiti Recreational Reserve, just the place we had been looking for.  This was to be our campsite for the next three nights.  Up to this point neither of us had heard of this place before, and we were only staying here because the original first stop had been full up.  For all the planning that I did, sometimes the best things happen by accident.  Such was the first day.

This is the view of the campsite from the highway

A slice of heaven

Uretiti beach is a massive white sand beach on Bream Bay with sand as fine as talcum powder.  The sea is dark blue on the horizon, with turquoise fading to translucent as the waters lap onto the shore.  The whole beach is backdropped by some rugged mountain headlands and a few islands laid out on the horizon.  The only thing separating our campsite from the beach itself was a big white sand dune covered in scrub brush.  The campsite itself has a unique beauty on it's own, with dry, almost desert like foliage contrasted sharply with the evergreen grass and trees right across the highway.  You gotta love the DOC, they really know how to do it right.  After a quick read through the brochure, we learned Uretiti was the largest nude beach in the Northland, with the camp as the north/south dividing line between the clothing and clothing optional portions of the beach.  For a beach with the name Uretiti, what else would one expect?  We stayed safely to the north of camp and never saw a nudey (or much of anyone for that matter)

Using Uretiti as a base, we explored the nearby Piroa Falls.  A fairly short drive and hike brought us there, and after a brief time at the bottom we spotted a trail leading to the top of the falls.  There were a few plunge pools deep enough for a swim, so we stripped down to the bathing suit and jumped in.  There was an awesome pool at the top of the falls being fed by a mini fall that we played around in a for a while before heading back to the car to make our way to the next half of our day trip - Waipu Caves.  Now if you'll recall, we've been to some caves in New Zealand before.  We went to Waitomo to do some backwater rafting and see some glowworms and cave formations.  This cave, however, differed from those in that it is not a commercial tourist attraction, rather just some cave on a nice guy's property at the end of a long dirt road.  That didn't make the glowworm spectacle any less spectacular.  There was a massive display of bioluminescence a short walk into the cave, and what we gave up in terms of comfort (the cave was muddy and slippery with no place to sit) we made up for in having the place to ourselves for a several minutes and it costing nothing.  I would actually recommend these caves as an alternative to Waitomo, for reasons above.  Sometimes the best things in life really are free.  

Caves and cameras don't mix well

...Neither do cameras and glow worms

The next few days we went to explore Whangarei, the largest town in the Northland.  We had to stop by the store to grab some supplies and scout out the movie theater (where we saw the new Hunger Games) and went to Whangarei Falls, which is surprisingly in a reserve within the city limits.  Whangarei is a functioning rural town with a quaint downtown, so we didn't spend much time there as you might imagine.  We did happen to meet a really friendly lady from Ukiah, CA who was running a used bookshop and let us use her parking lot while went to the movies :)

Overall, our first three days were amazing, we had beautiful sunny weather for the most part, and spent plenty of time on the beach.  It was sad to leave the Uretiti camp, but the trip must continue.  It was off to the Tutukaka coast, where the weather would take a turn for the worst.  More on that next time

Hitting the Road

Here we are, the day has finally come for us to embark. It seems surreal that after over a year in planning we are finally going to see the sights and partake in the activities that have until now only been some endulgent fantasy played out on desktop wallpapers.  It's as if all the daydreaming has mythologized the trip, creating some hyperbolic ideal right out of a tourism commercial that is far too luxuriant to ever equate to reality. 

Unfortunately, now that time to write and new experiences to write about will be plentiful, our access to the internet will, of course, be less than reliable. You can rest assured, however, that whenever we are able to find a wifi signal (hello, McDonalds), we will be posting one of perhaps even several blogs to make up for lost time. I will also be posting one photo every day via Instagram which will show up on my Facebook with my phone, so even if we haven't had the internet to post a proper blog you can still see where we're at or what we're up to on any given day. 

It may perhaps sound a bit strange, but we're both a little nervous about this. It is the largest chunk of unstructured time we've had in our lives since...hell, ever. We don't really know what to expect, of the trip or of each other. Dare I say we might get a bit bored? It may take a week or two to get used to a new pace of living and get back I touch with ourselves, but that's what travel is all about - that is, trying new things. I can say assuredly that I look forward to waking up with the sun and going to bed with the stars, to es when I'm hungry instead of when I'm able, and to spending more than a few drowsy hours at the end of a long workday with Kay Fry. 

Now we must take our leave, for the mountains, forest and the sea beckon. 

To all of our Auckland friends - you've been more than amazing. See you in April!

