Now that we’ve finally got our internet set up, it’s time to share some photos of Auckland. Made a trip out to Piha Beach on the west coast:
Piha Beach is part of the Waitakere Ranges within a 50 minute drive from downtown (28 km) and only 30 minutes from the hospital Dana is working at. There were a bunch of houses set back from the beach with a small downtown area, however the beach was empty. There was a hiking trail along the beach where I came across a baby seal that had passed away. Sad sight. Minutes later a ranger truck pulled up alongside me on his way to the seal. He said the seal had been hanging around for a few days and was likely lost from further south on the North Island. Sad to see this little guy didn’t get saved like the Penguin from Antartica. Amazing thing about this was that I was apparently the first person to come across the seal at 10 AM on a Tuesday morning. Was in this absolutely beautiful place less than 20 miles from the biggest city in New Zealand and it felt completely isolated from the world. So if there is a spot of relative isolation and unspoiled beauty so close to Auckland, I can only imagine what the lanscape is like in the rest of the country.
We’ll start exploring more of the country this weekend. Dana has off Friday to Sunday so we’re going skiing at Mt. Ruapehu in the center of the North Island (about a 4 hour drive from Auckland). Mt. Ruapehu is famous for being Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings and is also an active volcano! Does seem to be a bit odd to be skiing on a volcano, but as New Zealand is the adventure capital of the world, I can’t say I’m too surprised!
If you're interested in more pictures of Piha Beach: https://picasaweb.google.com/114612877246919085926/PihaBeach?authuser=0&feat=directlink
So glad you found Piha! You have to go back again when the weather gets warmer and then you'll see tons of surfers catching the waves.
ReplyDelete-Megan
Hines you clearly need to give up real estate and become a professional photographer!
ReplyDeleteMegan, Piha was amazing. Where else around Auckland should we visit? Found a cookies and cream kit kat. Can see why you liked them so much!
ReplyDeleteCahill, that sounds great, but what your not seeing is all the other mediocre pictures I'm not posting.
Wonderful photos Eric! Love the 4th one and those star fish. The surf looks wonderful, I'd love to see that with my camera too.
ReplyDeleteJust spent 3 days with your mom photographing the Cape. I'm trying to wean her off of auto and onto manual. I'll get her there.
Karen is right, you could do a lot with your talent I'm sure.
Happy skiing! Sounds strange saying that in summer.
Eric, check out the islands surrounding Auckland Harbour, especially Waiheke and Rangitoto.
ReplyDeleteRotorua and the Coromandel Peninsula also make great weekend trips!