Our first week or so here has been rather low-key: outfitting our (rental) camper, moving in, making repairs/improvements, recovering from the long-haul, laying low through almost continual foul weather, adapting to the fact that it's apparently still spring here, not summer, as we expected. After picking up our camper in Auckland, we spent a few days at the nearby Pine Harbour Marina, then a few more at a campground in Tapapakanga Regional Park, on the Firth of Thames, and presently at a beachfront campground in Orewa, northeast of Auckland. Only today has the weather been partly sunny and without rain. This is our fourth long-stay in New Zealand--prior stints were in 2008-2009, 2014, and 2018--and we have been relatively nonchalant about planning, so far. We'll do the North Island first, ending in Wellington, then cross to the South Island and do it, turning the camper back in in Queenstown. Our only firm reservation so far is for dinner at Hobbiton in late January. Pictured below are the week's incidents and curiosities...which are much of what we like about this place.
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| But first, we are en route, enduring a 3 hour delay in Raleigh, but enthralled by a "virtual" food hall |
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| Apparently you don't have to wear a realty headset to eat here; the only thing virtual about it, I guess, is that you can order from your phone...but isn't true of just about any place these days? |
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| Next stop, the so-so Capital One lounge at DFW; actually less than so-so, since the bar closed at 9 |
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| A mere 17 hours later, after the non-stop flight, immigration customs, bio-security, and the huge duty-free mall, we are at Jucy's Auckland center, picking up our camper; I will spare you the dozens of photos taken to document prior wear and damage and other things |
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| Normally, one might balk at renting a vehicle with 328k kilometers on it; but this is New Zealand, they never throw anything away, and we've done it before |
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| A ferry runs from Pine Harbour to Auckland, and we had thought it might cool to take it into town for the famous New Years' light and fireworks show; but it doesn't run on the holidays; go figure |
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Those first few days, we re-acquainted ourselves with several of the grocery and other stores we like here...Countdown, New World, Mitre 10, Warehouse; here are the greenies (mussels) at Countdown |
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| We also explored several charity shops...here, called "op shops" as in "opportunity"; beautiful "Cafe Paris" china set... |
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| Corned mutton, anyone |
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| Inexplicably, Jucy's do not come equipped with kettles, and we searched high and low for one that would meet our modest needs; electric kettles are common as carrots, but this hob-top at Mitre 10 is the only hob-top we found; that's 75U$D! At last we found a reasonable substite for 4$NZ at another op shop |
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| We're here in this place and this time to see the great Pohutukawa trees--New Zealand Christmas trees--in bloom |
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| The place is covered with them, especially along the coasts north Auckland, but they are just beginning to bloom...still late spring here, evidently |
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| After a few days, we moved on to Tapapakanga Regional Park; we were able to dodge the squalls nearly every day, but didn't do much more |
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| Fishing the big waters |
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| Huge float that washed up one day...floatsam? jetsam? lagan? derelict? |
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| Fellow camper hauling off a dead...stout? possum? weasel? |
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Moving right along...there is currently an egg shortage in New Zealand; cage eggs are no longer permitted and the transition to colony eggs has been uneven... |
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| A Rotel hotel...still in business apparently |
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| Transportation costs, no doubt (8.13U$D) |
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| We're wondering too |
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| You have been warned |
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| Outside the really nice New World supermercado in Orewa |
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| View from our lunch table today |
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| Afternoon at Orewa Beach |
