Land of the Long White Cloud

Where to start, where to start?

Chronological is best I suppose...

Days 17-21ish
After leaving Ponsonby Backpackers (which was lovely), we stayed a night at a hostel on the other end of Ponsonby Road called Verandahs. This place is my favorite hostel by far :) It had a cute little back yard that backed up to a large tree filled park and our rooms had high ceilings, tall windows and plenty of breeze. We relaxed there the entire day, recuperating from the night before (Chinese Lantern FAIL) and formulating some sort of game plan for the next few days.

The sun was shining and then window next to my bed opened onto a sweet wrap around porch. It only seemed appropriate then, to shimmy out the window and collapse into a sun soaked chair to do some reading while KFarm slept the day away. Man-o-man did my eyes do some traveling! I finished Fifty Shades of Grey, started and finished Fifty Shades Darker (Pitiful excuses for literature, but definitely entertaining to read) and started As I Lay Dying, only to discover 3 chapters in that I had read it before many many moons ago.

Before leaving Ponsonby Backpackers we booked a trip with a "hop on, hop off" tour called Stray Bus. KFarm's initial reaction of "this sounds like a bus cruise ::skeptical face::" was all too on point. We should have listened to her gut in the first place. There was a lot of hurry up and wait, but we did see some interesting things while being herded on and off buses like tourist cattle. Chief among them: Cape Reinga, a forest of kauri trees, and the best fish and chips we've had thus far.

Cape Reinga was....perfect.

A Little History

Cape Reinga is generally considered the separation marker between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. From the lighthouse it is possible to watch the tidal race, as the two seas clash to create unsettled waters just off the coast.
 According to mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife to leap off the headland and climb the roots of the 800 year old tree and descend to the underworld to return to their traditional homeland of Hawaiki, using the Te Ara Wairua, the 'Spirits' pathway'. At Cape Reinga they depart the mainland. They turn briefly at the Three Kings Islands for one last look back towards the land, then continue on their journey

Knowing that, you get to a place like this carrying your loved ones with you, whether you're aware of it or not. Standing on a hill top enveloped by cliffs and salty air, you look out into the vast nothingness of sea and you let them fly.

We left the cape and visited a collection of beautiful sand dunes. The lucky passengers with good knees (aka 98% of our bus) hauled themselves to the top to surf down on boogie boards. To get back to town, we drove down 90 Mile Beach (officially recognized as a road in New Zealand).

Migration

After our "adventures" with Stray and my displeasure at being back in a city, we rallied to hop a bus directly from Auckland to Wellington in order to go south ASAP. The 11 hour bus ride was pretty neat actually, it was like driving through postcards. Everything is gorgeous here.

Arriving safely in Wellington (Awkward Moments), I promptly passed the hell out. I was so tired, I totally forgot to get under the damn sheets.

Fun Fact Number 5: Wellington coffee = winning.

I love this city! The whole general feel to it. It breathes and moves. PLUS there is good food EVERYWHERE.

Breakfast: Cafe Panama
Two slices of delectable french toast dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied by a sliced banana, drizzled with a none-to-stingy amount of GOOD maple syrup. Follow immediately with 20 minutes of reading/people watching while savoring a delicious cup of mochachino. (Yes, I know its fancy coffee, but the fancy coffee is so good that the normal people coffee is actually drinkable!)

Unfortunately, all of the hostels were booked up for the weekend, so we couldn't stay another night (we'll be back!)
Fortunately, we were headed to the South Island!!

Interislander Ferry

- This is a big. damn. boat. 

- We made friends with a rugby team from Auckland

- I spent 50% of the 3 hour trip on deck drooling over the scenery - pictures to follow soon!