The Land Down Under: Paihia to SkyTower Part 1

Those of you following this story would know by now that our friend (Riyadh) and his other half (Rupa) flew down to Auckland from Sydney giving hubby and me an opportunity to show them around. Riyadh & Rupa could only stay for five days; our focus was to cover as much ground as possible.  Auckland weather is famous for its instability, so we ended up traveling in all sorts of weather - rain, shine, hail & gale. Our initial plan of visiting fifteen locations in five days was closely followed except for a few places narrowly missed due to extremely bad weather.  Five days, almost fifteen locations, thirteen hundred photographs (thank God for digital cameras) and around two hours worth of video clips later, our friends are safely back home in Sydney. I am in front of the computer reminiscing our time together.  Over the next few months I will share my experiences about each of these locations. All welcome aboard and Bon Voyage!

If you are interested in reading the earlier articles, please click the links below:

Part 1   Part 2  Part 3 & Part 4

Fifteen Locations in Fife Days

Day 2 & Day 3: Paihia to Sky Tower Part 1

By the time we reached Paihia the road seemed almost empty.  The streetlights had a burnt out look.  Even though it was not too late at night, we could not hear anything but the pouring rain.  No matter which direction we looked, all we could see was the rain.  The car felt like a lone boat in the midst of an ocean.  The whole surrounding created a warm and cozy atmosphere inside the car.  The four of us inside the car breathed from the same air circulating inside, the same music playing on the car stereo spread through our existence.  Even though none of us spoke, we felt connected.  We finally pulled over at the hotel car park in this comfortable silence.

The rain continued at an increasing pace.  The wind swirled around the tree tops and whistled through the leaves and branches.  We had two adjoining rooms on the first floor.  The hotel itself is built like wooden bungalow.  A covered balcony surrounded the rooms.  I imagine, on a nice day the view must be amazing.  At that moment, however, as we ran up the stairs and walked towards our rooms all I could see was darkness.  This would make an ideal location for a horror movie - dark, wet and quiet, surrounded by tall trees and mountains and not a trace of a living soul in sight other than the four of us.  Riyadh and Rupa went inside their room to get changed.  While Adeeb was opening our door, I breathed in the crisp, damp air.  The air smelt so refreshing that I felt all alive and energetic despite myself. 

After admiring the space and minimalist decor of our rooms it was time to find a place to have dinner at. The last time we had something to eat that day was in the afternoon, so we were pretty much ready to eat our own hands and feet.  Even though it did not look too promising outside we hoped at least to find a McDonalds open somewhere. Well, we did better than McDonalds and found a tiny Thai place just in front of the beach.  We parked in the car park opposite the beach and could hear the splash of waves hitting the shore as if the entire body of water wanted to be set free and take over the roads. 

We entered the restaurant half drenched and immediately warmed to the cozy environment inside. As cliché as it may sound, I have to admit that hunger is the best sauce.  I have never had such a wonderful pad Thai in my entire life.  We sat in the restaurant for a while chatting, laughing, reminiscing and observing the two other groups of people having their dinner.  I don't remember what we talked about anymore, except for the rain streaked windows, the flickering candles and the way the light reflected on everyone's eyes and skin adding a special glow.

Back at the hotel we drank coffee and watched a horror movie so gross that it was funny.  I went to sleep praying for the rain to stop by the next morning so that we could for the cruise around Bay of Island.

I always feel confused waking up in a new place. Just for a split second everything looks so unreal and strange and then realization kicks in. As usual, I was the first one up.  Camera in hand I walked around in the balcony and took some pictures of the view.  The horizon looked misty.  The rain eased a little but the black clouds were still in place.  It did not look too promising as far as our cruise went.  We called to find out and were confirmed that the cruise was cancelled due to stormy weather.  I was feeling a bit disheartened for Rupa and Riyadh.  The cruise was one of the main things they were looking forward to. 

Rupa and Riyadh, however, took it in very good spirit.  After all, traveling in the storm is a rare experience as well.  We drove out on the main road that runs parallel to the beach.  The waves flooded parts of the road and some of the speed bumps were smashed. 

We briefly halted near a quieter shore.  Adeeb, Riyadh and Rupa went across the beach to find out for themselves how freezing the water was.  I was not as adventurous and was content with taking pictures of them from inside the car.

Our next destination was Tutukaka where we planned to stop for breakfast.