7th March 2009: Auckland International Boat Show

Soph and I decided to pay a quick visit to the Auckland International Boat Show which was being held in the Viaduct Harbour, just near our flat.

It was much the same as other boat shows I've been to: lots of boats (obviously) and toys for boats, all invariably very expensive. This show also seemed to have a surfeit of marine loos, for some reason.

The London Boat Show in Excel is certainly bigger and more swanky, but this show had a slightly more realistic feel to it. Perhaps this was because Auckland is supposed to have one of the highest boats-per-capita ratios of any city.

1st March 2009: Canoeing on the Puhoi River

We drove over to Puhoi to go canoeing on the Puhoi River. We saw the cayaking setup there when we came though before, back in August, and have meant to come back ever since.

We picked up a two-person canadian canoe, and set off to explore the river. You can get a kilometre or so upstream before it becomes a bit fast-moving and you have to get back.  After another kilometre in the other direction you reach the estuary, and drift along through the mangrove swamp until you reach the sea. Good relaxing stuff for a Sunday afternoon.

28th February 2009: Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World

Despite the cheesy name, Kelly Tarlton's is actually pretty cool. We had been meaning to go for some time and a day of awful weather provided the opportunity, since the whole place is underground.

Kelly Tarlton (a male Kelly) built the aquarium in 1985 from some old disused sewage tanks, a couple of miles out of Auckland centre. He seems to have been a bit of a pioneer in aquariums, building a domed tunnel in the tank so that visitors have fish on both sides and overhead. Back then nobody knew how to bend sheets of acrylic into curves, so he invented his own method to make the tunnel roof.

Nowadays, in addition to the impressive tunnelled tank, there is an open-topped stingray tank and a penguin enclosure containing a load of manufactured snow, and king and gentoo penguins. All the creatures were impressive and beautiful, but the vast stingrays were the best for me. A keeper gets into the stingray tank to feed them by hand while giving a talk to the audience, and they come and nuzzle her looking for food. When I say nuzzle, imagine a 2m diameter, 200kg beast launching itself up her body so that the mouth on its underside is over her hand holding the food. I only wish we had had a camera with us.

22nd February 2009: Rangitoto Island and Cornwall Park

Rich vdH and Hilary came to stay for a couple of days at the end of their holiday in NZ, and we took them to Rangitoto Island. It really is a pretty unique place - I get the feeling we will make another few trips there with visitors before we go home.

We gave ourselves three hours on the island, then inevitably packed enough in that we had to get a move on to see it all. This was made more amusing by the fact that Hilary's walking boots had died a few days earlier. When we arrived at the island the soles were not fully attached; by the time we left, one had fallen off entirely and was tied on with the ends of her shoelaces. The boots just about made it back to our flat before being consigned to the dustbin.

After that exertion we went to Cornwall Park for tea in the cafe on the side of One Tree Hill. This is the cafe we found on the coast-to-coast walk, that had its own tea sommelier. Having already eaten a sizeable lunch, we found space for a cream tea all round before a little kite-flying in the park.

13th-15th February 2009: Sailing on Waitangi

Tim and I spent another weekend racing classic yachts in Auckland. This time there were three days of racing, in the Southern Trust Classic Yacht regatta, and we were asked to crew on Waitangi, Thelma's sister ship. I joined Waitangi for all three days and Tim for the Saturday and Sunday.

The main difference between Waitangi and Thelma is that Thelma, a couple of years newer and more advanced, always wins the races. I was quite pleased to find we had consistently come third in our class, until I found out there are only three boats in our class... the other being Rainbow. We had a great time anyway, and met the usual selection of new people ranging from novices to those whose full-time occupation is sailing round the world.

Sadly the weather wasn't quite as fabulous as on previous occasions sailing Thelma and we got fairly soaked in both salt and fresh water. When the boat heels over, those who are doing jobs on the lee side can be up to their waist in the wash over the deck. We'll have a word with the weather man and see if next time we can stay a little drier.

9th-11th February 2009: Taupo

On my way home from the Tongariro Northern Circuit, I spent a couple of days in Taupo. Lake Taupo is bigger than Singapore. It is beautiful, but its size is disappointing in a way; I could hardly see the land on the other side so it was more like being by the sea.

The first day I walked to Huka Falls. They are part of the Waikato river, the only river to flow out of Lake Taupo and the longest river in New Zealand. Near the lake it's immensely clear and blue; at the falls it is channelled into a narrow gap making the most impressive rapids I've ever seen, then rages over a 10m drop. The photo doesn't really do it justice - you'll have to visit it yourself.

Huka Falls

The next day I went for a sail on the lake aboard Barbary, to see some Maori rock carvings. Seemingly I'm destined to find classic yachts wherever I go; this one was built in 1926 and belonged to Errol Flynn, reputedly after he won it in a game of cards.

Barbary

More photos here.

6th-9th February 2009: Tongariro Northern Circuit

Following on from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing walk with Tim and CHPers, I stayed on the track for another two days to complete the Northern Circuit. While they walked out to the carpark, I stopped at Ketetahi Hut for the night. This was a fairly interesting place to be for a couple of hours; around 2000 people walked the crossing that day and their exit route goes across the deck at the front of the hut. The few of us staying for the night sheltered inside from sunshine and the hordes of trampers, until the rush quieted down and we could enjoy the usual peace of the backcountry.

This was my first experience of walking alone, and I expected to be somewhat bored in the evenings. I'd packed as light as possible, having no-one to help spread the load, so the big fat novel hadn't made it into my pack. However, the wardens in both Ketetahi hut and Waihohonu hut, where I spent the next night, were much more sociable than the ones we had met on the Fiordland great walks; perhaps because the Tongariro is a much less popular walk, with often only 5-10 trampers in a hut, so it's easier to get chatting in a group.

Walking at dawn

The walking was easy too, largely over flattish scrubland, and I had a great time. One part of the track has black sand and small scrubby plants, and looks for all the world as if it's 50 yards from the shore at Piha or Karekare.

My favourite people of the tramp were a lovely French couple, Jean and Françoise, who have lived in Australia for almost 40 years. They told me enough about their grown-up grandchildren, and daughter's 40th birthday, to make me most impressed that they are still hiking with big packs on their backs. They obviously make a habit of this and have done tougher and longer walks than this one. If I'm half as fit at their age I'll be well pleased.

Françoise and Jean

More photos here.