Around the World: Kerikeri Orchard

December 23, 1991

I joined some of my hostel mates on a 4km trek through the woods to see Rainbow Falls.  On the way, we passed several swimming holes, called fairy pools, but from the trail there was no safe way to get down to them.  The falls were really beautiful, draining into a fairy pool that we were all able to swim in.

Rainbow Falls, Kerikeri
Photo by James Shook, from Wikipedia Commons

In the afternoon, I visited the Orange Centre.  The owner of the orchard led a tour around the groves of kiwis, mandarins, oranges, blackberries, tangerellos, and offered me a huge orange-like fruit that is the result of crossing a grapefruit with a mandarin (I think), called an Ugli.  The skin is mottled, like a golf ball so I suppose it's not the most attractive fruit in the orange family, but it's really sweet and juicy.

I learned that kiwis need to meet exacting criteria to be marketable.  The slightest flaw in shape or size or marks on the skin and they are tossed away.  On the tour was a guy from London who once worked on a kiwi farm in Sydney with a friend of his.  They would gather up all the discarded kiwi and bring them to the docks, where they would trade them for vodka and clothing with Russian sailors. 


Stopped at the LiquorLand on the way back to the hostel to pick up some festive cheer for the trip to Rotorua tomorrow.

• ¤ •

"The Earth is but one country, and we its citizens...
you are the fruit of one tree and the leaves of one branch."

~Baha'u'llah

Around the World: KeriKeri

December 22, 1991

Checked into the Kerikeri YHA (Youth Hostel Association).  So far, I've met a lady from Germany who speaks little English, but enough to have a basic conversation.  There's a couple in their thirties, also from Germany who speak no English at all.  The husband is taking pictures of his wife from all possible angles in every conceivable location. In the short time I've seen them, he has taken several shots of her sitting on the deck, standing on the deck, drinking coffee, going into the common room and coming out, eating and washing up their dishes.  I suspect they are on a honeymoon and they are very cute to watch.

YHA Kerikeri
Photo by Virtual Tourist

The rest of my hostel mates are four girls from Japan who are inseparable.  Anywhere they go, they go together, arm in arm, giggling and chattering away, followed by more giggling.  Other than the hostel keeper, I think Gail and I are the only ones who speak any amount of English.  Looks like charades will be the most useful method of communication.

Behind the hostel is a church.  The pastor dropped by the hostel to invite anyone staying at the hostel to the services tonight and asked if anyone could sing.  I declined, for everyone's benefit.

There's a pool table in the common room and I have discovered that my game is not improving.

• ¤ •

"My people? Who are they?
I went into the church where the congregation worshiped my God. Were they my people?
I felt no kinship to them as they knelt there.

My people! Where are they?

I went into the land where I was born, where men spoke my language...

I was a stranger there.

"My people," my soul cried. "Who are my people?"

Last night in the rain I met an old man who spoke a language I do not speak,

which marked him as one who does not know my God.

With apologetic smile he offered me the shelter of his patched umbrella.

I met his eyes... And then I knew…"

'Who Are My People,'

~Rosa Zagnoni Marinoni (Who Are My People)

Around the World: Bay of Islands

December 21, 1991

There's not much exploring to do in Paihia. It's a touristy town, called "The Gateway to the Bay of Islands", full of shops and cafes, and the hostel I'm staying at.  It's known as the starting point for tours around the Bay of Islands. Gail and I took a ferry to Russell for some local history.

Russell is formerly known as "The Hell Hole of the Pacific" and home to New Zealand's oldest surviving church. After the Maori chased British defenders out of the town in 1845, the inhabitants fled aboard ships and proceeded to shell the town until it was pretty much leveled. The church still bears scars of cannonball and musket fire from that time.

New Zealand's oldest church, "Christ Church" in Russell
Photo by Pulv, from Wikipedia Commons

Russell's reputation has improved considerably since, and is now quite a peaceful place full of cafes, touristy shops and bed and breakfast accommodation.

From Russell, we hitched a ride from an older couple from Wales to Long Beach. It was described as one of the more beautiful beaches in the area, but the rocky beach and weedy water was a disappointment. There were little crabs scurrying in the shallow water which made swimming a bit unnerving with these little creatures under my feet.

Gail and I set off on a hike for Haruru Falls, following poorly marked trails, but it was still awesome. After an hour of walking, we found a boardwalk trail through a mangrove forest.  We sat in the middle of the bridge to savour the scenery when we were treated to the shadow of a manta ray just under the water's surface, gliding right under the bridge beneath us.

Trail through mangrove forest en route to Haruru Falls.
Photo by Julia Gardner

Finally, after over two hours of hiking the trail through the forest, we arrived at the falls. After taking in the scenery, we realized we were rapidly running out of daylight and with the trail being poorly marked, it would be too risky to follow it back in the dark. We found a road and tried to hitch a ride back to the hostel. A dozen cars passed us before one finally stopped.

The driver and her friend invited us into their beat-up green station wagon. After we asked them to take us to or near our destination, up went the volume on the stereo and down went the foot on the gas pedal.  Our driver and her friend screeched out the lyrics to a country song about poor Diane driving down to Dixie that was on the radio. I watched the needle on the speedometer hover around 140km/hr. Once we got out of the car, Gail and I laughed off the terror and thanked our lucky stars for arriving home safely.

• ¤ •

"Perhaps we're too embarrassed to change or too frightened of the consequences of showing that we actually care. But why not risk it anyway?
Begin today. Carry out a random act of seemingly senseless kindness,
with no expectation of reward or punishment, safe in the knowledge that one day, someone somewhere might do the same for you."
~Lady Diana Frances Spencer, Princess of Wales