Land of the Long White Cloud
Although I haven't been around the world yet, I think I would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful place on this planet. New Zealand is spectacular. The road to the Bay of Islands and beyond was breathtaking (especially when we swerved off the left curb).We stopped several times to take pictures and then pulled around Doubtless Bay into Mangonui (Mangonui means 'big shark' in Maori), a mill town dotted with tiny boats.
We pulled up to the front of the Old Oak Inn. Originally built in 1861, it's still in excellent condition. Behind the restaurant and gift shop is a cozy hostel. Helen showed us around and told us where to get the best views. The best views it seemed to me were everywhere.
In the early
evening, we hiked to the top of a Maori Pau for a spectacular panoramic view
of the city. When the sun sank behind the clouds, we headed back to relax in
the hostel living room and enjoy the peace and quiet of this harbor town.
Dip, Pull. Dip Pull
We loaded into sea kayaks today and headed out into the bay. Truer crewers there have never been. Of course I'd never kayaked before and my paddles kept banging into John's. No matter, we eventually made it across and negotiated a rhythm to carry us into the Mangrove swamps.
The tangled trees gave us an opportunity to escape the sun and practice our
wild bird calls. The only things we attracted though were Eric and Rolf in
the other kayak. We stopped briefly at a secluded beach to make necklaces of
bead-like seaweed, then, at the peak of high tide, we paddled through the
waves back to the Inn.
After dinner, John and I took a sunset walk along Cooper's beach. It was the perfect way to end the day. The beach is nestled between hills which spill into the ocean. With the beach to ourselves, the smell of the salt air and the sound of the waves rolling in, I wondered why I had spent so many years letting life rush by me instead of enjoying the journey. As we walked back to the car, with shells crunching underfoot, I confirmed to myself that this trip had been the right thing to do.
