New Zealand:North Island

This commitment was created in 2019 and rooted in the Māori word meaning “to care for, conserve and protect”

Upon arrival to the island of hot springs and termal pools, we rented a car and set out to visit our friends and former tenants from our first world journey 7 years ago. They returned to NZ and now live in Auckland.

We had a wonderful visit with Louie and Rachel, who were great hosts and filled us in about Kiwi culture and interesting places to visit on the island. One note worthy cultural fact we learned about New Zealanders is their fascination with thrifting or as they call it “pre-loved purchases”. Thrifting is a way to apply conscious environmentalism. The young generations see it as a way to fight against fast fashion. 👍

Our first venture was to the nearby island of Waiheke, which is known for its beautiful beaches and wineries. Missed most of the beaches but enjoyed visiting the vineyards.

Sometimes we get really lucky when picking places to stay and our choice this time turned out to be a gem. The hotel was a bit dated but our rather eccentric host was delightful. A great sense of humor and an even better baker and breakfast chefin. Everyday we were delivered afternoon tea with delicious pastries and cookies and very satisfying breakfasts.

Back to Auckland we drove southeast to Rotorua where the indiginous Māori tribe has established a cultural center to preserve and promote tribal traditions. The tour, dinner and performances were awesome.

The next morning we visited a research forest established in the late 1800s to learn which spieces from around the world grow the best in NZ. We wondered through a groove of redwoods, a mixed forest of doug fir, hemlock, spruce, red cedar, and then pine and cypress trees.

In the previous post I mentioned a character, who is a life long Kiwi. He had his own opinion about these farmed forests. The research indicated that the California pine grew the fastest and best on the islands. According to this Kiwi when these pine trees drop their needles, they pollute the rivers and streams and kill the native flora and fauna. This occurs because the acidic content is higher than the native pine needles, which are much slower growing. As is usually the case when adding non native species, there are consequences that often go unaddressed.

Next on the agenda was visiting a lovely lake town called Taupo. On our way we saw many steam plumes so we stopped at Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland. It was like a mini Yellowstone and we were glad we stopped. On to Taupo which is also known for thermal activity in the form of hot springs. Tradition says there are many medicinal benefits in the suspended minerals. Not sure about that, but enjoyed the soak.

The next and last day in NZ was to visit Hobbiton, the scene set for parts of the movies, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

The tour of the site was fascinating. The farm,which the producer discovered, had a farm owner that was more interested in watching the rest of a rugby match then conversing with him, who arrived at the farmhouse unannounced. The farmer had his son take the filmmaker on a tour of the farm and listened to his pitch. Apparently, the pitch was successful so long as all the temporary sets were removed and the landscape restored to its original condition.

A ten years later when the film director returned to pitch rebuilding the sets for The Hobbit, needless to say, the farm owner was much more engaged. Of course they could rebuild the sets on the “condition” that they remain and one of the Hobbit houses be fully built, as well as the farmhouse, which was turned into a pub and restaurant. A joint venture was created and now we all have the chance to visit this remarkable spot.