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On day two in New Zealand, we headed to Paihia and we had a representative from Private Transfers and Tours to come and pick us up from the Sky City Hotel in Auckland to take us to the gateway to the beautiful Bay of Islands which is in Northland, also known as the First Region of New Zealand. Paihia is approximately 250 kilometres from Auckland and within 3 hours driving distance from the City of Sails.

En route we had the opportunity to take a short stop to see a Kauri tree. Northland is believed to be the region of Kauri Trees and when the westerners came they cut down most of these trees to make way for farmlands. However, there are more trees up in the north especially in Waipoua Forest where some of the trees date back to almost 2500 years or 500 B.C. One such tree is Tãne Mahuta or the Lord of the Forest as it is popularly known and is the largest living Kauri Tree in New Zealand. At Waipoua, you can take a 4 hour signature tour known as the “Twilight Encounter” which departs in the evening and is organized by Footprints Waipoua.

We also halted at Whangarei to see the Claphams Clocks Museum which has an amazing collection of clocks – the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Established in 1940, the museum is a major attraction as you come face to face with amazing timepieces, hear the unique chimes and cuckoos whilst learning about the international history of clock making. This is indeed an educational and entertaining experience for people of all age groups. From a variety of cuckoo clocks to music boxes and even a version of the Big Ben, you find an entire range of clocks all under one roof.

We arrived at the Paihia Beach Resort and Spa which is one of the finest resorts of the region having won several awards for its property including the highly coveted World Travel Awards. The 5 star resort has 21 self contained and serviced units on 4 levels and is located on Ti Bay beach which overlooks the Bay of Islands. The resort offers stunning ocean views from each of its balconies and patios and is a couple of minutes drive from the shopping area of the region. The resort is 25 minutes from the Kerikeri Airport from where we were to take the Salt Air flight to Cape Reinga on the following day. The resort besides having one of the finest spas, was also voted by Condé Naste Traveller amongst the top ten spas in Australasia. It also boasts of an award winning sea view cum pool side restaurant called Pure Tastes which is headed by executive chef Paul Jobin and has won numerous culinary competitions and food awards.

The accommodation especially the deluxe rooms and superior suites are fully equipped comprising of private balconies or patios, kitchen facilities, DVD players, Hi-Fi Systems and all amenities that you would find in any high quality luxury resort to give you an ambience of a home away from home. An ideal place for honeymooners or family who wish to visit the Bay of Islands any time of the year as Bay of Islands is well known for its year round pleasant climate in the range of 20 to 25 degrees celcius. Paihia as a place is a town which is on the coast line and has several cafes, restaurants, arts and crafts as well as various accommodation options comprising of hotels, studios and apartments. It is the biggest city in Northland with a population of 1.2 million people. After checking in at the resort, we left our luggage and headed to the historic Waitangi Treaty Grounds – New Zealand’s most historic site where the Treaty between the Maori Chiefs and the British Crown was signed in 1840, the year when New Zealand became a nation. Some of the oldest traces of Maori settlement is found in Northland and today Northland is known for its spiritual peace as much as it is known for the various thrilling adventure activities which we were to experience during our stay in this region.

Before taking our guided tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, we had a brief halt for lunch at the Waikokopu Café which is located in the beautiful setting of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and is extremely popular not only with the tourists but the locals as well for its extensive range of edibles and coffee including a wide variety of vegetarian cuisine. It is a child friendly place as well and this was apparent from the fact that there were quite a few families present at the Café. Thereafter we started our tour of The Waitangi Treaty Grounds which comprised of visiting the major parts of the Waitangi National Trust estate comprising of 506 hectares. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 at the Historic Treaty House. Entry to the Treaty Grounds is through the Visitor Centre which has an artifacts gallery and Treaty displays as well as an audio-visual theatre and souvenir gallery. The grounds besides the Treaty House also has a fully carved Maori Meeting House, a Maori war canoe and exhibitions as well as extensive park-like grounds with native bird life, heritage trees and offers great views of the Bay of Islands right across to Russell. Russell is a small town which during the 19th Century was branded as the “hell hole of the Pacific” due to the lawlessness prevalent during the 1830s.

