Its a new year and time for change. After spending more than five years living and working in Seattle, I have decided its time to move. My destination is Melbourne, Australia, home of the Koala, Kangaroo and some beautiful scenery. It was time to add some new challenges to my career (more on that later), and move back to the pacific where I grew up. Along the way I had one week to do some sightseeing and reminiscing around New Zealand (also known as Aotearoa). So where did I go? ...
New Zealand is a relatively small country of around four million people. However its not that small of a place. So my one week goal was to do a nice drive around the North Island. If you ever get a chance to visit you really should check out the South Island as well, its really beautiful.
My first destination was the Coromandel Peninsula. A stunning area of tropical rainforest nested on rolling jagged hills next to absolutely stunning coastline. When you visit Aotearoa, visit the Coromandel, you'll love it (just be prepared for many windy roads around the coast).
After a day of lazing on the coast it was time to find some beaches. The most unique beach in this area has to be Hot Water Beach. Imagine a beach situated right above some hot springs. All you need is a shovel, some patience or timing to wait for low tide, and you too can experience scalding hot water coming out of a hot spring under your feet while simulataneously being hit with cold waves off the Pacific ocean.
From there I followed the highway through Whangamata, Tauranga, Whakatane and through to Gisborne (stoping at random places to eat and sleep and such). Gisborne is an interesting place at least once a year (and especially once a millenium), when people flock there to see the first day of the new year. Being the first major city after the international date line has some advantages. Gisborne is also situated in the area that Captain James Cook first stepped ashore after having discovered New Zealand. In Gisborne today you can find a statue commemorating Captain Cook as well as Nickolas Young (who first spotted land).
From here on out there wasn't much I hadn't seen, so it was a quick drive through Napier, Hastings and onto the Manawatu region where there was some new construction.
Nestled just outside the city of Palmerston North are dozens and dozens of new wind turbines. They are part of a range of wind farms throughout New Zealand that generate 321 MW of electricity from all that wind. The turbines are spectacularly large, especially if you stand right underneath and watch/listen.
Time was up. My week was coming to an end and it was time to get back to Auckland to catch my flight. Along the way were many rolling green hills and a brief detour to Mt Egmont and New Plymouth to visit friends. Next stop Australia.
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