Waiheke - Day 3

As expected, I woke up early to the sound of children playing again. I spent my last hour or two in the house talking to Angie as she and the kids were preparing for a large family picnic on the east side of the island. Although I had wanted to see the sparsely populated farming side of the island, I decided that I didn't have time and it would be better to leave the eastern side to another trip. After a quick round of packing, I left the house at the same time that Angie and her family were leaving. My plan is to walk to Matiatia Harbour via Oneroa, enjoying the beaches and the sights along the way. Angie told me that if I was in a hurry for any reason, I can just flag down a car and ask for a ride as hitch-hiking is common practise on the island. I've found this to be very true, as I hitched a ride the day before (unintentionally!) and I've seem hitchhikers waving to the van as we were being driven around by Angie.

The first leg of the walk was pretty and green. I walked in a general western direction and followed any signs pointing to Oneroa I came across. The winding road led me up a large hill where I can see the water and the mainland and through native bush. I noticed that there were trees with yellow fruit on them. I saw kids climb up similar trees to pick the fruit on my walk yesterday. I was tempted to try some, but decided that perhaps I should do some research first. After further research, I decided that these fruit must have been loquats, which is what I had thought they looked like, but didn't realise that they grew on Waiheke. Apparently loquat trees were introduced to New Zealand and have been growing rapidly as a weed ever since.

After some walking, I saw houses on the hills a few hundred metres ahead, signalling to me that I was approaching a town. Luckily, this turned out to be Oneroa, the largest settlement on Waiheke, about six kilometres from Ostend. The first feature I encountered in town was Little Oneroa Beach, separated from the popular Oneroa Beach by yet another group of volcanic rocks. Walking around the beach, I found a path on the very eastern edge of the sand. This path leads straight up the hills around the area to a beautiful lookout. The water looked very inviting in the sunlight. It was blue and crystal clear, showing off the dark coloured volcanic rocks among the sand under the water. I followed this path a bit farther and wandered onto a rocky shore under the shade of a huge pōhutukawa tree. There were two boats under the complex root system chained to the tree. Looking around, I noticed that there was another shore beyond a group of volcanic rocks jutting into the water. I rolled up my pants, took off my sandals and waded through, getting my pants only slightly wet.

Arriving at a private little rocky shore surrounded by impassable cliffs away and volcanic rocks, I felt like I found a cool hideaway. I was happy to know that there are so many beautiful private places around here, only half an hour from Auckland plus a short bus ride. As others have told me, in New Zealand, you can find great little places where nearly no one can be seen, often even within Auckland city itself. I attempted to walk across the volcanic rocks on the other side of the beach, but quickly learned that walking barefoot over jagged volcanic rock is not a great idea! I did get a view to the other side, however, and discovered that lies beyond is just more, steeper volcanic cliffs. What caught my attention, however, was a small channel separating a small island of volcanic rock. I might have been able to wade over without getting wet if I had walked along the cliffs more, but I decided to give it up seeing that I didn't want to get my sandals wet. I figure that I might be back here sometime in the summer with swim trunks on so that I won't have to worry about getting wet while exploring.

I sat at the beach for a long time talking to my mum on the phone. Suddenly, I realised what I was seeing in front of me. A current of water flowing inland! Looking around the rocks, the water looked deeper than before! I decided I had better head back, and it was clear that the tide was rising. Seeing that I had even gotten wet wading over when the tide was lower, I realized that it wasn't looking good! Interrupting my conversation with my mum, I hurriedly put my pack on, rolled my pants up as high as they would go, and decided just to run through the gap as waves were starting to pick up. By the time I got through, my pants were soaked! Now that I was safely back near the path, I climbed up the giant pōhutukawa tree and sat there talking to my mum and enjoying the scenery. There was a family on the rocks about fifty metres away or so, fishing, with the waves lapping at the jagged rocks below. I had to leave after a while of talking, as soon as my pants became dry, since the wind was picking up, the waves intensified, and the sky became darker and darker as a thick bunch of dark clouds slowly approached from the distance.

