Kaitaia...In the REAL NORTH

As you can see, the welcome sign for Kaitaia is written in English, Maori and Croatian! There was a large number of Croatians who settled in this area, hence the sign!

So I was whisked away to Kaitaia, the last real town before you fall off the tip of the North Island. Cape Reinga, the last piece of land on this island, has huge meaning for Maori people. Legend goes that it is the last place that spirits leave from on their way to the "other" side.

So here I was, in a minivan traveling for about 2 hours north of Paihia with three other women, not knowing what would be in store for me. It was a lucky break...in so many ways.

Mihi (pronounced Mehi), Moana's daughter, was waiting for us at the house and had prepared dinner. We were pretty hungry. Mihi is a chef and what a chef! I ate so well while I was there!

Pauline managed to convince Mihi to make us her famous pesto...from scratch! It was awesome. Being hot (or warm, in my perspective) in temperature, we opted for cool meals to keep everyone from sweating too much.

From bottom left and going clockwise: Pauline, friend of Moana's, Moana, Marina and Mihi (we had pesto on baguette lightly toasted in the oven with some cheese on top and a wonderful chicken salad)

We hung around that day, but decided to go out to Pauline's land in the KariKari Peninsula the next day. The Maori have a different concept of land ownership and there is a great level of respect for sharing land amongst family. So we drove up to the peninsula and what I saw was really cool. Everyone in the extended family was allocated a parcel of land and anyone who wanted to develop it, could. Pauline plans to build on her land in about 4 years, also incorporating a Mirimiri center for people to come and heal at. I would love to return, because look at the view from her land!

Karikari Peninsula

Below: Vid to show you the scope of the view from Pauline's land

We visited with some of her cousins, had some refreshing drinks and returned to Kaitaia.

On the way back, we stopped by a mineral lake that is known for it's healing qualities. The water is yellow and red and really cool. Kids were slathering mud on their skin. The mud was so black, it looked like crap, really. And interestingly enough, the name of the lake refers to crap. Forgot the name and stupidly I forgot to charge the battery on my camera before our trip so I only got a couple shots of Kari Kari. I took pictures of the lake with my phone, but I don't know how to transfer it to the computer! I know, I'm pathetic with technology, but I don't have the cord that connects the two together, so sorry guys, no pix from this place.

Anyway, I spent a couple of nights burning cds for Marina and Pauline for their return to Australia. On the Monday morning, they were to leave, but the weather proved bad and their flight was canceled.

Marina and Pauline on the morning they were supposed to leave! They're like brightly colored parrots! Gotta love the energy!

As a result, we went on a little road trip to visit Moana's husband's grave and see where her family's land is located.

On our way, we stopped at Houhora, the last village before the end...and the last tavern as well!

Old Tavern


New Tavern (I like the old one better!)

Afterwards, Mihi wanted to show me White Sands. Below a video and explanation.

We hung around there for a while. The ladies did some fishing off the rotting pier and I went for a little look-see in the area. It was low tide and I found some really cool rock formations.
During high tide, most of this rock is under water.


The rocks look almost carbonized. Strange...and beautiful.

The following day, Marina and Pauline were able to leave for Australia and Mihi decided to take me on a drive. It was kind of a crappy day, however, so we didn't go to Cape Reinga because we wouldn't have had a clear enough day for that. So we stopped off at a beach, (I'm forgetting the name) and watched some surfers turn down perfectly good waves!

Along 90 mile beach

And Mihi continued to feed me amazing food!

Green-lipped mussels cooked in butter and garlic! Delicious!

I had been talking about my extreme disappointment in the quality of food in restaurants in New Zealand and I finally had a sympathetic ear. According to Mihi and her family, the best places to eat in New Zealand, are not in restaurants, but rather in people's homes. And let me tell you, there is no greater truth than that. I've eaten great meals in the Bay of Plenty, when I ate at the Fothergills, great meals in Hastings (thanks to Shani and her father), and great meals in Kaitaia (thanks to Mihi). Apparentely, because the restaurant industry here is not very good to the chefs, they tend to leave the country and find work elsewhere. Many chefs go to Australia to work and New Zealand is left with... not much. Mihi herself stopped working in the kitchens, turned off by how things were run.

