There's no traffic on I95 at 1AM

It's 2:44am and this day began getting up at 8am in Melbourne, jaunt to the Melbourne Aquarium with largest stingrays I've ever seen, 12:40 flight Mel to Auckland (5 hour layover), 11PM flight to LA (sat with with a cute snowboard shop owner from NZ), then LA to JFK ( Tom Arnold was on that plane). So about 8000 hours later, I'm finally home, downloading some photos in my possum socks,  looking forward to sleep. 

Te Aroha

Te Whakapono 

Te Rangimare 

Tatau Tatau 

Kiwi 1 has landed back in the US

to an email from our NZ tour coordinator, Michael that reads... "You departed as the storm swept in, closing roads and flooding areas around Mangonui, blowing everything helter skelter, and then early this morning, two earthquakes in the central North Island."

Methinks that Aotearoa (NZ) mourns our departure! There are over 10,000 photos to sort through, if my 1000 is anything to go by. Each of us are pulling the best from our cache which will then be stockpiled and sorted through for the best of the best. At which time, you can expect to see a link to a site of amazing photos that best tell the story of our adventure. As the travelers dig out from their piles of mail, laundry, and reality checks, I'm sure you will read some of their stories here. I'll be putting together a summary to go along with the photos, as well.

It was an honor to lead this group of travelers and a delight to share them with family and friends. I appreciate the patience of everyone. 12 days of touring New Zealand, with 10 travelers, is no mean feat. Everyone has stories of very special experiences, and I'm confident that the land and people touched them in ways that they'll remember forever. For me, it was a huge learning experience that has me already finessing the itinerary for next year's trip, and busy planning one of the South Island (an itinerary for which will be available in March). Kim

Photos soon

It's me again (Judith) - in the airport in Melbourne waiting for my friends flight to arrive from Sydney. Yesterday's Lantern Festival, wild wind and rain and party at Michael's office with Tim there too was a bittersweet way to end the trip. Larisa and the Chrises headed off back to east coast, Kim and Mark + Nancy for one more day in Auckland. What a great city Auckland is! Nancy and I had a couple of beers at a bar with lamps hanging upside-down from the ceiling. Hopefully Kim + Mark are having a well deserved relaxing day before their return. I'm missing eveyone already. Whew! What a trip! So many great experiences... looking forward to reliving them over and over again. Special thanks to everyone who made the trip possible Kim, Raywen, Tim, Mark, Michael....lots of details, beautiful sites, experiences, great food etc etc. More later.

Somewhere in Paradise

Wow, not sure what day it is. Last night we saw the sun set and the full moon rise from Stony Batter (a post volcanic mountain area with giant boulders strewn about) . After we had a dip in a hot tub somewhere in Paradise. Can't believe the trip is winding down. Today we're off from Waiheke Island back to Auckland then off to Kerikeri, a beach on the west coast of NZ. . . .1000 photos later. The cicadas are very noisy here and the smell of freshly baked muffins fill the air at Punga Lodge. Yesterday on our kayaking trip our guide Ross cut up a full sized watermellon with a knife and cutting board across the raft of kayaks in the middle of the Tamaki Strait.
Missing Michele, Ray, Mike and Leon (xx) . More later. Aroha.
Judith

First One Back in the States

Michelle here. So after 35 hours of traveling (i brought the bad weather with me back home, hopefully leaving beautiful weather for the rest of the NZ trip), I'm finally back in CT. Very sad to have left the main group, but at least it allows me to update some photos onto the blog. I truly had the best time on this trip. Each person on this adventure contributed to an amazing experience. Looking forward to keeping in contact with everyone once we're all back in CT, and hopefully seeing the Aussies when they come to visit Kim. I'm not the best photographer (you'll have to wait for Chris and Mark's pictures). But, here are some highlights:

Sat 2/9 - Nancy and I on the Skywalk (192 meters above the ground)

Sun 2/10 - Nancy and I on the ferry to Waiheke Island

Mon 2/11 - One Tree Hill and Sculpture Park

Tues 2/12 - Waipoua Kauri forest (Te Matua Ngahere)

Wed 2/13 -Burying the Hangi at Roma Marae

Thurs 2/14 - Cape Reinga

Fri 2/15 - Haruru Falls

Sat 2/16 - Catamaran around Bay of Islands

Sun 2/17 - My view from the plane

a better update

We're finally getting a chance to get caught up a bit. Here's some more detail on the first couple of days of our trip. I'm sure we'll get even more up in the next couple of days.

