The Happiest Place on Earth

Disney World may have trademarked the slogan, but they don't live up to it as much as New Zealand (though I have yet to go to Harry Potter World--but that's Universal Studios so it's okay). After working in Melbourne for 5 straight months, the time had finally arrived for our New Zealand vacation! It couldn't have come soon enough, a much needed moral boost in our travels (though not a financial boost, unfortunately) but it was the best vacation ever! (Well, vacation from our vacation really--though we have yet to feel the "holiday" in "working holiday" in Oz).

We arrived at the airport early on Wednesday morning, giving ourselves an hour to check in, which the lady at the desk seemed to think was not enough as Australia is apparently very strict about immigration (don't want all those fugitives they imported ages ago fleeing the country I guess). But she was nice enough to give us express passes through customs to make sure we made our flight on time. It was a short flight and we landed in Auckland on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. We stepped outside into the sunshine and it was like I was breathing freely for the first time in months! It was glorious. And we don't usually like Auckland, but in comparison on Melbourne, we loved it! Even the parking lady was nice!

We caught our shuttle over to our rental car place and got ourselves sorted and headed into the city for our short one-night stay. That night we were fortunate to meet up with our friends Mark and Pam, who are working on making NZ their home! We met up with them along Viaduct Harbor and had a fantastic meal at a restaurant called Snap Dragon and caught up with each other. It was such a nice dinner and great to see them, and a great start to our holiday. On our way back to our little backpacker motel we were staying in (found it online advertised as a hidden little gem in Auckland and indeed it was!) we passed by a bottle store selling Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir on special for $40 New Zealand Dollars! Things couldn't have started off more perfect! We nabbed a bottle on our way out of town the next morning and headed to Whakatane to try our luck again at White Island!

On the way to Whakatane we once again passed through the town of Paeroa and of course had to stop at the cafe for some lunch and L&P! We made it to Whakatane in good time and cooked ourselves some dinner in the hostel before settling in for the night--anxiously awaking the call in the morning that would tell us whether or not White Island was a go. And would you know it, we got lucky--it was a go! The day before and the day after I think both trips were cancelled due to high winds, so we picked the perfect day for the trip!

We headed out on a slightly nauseating boat ride out to the island, about 50 km off the coast and taking us an hour and a half to reach it. The approach was really beautiful and everyone was issued hard hats and gas masks before disembarking the boat. We were in the first group to start our tour and off we went!

Walking on one of the world's on only active marine volcanoes was a lot like the experiences we had in Rotorua--in both sight and smell (though luckily we had gas masks this time to block it out!). But it was still really cool.

We passed all different vents and fumaroles and boiling mud pools.

The crater lake was covered with steam (and at a Ph of NEGATIVE .04!) and was that icy green color that we had seen before, but it was still really cool to walk around and get up close. Apparently the island was pretty active back in 2004, which is when the last eruption occurred.

The walk around the island took about 2 hours and it ended at an old sulfur factory that used to exist on the island in the 20s and 30s. Sulfur miners lived on the island and mined for the mineral and even had facilities to convert it into a different physical state, until a horrible accident forced the conversation process to take place back on the mainland.

Apparently the factory, and most of the workers, were destroyed in a landslide in the 30s and so we saw what still remained of the building today--slowly rotting in the slightly hostile environment. Apparently sulfur and acid is not very good for your teeth or clothing, as the minters often had the problem of the enamel on their teeth rotting away and their clothing falling apart. Who would of thought?

Anywho on the boat trip back to Whakatane, we spotted a school of common dolphins swimming alongside the boat! The captain stopped and let all the passengers get a good look at them! It was so cool! They hung around for quite a while, swimming in pairs, jumping out of the water, we were lucky to catch some video:

All in all it was a good trip and something to cross off our list! Once we reached shore we hopped into our car and made our way to good ole' Hawke's Bay!

We arrived in Hawke's Bay to some unusually rainy/stormy weather--which has not been so uncommon this summer apparently--one of the worst years they could remember everyone said--Summer was pretty much non-existent and they just got heaps of rain--which wreaked havoc for a lot of the wineries--but we made the best of it that night! A stop at Hell's pizza was all we needed and we arrived safely at Carl and Nichola's! I had been invited to Laura's hen party that was taking place that night and while I had missed dinner and pole dancing lessons (John was bummed about that one) I promised to make it out for drinks at the local bar Shed 2! 