So for any of you wanting to eat really good food, and really good seafood, go to people's homes. Knock on their doors if you have to! They'll let you in and give you a feed! (kiwi expression. They use the word feed as a noun) Go up to Northland, (the real north!) because seafood is the staple. It is such a way of life that we went to 90 mile beach one evening and went "hunting" for tuatuas (clams). I'd never done that before! It was so fun to go out and get your own dinner. Just like catching the snapper, this was another one of those experiences that'll stay with me forever. And no other clam dish I've had could ever be as good as that night!90 mile beach on a stormy tuatua picking evening...don't you just love the light!

Moana, Mehi and TakiTaki hunting for tuatuas

Below: A Vid on 90 mile beach and low tides

Below: Wanna know how to find tuatuas? Watch this vid!

What we caught/found for that night's dinner!


Below: An experiment egged on by Mehi!

On my last day in Kaitaia (the day before I was to leave for Auckland and meet up with Shani who would take me back to Hastings), Mihi took me to Kauri Kingdom, a stop-off for tourists where almost everything in the giftshop is made from Kauri trees. You guys remember how incredibly big those trees were? Well look some more!

A Kauri tree trunk in the middle of the shop
From the other side! You can actually walk up it!

Below: In my excitement, I forgot that I couldn't rotate the vid and shot it sideways. Sorry!

A carving reminiscent of Lord of the Rings made from a Kauri trunk. Impressive!

So...after a week of feeling like I was a part of a family again, I left Kaitaia with an invitation to come back anytime. I would love to. And I'm grateful for being "kidnapped" by such intensely generous people. They will always be in my hearts.

My adoptive family! I'm such a lucky person!

Waitangi Day- A Historic Day

Paihia (Te Tii Beach)

After leaving The Coromandel, I decided to head further up north, to the Bay of Islands. The day before I left, I met someone who recommended I go to Paihia since Waitangi Day would occur that weekend. I had heard about Waitangi Day. It's a huge deal in New Zealand. So, I immediately decided to go there.

A little background on Waitangi Day:

On February 6, 1840, Maori leaders of different Iwis (tribes) signed a treaty with the British Crown about the distribution of the land and to whom it belonged etc...

And I will stop there. Out of respect for Kiwis (Maori and Pakeha alike), I will refrain from explaining political dealings in relation to New Zealand, because I am aware that people can get upset. I have gotten different accounts of the history behind the Treaty of Waitangi and the subsequent issues that have been brought forth since that day. I do not wish to upset anyone and therefore have chosen to stay on a less controversial platform and tell you of my experiences on that day and leave it at that.

If you are interested in learning about the treaty, I recommend that you read up on it yourselves. Here is a website you can check out:

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/category/tid/133

Preparing the canoes (wakas) for the sea

Canoes going out on the water on Waitangi Day

So, back to my story...After spending the night in Auckland and saying goodbye to Yuka, I took a bus up to Paihia. This was on a Wednesday and Waitangi Day was that Friday. The Backpackers was okay (Mayfair Lodge Backpackers) and the owners nice. Plus side: it was very clean. You can't say that for all backpackers. The owner took care of everything himself; he was diligent.

It seemed like it would just be a regular 5 night stay.

But something really special happened to me there.

One night, sitting on the veranda and having a glass of wine, I met Pauline and everything changed. A Maori elder, we befriended each other and within 10 minutes she'd invited me to go up to Northland and stay at her friend's house. Moana later came to sit down with us, the owner of the house I'd been offered to stay at. She reiterated the offer. It was very appealing. I said I would think about it.

Greeting the day and preparing for the ceremonial outing on the water

On Friday, I woke up at 4:30am and went to the 5:00am dawn service (dawn wasn't even close to coming!). There were hundreds of people. The church was full, so most of the people took a seat on the grass and listened to the prayers. The service was attended by many dignitaries, including New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key, the King of Tonga and the King and Queen of the Maori people. Most of the service was in Te Reo Maori, so I didn't understand, but a few people did speak in English.

The church minister announced, when he first started the service, that it was too early to talk politics and to refrain from doing so. When John Key went to the podium, he spoke of the courage and hope that the Treaty signified and how it was such an important part of the history and modernity of New Zealand.

Another man, one who I can't name because I didn't know what he looked like and the names got confusing after a while, went up to the podium and said "The Treaty of Waitangi was signed at 8:30am on February 6, 1840 and it died that same night". So much for the non-politics of the pre-dawn! It was a speech rife with passion and frustration. There are still many Maori that resent the implications of the treaty and would like to see it ammended.

