Day 6: 20 November 2007, Tuesday
For our sixth day in New Zealand, we headed north from Rotorua to Paihia, the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands. It was a long journey of over 450km and about six hours of driving. It was late afternoon by the time we checked in to our apartment in Paihia, so we didn’t do much that day.
Day 7: 21 November 2007, Wednesday
We started Day 7 with a trip to Manginangina, a forest reserve famous for its towering Kauri trees. According to interpretive signs at the park, Kauri (Agathis australis) is a conifer of great antiquity. Its ancestors arose during the Jurassic period (150 million years ago), when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The New Zealand Kauri is unique to the country but it has close relatives throughout the Southwest Pacific.
Kauri trees can grow for over 4,000 years and up to 50 metres tall. They are not the tallest tree species in New Zealand but they are the largest by volume. The oldest Kauri in this grove is about 500 years old. We had an enjoyable time walking among the forest giants.
For lunch, we drove northwest to Mangonui at Doubtless Bay, and had our favourite meal of fish & chips at Mangonui Fish Shop. Being surrounded by water, New Zealand is blessed with some of the freshest fish and seafood available.
While we were driving, we saw a sign by the road that said “Macadamia Nuts” so we popped in to buy some. It was a small farm run by an old Dutch couple and they gave us a quick tour of their farm. Besides macadamia nuts, they also sold oranges and goose eggs. Such a nice way to spend their retirement!
Next, we went to Kerikeri to take a walk along the river and see some of the historic sites there. The Bay of Islands was where Māori first met British missionaries in the early 19th century. In order to harness the trade and technology from Europe, the Kerikeri Mission Station was established in 1819. It was one of the first places in New Zealand where Māori invited visitors to live among them.
At the heart of the Mission Station are two of New Zealand’s oldest buildings. The Stone Store was built in 1832 and it is the country’s oldest stone building. Built in Georgian style, it was originally used as a warehouse but it later functioned as a trading post, library, barracks, boys’ school and finally a general store.
Behind the Stone Store is the Kemp House, named after James and Charlotte Kemp, who occupied the house in 1832. Kemp House was built in 1822 and it New Zealand’s oldest wooden building. Its physical appearance has remained largely unchanged over the past two centuries.
Following the short visit to Kerikeri, we stopped by a chocolate factory called Makana Confections before ending the day with a visit to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Often called the birthplace of New Zealand, Waitangi was where much of the country’s history was shaped through the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1835 and the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.
By 1835, large numbers of Europeans had arrived in New Zealand. Concerned about the intentions of the growing Europeans, Māori chiefs met in Waitangi in 1835 and signed the document that declared New Zealand’s independence. However, five years later, New Zealand became a British colony after the Treaty of Waitanga was signed on 6 February 1840.
The Treaty gave Māori sovereignty over their lands and possessions and all of the rights of British citizens. However, there was much discontent stemming from different translations of key terms in the English and Māori versions of the documents. After more than 100 years, the endurance of the Māori resulted in the Treaty of Waitangi Act of 1975, which governs and guides all Treaty-related issues and claims. Waitangi Day is observed every year on 6 February to commemorate the signing of New Zealand’s founding document.
At the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, we saw the Treaty House, which was New Zealand’s first residence for British Government officials. We also saw Te Whare Rūnanga, the House of Assembly. It is a large house with beautiful carvings incorporating traditional Māori motifs.
In the middle of a field facing the sea stood a 34-metre-tall flagstaff, which marks the spot where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840. The three flags on the flagstaff are the three official flags New Zealand has had since 1834 – Te Kera, the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand (1834 to present), the Union flag (1840 to 1902), and the New Zealand flag (1902 to present).
The visit to Waitangi wrapped up a day of discovering New Zealand’s history. Dinner that night was sumptuous as usual. The goose egg omelette was especially yummy. And that’s the end of Day 7!
Day 8: 22 November 2007, Thursday
On our eighth day, we decided to go for one more adventurous activity, a 1½ hour boat trip to see the “Hole in the Rock”. The excursion would be undertaken on a powerboat called Excitor. It was equipped with twin 800-horsepower engines, making it one of the fastest powerboats of its size in New Zealand. It promised an exhilarating experience riding the waves, so it made us all excited to ride the Excitor.
