Aotearoa is the Māori name for New Zealand, which is often called “the land of the long white cloud”. This is considered to be the meaning of the name Aotearoa, and refers to the cloud formations which are believed to have helped early Polynesian navigators find the country in Māori oral tradition. Today we saw many long white clouds, as well as large grey clouds, with patches of lovely blue skies in between – the classic 4 seasons in one day.

If you have been a follower of this blog you will know that I have been a very inconsistent, on-again-off-again blogger. The main reason I blog is to capture my memories of places we have visited while they are still fresh. With that in mind it makes sense to try to keep up to date, so this is yet another attempt to reboot and try to be more consistent. My plan is to prioritise regularity over detail, so some posts might be short and (hopefully) sweet, but here goes …

We flew into Auckland yesterday evening. The plane left Sydney a bit late but arrived in Auckland a bit early – how does that work? The flight was just long enough to squeeze in a movie – Keith watched Spit with David Wenham, and I watched Paddington in Peru.

Farewell Sydney

Kia Ora Aotearoa

At the airport in Sydney, we spotted a newish art installation. Called “United Neytions”, it is by Kamilaroi artist Archie Moore. It explores themes of boundaries, identity, and intercultural understanding in the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australia. The flags draw inspiration from cultural artifacts like shields, and practices like body painting, incorporating natural colours from various ecosystems.
We spent the night at the Pullman Hotel at the airport, and picked up our rental car this morning and headed straight out of Auckland – we’ll be back! We had a scenic drive down the Pohutakawa Coast enjoying the green rolling hills and sandy beaches, plus (of course) some random bits of public art that we passed.

Maraetai Beach

“Protect Us” by Natasha Fitzpatrick

Maraetai Beach

Maraetai Beach

“Embrace” by James Wright

I did not expect to see a giraffe.

I will let you know if I find out anything about this one.

Our major stop was at Hunua Falls. Just as we arrived the heavens opened, but I figured a waterfall is probably one of the few sights that look just as good in the rain. I gather there has been a bit of rain around here, because the falls were certainly flowing. By the time we reached the falls (a short walk from the car park) it had stopped raining, but we were getting just as wet from the spray of the falls. The walk itself was pleasant, through lush fern forest.

Here’s a little video of the falls (make sure you have the sound on):

We stopped for a late lunch at a cafe called Stray Dog Cafe (and yes there were a couple of dogs, though they looked well cared for). We sat enjoying the view and the warm afternoon sun, and some delicious soups. If you ever happen to stop at this cafe, you must visit the toilet out the back, to see the impressive “stained glass” window made from coloured bottles.

The weather deteriorated somewhat after that and we decided to skip our planned visit to the Pokoroko Miranda Shorebird Centre and headed to our accommodation for the next 2 nights in Thames. Kuranui Cottage is warm and cozy and beautifully furnished. We found a lovely Tapas restaurant for dinner (Eretas – delicious but huge servings – we have leftovers for tomorrow’s meal) and retired to our cottage to plan tomorrow’s activities.

Kuranui Cottage

Kuranui Cottage

Bao with pork, cucumber, pickled onion, kewpie

Moroccan cauli with labne & pickled onion

Raw fish todstada with capers, horseradish and avo cream

To see the rest of the New Zealand trip (a work in progress at this stage) click HERE. If you are really keen click the subscribe link below and you will get an email notification every time there’s a new post.