Mt. Maurangi south to Whakatane

Wow! raining again and with major vigour. Am I glad to be inside the info centre at Whakatane! Some false starts in the internet experience, the library in Rotorua wanted $2. Ok , I can handle that, BUT unfriendly to Macs. Unable to get in. Next door at the info centre selling 30 min cards for $3 I managed to squeeze in 2 hours, what with loading pictures and writing the blog off and online. I finally bought a cooler, known here as a chiller. What a difference! Ice lasts for a days now, instead of daily replacement. Yes, really, a no brainer.
I attempted to visit the Wingspan Birds of Prey Centre http://www.wingspan.co.nz/ arriving at closing... Proceeded on around the lake to the north and drove on through rain to Tauranga and Mt. Mauganui. Awesome beaches woah! Surf heaven I am sure. Lots of surf schools and many, many individuals waiting in the waves. I watched awhile, they seem to spend more time waiting then riding. Mind you at 8 am I was impressed to see so many already out there.
Back to yesterday, I found a campground, a "motorcourt", almost to Papamoa and walked out into the dunes across the road. Onto the beach the wind was howling, no one seemed to bothered, although there weren't many on the beach. Sitting in the lee of the dunes was fairly pleasant speaking with my Elke, catching up.
Awoke to, you guessed it, torrential rain again. It did quit and I went for a walk out onto Moturiki Island looking for the Blow hole....
Cruised around town, visiting second hand shops looking for a frypan and the library. $4 an hour on their computers... time to move on.
Driving south? East really, stopped to photograph some sandstone cliffs and the big surf. Bought fresh blueberries, but having trouble getting my daily grapefruit, and when I do they are orange inside. Ah the sun is out, the streets are wet and I'm ready to walk around Whakatane.

Rotorua

Rotorua, Hotsprings and steaming vents all around. The Te Paui was the "event/place" that sounded the most fulfilling. I arrived with a few minutes to spare so wandered briefly, taking a few pictures. I loved the boulder of nephryte/jade out front and the invitation to take some of the water and pour it over the rock, rubbing it in as a reminder/blessings of the earthly connection.I should have taken notes. It was surrounded by 12 poles with carvings representing the 12 gods/heavens of Maori belief. A brief history of Maori arrival on Aotearoa "land of the long white cloud" and mention of Captain Cook and his perspective(from a Maori perspective) This place is set up a a school/training for Maori in the arts,crafts and history of Maori settlement. Out beyond the geyser (rhymes with miser not geezer) the Maori had fortification a 'Pa' the terrain is well suited for it. Apparently on occasion the captives (headless) were thrown into the boiling mud pools to discourage misbehavior or similar actions. Nearby are some pools where food is still cooked in the traditional way inside woven baskets and immersed till done. We were shown the woodcarving area and a weaving studio where I saw a short demo on preparing the native flax using an exacto knife and a mussel shell. How's that for mixed media. The gift shop had stuff, books I had seen numerous other places much cheaper... oh well, think I will save my money. Then the major event began, with a traditional greeting outside the Marea: horn blowing and singing, lots of posturing and the handshake nose rub. Off go the shoes and in we went to receive the blessings of the tribe in splendour and ceremony. A lot more elaborate than the previous experince up at Waitangi. Afterwards a huge meal ; eel, mussels , oysters, chicken,pork potato, sweet potato and pumpkin cooked in steaming pits. Oh salad and dessert too. The woman next to me had about 4 helpings of oysters, I began to wonder .... I kept my thoughts to myself. Unfortunately it wasn't quite dark so the geyser wasn't all that spectacular in the lights. I walked around taking pictures of the sulphur deposits, the glowing red rocks and the steam rising over everything.
I managed to find a campground and bonus, they had hotpools so had a good soak before I lay my weary (full tummied ) body down for a good nights sleep. What is it with the rain? Folowing me around or what? Again a major downpour awakens me in the night, right I left my bathing suit hanging on the mirror to "dry". Time to do laundry.

