Holiday from travelling…
A great advantage of getting older is, that the chance of having older friends who are already settled in life is increasing a lot! Thanks to my good friends German & Diane I got in touch with Erich and Margaret who are now retired and living in Pine Harbour.
I could stay with them for a couple of days where it felt right away more as a holiday instead of travelling. They pampered me with all their love and attention by taking me out for nice meals, giving me a wonderful clean and cosy bedroom with the best bathroom including a free standing bathtub! Being a backpacker, all of a sudden got a whole different meaning!
Fish & Chips and Roast lamb
A passionate Chef will always be a Chef – retired or not! In the morning I would wake-up and in a wink Erich would serve me a plate of fresh fruit! Pineapple, golden kiwi, strawberries, blackberries, pear… you name it. It would come with some home-made porridge on the side and a fabulous cup of coffee.
Of course they took me out for some sightseeing too. On our way to Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre we stopped in Kaiaua for fresh Fish & chips. We had scallops, battered Tarakihi and red Gurnard as well as potato fritters. Earlier we had already grabbed some fresh oysters for dinner. Nothing beats a bite of fresh fish!
In the evening team-work turned out to be the dream-work! They both prepared a delicious home-made roast lamb. They invited Margarets’ brother and his lovely wife to share this mouthwatering meal with. I had such a pleasant time, not only because of the food, but moreover due to the great company!
Hikes around Pine Harbour
Ecvept from enjoying great meals I did some interesting hikes as well. Starting from Pine Harbour you can do a nice walk all the way to Maraetai Beach. I walked all the way from Green park through Beachlands passing Leigh Auton Reserve via Kelly’s walkway to Te Puru Park, Omana Esplanade Reserve to Te Pene Beach to finally reach Maraetai Park where I had lunch and a refreshing swim. I was very impressed by the Pohutukawa (red Christmas trees) along the coast. Some of them already started flowering!
The next day we drove all the way to the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre. The tide was low,… so we were only able to spot the birds from a distance. But what a journey they had made all the way from Alaska.. more than 11.500 km to reach New Zealand. Very interested to learn more about them.
Another trip was visiting the nearby quaint little town Davonport. There’s a lovely mountain to climb, rewarding you with the most breathtaking view over Aucklands harbour. Erich explained me all about it. Afterwards we had coffee with Margeret before catching the ferry back home.
Thanks for having and pampering me sooooo much!
