The day began with the real NZ Herald delivered to our door and a very generous breakfast buffet in the Crowne Plaza Auckland. Up early because we’re still adjusting to the time differences, we noticed a steady stream of headlights on the motorway, moving into the city. An early breakfast allowed us to get our bags outside the door for pickup before 7:30 AM.
Off we went on a quick coach tour of Auckland. Centered on an isthmus between two harbors, the city has sprawled like many others, its jobs attracting in migration from all over NZ and beyond. We had an amazing 360-degree perspective from the top of Mt. Eden with charming cottages flowing over the volcanic hillsides that spread all around us. And beyond the vista of green hills and valleys and the cityscape of downtown high-rises, everywhere is the sea.
Our bus took us through the Waitemata Harbor area. The harbor itself is quite beautiful. Its name is Maori for “sparkling water” and on this cloudless day, it was evident that the name fits perfectly. An area of harborfront once covered with warehouses was turned into an “America’s Cup Village” of shops, restaurants and living spaces when the race was held here a few years ago. It is still developing today.
Throughout the city center, condos are rising, feeding young people’s hunger for a lifestyle close to both work and bars. As our guide said, “We like our drinks in New Zealand and Australia.” Living in town both cuts down on drinking and driving and allows later sleeping in before work on those mornings after an imbibing night out. It reminded me of the changes in Charlotte in recent years as he described how Auckland has changed from a city that went to bed before dark into a city with nightlife and youth on the go.
Pat and I both said several times today, “I could live here.” Eclectic and charming Auckland neighborhoods surrounded beautiful “domains” (parks), then gave way to the delights of the countryside as we moved south toward Rotorua. Our tour guide and our driver alternated sharing information that included not just references to what we were seeing around us as we traveled, but also to history and culture.
The influence of Maori culture is all around. Seventeen percent of the 4 million-person population of NZ is Maori. The language is taught as a compulsory subject in elementary and middle schools and is available as an elective in secondary schools. No news reader can work in broadcasting without knowing the proper pronunciation of Maori names. Through a tribunal, Maoris have asserted their rights to lands held by non-Maoris for hundreds of years as reparation for past unjust seizures of native land.
Although recent lack of the normal rainfall has left the countryside dry and not as green as it usually appears, it was evident as we moved through miles of farming country that this temperate region is both lush and fertile and might be as green as Ireland in wetter weather. The El Niño effect that has brought its extremes to the U.S. this winter had its impact Down Under, too. It left NZ drier and Australia wetter than normal.
We enjoyed the many charms of this interesting island, going through caves in Waitomo with glowworms that make cave ceilings look like a starry night sky. The mix of place names reminds us of the diverse cultures of British and Maori now blended together. We had a morning tea stop in the village of Huntley and a lunch of meat pies in little Otorohanga. Each little town finds its niche, providing rest stops for tourists and selling lots of what they call “Kiwiana.” For instance, Tirau, having lost a once-certain market for its farm products when Great Britain joined the EU, has reinvented itself with creative use of corrugated metal sheeting. New storefronts on the main street showcase the material, as well as a corrugated metal tourist center made to look like a sheepdog next to a shop that looks like a sheep!
Then there are the towns like Cambridge that were built to draw the British Empire’s soldiers to fight in the wars with the Maori in times past. Cambridge looks much like an average English village, purposely creating an atmosphere where the soldiers would feel at home despite being thousands of miles from the heart of the British Empire.
We passed through NZ’s horse-breeding area. If you’ve been around Lexington in Kentucky, you’d recognize the classic fences with their horizontal wooden rails. The grass in this area is, they say, very like Kentucky’s bluegrass and their horses are big business. When we asked about the number of horses we saw wearing blankets, we were told those are special lightweight blankets to prevent the coats of show horses from being bleached by the sun’s UV rays which are very strong here.
We ended our day at Rotorua with the smell of sulfur wafting across this area of hot springs, mud baths and volcanic steam vents. It is also the heart of Maori country with nearly 40 percent of the population here of Maori descent. One of Rotorua’s nicknames, according to our driver, Peter, is “Roto-Vegas” because of its many tourist hotels and a burgeoning convention business.
Our hotel is both new and graciously reflective of Maori art. Dinner last night just outside town was part performance, part hangi feast, a traditional Maori meal cooked in in-ground ovens. The performance was well-designed to both entertain and educate us with native culture. They even explained the way Maori tattoos showcase family history even as they intimidate enemies. The meal was tasty and served generously.
We will sleep well, tired from our day of travel and full of good food. Maybe we’ll dream of black-tattooed warriors traveling the ocean in big carved canoes. Whether they populate our dreams tonight, they will remain in our memories for years to come.
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