Get Thee to a Cattery

New Zealand has much more to offer than amazing scenery, great food and wine and the All Blacks, the Rugby World Cup Champions of 2011.  It also has catteries.  We first saw a sign for a cattery when we were driving on the North Island out of Auckland on the Coramandel Peninsula.  Some catteries are stand-alone businesses while others are paired with kennels, where people can board their dogs.  We saw more signs for catteries as we drove south from Napier to Wellington, and then again when we crossed the Cook Channel making the trip to the South Island. 

The three-hour trip across the Channel is made on the Interislander Ferry, which carries up to 1650 passengers and has three levels of parking for trucks, cars and motorcycles. We had done something of a test run the day before, driving into Wellington to go to the Te Papa museum.  It was featuring an exhibit on two hundred years of Wedding Dress history, something that Annie and Marley had on their radar from the moment they saw a pamphlet on it when we were in Auckland.  While the girls did that, Ben and I checked out some of the other displays in the impressive (free of charge) museum, enjoying the ones on earthquakes and volcanoes and on animals native to New Zealand, including the legendary and extinct Moa, which is one of Ben’s favorites because it’s featured in Halo. 

Once we had seen all the wedding dresses and large species extinct or otherwise we felt we needed to see, we walked out onto the streets of Wellington and were met with what the forecasters had described in typical reserved New Zealander fashion as “strong westerlies.”  The last time I had experienced winds of this strength, I was at a Bengals game, reading at a text from Annie saying that a tree had fallen onto our house thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Ike.  These light, breezy conditions made exploring Downtown Wellington a rather difficult proposition, so we piled back into our Nissan Bluebird and made our way back to our rental house.  We took advantage of the kitchen facilities there and enjoyed a home-cooked meal before settling into what’s become our routine of watching a movie at night with the kids.

Getting to the ferry in time for the 7:25am check-in meant a 5:30am wake up call for us at our rental house in Waikanae Beach, about a 50-minute drive from Wellington.  We’ve gotten pretty good at executing transition days as travelers, and everyone was in the car by our desired 6:30am departure.  I was happy to see very light traffic, and Annie helpfully reminded me that it was a Saturday.  I’ve found myself losing track of what day it is on this trip, and this was another reminder of that.  Once we got checked in at the port where the ferry departed, Ben and Marley gave us a good laugh as we waited in line to get on the massive ship.  The rear portion of the Interislander was raised up into the air, as cars and trucks and motor homes made their way on board.  Marley said “eat us ferry, eat us, nom nom nom!” and then Ben said, pretty randomly, “BELIEVE in the nom!”  I’m telling you, there is something wrong with that child.

Once we got our car parked, we got our butts parked in some highly desired reclining seats on the 7^th level of the ship in a so-called “quiet zone”.  That was quickly shattered by a woman with a two-year old and her infant.  The infant clearly couldn’t read as it cried for what seemed like an eternity.  Marley and I escaped the cacophony and went up on the top deck, the 10^th level, to take in the view as ship left the port of Wellington.   

As the ferry turned out into the open sea between the two land masses, the wind picked up to the point where it was difficult the breathe, and my face was flapping in the wind like that famous clip of the pilot experiencing extreme G-forces from back in the 40s or whenever.  Not wanting to get blown off the top deck, Marley and I retreated back inside and explored the ship a bit, while Annie and Ben nodded off thanks in part to the effects of the motion sickness medicine they had taken before we headed for the ferry. 

About two hours into the voyage, the scenery surrounded us as the ship snaked its way through the islands on the north tip of the South Island.  Dolphins swam by at one point on both sides of the ship, as passengers scurried to the windows and railings to catch a glimpse. 

Shortly after that it was time to pull into the port of Picton and continue on southward by car toward the scenic west coast of the South Island.  The drive in that direction featured even more stunning landscapes than we had seen on the North Island.  The views went on for miles as we covered about 350 kilometers on a gray afternoon. 

It reminded me of parts of the US Rocky Mountain region, but more accessible with broader valleys, with fields large enough for herds of sheep to have plenty of space to graze.  Instead of hugging the contours of the mountains, the highway followed the bends in the Buller River, which cut a wide swath through the peaks and made for a very enjoyable drive.