Bridal Veil Falls to Hamilton and south to Rotorua

I chose not to spend the night at Solscape, a lovely spot high up on the cliff overlooking Ngaruni Beach. It has composting toilets and solar showers and plenty of surfers mostly under 30, places like that make me feel old, really old. Besides the light was fantastic for taking pictures so I headed up to the falls. Great walk to the cliff top then stairs down below and of course back up again. I kept stopping as the light got more and more mellow. Of course when that happens, eventually it gets dark! Driving into an unknown city with little chance of camp grounds that I could find, I parked on a dead end street, beside a park, drank a beer and fell asleep. My back unfortunately is still waking me up. Plus the ever present assumption that someone might come along to shift me gave me a rather interrupted sleep.
The lady having a smoke outside said g'morning in response to mine and I left. Parked beside the Hamilton Rowing Club and watched the early morning teams prep and push off down river. A rather pleasant place to prepare myself for the day.
Where did I go? The library! after purchasing a pair of Chacos for NZ$49. They have been bought out by Merril so all the old stock is reduced to clear. Hamilton has charm and I felt compelled to move on.
I've been thinking... (this is news?) realizing how much I have been driven by my judgments of how I should be doing this trip. My journey at the moment involves a lot of movement. I want to cover as much territory as possible and I want to see it. My experience of NZ has been determined a lot by the geography and I want to get a sense of the people. Each time I spend more than 2 hours in one spot I get some of that. I will be spending 20 days with the Permaculture course and 15 other folks, staying with contacts in Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland and maybe other places. What am I trying to say? I dunno! People are different here, lots of tourists and retailers is who I mostly bump into so the real NZ is always going to be just out of reach I suppose. I accept that.
Stopping in Tirau where corrugated iron is king. The Info centre is a giant dog, next door the giant sheep sells.. can you guess? Marino clothing and plenty of sheep souvenirs, among all the other souvenirs. I picked up some shorts, this is the default uniform of NZ men, I seldom see men wearing long pants.
Onward past a rock monolith with the usual religious message spray painted on the side I didn't see, how nice! Into Rotorua, open the door to go outside and the smell is overpowering. I stopped at the Thermal Park and wandered around looking at boiling mud plopping skyward and oily surfaced water looking rather unattractive steaming away. Some young "folks" chucked a bottle into it to see what might transpire..., it sank.

Auckland to Raglan

Busy day it was, I spent another night with Liz and Fraser showed them slides till our eyes were shutting. Did I say I have taking a lot of pictures yet? OK I have now. The digital tech is awesome.
I finally have a stove! Fraser scoped it out for me and came up with a simple one burner and fuel for under $40NZ.
Drove up to One Tree Hill (no tree cause due to an intertribal dispute someone cut it down and until it is resolved all efforts to replant will be thwarted)(!)Overcast but the view is still impressive 360'. Some amazing trees in this park, huge buttresses and long leaning limbs suspended over the lawn which by the way has sheep pastured on it. The craters with the stone messages are fun, especially when they make some sense. Then a visit to the museum, like most, a couple hours is just scratching the surface. I am sure I could spend a week looking at all the different exhibits. Then there is the bookstore...Mostly spent the time looking at Maori stuff, very impressive, lots of similarities to our westcoast art forms.
This city has so much waterfront it is... well it is and a lot of it is sandy beach. Stop for lunch at Fish Pot Cafe on Tamaki Drive on St. Heliers Bay and sit watching people stroll by, swimming,(some walking, waay out) gulls who are watching us for handouts and occasional young immigrants interviewing us to practice their inglis. Don't get me started on the accent, I have listened to conversations where I did not understand a single word. Yikes! Mostly folks speak fairly clearly and if I think about it briefly , I get it.
Realizing the time has passed we race back to Albany get the address and I pack up my stuff. Not how I want to be leaving this wonderful hospitable couple. Anyway the driving, back almost where we were (we drove past it earlier!)on the "motorway"jeez I almost took out my front headlight on a rubber barrier when I realized I did NOT want to exit and cut someone off who was later "happy" to give me the universal sign of displeasure. The number of times I have gotten lost driving soars...
Brian gives me a deep massage, rolfing the crap out of my fascia around the rib cage yow! apparently I am not breathing deeply enough. We go out for Thai food and then meet with the Monday night I-group. After, Martin takes me to a bar where we see a Sottish band blast out angst and joy (I assume) in typical rock and roll decibility. After a couple of beer and some people watching (a young crowd to be sure) we head out to his place where I crash. Nice digs. He lives a block from the beach, has a run and a swim before he's off to work. I call Mom (it is her B'day) and then get utterly lost trying to find the motorway. Some well meaning folks give me the most convoluted directions possible and eventually I make it to a supermarket, buy groceries and more directions. To be honest, one fellow after overhearing the directions came up to me and directed me in a more direct way to my destination.
Then southbound on the "Motorway" hurtling along with the bell ringing (cause I'm going over 110)barely keeping up to the transports.
When I had enough, I pulled off to look at some carved bone and jade(some from BC!) got directions and headed west at Rangiriri, through Glen Murray, Naike, Ohaurito turning right after driving in circles for awhile looking for the beach. Not there yet! another 35km later I am parked eating last nights leftovers overlooking the Waitetuna River and lotsa beach. Quick visit to the library to catch up and post pictures then down the road to the beach, and out to the ocean beaches where the best surfing in NZ apparently is. Yes I know, don't end a sentence with an article.
The whole surfing scene is fairly intense, these folks are serious surfers, plenty of babes in bikinis and guys with that faraway look in there washed out eyes. Plus bleached hair, burnt faces and sunscreen aplenty.

