Monday was the last day of the long weekend, and I left Hamilton relatively early to return to Auckland, the bus journey being a lot quicker than the way down. When returning I checked into my hostel, moving back to Grafton House for a change of scenery. I had a relaxing afternoon, heading down into Newmarket to look round the shops, before heading back to the hostel to sort myself out for work the next day.
Much of my week at the university was spent over in building 183 which with it being easter holidays meant demolition work could begin properly in the building. This meant a lot of smashing up furniture and chucking it into the skip, as well as moving things which they wanted keeping. Over in the main building a lot of the interior work like electrics, walls, and roofing needed doing which meant there was a fair few deliveries which needed moving to various places. The building is starting to take shape now and come the end of the week we had a fair of tidying up to do for next week when they begin to remove some of the scaffolding.
Come weekend I decided to get out Auckland and spend it down in Tauranga. Tauranga is New Zealands fifth largest city and is home to the largest container port in New Zealand. Sheltered from the Pacific Ocean by Mount Maunganui and Matakana Island, the city has become a popular destination for both business and tourism with its warm climate, beaches, and is one of the countries most rapidly growing cities. I left Auckland early with it being a 3 hour bus journey away, arriving not long after 10, where I headed over to explore Mount Maunganui.
Mount Maunganui is a major residential and industrial suburb of Tauranga, but until 1988 was completely separate, when the completion of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge linked the two places. The suburb itself is in fact on a tombolo which from my geography days is a depositional piece of land which links an island to the mainland, the island being the imposing mound at the end. This means Mount Maunganui has two beaches just a few blocks apart, one on the Pacific, and one on the harbour, making the area popular with tourists. Walking across the harbour bridge, it took me about an hour and a half to get here where when arriving I had lunch.
After lunch I headed to the large mound at the end, formed by volcanic activity. I was planning to walk around the bottom and then head up to the top, but the base path was shut as it was damaged from the cyclone the week before, with the Bay of Plenty area being particularly badly hit. I therefore headed straight up top along a gradual winding path with great views across to many of the surrounding islands. Once up top I sat down and took in the iconic view over towards Tauranga which I've seen in photos many times before.
After heading back down I headed to Moturiki Island via the beach which gave good views back towards the mound. I then headed the mere couple of blocks across to the other beach and grabbed a drink before heading to good spot to watch the sunset which was pretty impressive. After sunset I headed back into Tauranga, checking into my hostel for the night where I just spent the evening chilling out and watching a film before bed.
The following day I went and explored Tauranga itself, walking along the modern waterfront on the harbour edge, before heading out across the rail bridge to get views across the harbour. I then headed north to get some views of the islands and Mount Maunganui, following the waters edge round for a fair way. Before catching the bus back to Auckland I grabbed something to eat and looked round a few of the shops. When arriving back in Auckland after a pretty slow journey back, I checked in my hostel, moving to a new one over in Parnell for a change of scenery. With my stuff being elsewhere however, and shopping to do for the week, I didn't manage to sit down and relax until quite late but all in all it was a good weekend!
Monday, 24 April 2017
Monday, 17 April 2017
Auckland Week 6 and Hamilton
Come Monday it was back to work at Unitec, and upon arriving I got the news the place was robbed over the weekend, with an estimated $5000 of tools stolen. It appeared that could have more as many tools were moved so the people responsible must have been disturbed by the security who were meant to be working at the university. Despite this it was a busy week. With building 182 now completely refurbished, this meant work to refurbish building 183 began which meant removing a lot of furniture, carpets, and roofing tiles. There was also a lot to be done in the main building which due to a fair bit interior work being done meant a lot of deliveries of materials onto the site, meaning a lot of lifting and tidying up. This wasn't helped by the weather during the week which once again flooded the building in places, not helped further by a few of tarps protecting some areas blowing away leaving it completely exposed to the elements.
