Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 60 - New Zealand

• Hallowe'en - not much trick-or-treating going on
• Shan finished her book on a dare - if she didn't finish by midnight, Dave got foot-rubs - came down to wire: 11:40pm

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 59 - New Zealand

• Walked in for groceries - took scenic route - relaxing day

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 58 - New Zealand

• Farted around in Thames

• Caught bus to Tairua (NZ$10 ea) to stay @ Walker's camper
• Found the camper about 30-45 min walk from town - Manaia Rd to Paku Dr to Tairua Terrace

• Nice - hot water! - great view of Tairua Bay out "dining room" window

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 57 - New Zealand

• Longest day of the trip so far!!
• Left hut about 11:45 - don't want to pay to camp any longer
• Descended on Billy Goat Track - long + hard on knees/ankles/hips - too much excess food in packs - some pretty scenery, though

• Flat part at bottom gorgeous!

• Made it to forest road by 3:30pm - walked to visitor's center
• Caught ride with last logger out
• Stayed @ Sunkist again

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 56 - New Zealand

• Hiked up to the Pinnacles - fun trail - bouldering, etc

• Nice on top - wind relief on far side - great 360* view

• Nice green valley to southeast

• Dave has balls of steel

• Relaxed rest of day
• Baked cake for dessert + used vanilla Power Gel for frosting - good! :)

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 55 - New Zealand

• Still too tired in the legs to hike up to the Pinnacles, so hiked to "The Hilltop" just across the stream by our campsite
• Trail very informal - pretty steep - fun bouldering + tree root-climbing

• Great view - not windy - Shan wished she'd brought her book

• Only about 8 people here tonight
• Good beans + cornbread for dinner

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 54 - New Zealand

• Hitched to road's end in Coromandel Forest Park - only walked 5 min before pickup
• Followed Webb Creek track to Pinnacles Hut - tough! - lots of stairs - really heavy packs - carrying a week's worth of food (or more)

• Amazing new hut - looks like a ski chalet - about 40 people here tonight
• Troubles: Pinnacles Hut is a category 1, so our hut pass is supposed to allow us to camp outside it for free - hut warden Grant says rules are different depending on region - so we have to pay NZ$12 every night to camp by the old hut - if we had stopped in at the visitor's center below, we'd have found this out - bummed!

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 53 - New Zealand

• Caught bus as far as Thames
• Checked into Sunkist Lodge - supposed ghost activity here
• Found nice open air market happening + good used bookstore
• Watched Power of One tonight - still a good movie, but great liberties taken w/ book

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 52 - New Zealand

• More movies - Via Satellite - ANTZ
• Unbelievable amount of food to carry tomorrow
• Plus 5 more books
• Bought bus pass to Wellington (NZ$99 ea)

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 51 - New Zealand

• To Newmarket for groceries
• Movies - Dr. Doolittle - Gingerbread Man

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 50 - New Zealand

• Ferry back to Auckland took 8 hrs!

• Ferry hauling cattle this time - felt bad for them - they were panicky

• Despite pity for cattle, first things we ate in city were Whoppers
• Checked into Auckland Central Backpackers again
• Checked email
• Found 3 used bookshops
• First shower in 8 days felt great

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 49 - New Zealand

• Walked into Port Fitzroy tomake phone calls, get groceries - found out ferry only leaves this town Wednesday mornings - decided to head out tomorrow
• On way back, more waterfalls, then Kauri dam ruins on Mt. Hobson (Hirakimata) Track - tougher than expected but good photos

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 48 - New Zealand

• Met fellow this morning who's worked in Alaska every summer for 10 yrs - gave us lots of info on cannery work - suggested Alyeska Ski Resort outside Anchorage for winter work + Prince of Wales Islands for cheap rentals
• Set out for Kaiarara Hut - sign @ our hut said 4 hrs
• Nice falls a few minutes from first hut

• Followed signs to forest road - sign said 4 hrs - hmmmm!!!

• Hut easy to find - right off road - just a long walk on road - about 3 hrs - arrived exactly 4 hrs after leaving first hut - guess that sign was the accurate one
• Again had hut to ourselves for awhile - joined later by 3 others who're bidding to rebuild nearby kauri dam ruins

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 47 - New Zealand

• Scouts up @ 6:30am + loud!
• Left around 8:45 for hike to hot springs - found Kaitoke hot spring area, but took wrong turn for Peach Tree hot spring

• Walked along beautiful wooded track toward Whangaparapara Rd

• Followed road to lodge store - hijinks w/ whale scapula

• Back @ hut by 1:30 - scouts left in next hour - peace! - quiet!
• Enjoyed grilled cheese snack
• Tomato-curry rice for dinner - yum
• Shan unwisely reading Stephen King's Night Shift - GB Island has no power - very dark @ night - good thing, but Shan totally spooked by her book - had to be escorted to latrine - dumbass!
• Nice fire in the stove tonight - gin + solitaire - good evening

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 46 - New Zealand

• About 10 scouts + 6 adults arrived this morning - didn't say much, just moved in - brought food for an army - 2 of the adults just returned from running a restaurant in France
• Took off to hike Whangaparapara Harbor (western side)
• Took trail past campground, came out onto beach - low tide so followed the shoreline around a couple bays

• Small cemetary

• Lighthouse Point

• Crossed tidal mud flats to get ice cream @ lodge store

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 45 - New Zealand

• Got ride to Claris
• Hiked from Claris to near the forest road between Whangaparapara + Port Fitzroy
• Got ride into Whangaparapara + trailhead
• 15-minute walk to Whangaparapara Hut - very nice - central room w/ counters on 3 walls, sink, metal-topped table, benches, wood stoves - bunk room on either side - 24 beds total
• Enjoyed being the only ones here
• Yummy bean dinner

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 44 - New Zealand

• Caught 9am ferry to Great Barrier Island (NZ$65 return ea) - thanks to John + Johanna for hosting us!