When we got to Greymouth, the first city we hit on the west coast, the name of the town turned out to be very descriptive.  It seemed to be cloaked in several shades of grey, and gave off the aura that you get when you’ve slept for a while with your mouth open.  That made it easy to continue south on Highway Six, with the target now a town called Hokitika.  On the drive through the mountains, Annie had scouted it out in a free guidebook that I picked up on the ferry, that gave brief descriptions of cities and accommodations along the way.  We found a place called the Jade Motel that had some rooms big enough for a family of four, and also had two cats on the property.  As a family missing their brood of a half dozen cats and a dog, that had a great deal of appeal. 

Upon pulling into the parking lot and finding the office, we inquired about a vacancy.  After some moderate-level negotiations, I managed to obtain a discount of a little more than ten percent and we made our way into the unit that featured a queen bed in the main living area and a bedroom with a pair of single beds.  That suited the  needs of a married couple with 11-year old twins, so we pulled up to our room in a driving rainstorm and hustled our luggage into the room.  The possibility of a cat or two piqued our interest, and a check of the in-room information about the Jade Motel revealed that the name of the two cats on the property were Puddy-Cat and Abby.  Puddy-Cat was a grey tabby with white boots and Abby was a black cat, just like our black cat back in Cincinnati.  That brings to mind that we’ve been informed by our friend renting our house in Madiera  that his 7-year old daughter has re-named five of the six members of our herd at home.  Abby, our overweight black cat is now Bowling Ball, Romeo, the orange tabby is now Peanut Butter,  Marvin, our well-fed tabby is Princess,  Josie Rosie, our fluffy black cat is Smokey, Leon, the skinny tabby-white is Angel.  Ellie, Annie’s personal feline is still Ellie, which is really the only name she could ever have. 

A quick check of the grounds of the Jade Motel revealed that Puddy-Cat was hanging out across the parking lot near unit 8.  We were in unit 10 and figured it had to be an upgrade from an inferior single-digit unit, and with the appropriate whistles and calls, Puddy-Cat responded to her name and scurried across the parking lot into our room. 

It’s hard to say who was more delighted by this development.  Puddy-Cat was out of the rain, being dried off by a warm towel provided by Marley, while we were all thrilled to have some kitty companionship for the first time since Fiji, about three weeks ago.  Puddy-Cat settled in for the evening, spending the night purring away on the bed, happily snuggled in at what became, at least for the night,  the Bangert Cattery.  We hope to franchise it along the way. 

Kiwis, sheep and vineyards

There are two different types of Kiwis in New Zealand:  the bird and the fruit.  New Zealanders call themselves Kiwis and I haven’t found out yet which variety of Kiwi the nickname comes from.  My guess would be the bird, as they clearly love the species, which is rarely seen in the wild.  They do have several places where Kiwis are protected, including the Kiwi Adventure Park we saw in Rotorua, also at the National Aquarium in Napier, and at a nature preserve near Wellington. 

Ben and Marley love the Kiwis and bought a stuffed bird they have named Waku, I think it’s from one of the tribe names from Survivor sometime back.  And while we haven’t seen Kiwis in the wild yet, we’ve seen plenty of sheep.  Large herds of sheep dotted the fields as we drove from Napier to Waikanae Beach north of Wellington, where we are spending the last two days of our time on the North Island.  I was going to try to stop and take a picture of the sheep but I think everyone pretty much knows what they look like. 

One thing I wish I would have been able to take a picture but couldn’t due to the busy highway we were on was sheep wandering through vineyards. That occasional vignette combined two of the most prominent features of the middle part of the North Island.  Napier is in the heart of Hawke’s Bay, which is home to many vineyards.  The mild, frost-free climate makes for excellent grape growing conditions and the wineries advertise all over the place.  The woman we rented our cottage from in Napier suggested going to one called The Mission, so we took the 15 minute drive to an area called Taradale to check it out. 

It’s a beautiful building nestled into a hillside that was once a seminary.  The weather co-operated again as we had a cloudless sky with comfortable temperatures as we were guided to a table outside, close to the building under a patio umbrella.  We arrived with no reservations for lunch, which I didn’t know you would need, but once outside, you could see where the people with bookings were seated.  There were a handful of long tables in a lawn area with about a dozen people seated around them, plus some four-tops also out on the lawn with a nice view of the impressive building and the views of the valley where the grapes were grown. 