Come Thursday parts of New Zealand got a weather warning for a cyclone approaching. The issue with cyclones is they're unpredictable and can change course very quickly. Auckland was one of the areas predicted to be affected by strong winds and there was even talk of the harbour bridge closing. This meant the university campus was sent home at lunchtime. We worked on however checking and clearing the roofs and scaffolds of loose materials, and securing materials down with heavy things on top and ratchets in case there were strong winds. Luckily come evening the cyclone hit the east coast around the Bay of Plenty area and skimmed Auckland heading south meaning we just got a bit of rain instead of strong winds, so hopefully the site will still be in one piece.
With Friday being a bank holiday, this gave me a day off so I decided to head out of Auckland for the long weekend, going down to Hamilton. I had the option to work however we get paid for the bank holiday anyway, and working basically gave you time owed so there wasn't really much of an incentive to work. Leaving Auckland about lunchtime so I could have a much needed lie in, I caught the mana bus down which is like the New Zealand equivalent of megabus. The road down to Hamilton was busy however so it took quite a while to arrive, arriving about an hour and a half late. Upon arrival I checked into the hostel, before using the little remaining daylight to go and explore Lake Rotoroa, going there via the high street. It was a nice walk round the lake, tieing it in with the sunset. Some of the boardwalks were flooded however as Hamilton fared worse than Auckland during the cyclone. The city itself was dead come evening though as nothing was open being a bank holiday, so I just relaxed in the hostel in the evening.
With it being easter weekend, many services were not open and public transport was extremely limited. This meant it was difficult getting places although Saturday there were a few buses still running to a few places. I was originally planning to go to Raglan on the Saturday and climb Mount Karioi although this was unrealistic in terms of getting back to Hamilton, and the unpredictable weather also put me off having a beach day in Raglan itself which is popular with surfers. I instead looked up popular hikes round the Hamilton area and as with many things in New Zealand you could only get to many of them by car or an expensive private shuttle. The only realistic option I found was catching a bus to Huntly north of Hamilton to explore the Hakarimata Scenic Reserve.
After breakfast I took the bus north to Huntly and followed the Hakarimata walkway south to Ngaruawahia. This walk was described as 7.5 hours, although I only had 6 hours to do it to catch the last bus. Primarily in woodland, the walk showcased many native New Zealand plants in particular the Kauri tree. There was also the occasional clearing in the trees to get views over the Waikato river and surrounding areas. The weather however wasn't great although with the walk being in woodland I was relatively sheltered.
After a few hours I eventually made it to the Hakarimata summit which gave me views of the area. There was a wooden tower you could go up to get better views although it was a little cloudy. I also had lunch up here before heading down the summit track to this old dam which included a few waterfalls. It was very slippery going down however and part of the path had even collapsed. When reaching Ngaruawahia I found out the path down was actually closed because of this although I had no information of this the other end. Arriving about an hour before the bus, I had a bit of spare time so I followed the Waikato river round for a bit before heading back to Hamilton. I spent the evening relaxing at the hostel, watching one of the many films they had available to use.
Sunday was a complete shutdown of services, with only a limited bus service and most shops closed. I therefore decided to spend the day in Hamilton itself. Hamilton is the largest inland city in New Zealand with about 3% of the entire population living there. One of its most popular attractions is the gardens which is free to enter, so I decided to go there. The gardens were split into sections with each area showcasing how a garden looks in different time periods and cultures. It was nice place to walk around, and the surrounding area had nice little walks. It however started raining again come afternoon, so I visited the Waikato museum which was interesting before heading back to the hostel because of the weather. I then just watched a couple of films throughout the evening before going to bed.
Come Thursday parts of New Zealand got a weather warning for a cyclone approaching. The issue with cyclones is they're unpredictable and can change course very quickly. Auckland was one of the areas predicted to be affected by strong winds and there was even talk of the harbour bridge closing. This meant the university campus was sent home at lunchtime. We worked on however checking and clearing the roofs and scaffolds of loose materials, and securing materials down with heavy things on top and ratchets in case there were strong winds. Luckily come evening the cyclone hit the east coast around the Bay of Plenty area and skimmed Auckland heading south meaning we just got a bit of rain instead of strong winds, so hopefully the site will still be in one piece.
