Dream, Explore, Discover…

 

As the years go by people are more disappointed by the things they didn’t do than what they did.  So sail from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds and dream, explore, discover…

Rainbow Falls

 

This is Rainbow Falls and the connecting trails by Kerikeri.  The waterfalls and the hiking trails were so beautiful it made me teary. I’m not sure if it was because they were so magnificent or because we are leaving it all in a few days.

It’s easy to fall in love with New Zealand

 

We drove up the coast and stopped in the Doubtless Bay then continued to the northern most tip of New Zealand.  It was a long drive but worth the effort.  There were lush cliff sides that zigzagged down to silky sand beaches.  

Also as usual there were very few people..

Te Awa Lodge

 

We are staying at the Te Awa Lodge with our cottage facing a raging river.  It has a lovely zen sound day and night.  The only lights at night are from the stars. It’s the perfect place to decompress.

The owners of the lodge are; Adilson & Martin but really their sweet poodles; Whittaker & Coco run the show.

If you are visiting the bay of islands this is where you want to stay!

The ferry to Russell Island

 

There are over 140 islands in the Bay of Islands.  We took the ferry to Russell Island and hiked to the highest peak.  I loved the path, with the thick bush and exotic birds it felt like a jungle.  But the good news is there were no snakes because there are NO snakes in New Zealand…..NONE!  One more reason to love New Zealand!

This should scare you…

 

Before leaving for New Zealand we watched a documentary about the reasons you should live in New Zealand (not just visit).  They had 15 reasons, the first ones were no surprise; a gorgeous country, good healthcare, friendly people, quality education etc.  But the last reason was; if there is an all out nuclear war New Zealand might be the most survivable place on earth to be.  All of the super powers are in the Northern Hemisphere.  In fact only 10 to 15% of the worlds population lives in the Southern Hemisphere.  So New Zealanders, in their far south, self contained environment might survive?

Maybe we should work harder at world peace…

Kerikeri / The Bay of Islands

 

Today we flew to Kerikeri and then drove along the ocean to the Bay of Islands.  We started on the southern tip of New Zealand three weeks ago and have now worked our way up to the northern tip.  We have one more week to enjoy this beautiful country.