A day in Auckland

With only one day in the city we were keen to make the most of our time. The weather remained wet and chilly but we donned our macs and headed out to explore. The rain became heavier and prevented us from going down to the waterfront in the morning so we made our way over to SKYCITY and had a good look around.

SKYCITY is home to New Zealand's biggest casino and the complex also offers a wide variety of entertainment and leisure options. More than 1600 gaming machines, four casinos and over 100 gaming tables.

The complex is best known for the Sky Tower, the country's tallest structure. In addition there are a number of bars, cafes and restaurants as well as a theatre staging local and international events.

We also checked out Sky Tower which at 328-m is a splendid tourist, broadcasting and telecommunications facility, and has taken over from Sydney's AMP Tower as the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. We had hoped to visit the main observation level for views of the city but, as the weather was not so good and the cloud was low we gave it a miss. As luck would have it though, when the weather cleared later in the early evening we had some quite spectacular views from our hotel room which was on the 19th floor!

Once the rain had abated we made our way down to The Waterfront where there are excellent shops, historic buildings, top restaurants and bars and, last but most, a superb view!

We wandered down to Quay Street and found a lovely little bistro-type restaurant where we had a lovely lunch of skewered snapper and lemon, sea bass on a bed of asparagus and some great wine. Unfortunately, the weather turned foul again so we took our time and had a long and leisurely lunch, making room for apple crumble pie with ice cream (AND cream!), and coffees.

We waddled(!) back to our hotel in the late afternoon.

And so, on to Auckland - City of Sails

Sunday 19th April 2009 and our stay in Kerikeri has come to an end. We left midday for the coach which was to take us directly to Auckland. There was a short pitstop at Paihia for lunch and lucky for us the rain that had threatened stayed away and we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the edge of the water, people-watching!

The journey from there was long and uneventful - the weather was wet and grey but the time soon passed and we arrived in Auckland just after 6pm. We had managed to get a good deal on the 5-star Sky City Grand Hotel (www.skycity.co.nz), right in the city centre and, as it's name suggests within striking distance of the Sky Tower and Sky City.

After checking in we headed out for a bite to eat and enjoyed a delicious pizza, salad and cool beer in one of the cafes in Sky City.

Back at the hotel we took some night shots of the Sky Tower and also had a nightcap on the hotel terrace before bed.

Ladies that lunch....(and Steve!)

As a rude departure from our regular Friday lunch with lady friends(!), on Wednesday 15th April we had our farewell luncheon with the lovely ladies of Kerikeri!

We have met some great girls whilst here and they have all been so very kind and friendly that we hope to keep in touch and maybe see some of them in the UK or France in the future (or maybe back in Kerikeri if they'll have us!).

Our two "bezzy" mates, Jane and Annie also generously gave us lovely gifts of a book on the North Island with beautiful aerial photographs of the views and two bookmarks handmade locally.

We had a very nice lunch washed down (of course), with a glass of Marsden Estate Sav Blanc.
The restaurant was set in lush native gardens and after our lunch we had a pleasant stroll around the grounds before heading back for a nanny nap!!

Easter Sunday

We decided to take a trip further north and headed for Doubtless Bay about an hour north of Kerikeri.

En route we stopped at Whangaroa - a small scenic settlement with a beautiful harbour, dominated by a rock formation called St Paul.


We also detoured and visited the lovely Tauranga Bay where there is a lovely secluded beach and where locals were fishing and kayaking.
After a stroll along the beach we continued north to Doubtless Bay.

Doubtless Bay is said to be where the first explorer to discover New Zealand, the polynesian Kupe around AD950. It was also an important base for whalers in the early days of European settlement.

The bay encompasses a wide crescent of golden beaches including Cable Bay and Coopers Beach.

The fishing village of Mangonui situated on the bay's estuary has many historic buildings and is where we stopped to have a "fush & chup" lunch at the world famous(!) Mangonui Fish & Chip shop. The food was delicious, the view was spectacular.

And, this is what happens when you don't pay for your fish and chip dinner!!!!






After our lunch we explored the town admiring the views across the bay and the proliferation of heritage buildings.

We left Mangonui for Coopers Beach and stopped at a local pa site - we climbed to the top of the grassy knoll and we were rewarded with magnificent panoramic views of Doubtless Bay and Coopers Beach.