John was invited out as well since we hadn't seen our friends in 6 months, so off we went! Now, after living in Melbourne for a while you forget how small a community Hawke's Bay is, and how limited the night life can be in terms of places to party. Which is why both Laura's (the bride) Hen party and Dan's (the groom) stag party ended up in the same place to party together! We didn't realize this was the case until we walked inside and spotted Dan and his groomsmen all decked out in 1920s safari gear that they rented from the Art Deco costume store in town. 

As we enjoyed the Stag/Hen party I looked across the bar and who did I see? None other than all the old bosses from the apple pack house! I often saw them out and about at the few bars that stayed open late in Hastings/Napier back when we were living there, but to see them again a year later! It was too weird. I think they recognized me too, not that they would say anything. But yeah, NZ is a small place. Good times. We didn't stay at the party all the way until the end, as we had driven quite a while that day, but we stayed till a respectable midnight, around long enough to see a bunch of Maori guys start a pretty impressive dance circle, and then it was off to bed for us!

The next morning we had a lovely breakfast with Nichola at this restaurant right by the ocean called Boardwalk. It was meant to be rainy and gross that day but nay! We brought the sunshine and it ended up being a gorgeous day! We stopped by Laura and Dan's to collect all our stuff that we left at their house when we headed to Aussie, got our personalized wedding card we made for hem printed, and then headed out to Hastings to visit Ash Ridge.

They have grown a lot since we last left, buying out the local winery bike tour business so that all the bikers begin and end that their cellar door--clever, very clever. They even have a cellar door dog now! Unfortunately he wasn't there that day, but we saw pictures! We got an update on all the happenings over tea,  watching Sarah make Sauvignon Blanc jam, and enjoying some new wines--leaving with a bottle of the 2010 Chardonnay. Can't wait til' the 2011 comes out as those are the vines that John, myself, Mark, and Pam all worked on--anxious to test out the fruit of our labors! But it was a lovely visit and on the way back to Napier we stopped at Advintage to pick up some yummy Clearview Reserve Chardonnay as well. We didn't make it out to Elephant Hill this time, but we would be able to see most people at the wedding the next day!

Headed back to Nicholas where we had a nice evening ordering in some Chinese (Carl had to work late and wanted to go out to the restaurant, but since that wasn't going to happen we brought it home instead) and drank the nice Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir. Can life get any better? Well maybe if the spa pool had been working . . . but Nichola's cat Canobie was enough entertainment. 

The next day was wedding day! We enjoyed a nice little jaunt into town for coffee and a yummy muffin, headed back to the house where I prepared a nice salad and we had some salami sandwiches as well, and then it was time to get ready and head off to the  wedding site! However, we had to take one of the most expensive taxi rides ever to get there. A 10 minute ride for three people and we were charged $40! I could only stare in surprise and exasperation as the fare ticket up 10 cents like every 2 seconds. No joke. A 20 minute ride in Melbourne only costs $20! Nuts.

Anywho, the wedding was lovely and the weather held out which was great. I was really excited to wear my dress that John's mother bought for me from J Crew and after getting it taken in it fit like a dream! I was so happy! Thanks so much Stephanie! (and Iain!) Here is a picture of John and myself before the nuptials:

The ceremony was short and sweet, with our friend Nichola as the wedding celebrant. Afterwards, we toasted the newlyweds with some nice champagne and then it was time for cocktails while they went off for picture taking. We ended up in a long conversation with Dan's godparents who live in Whakatane, where we had just come from, and in typical Kiwi fashion invited us to stay with them anytime and even offered to get us jobs! This is why I love Kiwis. The guy was a hoot to talk to, and soon it was time to go inside for the reception!

Weddings are one of those occasions where families get together and get really emotional, and while it can be cheesy, being able to listen to the wonderful speeches given by Laura and Dan's friends and family was such a beautiful moment. I didn't know the rest of them very well but even Laura's sister's speech brought tears to my eyes! It's just nice to surround yourself in that much love. After that it was time for wining and dining! And picture taking! One of the great ideas Laura and Dan had for their reception was a photo booth that would print out 2 copies of 4 high-quality color photos. One for you to keep and the other copy went into the guest book where everyone could write a little note. It was such a great idea and such a fun way to remember the evening as opposed to a boring old guestbook. Here are the photos from our group for the night:

Once again, we couldn't stay the whole night as 1) we are old people in young people's bodies and 2) poor Carl, who was our designated driver, had to work at 6:30 the next morning.  So we headed out by midnight. Though apparently the party lasted until 4 a.m. with Dan's father E.J. as the champion last man standing. But no worries, the next day it was back to the Mission for a lovely brunch before we hit on the road! It was raining again by this time, though everything was indoors so it was no matter. We filled our tummies, and said our goodbyes (refraining from the day drinking that had already begun) and FINALLY got a picture with Laura and Dan! With all of our adventures and dinner parties in Hawke's Bay I don't think I ever got a photo of the gang all together. So here we are!

