kangaroo sightings

We only kayaked a handful of times last time we lived in NZ, and we rented kayaks for those trips. So, along with the kayaks, came useful tips about where to go. Now, with our very own kayaks this go around, the numerous waterways around Auckland (and throughout the country) are all fair game for exploration. We are learning about the tides, boat traffic, and weather as we go, so definitely taking it cautiously. So, to test out the boats and make sure there was no damage in the move, we opted for a high tide put-in along the Esplanade at Bucklands Beach, a casual paddle around Musick Point to the Half Moon Bay Marina, and then a a casual return. The thinking was that the tidal shift would help carry us back to our put-in location, but we would not be out too long for the low tide to have us hiking our boats back in. The boats worked, the route worked, and we followed the paddle with beach fish and chippies from the local dairy.

We headed to Rotorua Friday night for a weekend of mountain biking. The good news is we got one excellent day of riding in amongst the rainfall. The bad news is that the weather and our car thwarted a second ride. Whakarewarewa Forest is still one of my all time favorite places to ride, so definitely still worth the trip. In the past years, this park (and Rotorua itself) has grown up quite a bit. New signage, more trails, hot showers at the trailhead... We heard a hotel and spa are on the way as well. Not sure I'm too keen on there being a hotel right there, but am a bit stoked about there being future post-ride spa options. Unfortunately, we are not as fit as we were the last time we rode these trails, but still had a ball! Speaking of ball, we watched our friends roll down some hills in one (aka, downhill ball rolling, aka, zorbing). After our car fun, we did go for a quick stroll around Kauai Park. And then our house welcomed our home with this!

We flew from Auckland to Wellington early Saturday morning to relocate a car back to Auckland. The early morning Uber ride was ... terrifying. Along with the typical driving skills of a Prius driver, our driver was also falling asleep at the wheel. Thankfully we made it unscathed and our pilot was not as sleepy as our driver. :) It was a fantastic drive full of lovely countryside, grazing sheep, cows in the road, the world's longest place name. Why drive straight when there are so many cool things to see?! And, on our flight down, I found what some of our next adventures are going to be!

Manukau heads lighthouse was easier to get to than Puoto Point. :) ANZAC day landed on a Wednesday this year. It made Tuesday feel like Friday (which was nice). But then it made Thursday feel like a second Monday in the week (not so nice). Maybe it will make Friday feel like double plus Friday? We shall see tomorrow. For ANZAC day, I went to the lighthouse at Manukau Heads, followed by some beach lounging time and a short walk at Awhitu Regional Park. It was another gorgeous day! My (real) phone is near, so pardon the quality of the photos just a little bit longer. I cannot tell if that is graffiti in the side of the wall or bird houses? Or both? I was promised an island, but the tide was too far out. Picture frame! And some dark artwork in the lighthouse. 

Logging in to post photos from today, I found a draft post from who knows when of things I wanted to do whilst living in Australasia. From that list, it appears I have three more to go: scuba dive Great Barrier, visit Fiji, and venture into the Australian outback. Looks like I have some planning to do! This was a local weekend for me with Brendan in the US. Saturday was mountain biking at Woodhill. Sorry, no photos to post as I was too close to puking to take in the scenery. I had a ball, but could use some fitness back. Crazy how much Woodhill has grown since we were last here. A couple of hours of riding was washed down with a steak pie because I earned it? Sunday was a walk at Shakespeare Regional Park complete with pukekos, sheep, cows, kite surfers, and a toast to someone who will be dearly missed.

Fantastic long weekend in the Kaipara district. We stayed just outside of Paparoa in a fabulous airbnb (Let us know if you'd like a recommendation of where to stay in this area) with trips out to Taiharuru, Pataua, and Pouto. From Pouto, we attempted to make it to the historic lighthouse. Turns out it was a bit further and bit more strenuous hike than we had anticipated. With more research though, we are ready to tackle it next time! It is beautiful - you should google it.  Here are some photos from our drive, our airbnb, B sleeping in a tree, and from sunset dinner on the beach back in Auckland.