Day 1—Everyone got in safely although the main American group’s flight had an exciting sudden drop while over the pacific, sending unbelted passengers to the ceiling.

Our first activity was very special and moving. We went up to One Tree Hill in Auckland, which is considered a very sacred Maori location for a powhiri. A powhiri is a Maori greeting and blessing that brings groups together as family. It is essentially the Maori people thanking their ancestors for life: that includes mother earth, sky, air and water and then welcoming us and blessing our journey. It is something that the average visitor doesn't get a chance to experience. The final step in the welcoming is called the hongi - a traditional greeting that connects the third eye to third eye that allows a breathing in of the other persons spirit. For those of you that don’t know, the third eye is in between our eyes. Most people think a hongi is pressing noses - actually you press foreheads, and then nose (gently) whilst breathing in - each other's 'spirit'.

One of the most amazing moments was when Michael, one of the trip organizers spoke. It was a windy overcast morning and just when he started to speak, offering his formal welcoming, the clouds broke and the sun shined warmly on us. The clouds returned after he stopped speaking only to break once more at a very appropriate place.

The next stop was to the War Museum that has a huge amount of Maori cultural/historical pieces. There we learned more about proper Maori protocol for approaching their marae or meeting places. This is important for us to learn since we are going to be spending one night in a marae.

The countryside is really beautiful and we quickly got out of the city heading for the coast. Our accommodations the first night were at a fantastic B&B that had been built just for this purpose by the American owners.

We arrived to this beautiful spot only to take off again to get to a winery/sculpture garden before they closed. Many of us weren’t necessarily in a hurry to leave the b&b but once we got to the garden at the BrickWay Winery, all of that hesitation went away. The walk felt good through the bush, we heard and saw great birds and enjoyed the sights and smells being in the woods (bush).

Instead of trying to squeeze something else in, we grabbed dinner and had a picnic by the beach.
After dinner we headed back to the b&b to enjoy what they had to offer. We sat in the hot tub, had a little more wine, looked at the stars and chatted. The daylight is really long here because it is summer so even though we didn’t get a ton of time at the b&b it felt like we had a chance to relax. There isn’t as much light pollution here, especially since we were staying in the country, there were so many stars including a good show put on by the shooting stars.

Day 2
After a fantastic night and great sleep we woke up to bright sunshine and blue skies. The b&b served an excellent 2 course breakfast that included homemade muesli, a few different types of yogurt, fresh fruit (including native passionfruit), aloe juice, and then a second course of custom made eggs bacon etc. As tempting as it was to stay longer, we had to hit the road for another pretty full day of driving. We headed across the island from east to west. On a map looks pretty small but it takes forever since we are in a van towing a trailer and all of the roads are secondary. The last part of the ride was through the largest remaining forest in New Zealand. The forest is famous for having ancient kauri trees. Today’s schedule was particularly tight, the drive was long and we were all pretty tired still from the trip. After driving through the forest, we turned a corner to a panoramic view of the bay and the amazing sand dunes across the bay. It was great to arrive, but we had about ½ hour to unwind, get settled and then have dinner before we went on a tour of the ancient kauri forests. Kauri trees are some of the oldest (maybe the oldest) trees in the world. They were decimated during the early 20th century with their wood being used for everything from housing to boats. The trees/forest we were visiting represented the largest percentage of what we left. The trees we visited during our tour were 2000-4000 years old. There are trees that have been pulled out of swamps that carbon date back 45,000 years. They were about 100 feet tall and had a girth of about 51ft. The pictures in no way communicate the scale of these ancient giants. The Maori considered the trees we saw the father and grandfather of the forest. These trees are all protected now and are carefully attended to, although there is no way to stop nature taking it’s course. One of the trees lost a massive branch last year in a storm; a predatory vine that was growing around it had weakened it.