Being at a winery, we had to get a bottle of wine, which was very good, but not as good as the food.  We all agreed our meals were the best ones we had by far so far on the trip, and the prices were reasonable for such quality.  Annie had the fish feature of the day, (can’t recall the name but it was deeeee-lish!) and I had the prawns, which were possibly the best I’d ever had.  After lunch we wandered around the grounds and inside the building where they had wine for sale and pictures of the history of the property.  They’ve had some big outdoor concerts there in an area just to the left of the building where there is a natural ampitheater.  Rod Stewart played there in 2005 (I wonder if he played the same song twice like he did when I saw him in West Virginia in the mid 80s?) according to a newspaper article on the show that was on display there.  Sting also apparently played there as well at some point. 

With it being such a pretty day, we headed back to the cottage to grab swimsuits for the kids, and went back to the beach at the Napier waterfront.  Ben and Marley had an absolute blast playing in the waves and on the beach.  They are a lot of fun to watch as they run around on the pebbly surface, scampering into and then out of the water as it washes ashore. 

After about a half-hour to 45 minutes, it was getting near dinnertime, so we gave them a ten minute warning to wrap things up.  That time was cut about in half as Marley was sitting down on the edge of the water, waiting for another wave to wash over her when Ben started running toward her from behind from further up the beach close to us.  Ben likes to jump over things and you could see this pending disaster coming almost in slow motion.  With no firm surface to plant a foot and get up into the air, he didn’t even come close to clearing his sister, firmly hitting the back of her head with his knee.  That got some serious tears flowing from Marley and Ben repeatedly said he was sorry.  We packed up our stuff and headed for some public washrooms at the I-site tourist information center so we could change and grab some dinner at a nearby restaurant that featured some tables outside. 

It was shortly before six when we went into the washroom area where they had several shower areas and changing areas.  The woman who was working there clearly wasn’t all that happy to see us, which we figured was due to the fact that it was almost time for her to go home.  When she saw that Ben and Marley were all wet, she asked in a somewhat horrified tone how they came to be in that condition.  In the back of my mind I was thinking “does she not know that there’s an ocean about 100 yards from where she works?” but instead of asking that, I said the kids had been playing in the water.  She was stunned and said rather indignantly that they shouldn’t have been doing that due to the dangerous riptides that apparently, according to her, were responsible for a drowning recently.  I assured her that we were watching the kids closely and made sure they didn’t go into the water much above their ankles.  I should have asked why there weren’t any signs advising people of the dangers of the water, but that would have meant lengthening my time on earth in the presence of this unpleasant woman, so we got the kids cleaned up and headed across the street to dinner.  Since the locals won’t do it, I will:  Stay out of the ocean on the beach at the Napier Waterfront.  And if you’re looking for free parking on the main road there, called Marine Parade, there are some spaces just south of the waterfront area by some backpacker hotels and across from the skate park that don’t have any meters on them.  You’re welcome.

If it's Tuesday, this must be Napier

Circumstances led us to staying in five different places in five straight nights.  Our original plan was to leave Auckland and hit the Bay of Plenty area along the eastern seaboard of New Zealand for three nights.  The drive in the scenic Coramandel Peninsula area changed that, as we could resist the charm of the town of Coramandel.  Then, hitting Rotorua on a weekend in the midst of the locals summer vacation season meant one night stays in two separate hotels.  Packing as lightly as we have for our year-long journey, we’ve gotten pretty efficient at getting our luggage together quickly on each transition morning.

Sunday night was the first of four nights we had booked at a cottage in Napier, a town in the heart of the Hawke’s Bay region.  An earthquake devastated Napier in 1931 and the downtown area was rebuilt in the Art Deco style.  The city celebrates its architectural heritage, hosting an Art Deco weekend each summer, this years’ is coming up in about one month. 

The sun came out on Monday and the city responded by coming to life.  The streets filled with people on their holiday:  families like us with children, empty-nesters enjoying time together and the ever-present backpackers.  Napier caters to the backpacking crowd more than any city we’ve seen.  There are several “backpacker” hotels, and a youth hostel, all offering inexpensive accommodations, some sporting signs for rooms costing as little as $19 a night.  That’s a per-person rate, and somewhere along the way we’ll probably be staying at such a place, especially if it’s for just one night.  With four nights scheduled in Napier, we found a cozy three-bedroom cottage in a hillside neighborhood.  The owner seemed to like our story that I shared with her in an email and I managed to get her to give us the fourth night free, which helped convince us to book the cottage.  Marley and Ben are loving having their own rooms, even if our goofball son has decided to make his sleeping area the floor between the two single beds in his room. Marley did some decorating to give her room a homey feel.