With Friday being a bank holiday, this gave me a day off so I decided to head out of Auckland for the long weekend, going down to Hamilton. I had the option to work however we get paid for the bank holiday anyway, and working basically gave you time owed so there wasn't really much of an incentive to work. Leaving Auckland about lunchtime so I could have a much needed lie in, I caught the mana bus down which is like the New Zealand equivalent of megabus. The road down to Hamilton was busy however so it took quite a while to arrive, arriving about an hour and a half late. Upon arrival I checked into the hostel, before using the little remaining daylight to go and explore Lake Rotoroa, going there via the high street. It was a nice walk round the lake, tieing it in with the sunset. Some of the boardwalks were flooded however as Hamilton fared worse than Auckland during the cyclone. The city itself was dead come evening though as nothing was open being a bank holiday, so I just relaxed in the hostel in the evening.
With it being easter weekend, many services were not open and public transport was extremely limited. This meant it was difficult getting places although Saturday there were a few buses still running to a few places. I was originally planning to go to Raglan on the Saturday and climb Mount Karioi although this was unrealistic in terms of getting back to Hamilton, and the unpredictable weather also put me off having a beach day in Raglan itself which is popular with surfers. I instead looked up popular hikes round the Hamilton area and as with many things in New Zealand you could only get to many of them by car or an expensive private shuttle. The only realistic option I found was catching a bus to Huntly north of Hamilton to explore the Hakarimata Scenic Reserve.
After breakfast I took the bus north to Huntly and followed the Hakarimata walkway south to Ngaruawahia. This walk was described as 7.5 hours, although I only had 6 hours to do it to catch the last bus. Primarily in woodland, the walk showcased many native New Zealand plants in particular the Kauri tree. There was also the occasional clearing in the trees to get views over the Waikato river and surrounding areas. The weather however wasn't great although with the walk being in woodland I was relatively sheltered.
After a few hours I eventually made it to the Hakarimata summit which gave me views of the area. There was a wooden tower you could go up to get better views although it was a little cloudy. I also had lunch up here before heading down the summit track to this old dam which included a few waterfalls. It was very slippery going down however and part of the path had even collapsed. When reaching Ngaruawahia I found out the path down was actually closed because of this although I had no information of this the other end. Arriving about an hour before the bus, I had a bit of spare time so I followed the Waikato river round for a bit before heading back to Hamilton. I spent the evening relaxing at the hostel, watching one of the many films they had available to use.
Sunday was a complete shutdown of services, with only a limited bus service and most shops closed. I therefore decided to spend the day in Hamilton itself. Hamilton is the largest inland city in New Zealand with about 3% of the entire population living there. One of its most popular attractions is the gardens which is free to enter, so I decided to go there. The gardens were split into sections with each area showcasing how a garden looks in different time periods and cultures. It was nice place to walk around, and the surrounding area had nice little walks. It however started raining again come afternoon, so I visited the Waikato museum which was interesting before heading back to the hostel because of the weather. I then just watched a couple of films throughout the evening before going to bed.
Tuesday, 11 April 2017
Auckland Week 5
It was another busy week at the university, not helped by the ridiculous amount of rain throughout the week which was apparently the remains of Cyclone Debbie which badly hit Australia a few days prior. This meant the building had flooded a lot. There was a lot of demolition work throughout the week which required a fair bit of lifting, as well as tidying up the main building. A fair few problems came up throughout the week due to the water issues, but they were fixed. Also no one communicates so things don't go to plan half the time, but it's funny to watch.
Come the weekend I decided to visit the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, which is located to the west of Auckland. To make the most of time there I decided to stay the night in the village of Piha. Piha is a famous surf spot in New Zealand, so much so that it even has its own TV show called Piha Rescue filmed there due to the high number of issues. The waves and currents are particularly strong here which attracts a high number of surfers. Piha itself and the surrounding areas are popular with hikers for its distinctive ironsand beaches and dramatic coastline.
