At sea

Mike spent the last two days diving at Poor Knights Islands, about 20 kilometers off Tutukaka, east coast of the north island. He did 4 dives, saw fabulous fish and rays, incredible colors, and amazing underwater land formations. He was put with the senior divers, which he loved. He reported on great stories and advice. He's already trying to figure out how he can get to dive in Borneo and Cuba.

While Mike was diving, I went on "a perfect day" with the same outfit. We left a few hours later to get to the same area where we could snorkel, kayak, or just sit on the boat and enjoy the scenery. Highlights of the day included going slowly thru a huge pod of dolphins. They circled around and under the boat, exhibiting behavior I have seen in aquarium shows. It's a lot better in the wild. The best was when 8 or 10 of them swam in a line, leaping together thru the waves. Australasian gannets were plentiful, too, diving for the same food the dolphins were pursuing. Another highflight was seeing thousands of Bullers shearwater. They are an endemic species that nests only om Poor Knights islands. At a population of 2.5 million, that works out to a density of 1 bird per sq. meter of island. Good thing they only lay one egg per burrow, which is how they nest. The third highlight was all the interesting people I met, including lots of vacationing New Zealanders.

The second day, I went trekking, the Kiwi term for hiking. The distance wasn't great, but I climbed some very steep hills--with my pack on, of corse, for training. Since I had forgotten to bring a towel I couldn't swim on the beach at the end of the hike. So, I came back to our lovely B&B and swam in their pool, ate lunch on our personal verandah, and set off in pursuit of culture. I visited an old quarry that has been repurposed for artists' studios and shops. Lots of artists were still on holiday, but I got to talk to a wood turner, a printmaker who is trying to revive old printing techniques, and a US transplant who is painting NZ landscapes. I checked out a few more galleries elsewhere in town and enjoyed the variety of work I saw. Good thing we're already at the wt limit for our luggage.

Dinner was Thai takeaway eaten on our verandah. That was a change from our 1st two nights here when we enjoyed our host Andy's exquisite cuisine. This would be the moment to say that Lupton Lodge, where we're staying, follows environmentally sustainable practices. Most of the fruit we enjoyed was from their orchard, breakfast eggs from their chickens. Vegetable were all local, too. Andy and his wife Karen were great hosts, very helpful and fun to talk to. I got to meet their two little daughters, Maya and Zoe.

Today we're off to National Park, a nearly 7-hour drive south. Tomorrow we hike the Tongariro Crossing, weather permitting. I'll write again when we're back in wifi connectivity.