Gulf Harbour Trip Part 1

Well, we are home from our first trip up to Northland, and it was a great success. We went to stay with a woman named Jenny, who works with a colleague of my mom's, and who I connected with as a fellow educator. She invited us to stay with her for a couple days in Gulf Harbour, which was so generous, and ended up to be a wonderful catalyst for this trip.

Google maps says it should take about 6 hours to get to Gulf Harbour, which is just north of Auckland. However, that assumes that you drive the speed limit the whole way, which is fairly impossible, given the twists and turns in the roads. So it took us more like 7 and a half hours. But we didn't mind, because the landscape was stunning the whole way. I mostly just looked on the way there, but I took pictures on the way back, so I'll post them later.

When we got to Jenny's house, we chatted with her for a while, then she showed us some beaches around Gulf Harbour. Shakespear Regional Park is on the same little peninsula, and this is a picture looking down into it. It is a wildlife reserve, and very beautiful, with both forest and beaches.

Jenny made us a fantastic dinner that night, and then we relaxed, drink tea, and chatted all evening. It was both interesting, stimulating conversation and a comfortable, easy atmosphere, so it was perfect.

The next day, we headed north 20 minutes to Orewa, which is a charming little beach town with lots of shops. We wandered around the shops for a bit (looking for, but not finding, sunglasses), and then had a nice walk on the beach. Next, we went a little further north to Wenderholm Park, which is also a wildlife reserve, to do some hiking. There was a sign at the entrance that said, "Tangata Whenua (people of the land) acknowledge this place as the home of their tupuna (ancestors). They share this area with the plants and animals of the forest: the children of Tane Mahuta (god of the forest). Please treat this area with respect." Then, when we got to the part of the path that went into the deeper forest, there was a sign that said, "Save our Kauri Forests. They are dying from kauri dieback disease. It spreads by soil movement. Act now to help stop it." Hanging under the sign were scrub brushes and santizing spray, along with instruction on how to clean your shoes, and a warning to stay on the paths. I find both of these different causes (cultural and environmental) very important, and I hope that people take them both seriously.

With clean shoes and a respectful attitude, we headed into the forest.

After a surprisingly steep walk, we got to a look-out over the bay. Unfortunately, it was solid overcast (and occasionally raining), so you can't see how stunningly blue and clear the water was. But it was still beautiful.

Notice J's outback hat. It's not as cool as mine, but it is still pretty fabulous.

It is so interesting to see how the plants grow, die, and decompose in such a lush environment. Even though I probably would have wished for a sunnier day, the sound of the rain in the canopy was charming, and the wetness made it feel all the more like a rainforest.

After quite a long hike, which left us a bit worn out and definitely wet from the rain, we decided to embrace the rather damp day and head to the hot springs. On the way back to Jenny's, we stopped at Waiwera Hot Springs Resort. There is a natural hot spring there, but it has been built up as a warm water park. Apparently, there are germs in hot springs in NZ that can cause meningitis, so there are lots of regulations to do with them, and they can't be left natural. Anyway, Waiwera is a pretty cool place. There are lots of different pools, and the water for all of them comes from the hot spring.

Can you see the spiral water slides off to the left? Well, we went down them, and they were pretty exciting! 

Waiwera, as well as Gulf Harbour, is on the Hibiscus Coast, so it is fitting that there were beautiful hibiscus plants all over the resort. I just love them!

This was the first place we headed when we got to the resort, and it made us laugh a bit. In case you can't see it, it says, "Lava Pool: 48C (118F), Sapphire Pool: 0C (32F)." After a moment, I realized that the "3" must have fallen off the Sapphire Pool's number, and was relieved. I said so to J, and didn't notice that he didn't hear me. So then when I asked if he wanted to try the Sapphire Pool, I was rewarded by one of the most incredulous looks I have ever received, which is saying something. As it turns out, the Lava Pool is the one that comes straight from the hot springs, and then flows into the Sapphire Pool, which is quite a nice temperature. Despite what it looks like, the pools don't really feel like they're inside, because it's just a partial shade roof above them.

The resort was very crowded, which wasn't a huge problem, but it did make us inclined to look for more private space. We decided to try out the spa, and then ended up spending the rest of the day there. We got our own, private jacuzzi/spa room, which was wonderful. Although we appreciated the jacuzzi, I think our favourite thing was the shower, because we needed it to cool down between activities - namely the dry sauna and the steam room.

Have you ever been in a steam room? I had never done it, and it was such a cool experience! It is a million percent humidity in there, which more steam puffing in all the time, and the smell of eucalyptus. Neither J nor I could breathe at first, because the water and heat made us cough. Once we got sat down, it was okay, because our bodies cooled the water that touched them. However, moving any body part made it amazingly hot again, as it came in contact with new hot water molecules. It was amazing! The hardest part was leaving, though, because you have to deal with the heat as you walk to the door. That didn't stop us from doing it several times, though. 

I've been in saunas before, but I think that this was the nicest one I've been in. The wood was so smooth that it felt soft, and it was the perfect temperature. After getting quite cool in the shower, it was just lovely.

Having gotten totally relaxed and happy in the spa, we decided to get massages, which was "definitely the right choice" as J put it afterwards. We each took a turn, and our masseuse was kind and very skilled, and we both felt like curling up for a nap afterwards. 

Lucky for us, we could go back to Jenny's for a relaxing evening of pleasant company. More on that later.