It is then that the British Government appointed James Busby as the British Resident in New Zealand who arrived in Paihia in 1833 and settled in Waitangi and later played an active role as a mediator between the British and the Maori people. The main feature of the agreement was to ensure that the two people the Maori and the European settlers primarily from Britain would live and work together as one nation. Even today the agreement guarantees the rights of both the Maori and non-Maori citizens in New Zealand.

As part of our tour comprising of 90 odd minutes we visited the Treaty House, the Maori Waka or Canoe which is on display and is 35 metres long. Known as Ngatokimatawharorua, the canoe requires a minimum of 76 paddlers to handle it safely on water and is on display since 1940 as part of the Centenary Celebrations of the historic treaty. The canoe was made from three massive kauri trees felled in the Puketi Forest and is a larger version of the waka which was used to carry visiting and raiding parties on long coastal voyages before and after the first European settlers arrived in the region. We also visited the Te Whare Runanga or the Meeting House which was also opened for display during the Centenary Celebrations and stands alongside the Treaty House. Runanga which means “to discuss in assembly” is unique as it can be shared by all Maori Tribes. There are various carvings within the house which depict ancestors from several tribes.

Later in the evening, we headed back to our resort and we had the opportunity to experience the facilities at the resort or take a walk along the coast. We ended our day by enjoying some fine international cuisine at the award winning Pure Tastes restaurant at the resort in the pleasant company of Robyn Bolton, the General Manager of Destination Northland who played an active role in co-ordinating the itinerary for our visit to this wonderful region.

The next morning we were glad to experience some fine weather and we were well on track to take the 6 seater Cessna flight which would take us from the Kerikeri Airport flying over 90 mile beach and landing south of Cape Reinga – the northernmost tip of New Zealand and the meeting point of the Tasman Sea with the Pacific Ocean. The entire tour by flight takes around 5 hours and includes one hour flight and thereafter a 2 ½ hour experience on the Top of New Zealand which includes exploring Cape Reinga, and Te Paki quicksand stream where you can do sand tobogganing on the giant sand dunes. Thereafter we took the one hour flight back to Kerikeri Airport. The tour is operated by Salt Air Cape Reinga and you can return back to Paihia in time for lunch if you start at around 7.30 in the morning. However, for those who might experience air sickness it is strongly advisable to go on a light stomach on the Cessna and have a wholesome meal after returning back.

There are options of doing the Ninety Mile Beach and Cape Reinga by road as well. However, that would take the entire day and instead it would be recommended to do a Fly and Drive package which can be done in half a day and would cost 365 NZD (approx Rs 11000) and is well worth a trip. The flight over 90 mile beach including to and fro from Cape Reinga is spectacular and offers panoramic views of this beautiful region. One of the interesting facts to note is that the 90 mile beach is in fact only 55 miles or 88 kilometres long and in 1932 was used as a runway for flights from New Zealand to Australia for airmail. When the tide is low, you can drive along the 90 mile beach also known as the sandy highway on a luxury Waverider Coach and enjoy some scenic wonders of the North of New Zealand.

On our way back we had lunch at Nine which is one of Paihia’s newest restaurant and a wine bar and a popular meeting place for locals. Thereafter, we checked in with Fullers Bay of Islands at the Maritime Building to board the Excitor and take the high speed boat to take a cruise through the Hole in the Rock. The 90 minute cruise takes you zooming through the islands to Cape Brett passing by the Motukokako Island through the “Hole in the Rock” into the majestic Grand Cathedral Cave and back past Cape Brett Lighthouse. We were fortunate to get a glance of some dolphins swimming across although there are exclusive cruises not only for dolphin and whale watching but also you can swim with the dolphins as well as experience a 20 minute Nautilus Submarine Undersea Adventure on Urupukapuka Island on taking a full day cruise with Fullers Bay of Islands. The full day cruise costs NZD 105 ( approx Rs 3200) with a dophin sighting guarantee.

