Easter Week ...Tawharnui, Bethels Beach, & Feijoas

How can we have already had Easter...and Easter week? I keep thinking I should be seeing tulips and daffodils, and instead I am seeing leaves falling all over the place. Christmas was warm & sunny...when it should have been cold and rainy. My brain has had to do some bending...April just does not jive with Autumn...it is Spring! Just like driving...I still do not drive here, because everything is completely backwards, but I may be getting closer as Rob is hoping to have some relief from always being the driver.

Easter was sort of an anti-climatic holiday for us...the Kiwi's do up Easter really big time, as it is one holiday that they get 4 days off. And the kids are out of school here for 2 weeks. Easter Sunday, Jarrod & Anna & Svea, our friends here in Devonport,came over for a walk along the shore. We walked to a park where little Svea played on the swings, teeter toter & slide. It was actually the first really noticeable change in the weather, and it was cold. Hard to imagine that Easter was in the middle of Autumn...Kiwi's do not call it Fall...it is Autumn. So, after a reasonable time at the park, we managed to find a cafe with nice, warm, coffee. Svea, who is 20 months, began showing signs that it was time for her nap, so Jarrod & Anna made the move to put their little darling down for a nap.

Rob & I had no plans for Easter, so we set out for a day trip. Jarrod had told us about Tawharnui, and how we should definitely go check it out. Tawharnui is pronounced Ta fra new i. It is a Marine reserve about one and a half hours from Auckland. The last 5 km was on a very skinny dirt road...as you can imagine, Rob had a lot of fun flying around the corners, while my knuckles continued to turn pale white. So, by the time we reached the beach I was welcoming fresh air, and land we could walk on! The weather was kind of overcast with a bit of sun trying to get through...so it was actually quite pleasant. We explored caves along the beach, as well as tide pools that were part of the lava flow into the ocean. The tide pools were full of fish, hermit crabs, starfish, and other sea life. The color of the water around the tide pools was a turquoise/green/blue with white sand at the bottom of the ocean. A color that can only be described as spectacular! The hills around the beach were emerald green...so awesome! And the sand...white, soft, and gorgeous! We walked down the beach to a nice, sheltered spot...threw out our blanket, and both fell into a deep nap. Tawharnui looks out to Little Barrier Island, and in it's background is Big Barrier Island. You can also see the tip of the Coramandel Peninsula far in the distance. I found perfect scallop shells, clam shells, green lipped muscle shells, snail shells, and other bits of shell along the shore after we woke from our nap.

Another day trip we took was to O'Neill Bay past Bethells Beach. We decided to go to Bethell's Beach on the west coast because we saw on a map that there was a trek that we could go tramping on. It was called the Te Hunga Trek, and it went between Bethell's Beach and Muriwai Beach. In between was O'Neill Bay...so instead of tramping through the bush all the way to Muriwai beach...we decided to go as far as O'Neill Bay. At the beginning of the Te Hunga Trek, we had to go through a pasture. There were two horses, and when they saw us, they came to greet us. One of the horses kept trying to bite Rob's pack, because we had some almonds and dried apricots in the pack. Persistent bugger! It was magical...tramping through the bush with amazing views of the ocean & the beaches below. At one point a juvenile pheasant showed us the way on the trek. Then, perhaps we were getting to close and it took to the skies, and flew off. We were able to hike down from the cliffs to the beach below at O'Neill Bay. There were three surfers entering the surf when we got down to the beach. The surf was furious, as it is the mighty, Tasman Sea. Two of the surfers looked like they knew how to handle surf, and the other guy looked like he was being tossed around like a log in an angry surf. The waves rolling into the shore were huge. Walking back to the car, that we had parked at Bethell's Beach we found another type of shell that we had not seen before...a boxy - like clam shell. Need to find a shell identification book...

Feijoa...what is a feijoa? Well...I got an e-mail from a friend, Joan...she asked if I wanted any feijoas?? Not having a clue I said...what is a feijoa? And then came the explanation that it is sort of like a fig, but it really has a taste all on it's own. By the way...they do not taste like a fig. Feijoas happen to be in season right now, and after getting a batch of feijoas from Joan...more bags full of fiijoas kept appearing on my doorstep. You can eat them alone by simply scooping out the fruit, add cream or plain yogurt & honey to them, make feijoa and ginger jam, bake a feijoa cake...there are many things you can do with a feijoa... Joan also made this amazing feijoa pate that she served with an amazing blue cheese. Way yum! Still waiting for her to share the recipe so I can make that pate!

I hope you are all doing well...less than 4 weeks before we arrive in CA.! I'll be sending links to some photos along with this blog. Cheers!!

One Perfect Night In Auckland

We have been trying to organize a sailing outing with one of Rob's work mates Chris and his wife, Janine. Finally, we were able to confirm that it would work for all of our schedules to join Chris' friend Andy who was sailing in the Friday Night Rum Race. Previously, I have referred to watching the Rum races on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday evenings...but I did not know that they were called Rum races because Mt. Gay Rum sponsors the races. And if you win...you get a bottle of rum! I thought the guys were just racing & drinking rum...

I left our house at 3:00pm...making the 3:15 Ferry that took me 12 minutes to cross the water to Auckland' Waitemata Harbour. I met Janine right outside the Ferry Building, and she drove us to West Haven, the Harbour, where we were to meet the guys, and board the boat. Our skipper was Andy, the owner of the boat...a 40' Elliott called 'Sure Thing'. We were also joined by another Chris from Rob's work, and his partner, Jeanette, as well as Matt, one of Andy & Chris & Janine's friends.

Just to get the picture of the setting...we were lost in a sea of sailboats & power boats...getting ready for the race. The guys and Janine just went to work, setting the sails & the lines, while Jeanette & I sat and watched the activity. The race was to start at 4:30, so at 4:20 we pulled out of the slip and went out to join the other boats for the start. There was a light breeze as we started the race...and then as we were about to turn the second mark...the wind just died. We were all kind of bunched up around the mark, and then we caught another breeze...and again the wind died...in my mind this was perfect, as I am truly a fair weather sailor. But for the guys...they would have preferred a steady wind.We would get ahead and then we would be back in the pack...and it continued on throughout the entire race. When the boats were all bunched up, there was banter between the sailors...very friendly. It is very possible that we placed...but we did not go to the race room after the race to check, because it was so nice after, we stayed on the boat & had some nibbles and wines. The light on the harbour was gorgeous...amber hues mixed with pale blue skies and perfect white & grey clouds. It was the most calm, and civilized boating adventure I can remember...no stress...just amazing. There was a great mix of warmth and friendliness in the air.