I explored the surroundings a bit more and discovered that the patch of volcanic rocks between Oneroa Beach and Little Oneroa Beach were impassable without wading into the relatively deep water. I made a mental note to re-visit this area during summer when I can wade around and explore the various stone arches and shallow caves along the shore and in the water. The rocks there also have a very interesting pattern to it and looked like a series of strangely-shaped honeycomb with softer, eroded rocks inside. The walls of the honeycomb structure looked almost like rusted metal. I also enjoyed the view from these volcanic rocks, as there are flat areas here, which formed curious little tidal pools filled with snails, anemones, sea stars, crabs, and a variety of other underwater life. The waves crashing around the edges, throwing up white foamy spray also made for quite a dramatic view. I wondered how scary it would be if I saw a freak wave coming my way.

Returning to the beach, I continued my walk past the town centre, but not before stopping at a lookout at the end of a short trail following a jut of volcanic rock towering over the coast. From there, I could see a series of small beaches surrounded by interesting rock formations such as caves where the ocean lapped into. The town centre is a busy, relative to Waiheke standards, road filled with stores, restaurants, and bars. As with typical Oceania style, there were large awnings protecting the pedestrians from the weather, making you feel quite cosy in this tiny town centre. Following the signs to the Matiatia Ferry terminal, I walked out of town and down a long road. Luckily, the walk back to the harbour was quite enjoyable, as there was a series of tracks built into the surrounding hillside. Apparently I had three choices: the high track, mid track, and low track. After consulting the hand-drawn map, I decided to take the low track as I wanted to catch the next ferry to Auckland and not have to wait another hour for the following one. The trail system was very charming as all the signs were hand-painted. Some of the signs appeared to be nothing more than a few casual scribbles or a message carved into the wood. It made me feel like I had gone back in time or had travelled to some small village in a mystical land.

The tracks led me through bush filled with all kinds of vegetation. I had only seen two groups of people in the entire twenty minutes I walked the track, but I felt surprisingly safe and did not feel scared (expect for one section when I saw some pails and tubes - it probably belonged to whoever takes care of the tracks, but my imagination led me to be afraid of drug plantations). First, the track took me through a section surrounded by flowering tea trees on a grassy hill. It was dark under the trees away from the track. The trail then wound through grove after grove of cabbage trees, ferns, and plants with large, long foliage. It got quite dark in some parts of the track, but I still felt quite comfortable walking there alone. A few minutes from the end of the track, there was a tiny shed whose slanted roof fed into a large overflowing tank of water. A small spur with a sign labelled "pond" led to a tiny pond under a grassy hill hidden from the sun by the foliage of tall trees growing all over. There was a bench beside the pond to take a rest.

The ferry ride back was surprisingly unstable as the waves have grown in size. It was extremely windy. Seeing all of the boats on the sea, I wondered if I could have been in one of these boats if I hadn't taken that ride. It started raining half way to Auckland. I could see across the water that the rain would intensify as we got closer to home. Although most passengers moved down into the covered cabin, a few of us stayed on the exposed deck, some bracing themselves against the wind and rain in small areas on the side of the deck where they can sit under the walls. I found a spot beside a mast holding navigation equipment. This shielded me from most of the wind and rain, and allowed me to still maintain a 360º view of the area, where I can watch as the tall buildings of Auckland grew bigger and less grey as we approached. It started pouring as I got off the boat. By the time I walked home, my sandals were soaked.

Waiheke - Day 2

I woke up early to the sounds of children playing and screaming. I stayed in bed for a while longer trying to catch up on any sleep I can get. After reluctantly waking up, I hung out with the family for a while waiting for a picnic they had planned with a relative and her kid, Phoenix.

