Around The Horn, Er Cape (Oct. 31 – Nov. 3)

When we decided to leave Taranaki, we got in touch with Belinda’s sister Julia, who lives on the East Cape with her partner Gordon. Like Kieran and Belinda, she and Gordon had recently signed up to be Wwoof hosts as well. Unfortunately and somewhat amazingly, they happened to be hosting their first two Wwoofers (a pair of Californian college buddies) during the same period that we were in the area. However, they graciously offered to put us up for a night or two in their home in Tokamaru Bay on our way through the East Cape.

We left Gisborne on Wednesday morning and set out to complete the first leg of an allegedly tres windy drive through the East Cape. The weather was once again stunning with clear sunny skies highlighting lush green hills and a dazzlingly blue ocean. This part of New Zealand is Whale Rider country, as the movie was filmed on location at a marae north of Gisborne. Though we wholeheartedly recommend the movie (an eloquent parable about the Maori in modern times), we didn’t actually stop at the filming sites, mostly because they had removed the road sign causing us to miss the turn, but also because we’ve heard that tourist visits have annoyed the locals in the small town. And so we skipped that stop and continued north to Tolaga Bay, which holds the distinction of having the longest wharf in New Zealand (660m), a structure that’s at once scenic and depressing. The decay of the wharf echoes the Cape’s fall as a center of economic activity, and even though it’s seen better days, it’s a nice place to stroll and fish.

The Tolaga Bay wharf takes a pretty picture, but we probably shouldn't have stood this close to the railing

Next stop was Tokomaru Bay, described by the guides as a ‘picturesque and crumbling’ town. True to the description, Tokomaru Bay used to be home to a large freezing works but has fallen on tough times since it closed. Now the area is home to the retired, the unemployed, and the holiday homeowner. The beaches here are lovely and more than make up for the paucity of most other amenities.

We arrived at Julia and Gordon’s in time for an evening fishing trip. We all hopped on board the boat and, per the traditional Kiwi method, were towed down to the water using a large tractor. It was a bumpy ride over the large rocks, but eventually we got ourselves in the ocean. It was great to see the coastline from the water, and we really enjoyed our time cruising around the bay. The actual fishing trip was less successful, but still good fun. Gordon had forgotten to bring along the anchor, so we ended up using some crayfish pots to anchor ourselves. Julia had managed to catch a fish within seconds of throwing in the first line, and so we thought this was going to be a breeze, but the rest of us were less successful. All told, we caught one snapper, one kahawai, and two sharks. The sharks weren’t very happy about it and did a good job of thrashing around on the deck. Perhaps they were attracted by my contribution to the fishing mission, as I managed to lose my lunch on a second consecutive day (the acrobatic flight causing the first loss).

The view from Gordon and Julia's porch - obviously they have it rough on the cape

The next morning, with such nice weather around and no place to be any time soon, Andrew and I took Julia and Gordon up on their offer for us to spend another night with them. As such, we felt we should do a bit of wwoofing work to cover our room and board (and to not inspire mutiny among the other Americans). Andrew got to work helping Gordon with some chainsawing, and I dug in to my specialty, weeding. The weather turned pretty scorching by the afternoon, so Andrew and I eagerly knocked off and headed to the beach. Hey, it’s not going to be nice when we get home, better soak it up while we can.

Hey, we remembered to get a group shot this time

By the following morning, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. However, it was time for us to get back on the road and continue our trip around the East Cape. We arrived at the lighthouse after a few hours of driving along a typically windy road. The climb to the top of the lighthouse was steep but worth the trip to the top.

You think we'd talk about seeing a lighthouse and not have a picture? For shame.

Back on the road shortly after, we finished the last half of the East Cape drive fairly quickly. We really enjoyed this last bit of the trip, from meeting Tanya and Cozzie in Gisborne, Kelly and her high flying family, Julia and Gordon in Tokomaru Bay, and then the lighthouse… it was a bit of a let down once we were done, because now we’d essentially visited all the places we were compelled to see in New Zealand. The gray weather seemed to suit our mood as we holed up for the night at a backpackers in Whanarua Bay. Now all of our attention was focused on the few days remaining before we had to be back in Auckland for our stint of house-sitting for Couchsurfers Rachel and Shanon. How to kill a few more days, that’s a good question.

Pondering the big questions from Whanarua Bay

Gisborne Golds And The Wild Blue Yonder (Oct. 29 - 31)

After our premature departure from Taranaki, I managed to convince Andrew that we should take in the final bit of the country we had yet to visit – the East Cape. Jutting out into the Pacific Ocean and isolated from much of the rest of the country, the East Cape is definitely not on the major tourist routes, which, to be honest, is almost always a plus for us. However, it had been described to us by some as “hillbilly country,” which put us off during our first pass through the North Island. Other more reliable sources later told us that the East Cape was not to be missed due to its sunny weather, stunning coastlines, and relative isolation. It’s also home to a large Maori population, providing more of an authentic cultural experience than, say, a touristy hangi in Rotorua. Plus, there is a lighthouse to visit, so say no more… East Cape, here we come!