Leaving relatively early, I was stuck on a rail replacement bus as there were engineering works. This took me to within 20km or so of Piha. From here I hitchhiked the rest of the way in. The thing with Piha is there's only one road in and out which makes hitchhiking particularly easy, and with no bus there except for expensive tour buses it was that or walk. I made it to Piha in good time, and with 2 days to explore, I headed south towards the neighboring village or Karekare via the coast. The terrain in the park was very undulating although following the clifftop coastline there were plenty of stunning views of both the beaches and heavily wooded areas inland.
When arriving in Karekare there was the Karekare races on which is an annual horse racing event on the beach primarily aimed for families. This meant it was particularly busy. I stayed and watched for a bit and had lunch here before continuing south along the coast along the beach which took me beneath the cliffs before heading inland through grassland past lakes. I then headed up where I got some more pretty special views before arriving back into Karekare effectively completing a loop. I then headed inland to visit the Karekare falls, a waterfall about 10 minute walk from the road. This meant it was busy although it was a pretty site.
After leaving the waterfall I left Karekare and headed back along the clifftops to Piha, heading down to the beach to watch the sunset which was impressive. I then headed to my accommodation for the night which was slightly inland from the beach, and it was a brilliant place to stay with an array of facilities. The owner even did a fire for us! I had one of my best nights sleep for a while.
On Sunday first stop was Kitekite falls, a less accessible waterfall which being a bigger walk to get to meant I had the waterfall to myself. It was another special site. I then headed through the woodland further climbing up and around back to the coast north of Piha. Here I headed to this headland where I got views north towards Anawhata. I then headed down to beach level where I followed the beach back to Piha. One of Piha most distinctive features is the Lion Rock which is a massive rock sitting on the beach which you could climb up. The views up top were once again amazing.
I then continued south along the beach to the Tasman lookout which once again presented brilliant views, heading back down the other side to see the keyhole and blowhole which are a set of features showcased by the waves. I then headed back round into Piha where I relaxed for a bit on the beach before heading back to Auckland, hitchhiking to the end of the road before getting the rail replacement bus back. I didn't arrive back until dark but it was a really good weekend! For dinner I treated myself to a dominoes before having an early night!
Come the weekend I decided to visit the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, which is located to the west of Auckland. To make the most of time there I decided to stay the night in the village of Piha. Piha is a famous surf spot in New Zealand, so much so that it even has its own TV show called Piha Rescue filmed there due to the high number of issues. The waves and currents are particularly strong here which attracts a high number of surfers. Piha itself and the surrounding areas are popular with hikers for its distinctive ironsand beaches and dramatic coastline.
Leaving relatively early, I was stuck on a rail replacement bus as there were engineering works. This took me to within 20km or so of Piha. From here I hitchhiked the rest of the way in. The thing with Piha is there's only one road in and out which makes hitchhiking particularly easy, and with no bus there except for expensive tour buses it was that or walk. I made it to Piha in good time, and with 2 days to explore, I headed south towards the neighboring village or Karekare via the coast. The terrain in the park was very undulating although following the clifftop coastline there were plenty of stunning views of both the beaches and heavily wooded areas inland.
When arriving in Karekare there was the Karekare races on which is an annual horse racing event on the beach primarily aimed for families. This meant it was particularly busy. I stayed and watched for a bit and had lunch here before continuing south along the coast along the beach which took me beneath the cliffs before heading inland through grassland past lakes. I then headed up where I got some more pretty special views before arriving back into Karekare effectively completing a loop. I then headed inland to visit the Karekare falls, a waterfall about 10 minute walk from the road. This meant it was busy although it was a pretty site.
After leaving the waterfall I left Karekare and headed back along the clifftops to Piha, heading down to the beach to watch the sunset which was impressive. I then headed to my accommodation for the night which was slightly inland from the beach, and it was a brilliant place to stay with an array of facilities. The owner even did a fire for us! I had one of my best nights sleep for a while.