Just before noon, the girls, Phoenix, and I packed into a van and drove to Whakanewha Regional Park and set up a blanket right by the water on a big grassy plane under a series of hills, one of which is a home to a vineyard. As Angie spent time with India, the kids took me up a hill to what used to be an ancient Māori pā. A short hike up a hill through native bush led to a small grassy clearing with a kumara pit. Through the trees around the clearing, I could see Auckland and the surrounding islands in the distance over water. After a short hike through the area and a climb up a large pōhutukawa tree from which I had to lift all the kids down, we walked off the path through the forest back to the grassy plane where we were based.

As it turns out, many of the parks on Waiheke, and Auckland as well, are installed with rudimentary kitchens in the forms of a water tap and large gas cooking griddles built into sturdy-looking brick bases. Over a glass of wine, Angie cooked sausages for the kids and salmon with hoisin sauce for the adults. Lunch was delicious as it also came with a tasty salad with tender greens (and flowers!) in a light sweet fruity vinagrette. The grated beetroot was surprisingly delicious in the salad. After the meal, the kids went swimming and I decided to start on a long, leisurely walk back to the house.

Walking north along Rocky Bay, I encountered a group of volcanic rocks again, which I stepped across to another beach. There was a protected colony of some kind of endangered bird there, along with a beautiful large Pōhutukawa tree. Apparently the Pōhutukawa trees are much healthier on Waiheke Island compared to the mainland due to the fact that they have managed to successfully eliminate opossums on the island. A walk through some pretty parkland surrounded by native New Zealand flora led to the road, which I followed for quite some time. I would run into others once in a while on this road, but it was mostly empty, surrounded by a green sea of grass, trees, palms and ferns. As I came to an intersection, I ended up taking a turn in the wrong direction without realising it.

After a fair bit of walking on a small track beside the road and enjoying views of Rocky Bay as I gained altitude, I came across a nice elderly couple. They asked me directions to a track, which I had no idea about. I though this would be a good opportunity to ask directions to Ostend, where I was couchsurfing, and they told me I was heading in the wrong direction. After handing me a map they picked out of an ant-filled box, we walked together and talked for a while. It turns out that the man came from England decades ago, and settled in New Zealand. He and his wife are on a weekend outing from the Auckland region and had sailed here on their boat. I had wanted to look for an opportunity to see if I can bum a ride back with them, but before I could, we reached the intersection where I took the wrong turn and it was time to part. Just as I was about to bring it up, a van came behind us, which they waved down and asked directions to Ostend for me just to make sure they weren't misdirecting me. The guy driving the van, a photographer who had settled in Waiheke over a decade ago, offered me a ride back, which I decided to take. Jumping in the van, I wondered if I had missed an opportunity to hitch a ride back with the old couple on their sail boat and had missed a great experience and an opportunity to get to know more people in the Auckland Region.

On the drive back, we passed by the Waiheke Dirt Track, where a race was going on. The Waiheke Dirt Track, well know in the area, is a track in a rough oval-pear shape where locals race old cars. There were cars parked all over the area, and kids and adults alike were mingling around the fence jockeying for a view of the cars running around the dusty track. I had meant to stop by on the way back, but had to bypass it as I wanted to learn more about the island through talking to the driver. He drove me all the way back to the house after a quick stop where I helped him load a new BBQ grill into his car from the supermarket in Ostend.

Later on in the day, I went on a walk around the southern shore of Waiheke, which I was told is very different than the north shore. The social make-up of the south shore is also different, and I'm told that as opposed to the large vacation batches of the north shore, the south shore population is "poor as." The walk was generally uneventful. the only points of interest being a swampy area I walked through, filled with air roots sticking out of the muddy ground around the path. I also walked through a hilly area filled, again, with native flora. This area was a quiet residential and farming neighbourhood where I encountered more people riding horses around, and had great views of the coastline. Walking along the shore, I came across a large tongue of water, flowing out from the receding tide, revealing an expansive mudflat where anchored boats became grounded, and the view of the mainland across the water beyond. There were dingy boathouses around here, and some people were sitting around a boathouse playing the guitar and singing songs. Finally, I walked through downtown Ostend, where there were a few restaurants and a sports bar just starting to fill up with cheerful people for the evening.