Later we alighted at Russell to do a mini-bus tour of this wonderful town which once was known as the Hell Hole of the Pacific. Around 1820 at the waterfront of Russell, there were several brothels and liquor shops. It was once quite a busy place with as many as 40 ships on shore at Russell at any given time. A lot of people who came here especially prisoners used to jump ships which were heading to penal colonies across in Australia. Today, this town has about a 1000 people living here and in January you find as many as 10000 people here as most of the houses out here are holiday houses and during the summer months you have people coming to stay in their holiday homes as well as there are tourists coming as well. There is Oyster Farming, commercial fishing and big game fishing which are the activities that are popular in Russell. There is also arts and crafts and tourism is a great employer of people of this town. A lot of retired people live here and the new millionaires such as the plumbers, carpenters and electricians have also brought property in Russell.

We boarded our bus and started the one hour tour and the driver cum guide gave us some interesting information about this town. It was Zane Grey, the American Novelist who came to Russell in 1930s and he put Russell on the international map as a place for big game fishing. The holiday homes in Russell are extremely popular and some of the better known properties are sold at a price between 1.5 and 2.5 Million NZD. We started our tour to get a closer insight into New Zealand’s earliest European history and the itinerary included short stops at the Cannon which was first sighted in 1917, the Maritime Visitors Centre, Pompallier, Clendon House, Anglican Church, Russell Primary School and the highlight being the spectacular views that you can get from Flag Staff Hill.

Russell in Maori is known as Kororareka and the legend goes that a Maori chief wounded in battle asked for some penguin broth to be brought to him and after drinking the broth he said “Ka reka te korora” which meant how sweet is the penguin. Eventually the town got its name of Kororareka from korora- the blue penguin and reka which means sweet. The unique feature of the town is that over the years it has continued to preserve its historic character and maintain its tranquility inspite of having a very turbulent past especially in the middle of the 19th Century. Later that evening we had some Indian cuisine at Paihia at The Indian Aroma restaurant which is on the waterfront at the Hansen Café within the Maritime Building itself.

The place that we missed out on was Kerikeri which is in the northern part of the Bay of Islands and is the largest citrus growing area in the country with oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, kiwifruits, avocados, olives and macadamia nuts also grown in the region. Kerikeri is historically important as it was the first Mission Station where the missionaries came and it also has some of the most historical buildings in the country. The Bay of Islands is a natural harbour and there are as many as 300 yachts a year which come across the Pacific and they come here to enjoy the summer before heading to Fiji, Tonga and other Pacific Islands. We bid adieu to the Bay of Islands and headed back to Auckland the following morning to pick up our 4 x 4 vehicles from Budget Rental Cars to explore the Bay of Plenty. After leaving Auckland airport around noon time we headed south from Auckland airport towards Hamilton in the direction of Tauranga which is a 3 hour drive from Auckland. I must admit that the best way to see New Zealand is by self drive.

My first visit to New Zealand was in the peak of New Zealand summer in December and unlike the summer in India where the scorching sun is beating upon you, the temperatures in New Zealand during summer are pretty moderate, around the mid – 20’s Celsius. If you were planning a visit during our summer holidays which is autumn or the beginning of winter in New Zealand, the autumn hues are truly spectacular and a sight to die for.
New Zealand , in the Southern Hemisphere experiences climates opposite to what we experience in India – the winter months are from June to August, followed by Spring from September to November, Summer from December to February followed by autumn from March until May. As the climate is very rarely extreme –either in winter or summer and places like Nelson receives sunshine almost all year round, New Zealand is pretty much a year round destination to visit.

When you look at New Zealand on the map and its proximity to Australia, you might think of combining both these countries which is not what we would recommend. As the diversity that New Zealand offers across its three islands – it is a stand alone destination that you need atleast 3 weeks or even more to explore.
I started my visit in North Island in December 2006 with a group of other Kiwi Specialists and we flew on Malaysian Airlines with a transit stop in Kuala Lumpur. New Zealand has flight connectivity from India via Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and South Korea (as on September 2013) . The average flying time is between 16 hours and 20 hours including transit and it may be a good idea for you to break your journey on the way back from New Zealand. Most airlines fly in and out of Auckland, whereas Singapore Airlines also have flights to/from Christchurch in the South Island.
To optimize your flying expenses, it is best advised to plan your holiday for atleast a fortnight if not more as the right balance of a holiday is one where your length of stay should be equivalent to the flight duration to reach your destination.