On Sunday first stop was Kitekite falls, a less accessible waterfall which being a bigger walk to get to meant I had the waterfall to myself. It was another special site. I then headed through the woodland further climbing up and around back to the coast north of Piha. Here I headed to this headland where I got views north towards Anawhata. I then headed down to beach level where I followed the beach back to Piha. One of Piha most distinctive features is the Lion Rock which is a massive rock sitting on the beach which you could climb up. The views up top were once again amazing.
I then continued south along the beach to the Tasman lookout which once again presented brilliant views, heading back down the other side to see the keyhole and blowhole which are a set of features showcased by the waves. I then headed back round into Piha where I relaxed for a bit on the beach before heading back to Auckland, hitchhiking to the end of the road before getting the rail replacement bus back. I didn't arrive back until dark but it was a really good weekend! For dinner I treated myself to a dominoes before having an early night!
Sunday, 2 April 2017
Auckland Week 4
After a nice and relaxing weekend it was back to work at the university on Monday. It was another busy week, and I spent a fair bit of the time in the building they were just refurbishing which had to be finished that week. This required me to do a lot of tidying up, and moving things about while they did things like lay the carpet and paint the walls. There was a fair bit to do in the main building too however which flooded once again due to the rain over the weekend and during the week, the building still not properly watertight. It was a very busy week although we were bought beers on Friday to thank us for our hard work which went down well.
Come Saturday I decided to go and visit Motutapu Island for the day, which sits next to Rangitito Island about 25 minute boat from the CBD. I visited Rangitito Island when I last came to Auckland, and due to there being just 1 ferry a week to Motutapu Island I caught a ferry to Rangitoto and walked to Motutapu. Rangitoto Island is the youngest of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, formed by a series of dramatic explosions from the sea about 600 years ago. It was last and largest of the volcanoes to formed in Auckland at 260m above sea level. At the time of these eruptions Maori tribes were living on the adjacent Motutapu Island and witnessed the eruptions. Nowadays Rangitoto boasts a fascinating landscape of rugged lava crops, lush native bush, and sandy coves. Motutapu Island in comparison has a history dating back to the Jurassic period and is one the oldest islands in Hauraki Gulf. The island is home to the Reid Homestead farm, with many scenic walking tracks and secluded beaches.
As I fell asleep so early the night before I woke up early which meant I caught the 7.30am ferry across to Rangitoto, which coincided with sunrise which was pretty special. It also gave me the cheaper early bird fare which was a bonus. When arriving on Rangitoto I headed eastwards along the Islington Bay Road flanked in all directions with lava crops. When I visited last time I headed westwards and looped round the island before going up to the summit, and back down the other side to the ferry terminal. Heading eastwards was all new to me. En route to the the bridge connecting Rangitoto to Motutapu I took a detour to Wreck Bay and Boulder Bay which followed a path across the lava field on some very rugged terrain to the northern coastline. This area is famous for its many shipwrecks, although as I arrived at high tide only a few of the 16 wrecks were visible.
Heading back to the road the same way across the lava fields, I soon made it to Motutapu Island. The terrain and landscape changed dramatically to rolling grassy hills, with little tree cover. Motutapu Island had many walking tracks, and with 5pm the last ferry leaving Rangitoto I had to make sure I kept an eye on the time. I basically followed the coastline of the island in a clockwise direction, taking detours to many of the bays en route which was just empty. With the island being so undulating there were often brilliant views of some of the other islands in Hauraki Gulf in all directions. I didn't bump into another person until the islands campsite on the southern shore which itself had probably the pick of the beaches. It was brilliant pretty much having the island to myself, although I did cover a lot of distance, not arriving back to the ferry terminal on Rangitoto until about half 4!
