Elise turned 3 years-old last month, and we celebrated with a trip to Taupo and Coromandel. I think I previously touched on Taupo -- it's the settlement surrounding that massive lake in the middle of the country. It's a fine place, and really reaffirms the difference between a beach-town (aka New Plymouth -- where we live) and a lake-town (waves crashing vs. lapping; surfer dudes vs. fisherman; etc.) We spent two days basically bumming/running/splashing around the lake and nearby rivers; Patrick even hired a guide to take him fly-fishing. You'll notice most of the photos are of Elise because Quenton, true to form, can't be trusted to not immediately walk off a dock.
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| After a hike with mom |
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| At Huka Falls -- "the most visited and photographed natural attraction in NZ" |
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After Taupo, it was a long drive up north to The Coromandel Peninsula, which is this beautiful finger of land jutting north between the Pacific Ocean and the Firth of Thames. Most of the peninsula is steep and hilly and covered with rainforests, while the coasts are all golden sand and gentle waves. Some highlights of our trip were: Hot Water Beach (a beach sitting on an active geothermal zone -- bring your shovel, dig a hole in the sand, and voila: instant natural hot spring); Cathedral Cove (a pretty rock formation on the beach accessible only by foot); the beach at Hahai (rope swing included) and some great wineries Elise and I checked out for her birthday-lunch. We were lucky enough to find a "bach" (see explanation below) on an avocado orchard, from which we took about 25 avocados home. It's been a guacamole-heavy month.
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| Team Avocado-Pickers |
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| Blowing out a birthday candle (which was then re-lit and used to start the evening's fire) |
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| Cathedral Cove |
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| Orchard House |
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| Hot Water Beach |
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| Birthday Girl Lunch Spread |
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| Stealing Grapes |
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| Hahai Beach |
I can't believe I forgot to mention Hobbiton! Between Taupo and Coromandel is where they filmed part of the Lord of the Rings. It's now a major NZ tourist attraction. It was raining and expensive, but we did it anyway (plus, the tour included a drink at the Green Dragon Pub across the Double Arch Bridge). Too bad it'll be 10+ years until Elise is brave enough to watch the movies.
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| Hobbits? Where are you? |
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| Spying on Party Business |
There's a term for things that are uniquely culturally specific to New Zealand, mostly pop-culture icons (foods, toys, etc.) from the mid-20th century: "kiwiana," and the term "bach," which is basically slang for a holiday home, definitely counts. Original baches (popular after WWII when roads to vacation towns were finally coming en vogue) were usually small and cheaply made (out of asbestos sheets, corrugated iron, used timber, etc.) and were off the electricity and plumbing grids. Modern-day baches are, obviously, better, (sometimes) have internet, and are subject to actual building codes, but frequently retain the same lived-in charm of earlier versions (faded pictures of random families on the mantels, out-of-tune pianos, 1980's
ornithology reference guides on the bookshelves).
Other example of Kiwiana are: Hokey Pokey Ice Cream (vanilla with toffee bits); chocolate fish (marshmallow shaped like a fish, covered in chocolate, available as a free "lollie" to kids at coffeeshops); Jandals (like flip-flops); Marmite (like its Australian cousin, Vegemite, a salty spread for toast); Silver Fern (native plant, insignia of most national sports teams and army uniforms). Lots more and I'll be sure to mention some in the coming months!
