Kevin and I just got back from two weeks in New Zealand. It was AMAZING and we had so much fun. We did so much it will be hard to summarize it but I want to include it in my book so I'm going to split it up by the areas we visited. First up, Bay of Islands. This was on the northern part of the North Island and was the most tropical area we visited. It was right on the ocean and has a group of about 140 small islands in the area. We stayed in a little coastal town called Paihia.
There were several historical areas in this little town, including sites where Christian missionaries first landed and integrated with the Maori people. Below is a Huge tree we saw there, see Kevin underneath?
We went sailing out to an island the second day we were there. Neither of us had ever been on a sailboat and I thought it would be fun. We were on the boat with about 6 other people, several from the UK, Australia, and a German. I rarely met any Americans the whole time we were in New Zealand, it was rare to hear anyone that talked like me!
We had a pretty leisurely sail out to a little island where we stopped at an island for lunch, hiking, and to kayak. Glen, our captain, had to boat us over to the island in his "dinghy" as he called it. It was rather tiny and I was amazed we didn't fall in the water.
We hiked to the top of the Island where we found this amazing view. Apparently most of these Islands are protected land by the government in New Zealand and are considered nature preserves. Some of them have homes on them that people have to helicopter in to to reach. Can you imagine??
We also went Kayking a little but it was so windy it was hard to get to far in the bay as we kept blowing back towards shore.
The sailing on the way back to Paihia was quite a different experience from the way there. It was so windy we sailed the whole way back on the side. Apparently this is how most sail boats go but I had no idea. All I know is we were tipped so far over my feet were dragging in the water and everyone had to be on one side of the boat so we wouldn't end up in the water. Our captain let the German tourist take the steer for a while at this point while he did the lunch dishes . I did not think this was the greatest idea as we were sailing sideways.
Anyway, it was quite an adventure. I'm glad I did it once, not sure if I would want to do it again. We were able to see the Island that Captain Cook first landed when he came to the North Island in New Zealand.
There were several hiking trails in this area and waterfalls. Unlike America where there are rails keeping you from falling to such falls, there are none of those in NZ. We could get very close to the water.
I was amazed by all the lemon and orange trees that were growing everywhere and the huge palm trees. They were beautiful.
Kevin and I just got back from two weeks in New Zealand. It was AMAZING and we had so much fun. We did so much it will be hard to summarize it but I want to include it in my book so I'm going to split it up by the areas we visited. First up, Bay of Islands. This was on the northern part of the North Island and was the most tropical area we visited. It was right on the ocean and has a group of about 140 small islands in the area. We stayed in a little coastal town called Paihia. 
There were several historical areas in this little town, including sites where Christian missionaries first landed and integrated with the Maori people. Below is a Huge tree we saw there, see Kevin underneath? 
We went sailing out to an island the second day we were there. Neither of us had ever been on a sailboat and I thought it would be fun. We were on the boat with about 6 other people, several from the UK, Australia, and a German. I rarely met any Americans the whole time we were in New Zealand, it was rare to hear anyone that talked like me! 
We had a pretty leisurely sail out to a little island where we stopped at an island for lunch, hiking, and to kayak. Glen, our captain, had to boat us over to the island in his "dinghy" as he called it. It was rather tiny and I was amazed we didn't fall in the water. 
We hiked to the top of the Island where we found this amazing view. Apparently most of these Islands are protected land by the government in New Zealand and are considered nature preserves. Some of them have homes on them that people have to helicopter in to to reach. Can you imagine?? 
We also went Kayking a little but it was so windy it was hard to get to far in the bay as we kept blowing back towards shore.
There were several hiking trails in this area and waterfalls. Unlike America where there are rails keeping you from falling to such falls, there are none of those in NZ. We could get very close to the water. 
I was amazed by all the lemon and orange trees that were growing everywhere and the huge palm trees. They were beautiful. 
2 comments:
It looks like so much fun!! Can't wait to hear more! :)
Wow that sounds like an awesome trip. What beautiful sights you saw and that is neat that you went sailing. I also look forward to reading more about your trip.
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