At the ferry terminal there were a fair few people, and there was also a natural pool which I had to paddle to feet in which was refreshing. I arrived back on the mainland by about half 5, stopping via Devonport en route. I spent the evening relaxing in the hostel although I did go out for a few beers in my hostel bar as well as another cheap meal which they offer which works out cheaper than trying to cook myself which I've done the whole week.
Come Sunday I had a lie in, although the clocks did go back an hour so I set an alarm to listen to the Saints game before going back to bed after. I had a far more relaxing day looking round a few of the shops, before heading out to Victoria Park and Silo Park at the recently developed Wynyard Quarter which despite staying in such close proximity to I haven't really explored properly. It just happened to be dog day which meant there were dogs everywhere! I had lunch here and just chilled out for the afternoon as it was a nice day, before heading back to the hostel. Come evening I just relaxed and sorted everything out for work next week.
Come Saturday I decided to go and visit Motutapu Island for the day, which sits next to Rangitito Island about 25 minute boat from the CBD. I visited Rangitito Island when I last came to Auckland, and due to there being just 1 ferry a week to Motutapu Island I caught a ferry to Rangitoto and walked to Motutapu. Rangitoto Island is the youngest of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, formed by a series of dramatic explosions from the sea about 600 years ago. It was last and largest of the volcanoes to formed in Auckland at 260m above sea level. At the time of these eruptions Maori tribes were living on the adjacent Motutapu Island and witnessed the eruptions. Nowadays Rangitoto boasts a fascinating landscape of rugged lava crops, lush native bush, and sandy coves. Motutapu Island in comparison has a history dating back to the Jurassic period and is one the oldest islands in Hauraki Gulf. The island is home to the Reid Homestead farm, with many scenic walking tracks and secluded beaches.
As I fell asleep so early the night before I woke up early which meant I caught the 7.30am ferry across to Rangitoto, which coincided with sunrise which was pretty special. It also gave me the cheaper early bird fare which was a bonus. When arriving on Rangitoto I headed eastwards along the Islington Bay Road flanked in all directions with lava crops. When I visited last time I headed westwards and looped round the island before going up to the summit, and back down the other side to the ferry terminal. Heading eastwards was all new to me. En route to the the bridge connecting Rangitoto to Motutapu I took a detour to Wreck Bay and Boulder Bay which followed a path across the lava field on some very rugged terrain to the northern coastline. This area is famous for its many shipwrecks, although as I arrived at high tide only a few of the 16 wrecks were visible.
Heading back to the road the same way across the lava fields, I soon made it to Motutapu Island. The terrain and landscape changed dramatically to rolling grassy hills, with little tree cover. Motutapu Island had many walking tracks, and with 5pm the last ferry leaving Rangitoto I had to make sure I kept an eye on the time. I basically followed the coastline of the island in a clockwise direction, taking detours to many of the bays en route which was just empty. With the island being so undulating there were often brilliant views of some of the other islands in Hauraki Gulf in all directions. I didn't bump into another person until the islands campsite on the southern shore which itself had probably the pick of the beaches. It was brilliant pretty much having the island to myself, although I did cover a lot of distance, not arriving back to the ferry terminal on Rangitoto until about half 4!
At the ferry terminal there were a fair few people, and there was also a natural pool which I had to paddle to feet in which was refreshing. I arrived back on the mainland by about half 5, stopping via Devonport en route. I spent the evening relaxing in the hostel although I did go out for a few beers in my hostel bar as well as another cheap meal which they offer which works out cheaper than trying to cook myself which I've done the whole week.
Come Sunday I had a lie in, although the clocks did go back an hour so I set an alarm to listen to the Saints game before going back to bed after. I had a far more relaxing day looking round a few of the shops, before heading out to Victoria Park and Silo Park at the recently developed Wynyard Quarter which despite staying in such close proximity to I haven't really explored properly. It just happened to be dog day which meant there were dogs everywhere! I had lunch here and just chilled out for the afternoon as it was a nice day, before heading back to the hostel. Come evening I just relaxed and sorted everything out for work next week.
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