The Hole in the Rock is located at Piercy Island (Māori name: Motu Kōkako), which is at the northern tip of Cape Brett. Along the way, we saw beautiful islands with white sand bays. It was a perfect day to take a dip – the water was clear and the weather was sunny, but unfortunately, we were stuck on the boat.
Finally, we reached Cape Brett. The boat made a brief stop at Grand Cathedral Cave, which was not what I imagined, as it was more like a crevice in the cliff’s surface rather than a cavernous cave. We “entered” the cave to take some quick photos before moving on to the highlight of the trip.
Motukokako Island is Māori freehold land it is historically associated with sacred customary activities. According to Māori legend, local warriors used to paddle through the Hole in the Rock before departing for battle. The island itself is a mass of rock with sheer cliffs rising to 148 metres. The Hole in the Rock is about 16 metres high, carved out by the ocean and wind over centuries. As the weather was calm that day, we were able to sail through the Hole in the Rock.
After returning from the boat trip, we left the Bay of Islands and made our way back to Auckland. It felt strange to be back in New Zealand’s largest city again. I immediately missed the wide-open spaces and natural scenery of the small towns. That evening, we went to Sylvia Park, Auckland’s largest shopping mall, for a spot of window shopping. We then had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. The food was good, but I still preferred the home-cooked meals of the past few nights.
Day 9: 23 November 2007, Friday
In the blink of an eye, it was our last full day in New Zealand. In the morning, we visited Bastion Point, a promontory overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The land was originally owned by Māori but it was taken over by the Crown for defence purposes during the “Russian Scare” of 1885. Guns were emplaced here to guard the entrance to Waitematā Harbour.
In 1977-1978, the Māori held a 506-day protest here against a proposed Crown sale of the land for housing development. The occupation finally ended when police and army personnel forcibly removed 222 protestors.
Today, Bastion Point is the site of a memorial to Michael Joseph Savage, New Zealand’s first Labour Prime Minister. The memorial is a tall obelisk surrounded by a sunken reflection pool and gardens. It was serene and beautiful, giving no hint of the tumultuous events that happened in the past.
Following that, we had our own free-and-easy time and I headed to Real Groovy, New Zealand’s largest record store. It was an old-school record shop, reminding me of the old Tower Records at Pacific Plaza in Singapore. I was overwhelmed with the huge selection of new and used CDs, vinyls and DVDs there. I ended up spending 3½ hours poring through all the shelves and I managed to unearth some really good stuff. Real Groovy is one of my favourite record shops in the world!
After leaving Real Groovy, I walked from Queen Street (the main street in Auckland) to the nearby Karangahape Road, commonly known as K’ Road. This area has a reputation for being a red-light district, as strip clubs started sprouting here during the 1970s. However, K’ Road gradually became gentrified during the 1990s and it is now a hip place with unique boutiques, cafés, live music venues and street art. Certainly, with numerous sex shops still present, traces of its seedy past remain.
After that, I went back to our hotel to deposit my shopping haul before heading out again to catch the Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveShow concert at Vector Arena. I arrived quite early at 6:15pm and quickly shelled out NZ$25 for a tour book before joining the queue to enter the venue. I eventually managed to snag a good spot near the front of the stage.
Vector Arena had a capacity of 12,000 and this was the first of three sold-out shows. It was filled to the brim with screaming fans and I estimate that about 80% of them were female. Justin lapped up all the attention and put on an entertaining concert. He pulled out all the stops and tried his hand at everything – singing, dancing, playing the keyboards, guitar and even the keytar. He finally disappeared from the stage at 11:15pm, bringing the curtains down on my NZ trip on a good note.
Day 10: 24 November 2007, Saturday
After nine wonderful days in New Zealand, it was time to fly home. It had been a truly memorable and fun-filled trip. At the airport, I thanked Uncle S and Aunt V for their great hospitality and company. I certainly hope I can visit NZ again in the future and explore more places together. Our SQ286 flight departed Auckland at 1:25pm and touched down at Changi Airport about 10 hours 15 minutes later. Home sweet home!