We arrived in Auckland – the gateway to North Island and New Zealand , also known as the city of sails. If you are transiting Australia to enter New Zealand it is important to have a transit visa for Australia or else you may be denied onward passage to New Zealand.
One of New Zealand’s greatest asset is its relatively geographical location – one of the reasons that the air you breathe in is so pure as it is a country known for its lush vegetation, farming and natural beauty and major parts of the economy are dependent on the country’s environment. Less than 10% of the world’s pest and disease occur in New Zealand and for this very reason, there are restrictions on importing food, plant and animal products and our Destination Experts should be able to advise you items to avoid before your travels.

On our arrival we check-in at the SKY CITY HOTEL – centrally located in Auckland’s CBD , 45 minutes drive from the airport and in a complex that houses two hotel properties, a casino and the Sky Tower – the tallest manmade structure in New Zealand- known for the adventurous Skywalk and Skyjump as well as a stunning view from its 360 degrees revolving restaurant.
Auckland and its environ has lots to offer and you could easily spend a couple of nights in Auckland. Auckland has over 1.5 million habitants which is more than 1/3rd of the 4.4 million population of New Zealand. Within the area there are 21 regional parks, 50 volcanic sites and a coastline of over 1600 kilometres. The CBD is a good location to stay stretching from the Sky Tower down to Wellesley Street and up to Queen Street – which is the main area for shopping.

A visit to Auckland is incomplete without a sail boat experience and during my visit , we had the opportunity to sail on an ex-America’s Cup Grand Prix racing yacht which was one of the highlights of our stay in Auckland.
Whether it is a Maori Guided Walk, or a visit to the Fish Market on Jellicoe Street, or a sailing course on the Waitemata harbour or a bush and beach half day wilderness experience on a historic luxury launch, Auckland has a wide variety of options for the discerning traveller. The Dolphin and Whale Safari Expeditions or a visit to Snowplanet – an all year indoor snow resort or a spa at Spa du Vin at the Heritage Hotel are some other interesting experiences that Auckland has to offer. For wine lovers, you needn’t go out of the city centre as in the city itself you have New Zealand’s Winemakers Centre where you can do souvenir shopping and take back wine gifts at the corner of Victoria and Elliott Street which is within walking distance of Queen Street- the main shopping street in Auckland. For those who miss out on the South Island and the International Antarctic Centre, you have the Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Centre in Auckland. There is also a Butterfly Park which is very close to the airport.

During my visit , I got the opportunity to visit the Sky City Complex . Here you could spend an entire day as there are lots of activity which are open up to the wee hours of the morning. The complex itself besides its two casinos, has an east day spa, a rooftop pool and gymnasium where you can burn your calories after eating at any of the 17 restaurants, cafes or bars. The complex has a theatre as well as a convention centre and live entertainment as well. The highlight of our stay at Skycity was the visit to the Sky Tower . We were fortunate to not only get a clear day but also we could see a rainbow across the horizon. The Sky Tower is 4 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris and stands at 328 metres. The Sydney Tower in Australia is at 324 metres. At the Sky Tower, there are three viewing platforms which offer breathtaking views of the city. The Sky Tower is truly an architectural wonder as it is made from 2000 tonnes of reinforced steel and can withstand winds of upto 200 kmph.

