McCrain's
in Middle Earth
A travel dialogue of our adventures
in New Zealand
In February 2004, Jim and Kathy McCrain began a five month oddessy in New Zealand. Kathy was transferred to Auckland for a temporary work assignment, and Jim followed her for moral support. (Isn't he just the greatest husband?) What follows is Jim's account of this adventure.
The Great Barrier Island
Easter Weekend, 2004
Kathy had made plans to visit the Great Barrier Island of New Zealand while I was on the South Island. Since I came home early (to wait for the weather to clear up), I got to go with her. She had a ticket on the morning ferry, and I would go over later that afternoon. She had a very choppy ride over, while mine was very smooth. Once again, the weather was playing a great factor in New Zealand! (I think we will just have to get used to that fact!)
The
Great Barrier Island lies about 90 kilometers off the eastern coast
of NZ. It is a large island, surrounded by several smaller
islands. It has numerous bays and coves, and wonderful white-sand beaches.
Several of the bays are a surfers "mecca" and see a LOT of
action. We were there to hike the mountains.
We started our Saturday hike with a bus ride to the base of Mt. Hobson. This is the highest point on the island (876 meters) and is a fairly rigorous hike. Having just survived a trip on the Waimakirere river, I wasn't too worried about it. It wasn't as hard as my previous trip, but it DID offer its own set of challenges.
First,
you are hiking through very thick jungle. It is hard to
see more than a few feet on either side of the trail. It is also very
steep. At some points, you must literally climb "hand over hand"
like on a ladder, using tree roots and branches to pull yourself up.
Of
course, there was a lot of mud, too, as it had been raining. Just when
you thought your lungs were going to burst from the effort, you would
top out on a ridge line, and walk very easily for a few kilometers.
These ridge line walks offered fantastic views of the valleys and rocks
below us. And just as suddenly as these ridge lines appeared, you would
be swallowed up by the jungle again. The geographic and botanical diversity
of this island is astonishing.
 |
|
 |
|
Six
hours after starting, we were back at our "backpacker." If
you ever get over to the Great Barrier Island, I highly recommend that
you stay at "Crossroads Backpacker." It is
fairly new, exceedingly clean, and very bright and airy. It is by far
the nicest backpacker I have stayed in too date. Bruce and Kate are
to be commended for such a great place!
On
Sunday, I got a very special treat, in that I got to travel with my
lovely wife Kathy again. Sure, it was fun traveling with "the Kids"
on the South Island, but I like experiencing things with Kathy better.
The ferry ride back to Auckland was smooth and uneventful, just as we
had hoped! This week, we intend to rest up and get ready for our next
big adventure. We don't know what it will
be yet, but we'll let you all know soon!
 Previous Entry |
 Next Entry |