Napier is a coastal town, the beach is dark grey volcanic sand with some pretty good waves that the kids have enjoyed dodging.  It’s been fun to see the two of them bonding, making up their own games and sayings.  Marley likes to make mini-movies on the laptop with Ben as the “talent”.   We’ve also become avid mini-golfers, as Napier boasts a seaside 36-hole layout.  It’s not the acclaimed Cape Kidnappers golf course on the dramatic New Zealand coastline just south of here, but it also doesn’t cost more than $400 dollars to play, which is what Cape Kidnappers will set you back. 

Monday night, while Marley was playing Steven Speilberg, Annie and I drove to the nearby port area of Ahuriri, which has several restaurants surrounding a marina.  It gave us the chance to have a kid-free evening and we were treated to a gorgeous sunset.

Tuesday brought more sunshine, and we enjoyed another round of mini-golf (yours truly successfully defending his title from the day before) and strolled around the sunlit streets.  Finding wi-fi has been a daily challenge as our cozy cottage has no internet connectivity.  The public library offers wi-fi for $2 for 30 minutes, so Annie got the kids set up on some home school activities there, while I tried to find the free internet offered by Napier in a four-block area of its Central Business District.  Turns out it’s only good for 15 minutes and it’s pretty slow, but we did find an internet option at the Masonic Hotel and the Med Restaurant.  After getting some online business done and the all important Facebook updates posted, we checked out the National Aquarium of New Zealand, a short drive down the Marine Parade, which is the name of the road that heads south along the coast.  The Aquarium featured an impressive array, including an Oceanarium with a glass tunnel which enabled you to walk underneath swimming sharks and rays.  We considered it a field trip for the kids, and they were thrilled to see another Kiwi bird, which the Aquarium featured in it’s Kiwi enclosure.  Hopefully the weather continues to co-operate and we see more sun than clouds in the days to come.

Rainarama

Many of the towns and villages that we’ve come across in New Zealand have a repeating series of syllables in their names.  Kerekere, Katikati, Whatawhata, Pukemoremore and even Ramarama.  What an amazing place that must be to live if you’re into ramas.  Every rama MUST come there!  Homearama, travelrama, golfarama, maybe even Gravelrama.  Not having time/desire to further investigate the splendor and possibilities that Ramarama offered, we forged ahead to Rotorua, and after spending the first night there at a spacious yet pricey Best Western that only had one night available, we traveled a few kilometers across town to a more cozy and affordable Kingsgate Resort.  At least they’ve updated the lobby because it was nice and inviting.  The rest of the property screamed “dated!”  I expected to turn on the TV and see a preview for Jaws or Towering Inferno--coming this summer!  It would be the first time we would all be sleeping in the same room, which worked out fine after Annie called down to the front desk to get a rollaway so Ben wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor like he did the night before despite the fact that the room he and his sister were in had two beds.  What a goofball, wonder where he gets that from! 

After a sun-splashed day on Friday, Saturday was grey and damp but that didn’t stop us from hitting the New Zealand mini-golf close to our hotel.  The woman at the counter was quite friendly and explained how we would see a cornucopia of wildlife on the course.   That’s if you count three rabbits and some pigeons. 

 

We braved the light rain that showed up on the 5^th hole and stayed with us through the round, and Annie, being the mudder that she is, prevailed with a low score of 42, thanks to a pair of aces.  As the rain continued to fall, we headed into Rotorua for some brunch at Fat Dog Café.  An attempt at an early check in at Kingsgate was denied, so we headed back in the direction of the mini-golf where a Kiwi Adventure was nearby.  Learning more about the native birds of New Zealand was high at the top of the “to-do” list for Marley and Ben.  The story of the Kiwi is fascinating and lived up to the high expectations our kids had.  The kiwi birds are tightly protected to the point where no photos are allowed in their habitat. We captured some of the other specimens they had on display there, mostly birds and lizards.  It turned out to be about an hour long stop, well worth the time and money.

