Fun In the Sun

Wow, lots to talk about!

So, since I last wrote, I went out on my dive trip to the Poor Knights Islands of the East Coast of northern NZ. They're supposed to be one of the top 10 places to dive in the world, because a branch of the East Australian Current runs past them, making a unique mix of cold and warm water creatures. They're 24 km off the coast, so it was a long boat ride out, and quite choppy. Our first dive was in a little cove called Splendid Arch, and it wasn't too exciting. We didn't see much there, but the dive was still fun, and much different from at home. Still needed wet suits as the water was 16 degrees, but that's better than the 11 it was at home!

The second dive was amazing. We went to another area called Rock Cave, and there was soooo much to see. I saw crayfish, snapper, blue and pink maumaus, one clown nudibranch (so cute!), and best of all about 5 huge stingrays. Most of them were resting on the sand under rocks, so we couldn't get too close, but another group of divers actually scared one out of it's spot and it swam past us about 10 feet away. So beautiful and graceful! It had to have been a really big one, at least a 2m wingspan. I did buy an underwater camera before I went, so hopefully the pictures turn out well! I can't wait to see them. On the boat I actually met a couple from the UK who had met in Vancouver, a French Canadian family who used to live in Sechelt, and one of the employees had been to Whistler and Squamish and done some diving at Porteau! What a small world.

After my day of diving, I left Whangarei on Saturday and bussed it up here to Paihia, in the Bay of Islands. It's gorgeous up here! All sandy beaches and beautiful sun. It's so relaxing that I think I'm going to chill out here for a while! I've updated where I am on my world map up there, remember the purple dot is where I am right now.

Yesterday I did a day trip up to Cape Reinga, which is the northernmost point of NZ. It has a great importance to the native Maori people, as they believe that Cape Reinga is the departing place of their souls and the gateway to the Maori underworld. There is an 800 year old pohutukawa tree at the tip of the cape that guards the entrance, and when they die, their souls make their way up to the Cape, and climb the tree and jump off of it to enter the underworld.

Also at the tip of NZ, the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. It was a bit of a choppy day out on the water so you could actually see the swells where the two of them meet - pretty neat! On a stormy day they can be up to 10m high!

After we went there, we bussed over to the Giant Sand dunes at the top of 90 mile beach, and had an international sandboarding competition between the members of our bus. I was the single representative for Canada, and you'll all be glad to hear I did us proud and won! I travelled the furthest! It was wickedly fun, but a lot of work to hike up to the top of the dunes!

Next we drove all the way down the length of 90 mile beach, right on the sand. It's actually an official highway! It's more accurately about 90km, but still it's a really long beach! On the way, we spotted a baby seal lying on the beach, and we were able to get out and take pictures. Their moms will leave them on the beach as they go out to hunt for food. He was so cute!

I think I may have figured out how to get some pictures up, so we'll see if it works! Miss you all tons, and thanks for the comments. Oh, Evie is my official guide to all things NZ, so if you see her making corrections about my facts, don't worry, it's welcome! Evie, if my story about Cape Reinga is wrong, blame my tour guide!



So, I forgot my other card with my first pictures back at the hostel, so these are more recent ones. I know they are small, I'm working on getting them on here a different way so they'll be bigger. At least I figured out how to do it at all!

Whangarei falls, in Whangarei


Me hugging a giant Kauri tree on the way to Cape Reinga. This one is close to 1000 years old, but the biggest one in NZ is about 2000! I won't see that one for a few days yet. Hard to imagine a bigger one than this! The kauri trees are in the conifer family, same as the giant redwoods and great sequoias.

Me in front of the very tip of Cape Reinga. If you look closely you can see the tree I was talking about earlier.

A nice panorama shot of the lighthouse in the middle, the tip of NZ off to the right, and on the left, the rough patch of ocean is where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean are meeting.

Me sandboarding! Look at me go!

More pics to come tomorrow, my internet time is running out. Bye for now!