Half a Dozen Memories: Hunua Falls, One Tree Hill, & Takapuna Escape Rooms
Let's go back!
You got it!
How far back?
All the way back...to July 28th & 29th of course!
RECAP
Week 1: Raglan & Rotorua with friends
Week 2: Sky Tower & Newmarket with friends
Great! We're all caught up and we're on to Week 3: Hunua Falls, One Tree Hill, & Takapuna Escape Rooms (with friends of course!). During the week of July 22nd, I got connected on WhatsApp with a nearby au pair (Malin) from Germany. We met up and she invited me to go with a group of her friends to Hunua Falls (south of Auckland) on the weekend. Originally, we were going to do a hiking trip, but the weather wasn't looking too good so it changed to the waterfall. I also invited Clara along and there ended up being 6 of us in the group!
SATURDAY, JULY 28TH
Saturday dawned a bit rainy, but Clara and I picked up Malin and drove down to the falls to meet up with the other three girls. As usual, I was the only American in the group as the others were from Germany (or Austria, in Clara's case). There weren't too many people there, which was nice for taking pictures. The falls were not extremely large, but there's just something wonderful about being near a waterfall that makes you simply enjoy the moment.
There was a little side trail we could walk on in order to get closer to the falls...so we did. The ground was a bit muddy, but not as bad as it was on another hike - I'll save that story for another blog. π We were able to get close enough to the waterfall to feel the spray from the water as it poured over the ledge.
The trail looped back to the parking lot and after a quick scrub and chemical wash of our shoes (to help prevent the Kauri Dieback disease), we were ready to head off to Waitawa Regional Park. A drive on some classic curvy and narrow NZ roads brought us to a parking lot overlooking Waitawa Bay. The view was magnificent and actually reminded me of one of the views from my previous trip to Gisborne back in June.
There was a walking track we decided to explore in order to get some exercise and a different perspective of the view. The trail was a bit muddy, but thankfully nobody had any disastrous falls! Towards the end, there was a bit of a hill to climb which got the good 'ol heart rate up. ❤ Once we looped back to our cars, we sat around a picnic table to have a snack and chat. Soon, the rain started falling so we piled back into the cars to go to Clevedon and grab a quick lunch. First, we tried stopping to get a closer view of some sheep, but they had moved away from the fence by the time we got to them.
"One Tree Hill" apparently got its name because there used to be a native Totara tree sitting at the top of the hill before it was chopped down. Then, it was replaced with a pine tree before a MΔori activist decided to take a chainsaw to it in 1994. A few years later, this tree was removed as it was dying and in danger of falling down.
You got it!
How far back?
All the way back...to July 28th & 29th of course!
RECAP
Week 1: Raglan & Rotorua with friends
Week 2: Sky Tower & Newmarket with friends
Great! We're all caught up and we're on to Week 3: Hunua Falls, One Tree Hill, & Takapuna Escape Rooms (with friends of course!). During the week of July 22nd, I got connected on WhatsApp with a nearby au pair (Malin) from Germany. We met up and she invited me to go with a group of her friends to Hunua Falls (south of Auckland) on the weekend. Originally, we were going to do a hiking trip, but the weather wasn't looking too good so it changed to the waterfall. I also invited Clara along and there ended up being 6 of us in the group!
Saturday dawned a bit rainy, but Clara and I picked up Malin and drove down to the falls to meet up with the other three girls. As usual, I was the only American in the group as the others were from Germany (or Austria, in Clara's case). There weren't too many people there, which was nice for taking pictures. The falls were not extremely large, but there's just something wonderful about being near a waterfall that makes you simply enjoy the moment.
No editing done on my part - the colors were so vivid on this day!
There was a little side trail we could walk on in order to get closer to the falls...so we did. The ground was a bit muddy, but not as bad as it was on another hike - I'll save that story for another blog. π We were able to get close enough to the waterfall to feel the spray from the water as it poured over the ledge.
German, German, American, German, Austrian, German.
After enjoying our close-up view of the falls, we took a trail through the woods to a different lookout area. At first, we thought we were on the wrong trail as it seemed to be taking us far away from the falls, but it ended up being the right path after all. From this lookout, we were able to observe the falls from afar.
The trail looped back to the parking lot and after a quick scrub and chemical wash of our shoes (to help prevent the Kauri Dieback disease), we were ready to head off to Waitawa Regional Park. A drive on some classic curvy and narrow NZ roads brought us to a parking lot overlooking Waitawa Bay. The view was magnificent and actually reminded me of one of the views from my previous trip to Gisborne back in June.
Me, in my natural tourist pose.
These are all over the walking trails in NZ so that the sheep can't escape!
Cheers to almost cresting the hill.
Clara and I were hungry for pies, but the first cafe we looked in didn't have any. At this point, the three girls from the other car were ready to head back home...so they left. Clara, Malin, and I stayed and we found our steak and cheese pies...yum! We weren't ready to head home yet, so we drove to One Tree Hill in Auckland in order to see sheep and climb to the top. It was a lovely area and we even saw a couple getting their wedding photos taken!
Hello sheep!
Such a beautiful path!
We found a map and plotted our course to the top...and then got sidetracked by a side trail. π Again, we hit some mud on our path, but still made it without any terrible falls! Partway up, we came across a dead, hollow tree that was perfect for pictures. Soon, we made it to the paved road (after Clara gave a runner a high five) and finished the trek to the top.
See the runner in the orange shirt? That's who Clara high-fived! π
This obelisk is a memorial to the MΔori people and the statue in front is of a MΔori warrior. Beneath this memorial is the grave of Sir John Logan Campbell (an important New Zealand public figure). He provided funds for this memorial to be created.
