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Travelers
Digest World Tour
After flying back to Honolulu to catch our connecting flight, we were off to New Zealand. Auckland was our first choice of cities, as it was the capital and was close to the center of the north island. The flight was aboard "Air New Zealand" and it was a long one, around nine hours. Was it worth it? Yes, in the long term, but our experiences in Auckland in the middle of winter was definitely not the best time to arrive. But I will say…the islands are truly an amazing creation of enormous time and volcanic energy. The landscape, the culture, the ever-exposing mountainous roads, the shockingly beautiful bays and unforgettable horticulture will always live in my mind as one of my truly magical ventures.  With limited words, but a vivid imagination, I
dare to simplify my description and say that... "New
Zealand is a poetic “Heaven with Rainbows." The history
of the country is reflected more in the original native
people...the many tribes of the Maori and as we endlessly
dissected the entirety of the 2 islands of New Zealand I find
that my most enjoyable memories were from our experiences with
the native people. In all honesty, I was not impressed with the
general population of English descendant’s. In our many
encounters with the native people they were always pleasant and
these strong and welcoming people surely do reflect the true
character of this stunning and beautiful country. We never met a
single mean spirited individual and regardless of centuries of
mistreatment, chaos and even genocide by their English
over-lords they maintain a healthy attitude and easy-going
lifestyle.
We had decided to accept an invite from a small bed & breakfast just across the bay in Devonport, but had some time to explore some of the city on our drive from the airport. We were met by our prearranged car and driver and preceded on a four-hour tour. The city is fairly centralized with quite an impressive skyline and the outer suburbs are home to some quaint and lovely parks and heritage sites. The guide was well versed in his language and cultural pride, which was evident in his love of his country. He was anxious and proud to drive us to some beautiful heritage parks. After a couple of hours walking up and down grassy hills to view several landmarks and impressive statues, we invited him to join us for lunch at a small café in the park. There he continued chatting about the history of the city and the country's heritage. He was a direct descendant of the original Maori natives and his historical knowledge was extensive and his mannerism was of genuine warmth and friendship.
After an hour of great conversation and a splendid lunch we
headed to our destination across the bay, in Devonport. Our
lodging was at the Peace & Plenty Bed & Breakfast. As we
pulled up to the front of the small old Victorian house I was
intrigued. It sat perched on a small hill over-looking the bay
and in the distance you could see the skyline of Davonport.
Across the small lane was an elongated park with huge trees
extending endlessly along the shore…definitely offering plenty
of peace.
We were met at the door and after some quaint greetings, were showed to our three separate rooms. The interior of the house was massive and finely decorated with China, pottery and hundreds of adorable keepsakes from her native England. It was a little odd for this old mountain man to be sleeping in what I would call…a classic Tea House, but here I was and after a few moments, I started relaxing. After all it had been a very long flight and I was not against some relaxation.
After settling in we were invited to sit at the kitchen table
for some hot tea. She worked effortlessly in the kitchen and
chatted with us as she brewed fresh tea. The furniture in the
house was all antique and expensive. It was a little too
delicate for me, but I soon learned to appreciate its quality
and elegant beauty. When she was done bringing our tea, she
invited us into the parlor. There was a warm and inviting fire
in the mantel and we soon begin to warm up to the cold winter
evening. There is nothing better than good tea, a warm fire and
interesting conversation. After a couple of hours we all said
our goodnights and each wandered off to discover the restful
sleep waiting in the feather comforters.
After a hearty English breakfast the next morning, and with some directions, we headed down to the ferry amidst the heavy wind and intermediate showers. It was time to explore the city. The ride took almost an hour and I spent the time standing on deck absorbing not only the feelings of yet another adventure, but also enjoying the force of the wayward storm. I have always loved being out in the weather...no matter the conditions! On our daily trips to the city we spent several long hours walking the streets and wandering into museums, town halls, theaters and the malls of downtown Auckland. The city was anything but impressive, but we were rewarded when we took the elevator to the top of the hemispheres tallest building…the 1000-foot tall Sky Tower. Even with the constant dampness, a glaring haze, thick cloud cover and wind blown bay, thus eliminating any chance to shoot some decent photos, we were all spelled bound. After 5 days our planned stay was coming to an end and the next morning we were to begin our adventurous touring of the entirety of both islands. That night we arranged for a rental car to be delivered from Auckland. As I had not driven on the left side of the road in twenty years, I would most definitely need some practice before tackling the highways. At midnight, back in the small, sleepy town of Davenport, we piled into the car and drove around for hours. Our crew consisted of myself, of course, Dakota and our female assistant, Maryam, and by morning we were ready to hit the road. We were up bright and early and when prepared to leave Judith, the owner of this charming B&B, met us at the door with hugs and brochures. With a gracious farewell…we were off. Even though our experiences in this city were mostly boring and did nothing more than generate a desperate thirst for the open road, we did enjoy our stay with this small warm lady of the Peace & Plenty Bed & Breakfast. In the many months ahead we had many awesome adventures in our journeys throughout both the north and south islands.
Travelers Digest does not necessarily recommend visiting New
Zealand’s cities in the winter, but we do most surely
recommend wandering through the awesome nature of a land
forgotten by time…it is more than intriguing…its phenomenal
and never to be forgotten…so…winter, spring or
summer…it’s a place you have to visit at least 3 times in
your life. It’s impossible to live in spiritual harmony
without exploring this overwhelmingly beautiful islands and
their remarkable tribal people.
Contact information is listed below.
Review written by the touring editor; Mike Smith. This editorial in its entirety is the sole property of Travelers Digest and may not be distributed, sold or copied without prior written permission of Travelers Digest and/or its licensed representatives. |