Days15-17 Heart Politics, not a travelogue!

This event is all about the politics of social action and how with heart we, the people, can affect change and transformation. Created out of a desire for social justice and employment these activists took off from a Maori model maintaining the momentum for 20 years. This years summer gathering almost didn't happen,(on the website, it was 'canceled') traditionally a 5 day event, some of the community refused to let it pass. It is all about being present to each other, deep listening where all "pay attention to the unfolding" working toward a "common good" this community is "talking across diversity". We are encouraged to bring forward our concerns, our stories and passions with the intention of seeing the bigger picture, the biggest impact we are having the influence we bring forward through the fabric of our/their culture/community/society. Meeting twice a year, the winter gathering has traditionally been a retreat for the previous participants, smaller and more focused on personal strengthening. There seems to be a shift towards using that time to address more juicy, involving issues.
I took a lot (for me) of notes about the structure of the event, how it unfolds and what it looks like on the surface. Certainly the uniqueness of New Zealand contributes greatly in my judgment, to how successful this is: 700 people on their database.
I was encouraged and inspired by these folks and their efforts, I wonder/ed how it might look in other countries (Australia and California have Heart Politics) and how I can bring this conciousness to bear fruit in my community.
My experience of being there, invited by someone in Canada, knowing really nothing about it, was extremely positive. Warm and friendly people, with a huge concern for the welfare of their country, nation and the world itself. The issues discussed were always in the final analysis about the bigger picture, what is the affect on the greater community? And of course the micro view , the personal was addressed as well with the familiar tools of expression and witnessing. Somewhat like Dare'for larger community.
We sang/chanted frequently, I offer this one (most were in Maori!)to finish my 'report'

"Tall trees, warm fires,
Strong winds, deep waters,
I feel you in my body,
I feel you in my soul."

"Tall trees, warm fires,
Strong winds, deep waters,
I feel you in my body,
I feel you in my soul."

