From Des:

Puke Ariki

Yes, the name at issue here is Puke Ariki.

Pronunciations vary according to what part of Texas you hail from but the historical context and literal definition of the term is not clear. That is not intended to convey that Puke Ariki implies a clouded or opaque state. Rather, scholars maintain that the true meaning of Puke Ariki has been lost for centuries.  This was perhaps most famously iterated by noted by historian/philosopher Ron Burgundy in his pivotal work, Anchorman.

I do indeed digress.

Locally, we know Puke Ariki to be the modern looking museum and library complex that sits on the CBD waterfront. CBD is the central business district. NZed’ers don’t use the term downtown so much. It’s all CBD in here. The Puke Ariki is along side the idyllic eel infested Huatoki stream that enters into the Tasman Sea just yards from the museum.

Inside Puke Ariki library proper is a comprehensive print media collection that is inside of a nice coffee shop. There are comfy chairs, windows, chargers, and other amenities designed to delight interlopers. The library encourages loitering of all kinds with free high speed internet, ample toilets, and lots of convo worthy folks.

The museum proper has it’s own restaurant, Arborio .   It’s an inside/outside, kind of woodsy scene off at the edge of the museum lobby. I haven’t dined there yet and only recently realised I’d been avoiding it because it might be way cool and I’m not ready for that kind of pressure.

Finally, we arrive at our main dish. Maybe I am acclimatising to the 10 years behind status here in the lava laden farm belt of NZ but it seemed like a big deal or maybe even a privilege to see this stuff.  We highly recommend!

All three of us went and saw the exhibit but did so separately. This allowed maximum absorption and zero pace pressure. 50 outstanding photographs of Nat Geo quality all in one place… right here in humble Taranaki.  Each photo had a caption board that described salient recollections by its respective photog. Some photographers seemed most concerned with having accomplished  the “getting the shot” aspect.  Others were more appreciative of the rarity of the people, animals, and elements coming together at just the right time in their midst. 

One unexpected pearl was that some of the photographers had inadvertently captured actionable evidence. In more than a couple of instances, the photo motivated intervention on behalf of the semi-anonymous subjects. The photograph  may have framed a tragedy but in the end the picture brought attention to their plight and helpful strangers intervened. That had to feel good for the photographer. 

Although time certainly got away from me… I’d say it took me about an hour to look at each one and digest the caption but it didn’t seem like any kind of chore. Later, when we all meet up we can have the “which one was your favourite” discussion.

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In other news, Des has been keeping Sam busy.   Sam is also a hospital radiologist.  Unfortunately, his most-awesome girlfriend and good friend of ours, Keun, decided to stay in Korea and not return to New Plymouth for now. She’s finishing her thesis for a masters degree. Anyway, Sam is a great athlete but new to surfing. Des talked him into a last minute surf session after work.   He was psyched and on the way home said, “That was the best spontaneous decision I’ve ever made in my life!” 

 

Then mountain biking….

And so have a Good evening,  from downtown New Plymouth…

The ferry trip to Waiheke Island was very cool but the Coromandel peninsula is THE vacation beach spot. White sand beaches, much warmer temperatures and relatively calm seas needed to be explored.  We booked a rental car for the scenic road trip to Coromandel Town, Whitianga, and then back to Auckland.  Winding through the  peninsula we passed hundreds of iconic,  brightly colored camper vans.  Everyone was pulling the same style boat, a Kiwi Kraft.  These are aluminium pontoon boats similar in purpose to California’s Radon style.  Metal crafts are needed because of all the rocks here. 

We discovered the Cathedral Cove Kayak Tours, which launched off of Hahei Beach on the east coast of the peninsula.  Kayaking in this area has been on my wish list for quite awhile.

From Kai:  ” However, it wasn’t just a normal kayak trip. I got into a double kayak with my dad and set out to paddle around an island about a kilometer away from shore. Once we reached the island, we admired its beauty for a couple minutes and paddled on through a cave and over to another volcanic island  (if you could even call it  that-  it was basically a house-sized rock protruding from the water).   I daydreamed about living on the island and being a pirate. Our guide caught up with us and instructed us to paddle to a small beach about 300 meters away. We left our possible pirate past behind and paddled to the beach.”

