Monday January 7^th

We were leaving for our roadtrip tomorrow so we had to get Emzie’s house all cleaned, and we had to be all packed and ready to depart the city early in the am. We all helped to clean the house and get the recycling and garbage sorted out. We all packed our bags and filled Myrtle with bags and road trip necessities.  We dropped all our bags at home before going to grab Subway for lunch. We walked to Brown’s Bay and enjoyed our picnic lunch by the water. Besides the WIND we had a lovely outdoor meal. We spent a little time walking around the shops and popping into a few souvenir shops before heading to Pack’n’Save. We did a big grocery run to buy food for meals and snacks so we could save as much money as possible. All four of us are on a budget so we are trying to cut corners on food whenever possible. By the time we got home we were all exhausted and decided to go to bed early.

Tuesday January 8^{th (Day 1 of the Roadtrip)}

We were all up around 6 so we could eat breakfast and have our lunches packed by 7:30. With everything packed and us all caffeinated we were ready to hit the road. We stopped at a St. John Thrift store to see if there were any cool finds. Bought some cassettes and magazines but was disappointed to not be able to work the cassette player.

The roads were really straight or super windy. It kept reminding of a mixture of Ireland, Vancouver Island and New Zealand with all the rolling hills and greenery.

Arrived at our Pukenui Backpackers Lodge right around lunch time. We were “on a budget” so we were staying right beside the motel with its quality waterfront units. I think we got the best bang for our buck considering all the accommodations have the same view 🙂 It is like paradises here with it’s clear skies and palm trees. We were excited shocked to see that the two flag poles outside were a Wales flag and a Canadian one. We felt like Sock’s was REALLY with us in spirit. (The next day we discovered that the flags are interchanged daily).

After a picnic lunch by the water’s edge, we set off for Cape Reinga’s “The Meeting of the Oceans”. From the edge of the cliff you witness the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean mixing together. The blue and green water is beyond gorgeous.

This was transcribed on one of the wooden pillars:
The meeting point

Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) marks the separation of the Tasman Sea (to the west) from the Pacific Ocean. For Maori, these turbulent waters are where the male sea Te Moana Tapokopoko a Tawhaki meets the female sea Te Tai o Whitireia.

The whirlpools where the currents clash are like those that dance in the wake of a wake (canoe). They represent the coming together of male and female – and the creation of life.

The view was EXTRODINARY. My pictures will not do the view justice. It is the furthest point you can travel in New Zealand. The tourist destination is fondly referred to as “Far North” There is a working light house where the light shone for the first time in May 1941. It is one of the first lights that shipping observes when arriving from the Tasman Sea and north Pacific Ocean. The light was fully automated in 1987 and the lighthouse keeper was withdrawn. The operation of the light is now completely automatic and is monitored by a computer and Maritime NZ staff in NZ. We made sure we took lots of photos. We all wanted our hair down for photos but found it to be so beyond windy for any of us to handle. Eventually all for our us put our hair up in some form so as not lose all sanity. The wind would not give us a break.I think at one point Kristy’s hair was blowing so much that she and Emzie were starting to eat it!

On the drive home we stop at the Local Store for delicious ice cream. The staff was so friendly and very generous with the scoop portions!

We headed back to the hostel for some instant noodles and drinks. We went to the local bar (literally right across the street) and each purchased what we believed to be have been ciders. Instead we ended up just buying 8% energy juice –NOT peach and apple ciders. It was annoying but made for a good laugh. Instead we headed back home and drank and hung out in our room.

The single beds are located on the house’s porch that was then enclosed. Our carpet was never properly trimmed to fit the room when it was installed so the door doesn’t close and the door knob falls off if you pull too hard. Nor does the door lock from inside or outside. With all that said we have been given lots of windows and a decent amount of common room space and nicely stocked kitchen. The place is an old house with 4 rooms with showers and toilets. It has a lot of character and quirks and much more accommodating then a hostel. More of a welcoming cottage vibe here 🙂

Buddha Blessings
xox Amanda

(All photos from this blog except for one of the group shots was taking on my iphone. I will be trying to post more photos from the other cameras in the future. They are usually a better quality but it is easier and faster for me to just post my own pictures as they are already loaded onto my computer.)