Day out to Russell

At the turn of the 19th century, Russell, then known as Kororareka, served as a shore station for whalers. It became a lawless town, earning the title "Hell-hole of the Pacific". It was renamed Russell in 1844 in honour of the British colonial secretary of the day.

Today, the quiet town is involved in tourism, fishing, oyster farming and cottage industries.

We visited on Monday 6th April - we drove from Kerikeri through stunning countryside along the Puketona Road to Paihia, a pretty town with far reaching views across the Bay of Islands, and on until we reached Opua where we took the car ferry to Russell.

In Russell we strolled along the waterfront where we enjoyed fabulous views out across the Bay - we wandered along the wharf and had the good fortune to see a little penguin swimming frantically after a shoal of fish! Too fast for a photo sadly! We ate fruit at the beach and took numerous photos of the beautiful colonial buildings.....

We drove up to the viewpoint known as Flagstaff Hill Historical Reserve where we were amazed at the spectacular views over Russell to Paihia and out to the many islands. This is where we fully appreciated the region of the Bay of Islands - a stunning region of New Zealand.

We also visited Christ Church, built in 1836, and the country's oldest surviving church.

Kerikeri Country Fair

Sunday 29th March 2009 and the Fair was in town!

The weekly fruit & veg market is held in the town every sunday morning but this week there was also the Country Fair to enjoy - sponsored by the local Lions group, the event is a big affair - streets were closed and stalls replaced cars in the roads - a funfair was set up on the domain for the younger children and the stall holders offered passers by sliced white bread sandwiches of sausage, bacon and eggs or cheese - there were arts and crafts and sculptures and photography on show and for sale, Kauri carvings, plaited floor mats, baskets and hats, carved wooden masks and pottery, all types of food and drink and jewellery and books, clothes, nuts, fruit, conserves the list goes on - suffice to say it was a colourful and varied fair offering all sorts for everyone.

We spent a very pleasant morning browsing the stalls and we also managed to buy a beautiful mounted photograph which shows Mount Paku, Tairua, at sunrise - we stayed there just a few weeks ago and could not resist purchasing what we think is a super capture and what is a great souvenir.

Kerikeri, Bay of Islands

During our time here in Kerikeri we have enjoyed some fabulous late summer sunshine. Perfect weather for exploring the local area.

The area is rich in history and has lots of attractive shops, delightful restaurants and cafes, (www.cafeblue.co.nz), high quality wineries, (www.marsdenestate.co.nz), and a collection of art and craft centres. We can see why it is one of NZ's top visitior destinations, and, of all the places we have been lucky enough to enjoy here in NZ, Kerikeri is where we would lay our hat(s), if the opportunity presented itself. Still plenty more of our world to see though so, maybe in a few years when we are ready to settle somewhere more permanent!

Since our arrival in Kerikeri we have spent a lot of time simply enjoying the fine weather and taking care of the lovely home, garden and pets here.

Our trips out have included visits to Kerikeri Basin and Kerikeri Mission House.
In the Kerikeri Basin, there is a network of walking tracks and we have walked several of them. After lunch at The Landing Restaurant we took one of these walks which took us downstream from the Stone Store to Kororipo Pa, dating back before 1775 and the European settlement of New Zealand, Kororipo was, at one stage, the home pa of Hongi Hika, the famous Ngapuhi fighting chief.

On another occasion we explored the Kerikeri Inlet and further up the Kerikeri river walked to the majestic Rainbow Falls - a spectacular 27 metre waterfall.

We also discovered Opito Bay, a safe and secluded beach on the Kerikeri Inlet. We took a walk from the beach through native bush to Ake Ake point where there are magnificent views over the Bay of Islands.

New Zealand wines.......

One of the great surprises here in New Zealand for us has been the tremendous quality and selection of NZ wines. We have always enjoyed New World wines, Australian reds being our favourites.

However, whilst the reds here are thin on the ground (although we did get to try a lovely Central Otago Pinot Noir), the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris that we have tried have been exceptional.

We were particularly enchanted with a Sav Blanc from "Thornbury" - those of you who live in our home town of Bristol will appreciate the reference to Thornbury (a thriving village on the outskirts of town). We will miss many things about New Zealand, their delightful wines will be one of them.