When I got back to the house, I had a light dinner of fruit with yoghurt along with everyone else before the kids were all put to bed early. Tonight, Phoenix was staying over as well, but luckily, Codi was also away for the night so there was room. I sat and chatted to Angie while she sewed for a while at night, dealing with India who refused to go to bed. Just seeing the interaction of Angie with her kids, especially India, puts a smile on my face as you can tell that although she is exhausted, she is genuinely loving and cares for her children. It made me miss my parents as I get to see them only about once a year. After Angie went to bed, I stood outside on the patio for a while, watching the stars above a valley of gently swaying trees and ferns. I could see the lights of a few houses around, but the area was generally dark if it was not for the moonlight. This was the first time I had watched the stars at night in New Zealand, and I tried to find familiar constellations as well as try spotting new ones visible only in the Southern Hemisphere. After watching the stars for a bit longer out of the window in my room, I went to bed. I didn't want to go to sleep too late as I knew that I would be woken up early in the morning again.

Waiheke - Day 1

It was blindingly sunny as I made my way to the upper deck of the ferry, but I decided that I didn't want to miss the view from a 30 minute cruise in Hauraki Gulf. For Labour Weekend, my fifth weekend in New Zealand, I arranged to spend three days on Waiheke Island with a couchsurfer. I was quite happy that she agreed to host me, as there were only two couchsurfers on Waiheke who were actively hosting for that weekend. This is not surprising, as Waiheke, New Zealand's third most populated island, is home to only 8000 residents, plus serving as a vacation home spot for several thousand more. In fact, Waiheke is home to so few people that there isn't even a government-owned water distribution system on the island. The residents get their water from filtered rainwater collected through their roofs and gutters, stored in large water cisterns on their property. If there is a dry spell, they must pay for water tankers to refill their cisterns using water drawn from a few bores on the island.

As our catamaran ferry cruised past North Head and out of Waitemata Harbour, I suddenly remembered to text my host, Angie. She informed me that she and her son will be waiting to pick me up when I arrive on Waiheke. We sailed past many of the islands in the Bay, including Rangitoto, Browns, Motutapu, and Motuihe. Even from the boat, it was interesting for me to see the different geologic and flora features of the different islands, as they were all created at different times over tens or hundreds of thousands of years, and it really does show. As we sailed past the cliffs of Motutapo Island, the harbour of Matiatia, where we are landing, came into view. Matiatia Harbour was very pretty, especially in the sunlight under the blue sky. There was a tongue of sparkling blue water speckled with sailboats, which extended in between lush green hills. The land comes to a pincer formation with steep hills near the mouth of the harbour, so that you felt quite secure after passing by the entrance.

As our ferry docked, I met with Corey, who made eye contact with me before I disembarked, and we walked to the van that Angie was driving, along with her entire family. She took me on a quick driving tour of the west side of the island, the populated side, before dropping her son off at the paintball grounds and then heading home. Her home, a modest but cosy house, was located in Ostend, but very close to Palm Beach. What this means is that her house is nearly exactly in the middle between the north and south shores of Waiheke. She was quite busy that day, so after settling in a bit, I headed out for a random walk. As I was leaving the house, I was very amused at the old-fashioned key the doors were locked with, as I rarely get to use those types of keys nowadays.

My walk took me up north of the house, where I encountered some spectacular tree fern forests in valleys, grapevines on rolling hills, and views of the water, both north towards the barrier islands and south towards the mainland. I even caught a few glimpses of Auckland city from where I was. As I also wanted to meet some locals and possibly travellers, I took the opportunity to ask for directions and suggestions on what to do when I saw a woman tending to her horses in front of her house. After talking for a bit, I found out that she was originally from Norway and had worked in Beijing in the 1970s for a gas exploration company, one of the first foreign companies to be allowed to operation in China. She led me into her farm a little, to a crest where she pointed out to me Onetangi Beach.