• Landed @ Tryphena
• Got 2 rides to Medlands Beach to camp
• Cool surf - very windy
• Cute lambs in paddock next door

• Camped free - no self-pay envelopes - darn!

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 43 - New Zealand

• Waiting to catch ferry to Great Barrier Island tomorrow
• Laundry
• More American TV

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 42 - New Zealand

• Got applications today to extend visitors' permits
• Stocked up on food for Great Barrier Island walk - came in a lot cheaper + lighter on this batch of food than for Cape Reinga
• Sent home a 5-kg box of unneeded stuff - NZ$50! - clothing, Oktoberfest mugs, gift book about New Zealand
• Got to watch X-Files tonight

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 41 - New Zealand

• Jo took us to nearby town so we could check out a used bookstore there - found a couple Stephen King books
• Baked chocolate chip cookies tonight - too cakey for Shan's taste, but Kevin liked them

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 40 - New Zealand

• Had a great lazy day off
• Walked perimeter of nearby regional park - got to pet a stray lamb
• Served lamb @ dinner - o, cruel fate

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 39 - New Zealand

• Caught Northliner bus to Auckland (NZ$29 ea)
• Met Mike's dad @ terminal - he brought us back to their house @ Maraetai Beach (40 in east of Auckland) - house has two large sets of window looking out onto the harbor - great view
• Went to Oktoberfest w/ Steven - got souvenir mugs - had one awful beer, then filled them with lemonade

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 38 - New Zealand

• Nearly didn't see dolphins! Finally found pod of ~10

• Pod included baby: no more than 2 months old, 3-4 ft long - very cute - took short, spazzy jumps out of the water - baby was common dolphin, had been adopted by a pod of bottlenose dolphins

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 37 - New Zealand

• Dave's birthday!
• Left Kerikeri in wrong direction - short ride w/ older fellow headed north on holiday
• Next ride from professor-seeming fellow to crossroads on Hwy 10 - walked toward Paihia - picked up by French mechanical engineer for trip into Paihia
• Looked around town
• Checked email - good gossip from Magik
• Checked into Centabay Lodge on Selwyn
• Booked Swimming w/ Dolphins with Dolphin Discoveries (NZ$72 ea) - first company of this type in Bay of Islands - good history + success rate
• Bought underwater disposable camera
• Finally found canned refried beans @ market, so had a beans/rice/broccoli feast for birthday boy

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 36 - New Zealand

• Met bus, rode down 90 Mile Beach

• Got off bus @ Giant Kauri Kingdom wood workshop
• Got ride to Manganui - walked from there onto highway - after few kilometers got ride to turnoff toward Taupo Bay - got ride in back of pickup to Kerikeri
• Stayed @ YHA - nice beds - colorful duvets

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 35 - New Zealand

• Shannon fighting ear + throat infection
• Stayed around camp rather than hike Spirits Bay to east
• After warm lunch, explored tidal pools + rocks on Tapotupotu Bay's eastern end
• Decided to catch bus tomorrow at picnic area, try to get to Paihia (+ swimming w/ dolphins) for Dave's birthday

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 34 - New Zealand

• Took Harrison's Cape Runner toward Cape Reinga (NZ$36 ea) - drove thru beautiful pine forest on what used to be sand dunes - green hilly farmland and forest now
• Got off bus where we had lunch - Tapotupotu Bay camp area ($6 ea/night)

• Set up camp next to tidal inlet

• Explored tide pools on western end of bay - awesome - lots of fun climbing on rocks + watching waves break

• Full moon tonight shining on inlet - lovely

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 33 - New Zealand

• Walked Kaitaia from end to end
• Found large Walmart-type store - found Tandia, sequel to Power of One
• Most other shops closed
• Booked bus to Cape Reinga area
• Stayed again @ YHA - owner interested in selling - Dave interested in running hostel

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 32 - New Zealand

• Took Intercity bus to Kaitaia (via Paihia) - NZ$51 each
• Arrived after close of used book store + bulk food store :(
• Stayed @ YHA hostel, 160 Commerce St - given private room for price of dorm - hostel not crowded but very nice, especially the kitchen
• Tried scone mix for coconut scones w/ banana + raisins - good - need more coconut flavor than can get from coconut cream
• Advised not to head north till Monday due to weather

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 31 - New Zealand

• Walked to Ponsonby area - upscale
• Took Link bus to Newmarket area for Woolworth's grocery - only large supermarket we could find near downtown
• Tested new oven shield w/ pineapple upside-down cake - great!
• Stayed @ ACB again

Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 30 - Fiji to New Zealand

• Flew out early to Auckland - great vibe here
• Checked into Auckland Central Backpackers
• Bought shield to convert our stove into an oven - yay - cornbread, etc
• Sightseeing in downtown Auckland