Time Warp?!

This is my last night in New Zealand and I fly to Fiji tomorrow for sun, surf and sand!! Although apart from a couple of days and experiencing a 'southerly' in Wellington, I've had pretty much awesome weather in New Zealand for the last week, especially for winter. I've driven up in a 'rent a dent type car from Wellington via Taradale, Napier, Rotorua, Hahei (in the coromandel) to Auckland in perpetual sunshine...It's tough at the top!!

Me at Cathedral Cove

The 1950s myth?!?

Is the old adage that New Zealand is in some kind of time warp true?

Certainly driving through the Pixar inspired animated perfect countryside, with the unbelievably unrealistic vibrant green rolling hills and cloud perfect sheep, under this amazingly true blue sky, it is easy to imagine that you will soon cross paths with Ryan O'Neal selling bibles out of the back of a buick. And the people you meet are so friendly and hospitable, but the outside influences are starting to creep into into these isolated innocent islands with gangland warfare, drugs and meths labs, that its not the place I visited 13 years ago. However, having said that there is something reasurringly Dixon of dock green about a place where a 16 year old criminal can abscond from a rural police station by way of an unlocked back door. Having said that the police incompetence is nothing compared to the criminals' ineptitude. In a recent gruesome murder case, the victim's hands were removed and there was an attempt to decapitate the corpse, but this was botched so the teeth were smashed in, so the victim could not be identified. However the victim was identified and the perpetrators caught, because whilst trying to dispose of the body in the sea, the murderer's car got stuck on the beach and several ever-helpful New Zealanders lent a hand or two to assist the 'driver'in freeing the car from its prison of mud! The hand of suspicion did not have far to point when the victim's body washed up not far from where the now-free car was stuck!

The All Blacks

The road trip

I had a wonderful time catching up with Anna and David and family in Wellington especially meeting mini-me (Hester, my namesake) who is a fantastic vivacious and vital person who has a great presence and confidence for a 13 year old. With great reluctance I left them to head up to Taradale, near Napier to stay with David's niece Kim on her organic farm holding. I then headed up Mount Temata to see Hawkes Bay glistening in the morning sun at my feet, whilst the wind whistle and whipped around my head on the summit. Heading down I arrived in Napier to wander around this Art Deco town that is reminiscent of Miami with its palm trees, beach, sea and pastel coloured buildings but there the comparison ends as shop frontages spoil the original architecture. Onwards I travelled to Rotorua through the thermal valleys of hot geysers gushing epheral steam, along meandering roads that hugged mountains in hairpin bends to the sulphuric smell of rotten eggs and Rotorua.. Which actually didn't smell that bad!! Here I stayed with Anna's parents and friend's of my own folks from their days in Fiji.

The beach at Hahei

I then went onto Hahei via beautiful white beaches and interesting towns like KatiKati that has murals depicting the life of the early settlers on the walls of the shops along the main road. Hahei is stunning and is home to Cathedral Cove which is a remote beach (I'm told its popular in the summer), but at 10 am on a warm winter's morning it was all mine!! I stayed with Nadine's fantastic parents and went sea kayaking on calm waters with Jessie, Nadine's mum before waving goodbye to them and heading to Auckland and Devonport. Charging over mountains and along stretches of farm land I arrived in time to head out on my hosts' boat for the afternoon. In Auckland I am staying with another family, the Hubbards, who are great friends of Anna and David... and again amazed at their generousity in taking in a stranger to their home...

I've had such a short fleeting visit, but its been wonderful and I'm looking forward to sun, warm sea and surf in Fiji, before going to the US. I am aiming to be back in the UK about 17th September.. by then I think I will be severely enough in debt for it to be an accomplishment. Missing you all and thanks for the emails.

Keep safe and well