The rain continued to fall as we attempted to head out for dinner Saturday evening.   However, something seemed odd as I put the key into the driver’s side door and turned it to unlock the other three doors.  The other locks didn’t respond, so I got in, unlocked the doors for everyone else, put the key in the ignition and turned.  Nothing.  Apparently I had left the lights in the “on” position while driving around in the rain during the day, and either the warning beep when I parked the car at the motel didn’t go off, or I missed it in my excitement over my Kiwi Adventure.  I went to the reception desk in the lobby and no one had any jumper cables, but they had over booked the hotel (in fact earlier in the afternoon when we were all in our cozy room, an Asian man with a key to our room tried to get in with his son, but I had the chain on the door and rebuffed his attempts to make our room even cozier-although there was room on the deck that looked ready to collapse) and one of the workers was taking the motel van and about a dozen guests to a sister property and someone over there had cables and he would bring them back in about 20 minutes.  As the kids explored the outdoor areas of the hotel, Annie and I grabbed a beer in the bar and I saw my first televised golf since leaving the states.  After about 15 minutes, the hotel worker returned with the van and jumper cables but also had a somewhat concerned look on his face.  He led me out to the van and its battery was completely enclosed, making it useless for our task.  I started looking around for a potential jumping partner and a Land Rover filled with a family pulled in.  The driver, a redhead with an obvious sense of adventure and a strong New Zealand accent didn’t hesitate at all in helping us out in our plight.  One false start and a readjustment of the cables and the Nissan Bluebird roared to life and we were on our way to dinner, where we plotted our strategy for catching at least some of the Bengals/Texans playoff game the next morning.

The “rainiest summer we’ve ever had/seen in years” as we heard from more than one local continued Sunday morning as we checked out of the Kingsgate after taking advantage of the free breakfast before heading out.  The main attractions in the Rotorua area are the Maori villages where you can see tribal dances, and the geothermal springs.  Rainy weather gets in the way of enjoying either of those, so we headed toward our next stop of Napier with a slight feeling of emptiness having not been able to explore either of those activities.  We hoped to possibly hit the town of Taupo along the way to grab some food and hopefully some wi-fi to catch the Bengals game but right on the edge of Rotorua was Te Puia, which boasted of Maori displays and some geothermal activity.  However, the admission price was almost $160 dollars, so we piled back into the Bluebird and continued on our way hoping we would find a similar but less expensive option.

About ten kilometers down the road just such an option presented itself in the form of The Waikoto Geothermal Wonderland.  It was about half the cost of Te Puia,  so, after making some contact with friends and family back in Cincinnati to keep us updated on the Bengals playoff game, we walked through the gift shop and hit the trails.  It was fascinating to see the thermal pools up close, and read the history of the region and how the pools were formed over tens of thousands of years. 

Forty five minutes or so were enough for us,  so it was back into the Bluebird and south toward Taupo as the Bengals were trying to stay competitive with the Texans, down 17-10.  Taupo was about a half hour away and as we pulled into town to try to find some internet connectivity, the Bengals had fallen behind 24-10 and from the reviews from the homefront, it wasn’t looking pretty.  None of us were all that hungry anyway, but we did pause at the McDonalds to get a picture of Air Ronald before getting back on Route 5, and taking the scenic two-hour drive to Napier.  It had been on our radar since early last year, once we started planning this trip and deciding to make New Zealand our first major stop.  Napier is billed as one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture anywhere in the world, so Annie and I were stoked to be ensconced in one of our favorite design styles and to be off the road for most of this week.

Magicality!

What an adventure it has been to travel around this magical country! We have had spotty access to internet so I going back a few days to touch on our ferry ride to the town of Devonport just Northeast of Auckland. It was a wonderful bay town that reminded me of Mackinac Island off of the northeast coast of Michigan. I had no idea that they would have a plethora of Arts & Crafts cottages that reflect our favorite architecture. In order to walk to see some of them, we had to walk up a very steep hill. The kids were not as up to the task and befriended a cat near a bench on the climb. While they got their feline fix, Bill and I went off for an architecture fix.

The cottages were adorable and had great views of the Auckland port and harbors. The British influence is evidenced in the shingle style architecture with the exposed rafter tails, interesting mullion patterns and wide gables…they made my heart sing. If only there was a way I could be there to spend a day doing open houses, I would be insanely happy!!