Auckland with Rangitoto in the distance.
Watching the storm roll in.
It was quite windy at the top and rain would occasionally sprinkle down on us. However, before we walked back down, Clara and I had to find a geocache. It was not too difficult to find...even with people walking around constantly. We signed our names, saw an epic rainbow, and then walked back down to the car.
Clara, Malin, and I at the top!
Isn't this rainbow stunning?!
We had to add our own paper as the log in the bottle was full.
We chose to walk down a different way in order to stay on the paved path and see new scenery. I got distracted by a tree (naturally) and had to climb it! It was perfect, but definitely easier to climb up than get down.
I think I've climbed more trees here than I did in 2017. π
I loved the view looking back on the hill.
The struggle is real here people. #NZprobs
We drove Malin back to her house and then Clara and I went out for...curry! You guys probably could have guessed that. π I took her to one of my favorite Indian restaurants in Browns Bay. We chatted for quite awhile before she dropped me off and headed back home for the evening. It was a full day!
Here's a little visual to show where we went today, starting in Browns Bay.
SUNDAY, JULY 29TH
You should know that since the beginning of July, I hadn't been feeling well. I had the classic sore throat/cold we all seem to get in winter. It had gotten a little better, but after my Raglan/Rotorua trip, my throat got worse and showed no signs of improving (no matter how many vitamins or Emergen-C packets I took). So, Sunday morning, I had had enough and decided to go into the clinic to get a culture done. It was my goal to be here in NZ for the year without having to go see the doctor, but what do you do? My first thought when walking inside was, "All clinics smell the same." π I filled out the necessary paperwork, saw the nurse, and then finally the doctor. I was told what I had was probably viral, but she gave me a prescription regardless in case the culture came back positive. Spoiler alert - it didn't.
After visiting the doctor, Clara and Annika picked me up and we went to Takapuna to do an escape room! This was Clara's first one, Annika's 3rd, and my 2nd. We grabbed some Jesters pies beforehand to give us energy (because one pie over the weekend just isn't enough...π). The room we chose was ,"Da Vinci." I won't say anything about this room except that when we took off our blindfolds, the lights were out and we only had two flashlights to help us find the clues. Oh! And we didn't get out in time...we needed maybe 2 more minutes. We were able to finish though as they gave us the extra time to solve the last puzzle. Despite not getting out in time, we really enjoyed the room and the various puzzles we had to solve.
You should know that since the beginning of July, I hadn't been feeling well. I had the classic sore throat/cold we all seem to get in winter. It had gotten a little better, but after my Raglan/Rotorua trip, my throat got worse and showed no signs of improving (no matter how many vitamins or Emergen-C packets I took). So, Sunday morning, I had had enough and decided to go into the clinic to get a culture done. It was my goal to be here in NZ for the year without having to go see the doctor, but what do you do? My first thought when walking inside was, "All clinics smell the same." π I filled out the necessary paperwork, saw the nurse, and then finally the doctor. I was told what I had was probably viral, but she gave me a prescription regardless in case the culture came back positive. Spoiler alert - it didn't.
After visiting the doctor, Clara and Annika picked me up and we went to Takapuna to do an escape room! This was Clara's first one, Annika's 3rd, and my 2nd. We grabbed some Jesters pies beforehand to give us energy (because one pie over the weekend just isn't enough...π). The room we chose was ,"Da Vinci." I won't say anything about this room except that when we took off our blindfolds, the lights were out and we only had two flashlights to help us find the clues. Oh! And we didn't get out in time...we needed maybe 2 more minutes. We were able to finish though as they gave us the extra time to solve the last puzzle. Despite not getting out in time, we really enjoyed the room and the various puzzles we had to solve.
Waiting to get into our room.
After successfully getting out in time...+2 minutes!
With the escape room complete, we moved on to Albany to get some shopping done. We stuck to the mall and had fun perusing the different stores - especially Kmart! π
I still find it hilarious that Kmart is in a mall here. Before Annika and Clara headed back north, we ate dinner at La Pasta in Browns Bay. As always, the food was delicious and very filling. We talked for awhile before heading out and officially putting an end to the weekend.
IN OTHER NEWS...
IN OTHER NEWS...
Ava and I had a tea party this week for her doll's birthday. It was quite adorable as we each had a teacup, "fork", and a piece of cake.
A new playground at Emily's school was finally completed, so the girls and I checked it out one day after Ava finished kindy. Here's a quick tour of the different features!
Friday, July 27th, I went to a farewell dinner for my friend Sarah. It was her last night here as she was flying to Indonesia the next day for a little vacation, before heading home to Germany. I got a little lost on the way - thank you Google Maps - but eventually found her house! Clara and Annika were there as well and we had the most delicious home-cooked meal...we loved it! I was also introduced to a delicious drink, "Lemon, Lime & Bitters." Seriously scrumptious. We all hung out and visited until after 11:00 p.m. I have a standing invitation to visit her in Germany where she has promised to bring me to a theater to try their kettle corn.π Of course she will also have to come to MN so I can take her to Walmart and Target because since she loves Kmart, she'll REALLY love those places. Guaranteed.
OH! And in case you didn't know...
Clara and I are heading to Fiji...tomorrow (September 8th)! We'll be there 9 days and we can't wait to hike, soak up the sun, swim with sharks?, and just relax. Because of this, I won't be posting a blog next week and I probably won't be on social media much (due to limited WiFi). So! In case your birthday is next week or something exciting happens to you, Happy Birthday!π and Congratulations!π
Week 3 = DONE! Week 4? Coming to you...after Fiji!
Week 3 = DONE! Week 4? Coming to you...after Fiji!
Comments
Post a Comment