The Sound of Muzack Part II

The music scene in New Zealand has really taken me by surprise.  It is a small, but devoted group of musicians that love to collaborate and are loved by virtually the entire NZ population.  It's the sort of scene any musician would love to be a part of, that is, big enough for creativity to thrive, but without all the trappings of international prestige and competition.  In a scene dominated by electronic, reggae, and drum and bass, it did take me a little while to sniff out some great rock bands.  Low and behold I have finally fond a few worthy of merit, and today I'm going to tell you a little bit about them and share some music.

The first group of the three is Shihad.  Shihad is a Wellingotn based group that has been in the scene for over 20 years, and have released albums ranging in style from the Metallica Esq thrash metal in the late 80's to the more pop oriented alternative rock that currently defines them.  It was the latter style that briefly propelled Shihad onto the international stage in the early 2000s, becoming the "home-town heroes" of New Zealand and ensuring their legendary status.   Believe it or not, if you were listening to radio rock in the early 2000s you may have heard a few of their tunes (I know I had), but you would never have known due the scandal surrounding their name.  As you may have guessed, the name Shihad which they derived from the Arabic word "jihad," suddenly became a marketing nightmare after 9/11/01.  They ended up releasing their 2003 album internationally under the name of Pacifier.  Rumor has it that they disliked having to change their name and the clever message behind new name shouldn't be lost on anyone.  Unfortunately for them, this album turned out to be the only album ever released internationally, and subsequently the peak of their international fame.  So here I'm going to highlight a few of their songs from various stages in their interesting career.

You Again from the album Killjoy -  This was the first song that grabbed my attention, so I figured I'd share.  

Everything from the album Pacifier - This is one of the biggest hits off of their international album, and is the one you may have heard.

Ignite from the album Ignite - A more down tempo song, but great none-the-less!

The second band I'll be covering today is another Wellington based act.  In fact, this band shared a practice studio with Shihad in their up and coming days.  The band of which I speak, is Head Like A Hole (also known as HLAH).  Their name may have been taken from a Nine Inch Nails song, but they certain aren't derivative of NIN.  This band is more of a straight forward rock and roll band that sounds like they would have been comfortable in the early 90's Seattle scene.  I don't have too much to more to say about them, so rather than reading my rambles why don't you get onto youtube and check them out for yourself!

Swagger of Thieves from the album Blood Will Out - Great stoner rock from their latest album (sadly, they disbanded shortly thereafter)

Hootenanny from the Album Double Your Strength, Improve Your Health and Lengthen Your Life - This song is a prime example of their music in all it's mid 90's glory.

The final band I'll be talking about today is The Checks.  While honestly a little hit and miss for me, I figured they warranted a mention as they were the first rock band I found out about and they do have some songs I think are worth listening to.  Hailing from the North Shore area of Auckland, they are a modern sounding blues rock band reminiscent of The Strokes (maybe even The White Stripes if you're willing to stretch a bit).  Many of their songs have some very wacky and interesting lyrics that I still haven't quite deciphered, but the groove will get stuck in your head before you know it.  They released three albums before disbanding in 2012.

Bagheera from the album Alice by the Moon - This is a great jam with some of the off the wall lyrics I was talking about.

Ballroom Baby from the album Alice by the Moon - This is probably my personal favorite song, and was a good backing track to some of my first months in New Zealand.  A bit more laid back, and catchy as hell

Hunting Whales from the album Hunting Whales - Just press play and I promise the first squeal of the guitar will grab you.

October Photos #3 - Hunua Falls and Ranges

Hunua Falls

 Stopped to take a picture of the countryside and these cows all walked straight up to the fence and just kinda started.  They wanted to be in the picture too I guess.

Tranquility

Like a dream

October Photos #2 - Anchor Bay

Anchor Bay 

Do you see what I see?

Just perfect

Lali Ho!

An empty shell 

Chicks

October Photos #1 - Mokoroa Falls and Stream Hike

Hey all, the next few posts are going to be much heavier on pictures and lighter on substance than usual as I'd just like to share with you what we've been doing during in the last month.  I'll roll them out over the next few days, so let's just go ahead and get started…

Mokoroa Falls (or the Garden of Eden, whichever you prefer) 

Ian about to take a frigid dip

Mokoroa's nameless sister fall

First outdoor rock climbing experience

The stream walk

Waterfall #1

The plunge pool

Getting ready to dive in!

Waterfall #2 

Waterfall #3

Waterfall #4

Waterfall #5

My first experience with the infamous New Zealand hanging bridges.