Days 76-79: New Zealand North Island

After an all day flight from Bali (8 hour flight + 4 hour time change), we arrived to Auckland late and stayed at a cheap Hotwire hotel near the airport. We actually ended up not spending any time in Auckland as we had heard from various Kiwis during our travels that there was just too much to see in New Zealand so we would have to be choosy. Just another reason for us to come back some day (as if we needed one)!

The next day we headed to Rotorua, New Zealand's most dynamic thermal area. We didn't waste any time heading straight for the Polynesian pools, a 130 year old thermal bath site that makes good use of its mineral waters. We had a luxurious soak with amazing lakeside views.

Ridiculous surroundings at our relaxing spa break

That night, it was off to the Tamaki Maori Village to experience a little bit of the Maori (indigenous people of NZ) culture. We learned their local customs, games they played, and of course, their famous haka, a war cry/dance meant to intimidate enemies. Of course, food was included and was delicious. The majority of the feast was prepared in their traditional underground earth ovens which had been cooking all day. Aside from the savory lamb and chicken, we had a taste of their local sweet potato, the kumara. Also not to be missed was the pavlova, a softer meringue dessert accompanied by whipped cream and fruit (usually kiwis, strawberries, or a passion fruit sauce). Needless to say, after a soak in our motel hot tub, we slept well.

Heather showing off her poi skills, a training device for warriors

Posing with a pair of fierce Maori brothers

The next day brought us our first true taste of adventure sports in New Zealand and also an idea of how expensive things would be. For example, our breakfast of eggs benedict and granola with yogurt cost us a whopping $40. However, we weren't going to let that slow us down though (at least not yet), and we headed up the gondola of nearby Mt. Ngongotaha for some picturesque views of Rotorua and the adjacent lake. But what goes up must come down. And what's better than taking a luge down the mountain? Equipped with sleds with wheels, we bombed down the mountain taking hairpin turns at ridiculous speeds and even catching some air. I was literally squealing with delight (cue Geico commercial with little pig screaming out the window - Wheeee!). It was awesome!

My $20 eggs benedict

Spectacular view of the town on our gondola ride up

A purchased picture of me on my sled, gleefully going down the mountain

Next, I convinced Heather to rent some mountain bikes with me to hit some spectacular mountain bike trails among the redwood trees of Whakareware Forest. While both of us are novices at mountain biking, it didn't stop us from doing some pretty challenging trails and having a blast. I eventually started getting a little bit cocky with my riding and tried a downhill jump. Let's just say that it didn't end well and I ended up flying over the handlebars! But no harm, no foul - I walked away without injury.

After our day of crazy sports, Heather decided she could no longer stand my wild hair that had grown out quite unevenly. With time to spare, we both got some haircuts - in my case, resulting in a vastly improved look.

We then hit a local-recommended brew pub for happy hour and then grabbed some ridiculously large to-go burgers from BurgerFuel, a quasi-fast-food joint, to try and save some dough. The burgers were delicious, but it still ended up costing us $25.

Mountain biking in a redwood forest

Dining in with massive burger, red wine, and new haircut... Life is pretty darn good

The next morning, we left the ever-present stench of sulfur which had become all too familiar in Rotorua and headed south toward Hawkes Bay, a well-known wine growing region. We didn't have long to spend in the area but were able to manage a few wine tastings during the day. We also made a quick stop at Black Barn Vineyards for lunch at the recommendation of a New Zealander we had met in Bali. The food was delicious and, as it turns out, the winery was rated as one of the top 10 vineyards in the world by Frommers! We ate so richly for lunch that we ended up skipping dinner. Instead we caught some gorgeous sunset views atop Te Mata mountain and then caught the movie Hysteria (trust me, the choices were very limited) at the town cinema.

A top 10 vineyard visit to Black Barn Winery

Delicious lunch at Black Barn

Moving on from wine country, we headed to Wellington at the southern edge of the North Island - the capital of New Zealand. The weather was windy and miserable, but we found a great hotel in the heart of town. We spent our afternoon indoors at the spectacular national museum, Te Papa, where we saw a special exhibition on Maori clothing, experienced a simulated earthquake and learned just how the amazing New Zealand landscape was formed. It was one of the best museums either of us had been to, and it was completely FREE! A perfect way to spend our rainy day.

For dinner, we went to a TripAdvisor-recommended restaurant for Napoli pizza. The pizza was great, but their calamari was to die for! Huge plump pieces of calamari breaded lightly- both Heather and I agreed that it was the best calamari we have ever had. My dad, a calamari connoisseur, would have loved it as well. After dinner, we went to a brew pub, where we met a bartender who grew up in Sacramento! She said it was a little slow for her but recommended living close to downtown, which is exactly what we had planned on doing anyway.

Best calamari ever

The next morning in driving horizontal rain, we boarded a 3-hour ferry to cross the Cook Strait to the South Island. For all the people we had met who said we needed to spend most of our time on the South Island, we were pleasantly surprised by all that the North Island had to offer. That said, we looked forward to what the South would have to offer....