View of Te Ti Bay from the Treaty Grounds

After the service, light was just starting to paint the sky. There wouldn't be anything going on until 8:30am, so I went back to the Backpackers and then met up with Pauline and Moana. We chatted for a while over tea before we headed back out.

At 8:30, the wakas were to go out onto the water. This was called the Waka Karakia. Karakia means prayer. I was really excited to see strong (and hot!...I'm still a woman) Maori men represent their people with the wakas, symbols of the time the Maoris first came here from Hawaiki (legendary homeland encompassing much of the South Pacific). Pauline hung out with me along the water, my own personal guide! I was lucky because I had been afraid of seeing much of the day without really knowing the significance. They didn't start until 9:30am (island time!), but I got a chance to get lots of questions answered.

Below: Man doing the haka as a preamble to the wakas going out.

Oooh! Very random pic! I got a chance to photograph a Mongrel Mob member, the biggest gang in New Zealand! It was a sneaky picture.

Holding back the crowds.

Look how huge this canoe is!

Below: Carrying the canoe out to the water

Below: Commentary on the significance of this prayer

Below: Finally going out on the water!

I found the day absolutely fascinating. There was so much to see and I’m sure I only saw part of it, but it was still plenty!

There were tons of food stalls. I was encouraged to try tuatua fritters, which are basically like a savory pancake made with clams. It was pretty good! I had a mirimiri, a Maori traditional form of healing through massage and bodytalk. Pauline did the massage and then I had a healing session with her and Marina. Pauline placed her hands on my smelly feet (I felt really bad for her!) and Marina put one hand on my forehead and another on my chest. I just tried to breathe through it. Afterwards Marina told me what she felt from my body when doing the healing. She was right on and I again realized that all the people here have been spot on, whenever healing was a factor. More so in the past 6 months than in years prior. It's a good sign, I'm on the right path.

I walked over the bridge separating Paihia from Waitangi and there were kids jumping off the bridge. What was hilarious is that there were big signs telling the kids not to jump as well as a police officer not far from the sign, but the kids blatantly jumped off and the cop did nothing. I guess because it’s a tradition to jump off on Waitangi Day that made the police officer turn a blind eye.

Kids jumping from the bridge

In the past, Waitangi Day has sometimes been a bit aggressive with unruly protests. This year there were protests, but they were peaceful and quite interesting. They were a two dozen or so meters from the NZ Marines and their marching band.

Protester with full Ta Moko (facial tattoos);can't see well because of bad lighting, it's the best I could do for now

Another protester: sign says Support it or F*!k Off; in support of sovereignty

One of the groups of protesters' slogan

Leader of that protest group with the female ta moko on her chin, holding a traditional wooden staff with Paua (abalone) shells decorating it

Fellow protester almost completely tattooed.

Below: The song the protesters sang about love in Te Reo Maori

As you can see, the flags the protesters were holding are not the same as the current New Zealand flag. This white flag represents the supporters of the sovereignty, that is to say, the agreement Maori leaders had made amongst their people a few years before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. They are protesting the current state of affairs in New Zealand and wish for a reconnection with the orignal treaty amongst Maori peoples.

So as the protesters were doing their thing, so was NZ's Marine Corp. It was quite a funny contrast actually. There they were, all lined up, stoic. And as if that weren't enough, there was a marching band and their accompanying cheesy cruise boat music. Made me smile!

Standing stoically

Below: The Marching Band!

At noon, the big fighter ship (frigate? destroyer? I don't know what they're called!) shot off 21 guns blasts that sounded more like canons than a gun salute.

Maybe it was just a general term?

After the salute, I walked down to the stage area where little boys and girls were performing the kappa haka. I’ve shown you different variations of the haka; at a Maori Village in Rotorua (and therefore touristic), in Tauranga by a local young man (and apparently a very blatant sexual advance which I didn’t know about until Shani so kindly told me of the lyrics he used... weeks later!) and now the haka done by the future of this country. They were awesome.

Below: The Boys

Below: The Girls

In addition to the haka, there was a Scottish Pipe band from Whangarei that played. And that brings me to the next Mystery Article. If you can guess where this song comes from, you will receive a souvenir from New Zealand (it won’t be for a while though, because I’m broke and haven’t found a job yet).

Below: Whangarei Pipe Band

The show continued, but I decided to keep wandering and went over to a war waka (war canoe). The video below shows you how incredibly big this canoe actually is. It’s amazing!