Earlier in the week we’d arranged to stay with a young couple in Gisborne, a pair of Wellington refugees who’d fled its windy weather for the sunny climate of the east coast. They’re there for Tanya’s early childhood education university program, while Andrew (her partner, also known as Cozzie) works variously as an artist, house painter, and tennis coach. In Gisborne, they’re able to rent a house a block from the beach with a guest bedroom, sleep out, garage, and large yard. We arrived early on a Sunday afternoon and quickly settled in to get to know one another over an adult beverage or three.

Basking in the sunshine in Gisborne - we're not totally looking forward to the upcoming N. hemisphere winter

The next day we made our requisite pilgrimage to the local brewery, Sunshine Brewing, who make a range of quite reasonably priced and well-made brews. A rigger and a pint glass later and Andrew was one happy beer geek. We also ventured up to the lookout spot over Poverty Bay at Kaiti Hill, featuring one of the heaps of Captain Cook statues (though it apparently isn’t actually him) commemorating his first landing in the area. We were loving the blue skies and beautiful weather and returned back to Tanya and Cozzie’s to enjoy some time in the sun in their backyard and to partake in our recently procured Gisborne Gold. Unfortunately, Andrew, Tanya, and I finished off the beer before Cozzie got home from his afternoon tennis lesson. He was a good sport, though, and went to the grocery store (three times) to restock and get supplies for that evening’s barbecue.

Tanya, Marley, and Cozzie - no points for guessing that they're reggae fans

That evening we were treated to a proper kiwi barbecue with several of Tanya and Cozzie’s friends from the area. The evening featured a jam session with a guitar and drum circle. There was also some fire dancing, as Tanya and Cozzie showed off their skills on the poi and staff, respectively. Once again, we felt really lucky for meeting such incredible people through CouchSurfing. Cheers, guys!

The next day our outrageous good fortune with CouchSurfing continued when we met up with Kelly Thompson. Kelly had shifted (moved) to Gisborne years before and had recently signed up with CouchSurfing to spread the good word about her adopted home. Although she does not have a couch for people to surf, she is quite happy to show them around the area. As such, we met up for an afternoon with Kelly as our tour guide.

She first took us on the (naturally) very windy road to the Morere Hot Springs where we spent several hours lounging in the natural hot pools. Even though it was a Tuesday afternoon, the pools were filled with a veritable united nations of people, with representatives from New Zealand, the U.S., Holland, Scotland, and England. I always enjoy the natural thermal areas, and they’ll definitely be missed when we return to the States.

Next, Kelly took us to the Gisborne airfield for the highlight of the afternoon (and one of the highlights of our entire trip). Her husband Glen is an aircraft engineer who also builds and flies his own acrobatic airplanes. He had offered Andrew and me the chance to go for a scenic ride in the open cockpit bi-wing airplane complete with acrobatic tricks. Andrew and I could hardly say no to such an opportunity, although I was a bit hesitant about the acrobatic tricks portion of the flight. My Dramamine supply ran out weeks ago, and I had forgotten to pick up the ginger tablets recommended by Clare, our CouchSurfing host in Taupo. Anyway, I agreed to go first, and Glen and I discussed hand signals to be used during the flight (two thumbs up = great time! Give me more!, two thumbs down = land this plane immediately!). He also gave me a plastic bag, in case I decided to be “unsociable.”

Becky doing her best Amelia Earhart impression

As we sat in the plane getting ready to take off, I kept thinking, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” My previous small plane experience consisted of taking a 40-seat puddle jumper from Harrisburg to New York, nothing like flying in a two seat open aircraft! Glen told me to not be worried as he made his way to the runway, “I have to drive like I’m drunk because I can’t see where I’m going when I sit in the back.” Minutes later we were taxiing down the runway and were in the air.

It looks like a bug, but it's just us, doing stunts at a couple thousand feet

The scenic part of the flight was amazing in itself. Andrew and I have never really had the opportunity to see New Zealand from the air (unlike Mom and Don who took a flight from Auckland to Christchurch). The landscape is amazing from up high, and we had perfect weather to appreciate the view of the land and the sea. I had responsibly decided not to bring the camera with me due to the second part of the flight – the acrobatics. Glen informed me over the radio what was to come next – barrel rolls, spins, and flying upside down. It’s hard to describe the intensity of being in airplane that is seemingly defying the practical rules of aviation. It was incredible, and Glen got lots of “thumbs up” before we returned to the earth. Fortunately, I also managed to remain sociable until we were back on the ground and discreetly sneaked away to leave my lunch behind the building.

Andrew was up next. It was a good thing that I went first, otherwise I would probably have never agreed to get into the plane. It was amazing watching the performance from the ground, and Andrew was definitely given a much more intense performance than I was. With his thumbs permanently stuck in the “give me more” position, Glen was more than happy to oblige. When they finally returned to the earth, Andrew immediately laid on the ground to try and recover from the ride. The adrenalin rush, even more than the continuous loop-the-loops, is enough to twist one’s stomach into one hell of a knot. Even with all that, Andrew managed to keep his lunch down - well done.

This is actually the 'after' picture, after we had some time to compose ourselves

So cheers to Kelly, Glenn and their two girls for showing us a terrific time at the Gisborne Airport. We were seriously lucky to come across them on CouchSurfing, and won’t ever forget them, or the death-defying rides in the family plane. Something tells me this is going to be a tough CouchSurfing experience to top, whew!