Opoutere

We decide to get out of town this past weekend. We left Auckland for Opoutere on Saturday afternoon after my soccer game was over. We were a little bit bummed at the time because it was raining and dark when we got to the hostel where we decided to stay. But there were some older couples staying there as well that we had polite conversation with while sitting next to a wood burning fire place.

Then we woke the next morning to see this view from the hostel. It was so dark the night before, that we had no idea what was around us at the time.

Over breakfast, we were contemplating what to do with our day. We both decided that really there should be no rush, schedule, or itinerary. We would just do what we felt like doing. Luckily, the hostel had a bunch of kayaks for us to use, and at that moment, we felt like going for a paddle.

We spent a good two hours on the kayaks, racing up the river near by and cruising across the delta to the spit that was directly across from the hostel.

After the long kayak, we traded in our boats for walking shoes, and headed to the beach. There was a little trail from the hostel that meandered through small section of pine forest leading up to the beach front. Both Denise and I thought it was strange that there would be pine forests so close to the sand, but i guess it is something we are just not accustom to seeing.

We finally made it to the beach to gaze over the clear blue ocean water of the Pacific.

Denise said it best while we were walking the beach. She said "this is how I want to remember New Zealand", and I think she was absolutely right. It was a gorgeous afternoon on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, and we were lucky to have the 3 miles of beach to ourselves. We were the only people out that day.

We walked the entire length of the beach and then came back to where we started. Beaches are fantastic. You never see the same thing twice even if you were to walk the same section one hundred times. The tides, waves, and shifting sand mold the beach differently after every crashing wave. The picture to the left was an area of sand near a stream feeding into the ocean. We decided that it looked like nature was making us an enormous batch of chocolate peanut butter fudge. And you never know what is going to ride a wave onto the beach. I found this empty clam shell washed in by the salty water. Symmetry brought to you by nature....

We had received a good tip from some friends we met in Auckland that there was a neat little art gallery in Opoutere called the Topadahil. If you say the name slow enough, it describes where the little gallery is, on top of the hill. The gallery itself is actually the artist's house oriented on one of the highest hill tops over looking the delta leading to the ocean. The view from her house was amazing. Anyway, the artists name was Guity (French), and even though we could not afford any of her original works (need to take out a sizable loan), she was nice enough to invite us into her house so we could view her works. We spent about an hour talking with her, and she even gave us a back packers deal on some prints of her original works. We bought a few, and left her home feeling inspired. I don't have any pictures to show you of her works, so you will have to see the prints when we get back the the States.

Anyway, this is how we will remember Opoutere, and we are sure to reccomend this little paradise to others. We may even come back to visit again.

Devonport

Auckland City is great, and we like the hustle and bustle....sometimes. Other times Denise and I like the slower, fudge and ice cream beach town pace. That is why we went to Devonport. The great thing is that Devonport is just across the bay from the city. We spent the afternoon walking the main street, ducking in and out of various art galleries and boutique shops.

The Devonport peninsula is home to two volcanic caps, Mount Victoria and Hauraki. We walked around the perimeter and up to the summit of both to capture a great views of Rangitoto, the Auckland City skyline, and the small town of Devonport.

On Mount Victoria, we discovered this interesting sculpture just off the footpath (below to the right). There was no explanation of its significance, how it got there, or who the artist was, but it reminded me of Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture "The Thinker" with a bit of a Kiwi twist.

Anyway, he was a great discovery that most people I think pass up because it is located just off the foot path.

I got an extreme close up of his mug. Maybe not as inquisitive as "The Thinker", but I love the expression anyway.

We moved on to North Head where Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park is located. This park was once an important base for the New Zealand military forces during the war times of the 20th century. Many tunnels, bunkers, and huge gun turrets were built beneath the mountain to help ward off any attackers during World War I and II. Fortunately, the fortification did not see any action during its time, and the area is now just a recreation park.

The cool part about the now abandoned fortification is that tourists can explore some of the tunnels and bunkers left behind by the military. A few of the large guns and munitions structures are still there as well to explore. We made sure to bring our flashlight in order to explore the tunnels. Some were long, dark, and kind of spooky.

Anyway, we hiked all around the mountain and the beach surrounding

Then we ended up on the summit to catch the sunset. It was a spectacular afternoon.