This time, I am writing to you from a semi-fancy hotel in the Auckland Airport Region. I'm paying $30 for a couple hours on internet access, and probably not enough data to upload all the photos I want to, but still. I am committed to this blog people, trust me.
So, I think I last left off with me and Quinn dangling precariously over the edge of the Sky Tower. Having survived that, the family decided to test their luck (and patience??) on a 13hr day tour to the Bay of Islands the following day. Here's how it started.
5:45am: Wake-up.
Quinn: "Leave me alone."
Myself: "We have to get up and go. You need to eat! We have 30 minutes before pick-up."
Quinn: "I don't want to go. I hate you."
Excellent start, I'd reckon. Anyway, with a little push from Dad, Quinn got up and moving and we made our way to the coach bus waiting outside for us at a brisk 6:15am to start the 4 hour drive up North. It actually wasn't that bad. We stopped along the way for some coffee breaks, as well as a stop at this place that houses an 800-yr old tree and a 600-yr old tree. They were massive. Just massive. And equally as impressive. The photos really don't tell the entire tale!
As we made our way up the coast, the weather became clearer and clearer. Upon arrival into Paiha, the city that our boat cruise was departing from, we had 2 hours to kill before loading up. We spent it on the beach, snapping some shots of the scenic view as well as having a picnic lunch. Yum!
Our boat was called the Dolphin Seeker, and the main purpose of the trip was to sail the 15 nautical miles out to Perry Island, or the Hole in the Rock. We stopped along the way at other islands in the Bay, but naturally, there was no possible way for us to visit all 144 that make up the "Bay of Islands." Still, it was pretty neat to see the various islands on the tour - some as small as a suburban block and others large enough to house entire villages on them. About halfway into our cruise out, we came upon a pod of 20 dolphins and stopped for almost an hour to watch them play and surface around us. Quinn, of course (being the genius child) knows how to work our good digital camera, and snapped some epic photos of them. Seriously, if this child stays out of jail, he could have a career in photography!
After the dolphins, we pretty much set our sights on making it to the hole in the rock. It's this massive island with a huge hole down the center. Nothing lives on the island, except for a couple lizards and birds, and apparently, a piece on the roof of the hole is threatening to fall sometime soon. We took our chances anyways as the skipper masterfully steered the catamaran through the hole and out the other side....with only a couple meters clearance on the port and starboard!
After the cruise, we basically hopped back on the bus and headed home to Auckland. It was an okay drive back, except for our tour guide. Peter, the guide, decided that it was his duty as driver to continually talk the entire ride back. Random tidbits about a guy in the village who designed some saw to cut wood, or how this village housed this random sheep or whatever. Cool and interesting for the first bit, but then I wanted to fall asleep around 4pm and couldn't with his voice over the PA. Finally, he said he would leave us be for a while. That lasted all of 5 minutes before he started up again with another tale about another village. Yikes.
We arrived back home at around 7:30pm, in time for a quick pasta dinner and then bed. We were all exhausted, but even Quinn managed to enjoy the day!
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