20th March – An
unexpected, fantastic day out for me, kayaking to Waiheke Island (and back…. Just!). There is a sculpture trail along the coast on
the island and Mags (Auckland Council Ranger) had invited me to go and take a
look. Three of us met at Omana Regional
Park which offers panoramic views of Rangitoto Island and the western end
of Waiheke, where we would be pointing our bows.
View from Omana Park (above and below) |
I shared a twin kayak with another of Mag’s friends, Donna, whilst Mags went solo (right).
Kayak selfie |
It took roughly an hour and a half to reach the island and pick a suitable beach to leave the kayaks for the day.
Looking back at where we'd come from |
Sadly, we had picked a beach a
looong walk away from the beginning of the sculpture trail, about another
hour’s walk away in fact. It was worth
it though, there were some stunning and unique sculptures.
There was a courtesy bus from the end of the
trail into a nearby town where we enjoyed some much-needed cold beers and
snacks. We would have loved to have made a night of it… but sadly we
still had to find our kayaks and paddle all the way back to the mainland!
We thought we knew where we’d
left them. All we had to do was catch a
taxi as far as possible to the west, follow the walking track down to the shore
and there they would be. Or not. They
must be in the next bay then? No. This
continued until, sweaty and exhausted, we finally reached the bay containing
our key to the mainland!
Before we
started the final leg of our journey we all agreed a refreshing dip in the sea
was in order. It was bliss but the
approaching dusk motivated us to finally make a move.
Saying farewell to Waiheke we headed
back across the Hauraki Gulf, being careful not to stray into the path of the
car ferry and enjoying some stunning sunset colours:
Farewell Waiheke.... |
It felt a lot harder to paddle back, probably
because it had been such a long day! It
was completely dark by the time we dragged the kayaks up the beach to put them
away and finally head home. What a day!
23rd March – it was
the one-year anniversary of our (permanent) arrival in New Zealand. To celebrate, a group of us headed to watch a
Queen tribute band in Waiuku. This is a scary image of what Freddie Mercury may
have looked like if he was still with us today (right)! They were good, but had a limited repertoire
compared with the originals. I mean, ‘it’s a kind of magic’ was good the first
time, but the THIRD? Not so sure…..
29th March – In an attempt at increasing my native plant knowledge, today I volunteered at a conservation event at Auckland Botanic gardens.
Queuing up at the volunteer tent.... |
How to grab the publics' attention - car witha giant fantail on the roof! |
Ready to welcome the masses.... |
I did get a chance to
wander around the event during breaks, including getting my Kiwi on (left) AND
finding a charitable trust, called the Te Whangai Trust who turned out to have
a nursery in Pukekohe. I’m thinking it
may be another volunteer opportunity that could teach me some vital
horticultural skills.