I decided to follow her suggestion and soon found myself walking downhill along the water towards Onetangi. There were some very nice views on the way of the countryside as well as the cliffs above the water. Along with the patches of ferns and cabbage trees, it gave off a very relaxed and exotic vibe. I walked by two girls on a horse on their way to the beach and tried to start up a quick chat about Waiheke, but as they were teenagers, they were more focused on talking between themselves than with me. Onetangi Beach was a very long sweep of sand, and is in fact Waiheke's longest beach at just over one and a half kilometres in length. However, as the tide was in at the time, the beach was not as wide as usual, but was still quite beautiful. Soon after I arrived, the girls on the horse arrived too, and they splashed and swam in the water a ways down the beach with their horse. It was on Onetangi beach where I realized that the shell gravel I saw in Auckland was probably gathered in the area and not imported from afar. Large swathes of Onetangi Beach, and in fact all of the beaches there, are covered in a thick layer of seashells of different colours and shapes, most of them surprisingly intact. I decided to pick out a few shells to add to my collection of rocks and shells collected from interesting places, but I found this to be extremely difficult as there were so many choices! In the end, I settled for an off-white perfectly shaped scallop shell of just the right size, and a flat-ish sea-snail shell with pretty stripes and shiny sections filled with colour that looked like mother-of-pearl.

After a quick walk around the beach, I walked back to the house where I hung out with the family for a while to get to know them a bit. The three girls are quite a handful. The entire time they were awake while I was there, they were running around, playing and screaming. They were such bundles of energy and they all had such great personalities. Especially little India, at age two, was amazingly friendly and outgoing, and we got to spend a good amount of time with each other. The boys were a bit more shy and were absorbed in doing what they were doing rather than approaching me unless I talked to them. Once they were talking though, I found them to be very nice and caring.

A bit before dinnertime, I popped out for a second walk. This time, Angie and her kids gave me directions for Palm Beach, the closest beach to their home. The road took me through houses situated in a lush forest of native plants from New Zealand, including numerous ferns, fern trees, nikau palms, and cabbage trees. I was hoping to bump into a restaurant, but didn't find one. When I got close to the water, I asked an elderly couple walking around, and they told me that the closest open restaurant would probably be across the island in the town centre of Ostend. Fortunatly, there was a small convenience shop that was open there, so I picked up a meat pie in a heated case, an orange-mango fizzy and a few energy bars. I walked to the beach, found a rock to sit on, and had my meal there. As I ate, I enjoyed the view and sounds of the beach and the sight of a small island just offshore, which I thought would great to explore with a kayak. I slowly became aware that I was being surrounded by hungry seagulls flying in from all over the area who flocked all over where I was sitting as soon as I stood up and left. The seagulls looked disappointed as they few away again a few moments later.

I took a stroll around Palm Beach, around a group of craggy rocks on the west end of the beach. Much of the sand was quite wet as it appears that the tide had just gone out. Passing by this group of large boulders led to a smaller portion, which I later discovered was a nude beach. It wasn't dodgy though, as there were fully clothed couples and families strolling along as well. From here, I could see Little Palm Beach as well, a public beach surrounded by private property so that the only way to get there is by boat or swimming, if you can be sure you won't be dragged out to sea by the powerful rip currents there. I sat on some of the large rocks watching the sun go behind some hills and reflecting on where my life is heading. That evening, I returned to a full house, where the girls taught me Chinese Poker while India was sitting in my lap, naked, and having me read to book to her. At first I was a bit surprised, coming from the prude culture of the US, but I was explained that in New Zealand, or at least Waiheke, having small children arounter the girls went to bed, Angie showed me photos from her trip to Vietnam and Cambodia last year. After some more chatting, we headed off to bed. I had my own room as Corey was staying over with a friend and Codi was sleeping outside in the common room.