Day 15

A brief lull here while I prepare for the Heart Politic retreat. Unlikely to be taking pictures, well maybe. There are at least 30 people attending so lots of conversations possible about... well I am not exactly sure. Community creation?
Yesterday I drove south and west missing the main turnoff and proceeded along a road replete with sheep farms (sheep on the road), cattle farms and clearcuts along the east face of a mountainside. The one lane bridge continues to surprise me as I drive along these lonely roads. The advantage of avoiding the highway is that I can slow down to look at stuff without pissing off the folks behind me. I did trust that I was heading in the right direction, sometimes it seems to much trouble to stop, change glasses and look at the map. Eventually I did when arriving at a fork where I discovered that my next destination would be Goat Island Marine Reserve(Park) To get there I had to climb a very narrow (one lane in places) gravel road up and up. Pavement at the top and a great view of the Whangateau Harbour and sandy beach stretching south. Then down a very windy, steep road to the reserve where there were loads of people all getting into the water in wetsuits, with snorkels etc to view the incredible underwater landscape. Some good signage describing what was there and yes plenty of folks soaking up sunshine in appropriate attire. Seeing many folks with tattoos of all descriptions, including facial. The van started, I say a little prayer (another song title?) everytime it does.And I proceeded through Leigh, Whangateau and on to Warkworth where major construction on the highway had me miss my turn. I continued on the highway for awhile then turned back and had a terrible lunch at the Honey Farm. I bought some honey (how could I resist avocado honey?) and mead after trying 4 different types, mostly sweet (I don't feel so bad now!). Eventually locating the road I wanted. I drove over the sweetest little one lane bridge imaginable, of course no where to stop and I wasn't sure yet I was on the correct road. It was curved , no handrail about 18 inches off the streambed which also curved with large flat rocks spaced strategically down in a treelined hollow. Beautiful. Continuing south through seemingly endless sheep and cattle ranches past places called Woodcocks, Aturoa and Komokoriki. I stopped briefly in Helensville, to read the map. My destination, Muriwai beach where treacherous tides and big surf roll across black sand. Not exactly black like in Crofton it is also home to a large Gannet colony. Along the road I saw a huge white bird fly into the gum trees, a Cockatoo? likely. Again lots of people although parking was easier. I wandered around below the Gannet colony only later realizing how close I came to having white hair. Bought some organic veggies at a roadside stand and proceeded forward into rush hour or at least more traffic than I care to be part of. I was heading for the East coast again, a small town north of Albany, Torbay. Once again I felt lost as I kept up with the stream, flying by the seat of my pants and hurried glances at a better map but one without the names that were coming up on the signs. The sun being in the north,I am sure, is confusing my inner compass. My instincts and memory eventually got me here, where once again I did the telephone game. Dennis has kindly given me another phone which I hope will work better.

Is it day 13 or not?

I am confused, I arrived on January 1 so today being the 13th should be day 13. I am feeling quite ungrounded. However that appears, the journey continues. I am having a respite from travelling at the moment, visiting some friends of my folks Jean and Rudy DeVries just south of Mangawhai Village. Oh and so you get into the experience of this adventure, wh is pronounced f. Got that? The accent of people can be faint or thick and combined with the Maori names for places sometimes it seems impossible (for me) to understand where or what.
After checking out the Hundertwasser toilets yesterday which by the way are quite entertaining, just a regular toilet with lotsa embellishment. Living roof and a tree growing up through it. With a little shove the van restarted and I drove on to the Kawiti caves. Run by a Maori family , they have a Marea onsite and a cattle farm. The limestone cave was discovered 300 years ago by ancestors of these folks when they smelled smoke, investigated and found a runaway woman living inside. The cave itself is very entrancing with large stalactites and stalagmites galore. A wooden walkway suspended above the stream wends its way through and out the back where a trail leads over the hill and back down through limestone boulders and native bush. No photos inside unfortunately. The glow worms are very cool shining off the ceiling, it is their excrement on tubes hanging down that glows as bait for the mosquitoes and flies they eat.
Onto Whangarei and the falls, a nice walk along the stream and some time to think. Reflection happens when I am driving and stuff comes up I think I want to say, then when I sit to write it is just the travelogue that appears. Thinking about the what if... I had come 20 years ago, I realize that was in the middle of being Dad, there is no way I would have/could have walked away from my children or could afford to bring them here! I needed to say that. Those were wonderful times in spite of all my failings I wouldn't trade that time for anything. Wow i am teary eyed, I miss my children, and love them deeply, I don't know if you all know how important you are to me Matthew, Isaac, Monica, Carla and James. Thank you Annie for your trust and faith in my parenting, I learned so much.
Anti climax time eh? I decided I wanted to take a secondary road south and then head towards Brynderwyn. As I was driving and had no co-pilot to read the map I ended up in Maungatapere, where I saw some amazing stone fencing. Then I tried again after a quick look at the map and this time found myself in Maungakaramea... the folks there had little sympathy since the NZ way is to drive as fast as possible in the most direct way to get anywhere. Back to the #1 I went and eventually (did I tell you my phone is on the fritz? 6 calls later I was on a payphone) arrived here. Now I am off to see the bird sanctuary and dunes, do some walkabout.