As we packed up and left Auckland, Bill blogged about our adventures driving through the Coromandel peninsula. I must admit, this is when my heart really felt that we were taking the most magical trip of a lifetime. Fiji was a wonderful launch point and felt like a much needed vacation. The city of Auckland was a wonderful stop as well, although with summer holidays in full force, much of Auckland was closed.

Hopping in our rental with Bill manning the steering wheel on a “different” side of the car and leaving the city behind us…left us with a very loose agenda and exploring to do. Very quickly as we left Auckland behind us, the beauty of NZ opened up. We chatted about how we both had thought over the years that a trip to NZ and Australia was a dream that would always be out of reach.

It was a trip that would take an unusually long vacation commitment and a large amount of good old American cash. Now that we are here, it is obvious that doing both countries in two or three weeks would not be worthy and would leave one exhausted and disappointed.

To be here knowing that we are actually not only in New Zealand for a month but also spending a month in Australia brings tears to my eyes as I write this. We are so grateful for the opportunity, courage, luck, and spiritual support of this adventure. We know we are truly blessed.

OK….so one request, could Father Sky and Mother Earth maybe bring out the sunshine? We are in the vacationing area of Rotorura and have been told that this is the rainiest season in 65 years! Despite the constant drizzle, we got out and about today….got the family putt-putt contest in where Bill has a measured consistency but I kept the family title by scoring two aces to give my inconsistent putting another day on the family putt-putt leader board.

We also went to a preserve where we got to see plant and animal life of NZ. The highlight was being able to actually see the Kiwi bird. This endangered bird that is unable to fly and actually burrows into the ground for nesting won all of our hearts. Ben and Marley added one small stuffed Kiwi to our family and named her Waku.

Tomorrow, we head to an “Art Deco” crafted town called Napier. There is a unique history to their Art Deco nature we can share on other posts.

We are going to be there for 4 days so it will give us the chance to settle in a bit and get familiar with an area like we did Auckland. We are trying to strike the balance between daily nomadic moves and longer stays. We are a good traveling team….thanks for reading along!!

Private Universe

Our stop in Coramandel was an example of the joys of unscheduled travel.  The quaint little village was a perfect counterpoint to our week in Auckland, and was a pleasant change from that urban setting.  It was also our first exposure to the beauty that is the New Zealand landscape.

We just had to see more of it, so we threw everything back into our Nissan Bluebird and got back on the twisty, snaking highway 25 heading east, then south, and then, well northeastsouthwestnorthsoutheastnorthnortheasteast. The road had a few turns in it, and, still getting used to driving a car from the passenger side, I was happy when we hit a more straight stretch.  For the time being, we avoided any car sickness (hmmm, was that some foreshadowing right there?), and continued in the general direction of Tauranga, a resort area on the coast, but not before pulling over a few times to take in more of the grandeur of the Kiwi scenery. 

An online check before we headed out came up empty on a place to stay for the night, but we had hopes that a stop at the I-Site information booth in town could help us in Tauranga, just as it had the previous night in Coramandel.  Tauranga was bustling with people when we pulled into an open parking spot on the street, and we walked a few blocks to the I-Site location.  Just like what happened with Mary and Joseph and that adorable little baby of theirs, (no crying he made!) we were informed that there were no rooms at any of the Inns in Tauranga because of a triathlon the next day and some youth athletic games that weekend.  Once again, fate helped make our decision because we were having trouble deciding on whether or not to head to Rotorua, a spot about an hour inland, popular for it's geo-thermal springs.  

Before leaving Tauranga, I stopped in a music/video store and picked up a copy of the greatest hits of Crowded House.  They are a New Zealand band who had a few hits in the 80s and 90s, and I felt like having some Kiwi music playing as we drove.  My favorite song of theirs is Private Universe, and that's what I felt like Annie and the kids and I were in as we continued our adventure.  The ride toward Rotorua was scenic and uneventful and we were enjoying the tunes when simultaneously Annie said "What is that smell?" and I said "Did someone throw up?" Ben provided a quick end to the mystery by saying "Marley did!"  Fortunately our industrious young lady had been holding a plastic bag close by her as she felt uneasy from our weaving ride and she managed to keep everything inside the bag and not deflower our Bluebird and its 73 thousand kilometers and cloth seats.  Marley recovered quite nicely and we disposed of the bag and its contents and after passing a few lodges and motels with a NO in front of the vacancy sign, we found a Best Western with one room left for the night but nothing for the following night.  We had hoped to find a place for two straight nights but after about three hours of driving (there is a town in the area called Te Puke which had some karma considering Marley's episode) the decision was made to stay there for the night, despite the higher-than-we-wanted-to-pay price.  Once in the room, I got online and found a hotel in town with room for all of us the following night at a much lower price.