The kiwi is the symbol of New Zealand but it is a very shy nocturnal bird-which means it is not spotted very often. Many of us were hoping to get a chance to see a kiwi during our evening forest walk. While we didn’t get to see a kiwi, we did hear a kiwi. Our guides played kiwi calls on the stereo, giving us all a chance to hear what they sound like. Once we turned the stereo off, we actually heard real kiwis calling in the bush across from where we were. The male and female have different calls; we heard the male pretty near by and a female more distant.

The nights have been pretty chilly here, but we are all enjoying being away from winter, we got back to the hotel and spent some time outside learning as song in Maori to prepare for our visit to the marae the next night.

Day 3
We slept in a little this morning since we really didn’t have a commitment until the Roma Marae at 2. Our trip getting there involved more lovely countryside and a quick little ferry ride. The proper procedure for entering marae ground for the first time is to wait outside the property until we were invited in - by a maori woman elder singing the 'karanga' prayers. We were arriving in the afternoon so that we could watch the laying of the hangi for dinner. A hangi (pronounced honey) is a meal steam cooked by hot rocks in a hole dug in the ground. Before we helped get the hangi going, we were welcomed through a Maori greeting ceremony. During this ceremony the Maori tribe is introduced by their speaker, who recites their ancestry. It is Maori tradition to educate children from birth about where they came from and who their families are. Our 'tribe' then responds - our driver Tim, who is part Maori, spoke for us, and then we sang the song we've been learning. They were very appreciative of our effort. The Maoris that we have met have been able to trace their family back generations. This particular ceremony was both traditional and modern. The family members were casual, even while following the ritual.

The servings for the hangi were wrapped in foil; a fire in a pit heated the rocks. The pit was amazing because the clay in the soil had essentially become stone from the heat of the fires. We arrived during the removal of the ash from the pit, the fire had been burning a few hours prior to our arrival so the stones were hot enough to continue the cooking process for a few more hours. Once the ash was removed, a crate with the food was put into the pit, on the stones. Water was added and the steam captured by covering the whole thing with wet clothes and a tarp, the tarp was then covered with dirt. While dinner was cooking we split up and went to the beach or wine tasting at Okahu Winery.

More on the rest of the day later.....

Update Monday Feb 18

Judith, Christina and Kim here. Finally on email. We are having way to good a time to find email let alone get on it! Nancy have 3000 pics and has only downloaded 3 camera's... so you will eventually get to SEE what a blast we're having. Currently in Tutukaka and on our way to Waiheke island today. In the last few days we've been on a waka down the Waitangi river, scuba diving the Poor Knights (totally awesome and definitely a competitor for top ten dive spots), snorkeling around volcanic islands, lazing on a catamaran, and soaking in hot pools. Wish you were here! Kim

keeping busy

Hello Everyone,
The blog hasn't been as active as we had hoped, mainly because we are keeping so busy. So far, we've covered the west and far north of the Northland. Today we are going to be out on a catamaran in the bay of Islands. Yesterday we paddled a wakka--more to follow.

The Aussies have landed!

Mike and Leon got in late yesterday and were whisked off to Cornwall Park (yes we were settled by the English) for family bbq. Here are some pics... from top left - jetlag; the NZ/US contingency (Leon Rae Kim Mike); Kim' Mom and Mike; Leon & Mike cooking sausages on the barbie; and Mike calling home - Hi Sharrie!