Below: War Waka Video: each carving represents an ancestor

I slowly wandered back to Pauline and Moana and on the way I saw the men bringing the wakas back on land.

Below: Their combined efforts in carrying such a heavy piece of wood!

When I got back to the mirimiri tent, I sat next to Moana, watching the ladies at work and Moana again asked me to go up with them. I had paid for my bed at the backpackers until that Sunday. The women were leaving that Friday. I decided to forget about the money and go with the ladies. They had adopted me. I was to go on a new and exciting adventure, under the wings of my lovely Maori hosts.

Next time, I'll tell you what happened with them! I have a few families in New Zealand now. I'm blessed.

Kauri Grove and Waiau Falls

Sue, me and Yuka at the Cat's Pyjamas

We left Whitianga on Tuesday and said our goodbyes to Sue and the Cat's Pyjamas (the cats are in the background!). Yuka and I decided to go back to Auckland through The Kauri Grove. This meant that we would cross the peninsula from the east to the west and then go down the west coast on our way back to Auckland.

The access to the Kauri Grove (an ancient and indigenous tree found, I believe, only in New Zealand) is a bit rough; they are slowly paving it, so mind the dust.

Kauri Grove

When we got there, we only had to walk a little ways until we could see the gigantic trees. This little grove is all that is left of the primary kauri forest that used to be in this area. There was a huge logging company in the area for a really long time and the wood was used for the making of ships and furniture and such. No one really knows how this little area was spared, but during the 2nd World War, the government wanted to cut down this area for logging and met with intense resistance from the locals. The locals won and we can now enjoy the cool shade of the grove and watch in awe, how majestic these trees really are.

I don't even span half of the front of this tree!

When you see this sign, what do you think of? I'll show you what I thought of! See below!

After the little show, we hopped back into the car and then stopped again when we got to the Waiau Falls. Tiny little waterfall, but very peaceful and freezing cold (but refreshing 'cause I only put my feet in; I'm getting smarter!

Waiau Falls

Goodbye the Coromandel!

Cathedral Cove

I'm so behind! So much has happened since I was in the Coromandel, but let's go step by step.

The Coromandel is known as one of the nicest beach areas in the North Island, most particularly, a place called Cathedral Cove and you can understand the name just by looking at the pictures. It truly is a beautiful place.

I waited a while before going there. Wanting to avoid the weekend crowds, I decided to go on a Monday with Yuka. I had been in the Coromandel for a week and would be leaving on the Tuesday. But because this is the life that is mine, every day of the week was beautiful and it is only when I decided to go to Cathedral Cove that it was cloudy and dark. So the colors are not quite as bright as they must be in other conditions, but you'll get a taste for the natural beauty of the area.

You cannot drive right up to the different coves, but must walk along a well-maintained path. Cathedral Cove is the furthest along the path, taking about 30 minutes to get there. Along the way is Gemstone Bay, which is where the bulk of the snorkeling is done. We had rented snorkeling gear and an underwater camera with the intention of seeing some beautiful sea-life. We decided to start with Cathedral Cove, though, and then walk back towards the other bays on the way to the car.

Along the path to Cathedral Cove

Spider's Castle

Love the quails' lovely little hats!

Cathedral Cove beach

Ditto

Koru (Unfurling fern)


Koru close-up
Cathedral Cove

These beaches remind me of some of the beaches in Haiti, when looking at the clarity of the water. Granted the water's much colder, but you guys can pretend it's warm.

We went snorkeling at Cathedral Cove but I didn't see any living things in the water! So we decided to go to Stingray Bay. I wanted to take some pictures of some stingray up close!

Stingray Bay

Stingray Bay

I saw a snapper in the water, but that was it! It was getting really dark and the water was really choppy, murky and cold! So we didn't stay there long. We decided to go to our last stop, Gemstone Bay.

Gemstone Bay

But by the time we got there, we had lost our courage to go into the water, what with the temperature of the air, the water and the murkiness of the water. So we headed back to the car, a bit disappointed by the lack of sealife, but happy that we had still gotten a chance to go there to begin with.

I do recommend going to the Coromandel when in the North Island. It's gorgeous country. But make sure you leave space open for the occasional cloudy day. Stay a day or two longer, if you have to, so that you can see this area in the best of conditions.

Snorkeling gear cost $20/day and the underwater camera $25/day. Not a bad deal, overall!

On our way back to the car, along the path, I did get a nice surprise. I had been looking for this for a while and was stoked to see it along the way. View video below.