In a mere 40 seconds you can with the help of three glass towers reach the Main Observatory Level located at 186 metres and right below you have the Sky Lounge Café where you can enjoy a coffee and get a fine view of the city. Orbit is Auckland’s only revolving restaurant located at 190 metres and to get a night view of the city, you can even enjoy dinner at the Observatory Seafood Buffet Restaurant located at 194 metres and is well known for serving the finest seafood in New Zealand. The Observatory is the highest dining location in New Zealand. The adventurist can do a vertigo climb which takes 15 minutes and takes you up to 50 metres to reach the height of 270 metres, nearly 1000 feet above sea level.
The Sky Jump is one of the high adventure falls from a height of 192 metres and in mere 14 seconds and at a speed of 85 kph you can reach nearly ground level and you come to a gentle halt. Unlike bungy, you do not hang upside down but you are tied to a harness and all you have to do is jump and the ground rush is unbeatable. This 630 feet jump is New Zealand’s highest jump and is ideal for daredevils who love life. Even Tom Cruise couldn’t resist from Sky Jumping during his visit to the Sky Tower. If your adrenaline has not reached an all time high after the Sky Jump, not too far from the Sky City you can try the reverse bungee where you are suspended by elastic cords and by a push of a button, the chair wherein you are seated leaps into the air and there is an upward thrust which is quite reverse to the Sky Jump.

I was already looking forward to going to Rotorua which was part of my itinerary as I had a few of the adventure activities lined up for me including Sky diving, Bungee Jumping and a few other high adrenaline activities.
Later that evening, we went to the Viaduct Basin or the Waterfront which is the best place to be in the evenings with the cafes and bars lined up and you get a lovely view of the harbour with hundreds of sail boats as well as high speed boats docked along the shore.
Auckland has several Indian restaurants and we dined at the Tagore Restaurant which is in the heart of the Viaduct Basin. Thereafter, we visited the coolest place in Auckland which goes by the name of Minus 5, now renamed as Freddy’s Ice house. Located at the Princes Wharf on Quay Street, Freddy’s Ice House truly offers a unique experience – a not to be missed place when in Auckland. This unique ice bar is the invention of two Kiwis – Barry and Lenin, who found themselves driving across Russia to meet up a friend. These intrepid travellers were driving in extreme climate on icy plains and the car came to a halt. On close inspection, they found out that the radiator had a problem as the water was missing and they were stuck in ice and surrounded by snow.

Lenin, removed the car door window and came up with an idea of using it as a magnifying glass and when the sun rose in the morning, it melted the ice, the water of which was used to fill the radiator and they were off in the morning. Sitting in the car without the door, the temperature further dropped and Lenin gasped “it’s got to be below zero” as he had another beer to which Barry added that “it’s bloody Minus 5 and the beers are frozen and asked Lenin to pass the vodka. Lenin added “Of course, the vodka, you want to hear a crazy idea Barry and the crazy idea was to start the Minus 5 ice bar and possibly the franchisee was sold over the years and now you can visit Freddy’s Ice House.

The amazing experience begins from the front desk where you are handed over a cool gear comprising of an overcoat, a hat, shoes and gloves which you can wear over your clothes and you are all set to enter the ice lounge where the temperature is maintained at -5 degrees celcius. On entering the lounge, you are handed over your drink in the glass which is frozen in ice and you can enjoy your drink in extreme temperature and at the same time have a look at the various ice statues that surround you in various shapes and sizes.
The experience of surrounding yourself with nearly 18 tonnes of hand sculpted ice including the walls, the bar, the sculptures, the seats and even the glasses in which you can enjoy a vodka based cocktail truly makes it a chilling experience and at the same time delights your senses.
Our next stop the following day was at PAIHIA – the gateway to the beautiful Bay of Islands in Northland

Interesting facts about Sky Tower:

• Sky Tower was constructed in 2 years and 8 months using 15000 cu.m of concrete, 2000 tonnes of reinforcing steel, 660 tonnes of structural steel and 170 tonnes in the mast.
• You can travel up the Sky Tower by lift in 40 seconds which is 4.6 metres per second.
• Sky Tower weights 21 million kilos which is equivalent to the weight of 6000 elephants.
• There are 1267 steps from the base of the Sky Tower to the Sky Deck and it would take a person 29 minutes to reach the Sky Deck walking at 4 km per hour.
• The glass floor panels of Sky Tower are 38 mm thick and are as strong as concrete.
• Sky Tower regularly treats visitors to the city as well as local Aucklanders with stunning lighting displays for special occasions like Christmas, the Sky City Starlight Symphony, outdoor concert and major local events.