01/24/2010, Whakapapa, Tongariro World Heritage Area
Last night we camped at the foot of 'Mount Doom' (Mt. Ruapehu) made famous during the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Close by is Mt. Ngauruhoe which served as the pedestal for 'The Eye' of Sauron in the movie. We went part way up Ruapehu this morning. It is still an active volcano and the widespread rubble-covered slopes are just what you saw in the third movie. Many of the second and third movie outdoor scenes were shot in Tongariro.
The park is NZ's oldest national park, similar in many ways to Glacier National in the States. We did some alpine hiking and hope to return before leaving NZ - magnificent!
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01/18/2010, Coromandel Town, NZ
The picture shows us with two new friends, Tony and Dawn Evans, s/v Cape Provedence, who were our generous hosts at their home on the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula. The Evans were doing their circumnavigation at the same time as Judy's brother John and his family, crossing wakes from the Red Sea to Spain; thus the connection to us. The Coromandel has everything from spectacular seascapes on Haruaki Guld and the Pacific to dense kauri tree rainforest - it's a must for any visit to NZ.
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01/05/2010, Cape Reinga, NZ
Zephyr, nephew of the famous Sirocco, is a flightless parrot whose relations live in the southernmost reaches of NZ. We took him north to show him the northernmost reaches of his native land - the Cape at Reinga. Zephyr agreed with us that the Cape, and its sister, Cape Marie van Diemen are truly awesome to behold.
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12/30/2009
2010 finds the crew of Ursa Minor encamped at Haruru Falls in Northland, NZ. Weather has been fantastic with sunny skies and cool temps at night, so sleeping in the tent has been quite comfortable. We've done a nice 12k 'tramp' along a river to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where the Maori and the Europeans made peace. The Maoris are getting even by charging an admission of $20 NZD to walk the grounds, a fee which we declined. Besides, we hear that the cultural 'stuff' will be much better when we get to Rotorua. Last night we invited Ted and Karen from s/v Sequester - old friends from St. Croix and the Marshalls - over for curry. A good time was had catching up on familiar places and friends from oceans around the world. Tonight is fireworks at Pahia and pushing on in a day or so for Cape Reinga, NZ's northernmost cape. Zephyr has made a comfortable nest for himself in the top of the tent where he catches the occasional visiting mozzie.
Happy New Year to all ......
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12/25/2009
Inspired by Sirocco, that kakapo ('night parrot') of YouTube fame, we have acquired one of his offspring as a pet. His name is Zephyr, yet a chick, and he has been traveling with us since Auckland. When in the camper van, he rides on the dash; on a 'tramp' he rides in my backpack. He is pictured here reading the signage at Mangawhai Heads.
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