Rotorua turned out to be a nicer area than we expected it to be.  Pamphlets that proliferate tourist information areas tout it almost like a Pigeon Forge, with all kinds of rides and attractions for the family, but they don't mention that it has a very nice town area, including a section where the street is blocked off for al fresco dining.  It was a little chilly for our tastes to do that, but we did find a nice affordable Italian restaurant where Marley had what she described as the best pizza she's had on the trip.

One advantage to Marley's regurgitation in the car was it prepared us for one feature of Rotorua.  This place smells, thanks to the sulfur in the air from the springs that first drew people to this area.  It's not present all the time, but when it is, it is unavoidable.  

The biggest discovery for me so far on this trip is that I really like my family.  You get so busy during your every day life that you spend more time being at work and then getting homework done and getting to piano practice or football practice that it's hard to slow down and just enjoy the company of one another.  If nothing else, this trip is providing that opportunity.  Sure, being around a pair of 11 year olds 24/7 can be a bit taxing at times, but they are great kids who are slowly becoming fascinating adults.  It promises to be an interesting few months ahead as we continue to explore our own private universe.

Left is right!

After almost a week of being in New Zealand's largest city, we were ready to put Auckland in our rear view mirror and head out into this beautiful country.  Auckland was fun and diverse and picturesque, especially when we took a ferry across the harbour to the North Shore and the charming port town of Devonport.

Heading out into the hinterlands meant that no longer could we leave the driving to someone else.  Instead, for the first time, I was going to have to get into the right side of the car and drive on the left side of the road.  I had been trying to pay attention to the driving patterns as we walked around Auckland and as we rode in taxis, but until you grasp the wheel with your family and belongings piled in, you don't realize how different it is.  Fortunately, the drive from the rental car place to the highway was very short, so I got to get accustomed to looking to my left for the middle mirror while going with traffic traveling in the same direction and at roughly the same speed.

Annie was a great navigator as we decided to go toward the Coramandel Peninsula to the south and east of Auckland.  After about an hour, we were on the peninsula's west side and started the gorgeous drive to the north.  With no reserved place to stay for the night, we drove along with no agenda, and stopped for lunch at a town called Thames.  As fortune would have it, one of the main streets through the town, Pollen was closed down for some sort of Market Day, with vendors selling all varieties of trinkets and clothing.

One thing that was not being sold was food, and Annie had been fighting off a craving for Indian food, so, much to Marley's displeasure we stopped at the Taj Curry House.

No pizza could be found on the menu, so we ordered some "chips" for Marley while Annie tried Butter Chicken for the first time and I decided to compare their Chicken Tikka Masala with those I had eaten in Cincinnati.  

Marley normally orders lemonade when we're eating out and we discovered in Fiji that such an order will get you a nice frosty can of Sprite, mainly because there is a lemon on the can.  That has added a drink option to her repertoire which has been a positive.  

Our hunger satisfied, we got back in the car with the steering wheel on the wrong side, and headed back up the peninsula.  At first, it was reminiscent of Virginia, with sweeping valleys and green mountains, but then as we got deeper into the drive, it became more a mix of Switzerland and Hawaii.  Tropical vegetation covered green hillsides, at times giving way to verdant fields.  The road was very winding and twisting but filled with amazing views.  Every few kilometres there would be what they call car bays, where you could pull over and take in the vista.

A craving for ice cream had us planning to stop at the next major town, Coramandel and we pulled in around 4pm.  It was charming with a somewhat rustic feel, which Marley described a "wild west" town.  A glance at the map showed that the next stop was something of an hour and a half to a two hour drive on winding roads that this Yankee driver had had his fill of for the day.   We went to the local I-site office and a few quick calls from the helpful staff found us a cute two bedroom cottage that was a bit above our budget, but it had a swimming pool and wi-fi, so we took the plunge.  A great spot to start our trek south through New Zealand's North Island.