Ruby Shoes Roxanne works her way around the world: Northland Bound: Glow worms, Protests and Long Beaches

Northland, NZ

We drive north

Past kauri forests; trees 30 men thick around

Past white sand beaches

And black stone beaches

We throw our pale bodies into the surf

And float in the salty tide

We drive north past the cow fields and the sheep fields and surfer vans

And rolling hills and Maori protesters

We drive north against the strong north winds blowing

And I search and I search for peace in my restless soul

My friend Hannah came into the country on a Tuesday and we left Auckland on a Wednesday. We were ready for moving on out after a somewhat stressful arrival, and found ourselves ringing the bell at a shabby but clean hostel in a posh part of Auckland.

Upon arrival at the hostel, Hannah asked the older Scottish man at the desk for some scissors with which to cut her pants (with the aim of making of making shorts). The look he gave us was priceless, as “pants” for Scottish folk means underwear and he was a bit ambivalent about the prospect of this American girl cutting off her underwear right there at the front desk (I mean he’d heard stories, but this was something he’d never seen!). We figured out the snafu quickly however and all went on our merry way with a good laugh, although I had the feeling he was waiting for something stellar to happen the rest of our stay (you just never know when Yankees are involved).

Wednesday morning we were out of Auckland and headed for the Northland above the city. We took a swing out to Goat Island, which boasts some of the best snorkeling in New Zealand. Being the forethinkers we are, however, we forgot to pick up snorkels and instead floated, facing skyward, among the happy throngs of tourists on their underwater adventures.

That evening we made it into Whangarei, known as the “Gateway to the North” and stayed with a local couple through the Servas exchange program, Patsy and Dave, who run an export business out of Whangarei. Amid their lovely rose gardens we had a tasty (albeit rainy) barbeque and let the topic wander into politics amid juicy steak bits.

It was interesting to note that politics are indeed the same wherever one goes: political. Until December, Helen Clark, of the labor (more liberal) party, was prime minister in New Zealand for 9 years. In December, however, John Keys, of the national (more conservative) party was elected. As always with politics, tensions run along party lines, and some describe the labor party to be a “socialist, communist, anti-business, high-bureaucracy” group and the other side undoubtedly would describe the national party as “pro-business, anti-welfare” to a fault. And this on the same day that Obama capped executive salaries. Ah, the parallels…

But I digress.

The next morning we basked again in the warmth of Patsy and Dave’s awesome hospitality and were once again on the road northward.

After half an hour on the road, we made it to Waititi caves, in which one can take a tour and enjoy a virtual constellation of glow worms on the cave ceilings. After paying the requisite $15 fee, a friendly local guide tramped us Americans, a few Swiss girls, Australian women and German kids into the glow worm cave. After introducing us to the eels that lived in the pools on the bottom of the cave (Priscilla, Elvis and Lisa Marie) the older Maori gentleman guiding us through proceeded to point out the shapes in the rock formations (the witches, the three elephants – two coming, one going – the alligators, etc.). Thirty minutes and 200 glow worms later we were done with the caves and hiking over the top of the mountain and our guide was walking back into the cave to smoke another bowl before the next tour.

Next we hit Paihia and the Bay of Islands, a beautiful overlook and the site of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (the document between the whites, i.e. Queen of England, and the Maori people less than 200 years ago). Each year Maori people protest on the national Waitangi holiday. Last year the prime minister (who had come up to celebrate) was spit on and this year John Keys was accosted and pushed by a Maori fellow.

After passing the first inklings of the protests in Paihia, we continued on to our next host’s site – Kaeo – well… 15 kilometers past Kaeo, really. And in not too long we found ourselves lost on the unpaved back roads of Northland (hopefully the rental car gods at “Jucy” rental cars are not into reading blogs). We were out about 15 kilometers on the road before we decided that we were lost. Somehow I had transcribed the directions as including a traffic light (something everyone had a good laugh about later when I told them – traffic lights… in Kaeo… imagine).

But, finally, we found the home and were welcomed by the Northland Hostess with the Mostess, Margaret Smith of Tipatipa road. Upon arrival, we met Margaret and soon after the Japanese fellow who has been staying with her the past 3 months. A few grunts after dinner, however, he was off to his room to watch more Disney movies and we were left to hang out with our host, the kitten and Boots the three-legged dog.

Now Boots holds a special place in my heart, as do all humans and animals that have been through some extreme shit. A few years ago, Boots was out wandering when his leg got caught in a steel jawed hunting trap. He was gone for 9 days with everyone worrying on him before he chewed off his own leg and wandered back to the house with three good legs. Tell me how many people could do that? I only hope I could.

Having us fed and full on stories, Margaret took us down the road to meet her daughter and neighbors who were just finishing hay bailing for the day. We all sat around and chatted for a while over a wine and some of the best hospitality I’ve had since I left Kentucky.

Finally, our stifled yawns gave us away and we headed home for a few more stories and settling in to bed. Margaret told us some amazing stories, including that of her late husband’s sister, now 80 years old, who was widowed at 28 with 7 children and decided to become the first commercial fisherwoman in New Zealand. She packed her seven kids on the boat and took off to make a living for them from the sea. Holy wow.

That night I slept a deep sleep of strange dreams, which had become stranger and stranger as I went north.

We woke early and hung out with Margaret, Tastuhiro, the kitten and Boots before taking off for the west coast and Ahipara at the end of 90 mile beach.

The next day found us weaving the rental car through thick Kauri forests with trunks 30 men thick and rural west coast roads surrounded by green pastures. We stopped to see the grandfather of all trees – Tane Mahuta – thought to have sprouted around the time of Christ 2000 years ago.

Upon arrival in Auckland, we met up with an old friend from Ireland for dinner and made our way to the tallest point in Auckland, the old volcano crater, from which point we could view both the ocean and the sea (Auckland is settled on a long thin strip of land which connected the Northland and the rest of the North Island and is therefore bordered on both sides by water).