By mid afternoon it was time to say goodbye to Hawke's Bay once again and make our way across the road from Hell to Taupo. However, by the time we reached Taupo that evening the rain was behind us and we were treated with a beautiful sunset (and NO blown head gaskets this time thank goodness!). We checked into our hostel and then made plans to meet up with John's friend Glenn, the chef from Elephant Hill. He has been working in Taupo for the last 6 months and it has been almost a year since we had seen him so it was great to catch up over a nice dinner and drinks. He's heading back to his home of South Africa for a little holiday next April and invited us along to meet him there. South Africa '13 or bust!

The next day was the day we were going to attempt the Tongariro Alpine Crossing again. And the next day was a day that the trip was cancelled due to bad weather/high winds/ bad juju/ take your pick it doesn't matter the freaking tramp is cursed. Oh well, it was half expected. But we have not given up my friends, oh no. Not at all. I simply believe it's NZ way of trying to get us to come back. And come back we shall, and one day we will do the crossing and it will probably be a bit of a letdown after all this hype but it will be a glorious triumph! 

So we headed out of Taupo and down to the Kapiti Coast where we were to meet up with John's family--his great Aunt Polly and his newly-engaged cousin Alice--and her dog Hank, of course. We met Polly at the backpackers Inn we were both staying at and had a lovely walk on the beach.

Alice got out of work early and met us at the hostel where we decided we would treat them out for a nice "happy engagement" dinner. We chose a nice little place right along the highway between the beach town of Paraparaumu, where Alice works and where we were staying, and the neighboring town of Waikanae where Alice lives. Oh, and we walked Hank before dinner, of course. We had a lovely meal and bottle of wine before heading back to the hostel for the night. 

The next day was the one full day of bad weather we had, but we (Polly, John, and I) spent it walking through the streets of Wellington and walking through Te Papa for like the 3rd time. That seems to be the thing we do whenever we go to Wellington, probably because it's indoors and it's free. But after a day roaming around Wellington in my wet shoes we headed back to Paraparaumu where, only a mere 40 km up the coast, it was beautiful and sunny! John and I made a nice dinner for Polly and after that it was time to meet Alice at the movie theater to watch The Hunger Games! 

Now, neither John nor I have drunk the Hunger Games Kool-Aid, and while it was a decent movie, it did not compel me to want to read the books. But still, it was a good way to pass the evening (and cost a heap of a lot less than movie tickets in stupid Melbourne!)

The next day was our last day in Paraparaumu (and full day in NZ) and so we spent the gorgeous day having a relaxing morning and then headed out to a nature reserve nearby. It was a relatively small area and they had some of the typical NZ nature reserve sights--birds, ducks, heaps of Pukekos, Kea, Tuatara, a Kiwi House, but these people also had an eel pond where you could feed the eels! It was kinda cool and I got some video of John feeding the eels:

After that we had a nice walk around, bought some famous Kapiti Coast Ice Cream (they are also known for their cheese) and then headed back to the hostel for a game of Trivial Pursuit on the iPad (Polly's) and a nice roast chicken dinner.

The next day it was time to head home :( We dropped off the rental car and made it to Wellington airport with plenty of time to spare to catch our flight up to Auckland. Then we had time to kill while we waited around Auckland Airport for our flight to Melbourne. We had some KFC at the gate (not the best choice), and since Kiwis are a lot less anal than Aussies about people coming in and out of the country, we got through customs no problem before boarding our flight. As we did, we were greeted with a beautiful sunset to bid us goodbye:

Could I love this place anymore?

It was a fantastic 10 days and a much needed spark of light in our rather dreary and boring life in Melbourne, which seems a shame to say as we are living all the way in Australia. But we are itching to get on the road again, to see some of Australia's natural beauty as opposed to it's cities. Here's to hoping Queensland and The Great Barrier Reef will be more rewarding! But no worries New Zealand, you will always be our favorite! (You think the US government will let us back in the country if they read this?) Oh well, we will always be part-kiwis at heart!