All Our Bags are Packed and Ready to Go

If I can speak for the Connecticut posse, who if like myself, after rejoicing the fact that we will not be at work for the next few weeks, busy stuffing bags with just the right stuff, the right amount of stuff, knowing that one will end up wearing the same 5 items of clothes the whole time (if you could only know which they were beforehand), looking for those last minute items (where ARE my ipod earbuds?), changing voicemail, email, sending out valentines with my last 4 stamps (!), the right shoes, the right bags (ok maybe everyone isn't as nutty as I am), tidying up, hoping that we will get a good night sleep, wake up on time and  (skip ahead skip ahead) looking very much  forward be with those who are lucky enough to already be there! Be there soon!   Judith

Kiwi 1 has landed

to temps in the 80's range with no change in sight, glorious sunshine with a gentle breeze, sparkling ocean dotted with yachts, people swimming round the bays... it's another beautiful day in paradise! Great flight, despite a long layover in San Francisco (check out the Xpres Salon's popping up in airports worldwide, and enjoy a quick massage before you take that long last leg.) 5 hours sleep (thx ambien, and Xpres), 2 movies, and 2 meals later... home in God's own. A day of family hugging, shopping and chasing a cold... I'm crawling into bed exhausted, can't wait to see the rest of the crew arrive. Aussies tomorrow! PS consider a watertight kayaking gear bag for storing bathing suits/towel/beach stuff - easy to transport around with us, no sand inside etc. In fact, bring one for me... cheers, Kim

I dropped the head Kiwi at the airport this morning! Kim was pretty excited about getting to Auckland to see her family. I am happy she will have some down-time to spend with her mother, sisters and brother before we all arrive this Monday February 11th. Watching her pack last night reminded me of the 100 things I needed to do before leaving, the least of which is stopping my mail for two weeks and paying all my February bills in advance. Looked through the Lonely Planet guide while drinking coffee this morning and am very excited about the trip.

Gidday....the Aussies are coming

Gidday....the Aussies are coming? But actually, there's only one Aussie on the trip (Leon), as the last time I looked my Passport still said New Zealander!! I'm sure we won't disappoint though and will be able to fill you all in on some of the Aussie slang cobbers. We are both geared up and really looking forward to the experience. See you there.

Mike

Our Itinerary

First Kiwi off and away...

well, almost. I head out Weds morning and will be up past midnight no doubt, trying to make everything perfect. Silly little things, like... let's post something on the blog! So I'm new to blogs, forgive me if I mess it up. I'm Kim, owner of Downunder Kayaking, and leader of the first Downunder Adventures trip - Northland 2008. It's been a blast putting it together, and if you visit my website www.downunderkayaking.com, the New Zealand page, you can download the actual itinerary. AND see what trips we're lining up for 2009. I'm very excited about this trip - it's an amazing group - 7 Americans, 2 Kiwis (me included), and 2 Aussies (take what we can get, aye). Keep checking back - we'll be uploading photos and hopefully video, as we go. Cheers, Kim

Getting Together

Looking forward to meeting all the other  kiwi adventurers on Monday: the  Australians - Michael & Leon , New Zealander Raewyn,  Kim who will have been there for a few days and Michelle and Nancy who will have had some adventures in Auckland to tell us about.  And of course Tim, our tour guide and driver & Michael our tour coordinators (Allen is tour guide & driver Feb 21). 

Our travel blog

Hi Everyone! 

This blog is set up so that all our friends and family can view our travels. Visitors can view and add comments and trip participants can post their own additions.  I have sent an email that explains how to edit or post.  If you have questions you can email me at juba63@gmail.com or we can do it in New Zealand.  Safe travels and see you there!

Countdown

One week - give or take -  February 11th at 5AM when Mark, Larissa, Christina, Chris and myself touchdown in New Zealand. As we all scramble to get things into place our Great Kiwi Adventure is about to begin. I know I am looking forward to all things kiwi. Fortunately we'll have plenty of time to learn the kiwi lingo on the plane ride there.