Throughout my sojourn in Europe, Ireland always provided the most wondrous repose for my soul. In December of 2005 I first witnessed New Zealand. It stole my heart. At the beginning of this month I returned—New Zealand still has my heart.
This year when I learned that my niece Jalayne would do a six-week stint of student teaching in Hamilton, New Zealand, from the end of February through the beginning of April, I began checking out airfare from Tokyo to Auckland. I have always known I wanted to return to New Zealand and what more auspicious circumstance to catalyze such an event than to meet family there. Airfare, however, remained in the realm of outrageous for months. All the way until the last half of February, that is, when it suddenly dropped to an amount conceivable for my financial status. I then checked in with my friend Beth, who lives in Okinawa, to see if she would be up for a New Zealand adventure for our spring break. (Beth and I taught together for awhile in Germany at Sembach Middle School. She transferred to Okinawa in 2000; I transferred to Japan in 2005. Last May we met up again for the first time in eight years when I spent Memorial Day weekend in Okinawa.) Beth said YES. Then Jalayne even said YES she would travel with Beth and me for a few days after she finished teaching on April 9.
So Beth and I met up at Narita, Tokyo’s international airport, late in the afternoon of Friday, April 3. We flew through the night and arrived in Auckland about 10:30 Saturday morning. After securing our rental car, the two of us headed north, journeying all the way to the top of New Zealand’s north island before circling back around and down to Hamilton by Thursday of the week. Jalayne joined us for the rest of our time in New Zealand until we all departed Monday morning, April 12—Jalayne to Sydney and Beth and I back to Japan.
The photos below are an overview of our adventures. I have more tales for some later posts!
After a breakfast of sorts at the airport McDonald's, Beth and our rental car just before we head out from the airport.
My running beach at Waipu Cove--my first morning to actually awaken in New Zealand
Just north of Paihia in Northland
Driving on 90 Mile Beach
Our tour bus turns off of 90 Mile Beach towards the dunes.
Climbing the dunes to go sand boarding
Cape Reinga, at the very top of the north island
New Zealand countryside--Northland
We couldn't have posed them any better ourselves!
Watching the surfers at one of Raglan's beaches--known internationally in the surfer community for its lefthand break
Sunset at Raglan
Jalayne Zorbs in Rotorua
We all do the luge at Rotorua! Beth on the lift heading back up the mountain for another run on the luge.
Jalayne at the bottom of the intermediate luge track--her preparation for the advanced track
Jalayne and Beth at one of piers in Auckland, our last day in New Zealand
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