We kayaked a good portion of  Mercury Bay.  The bay was name by James Cook who “discovered”  New Zealand  around 1769.   He had to rely on crude devices and planets to navigate his way around the islands.  He was able to line up Mercury while sailing in this inlet,  hence the name, Mercury Bay.   Below are photos from Ross, our kayaking guide. He treated us to cappuccinos and hot chocolate on the beach!    (stock photos show Cathedral beach with it’s archways and caves.) Gorgeous As !!!!   

 

A few minutes down the road from Cathedral Cove, we stopped to see Hot Water Beach.  It seemed deserted until we strolled farther down and spotted a huge gathering of people.  At low tide you can dig down a foot or two and hot water wells up.   Everyone bathes in their little pools  until the warm water cools off , then they do again.  We didn’t bring a shovel and the tide came up so maybe next time we can “spa” on the beach!  Once back in Auckland we shopped a bit more.  The city centre is packed with international tourists and feels like a NYC-Hong Kong mix.   Des and Kai each made a shoe purchase after looking at 1000s of shoes. Stores provided  a hip-hop culture experience. Some had DJs playing loud rap music and lower levels with displays of  exclusive pieces (ie no price tags, if you have to ask you can’t afford it! ).   The main strip has Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and all the global design stores.  However, there was always a line.  The clerks are strict about the “personal shopping experience” and only a handful of customers can browse at a time.  We managed to slide into Prada and our attendant show us new jackets and other all-weather gear designed  for the  “America’s Cup” sailing line.  Kai said he had a new appreciation for nice things after inspecting the clothing up close.  We didn’t ask prices, just assumed we couldn’t afford it.

 

Auckland’s Art Gallery was very cool.  I especially liked Gottfried Lindauer’s  collection of Maori Portraits and the ever-relevant abstract modern art of the late New Zealander, Gordon Walters.  

 

Cheers from the big city.

Now back in our rural, more conservative, pastoral homestead, we all agreed to travel more!

New Zealanders say Auckland is too big and all the other towns are too small.  Since we hadn’t really seen Auckland,  Kai’s recent school “study” break presented a good time to go.   Although we identify as locals from New Plymouth, we act like typical tourists and, to be honest, sometimes that means trusting in the guide books.    A must-see is the city centre’s 1,076 foot Sky Tower.  Too bad Kai is still under age because once inside the first interesting thing you walk past is the Sky City Casino.   You then take a rocket-fast elevator up to the 52nd floor to behold the Sky Tower observation deck.  It’s a wrap-around style level with huge windows to view nearly all of Auckland, its harbours, bridges and nearby islands.  Skies were clear and the scenes were amazing.  Dinner followed at the Orbit 360 restaurant.   A real bonus is the revolving dining area  that rotates slowly around during your meal. The view changes; it’s just like the Hemisphere in San Antonio.  Kai said it was the best dinner he’s ever had, which may have been a reflection of the bill!    Later he asked to sign up for the Tower walk on the outdoor platform that circles the observation deck and then rappel down.  It’s called the “Look and Leap.”   I said no.

The next night Des set us up for an evening of puzzles and math at The Escape Room.  The 3 of us tried to escape from a prison cell, an actual prison cell.  This is creepy entertainment.  If you haven’t done this you should.  It went well and we solved the clues, found keys to locks and more, but,  unfortunately time ran out and we failed our mission.  Next time we’re doing the Titantic one. 

 

While we aren’t exactly wine drinkers we were very curious about the nearby Waiheke Island known for wineries, restaurants and helicopter day trips.  I’m always up for a ferry ride and after I discovered an off road segway tour, we bought our tickets. The harbour is busy with cruises ships, sailboats and racing vessels.  The ferry to Waiheke takes about 30 minutes and Des made of new friend, of course. Brent loves Nashville and plans to visit Austin soon.  The Segwai Tour was memorable.  The big off road tires on these heavy 60kg Segways were needed as we rode over hill and dale and beach reef!  Andrew, the owner and guide,  was super enthusiastic and patient. We all had a couple of “unplanned dismounts” but, all bones intact and only lost a small amount of blood.  These Kiwis are crazy!  

 

more of the trip north coming soon.