Watched twenty graders, driving in formation, keeping the runways open at MSP during a heavy snowstorm. After a frozen boarding door was fixed, and the plane was de-iced, we were on our way to Honolulu.
Rode a city bus to the Bishop Museum. Traced the Polynesian diaspora, starting in Asia, fanning out through Oceania, ending up in places as far afield as Hawaii and New Zealand.
I was transported. Soba noodles, Kirin beer, a restaurant where everyone, except us, was Asian. A lady from Fukuoka, a place I love and have visited many times, commended me on my hashi skills. Broth and flattery: my bronchitic cold was temporarily forgotten.
Ingested chemicals, including a legally prescribed controlled substance, to moderate coughs and let me sleep. Grateful for good care at UrgentCare almost completely paid by my insurance. Grateful I can get on a plane to New Zealand on Saturday, without alarming other passengers. Note: A few months later, an antibody test showed this was not Covid.
Walked to Vladimir Ossipoff’s IBM Building. The facade has staying power compared to many facades of the 1960’s. He designed the open-to-the-elements Honolulu Airport, and airports at Kahului, Maui, and Kona, Big Island. I once met his daughter, but didn’t realize the connection.
Flew Air New Zealand from Honolulu to Auckland. Appreciated the lavatory decor.
Looked out at Marlborough wine country on the final approach in a de Havilland Dash 8-300. Later, thanks to Google, learned Geoffrey de Havilland, the founder of the aircraft company, and Olivia de Havilland (now 103) are cousins, Olivia’s sister is Joan Fontaine, and … . Enough celebrity gossip!
After dropping us off at the trailhead for our multi-day, 72 km hike, the boat proceeded along Queen Charlotte Sound to deliver these essential supplies to Furneaux Lodge, our home for the next two nights.
Continued our walk, another seven hours along the ridge to the end of the Queen Charlotte Track.
Rode a scheduled bus, carrying mainly backpackers, for the two-hour journey to Nelson, the second-oldest settled city in New Zealand. Over the next twelve days we’ll explore the northwest corner of the South Island by foot, boat, and car.
Our splurge is three nights at Abel Tasman National Park, staying in the lodge, enjoying the trails and local food. Green-shelled mussels from The Marlborough Sounds with fresh pasta, salad veggies from the lodge’s gardens, Pinot Gris from nearby Nelson.
Today, Dwight took charge of the point-and-shoot. While he tested the limits of the lens with vegetation he found interesting, I stared wistfully out at the Tasman Sea, or focused on a leaf, sometimes realizing how good it was to be in the moment.
A regularly scheduled catamaran appeared to take us along the coast and out of Abel Tasman National Park.
Drove on the left on slow roads to Golden Bay in the far northwest of New Zealand’s South Island. We’ll chill for a week in an isolated VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) cabin.
Walked through a subtropical forest in the footsteps of 19th century gold miners in nearby Kahurangi National Park. It’s New Zealand’s second-largest national park, one of the least-visited, and slightly off the beaten path; a good choice for B-list travelers.
Walked through a monotonous landscape on Farewell Spit, a sandbar near where we’re staying. Unseen by us were big numbers: it’s the longest sandbar on Earth (16 miles); the sea recedes up to 4 miles at low tide; this month, bar-tailed godwits will migrate 7,500 miles to Alaska.
The Heaphy Track in nearby Kahurangi National Park gradually climbed up a mountain, occasionally revealing other mountains through gaps in the trees. We hiked for the day, but found ourselves wishing we could hike the full track, end-to-end, over 4 days.
Flew to the far north of New Zealand’s North Island: Nelson NSN to Auckland AKL, AKL to Kerikeri/Bay of Islands KKE.
At the start of our walk beside the Bay of Islands in New Zealand’s Northland, local kids were having a grand time being blasted with pigment. This is probably a nod to India’s Holi Festival which takes place about now.
Walked to the place New Zealand became a nation. The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi was signed by the British Crown and Maori chiefs. The Maori language version of the treaty was not properly honored by the British. In recent years the government has been confronting these issues
Rented bicycles, then cycled part of the Twin Coast Cycle Trail. The 54-mile rail trail connects the east and west coasts of New Zealand’s Northland.
We’re staying next to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand’s Northland. Today we took a ferry to the largest island, Urupukapuka Island, then hiked. Some of the trails were hard going, but we were often rewarded by gorgeous 360 degree views.
Hiked, took a ferry, hiked, took another ferry. Ended up back where we started.
Posted Reducing Pathogen Transmission on Long Trips.
Flew to Auckland and checked into a downtown hotel for two nights. Already, we miss the quiet places we’ve been staying. Installed the public transit app to figure out how to get out of town by bus and ferry for two day hikes.
A 20-minute ferry ride brought us to uninhabited, volcanic Rangitoto Island. As we walked for miles on trails through this nature reserve, downtown Auckland seemed far away.
Post-shower selfie airside at Auckland AKL. I didn’t take my backpack in the shower, but maybe I should’ve. Today we hiked a coastal path on Waiheke Island. Warm weather, steep gradients, and three layers of sunscreen made the shower a treat. Tonight we fly overnight to Honolulu.
On a Hilo walk, Mauna Kea peeked through the clouds. At 33,500 feet, it’s the highest mountain on Earth, measured from the seabed. It’s 13,500 feet above sea level, home to 13 international observatories funded by 11 nations. There’s snow at the summit and it’s 83°F in Hilo.
Our perches for the next week in a VRBO cottage on a fruit farm on the wet (east) side of Hawaii Big Island. We can help ourselves to fruit, including a lone avocado on the tree to the left, taunting us, out of reach.
View from an abandoned road in an abandoned valley. We clambered around a barrier then walked along the decaying road, down into the valley, past towering, lush vegetation, across a mossy bridge, and onwards towards the Pacific.
Revisited the abandoned valley we hiked through a couple days ago. This time we were able to ford a stream because the water level had dropped. We continued along the decaying road until we reached the ruins of a sugar refinery, slowly disappearing into the jungle.
Hiked another barricaded, abandoned road in another lovely valley. With the closure of Volcanoes National Park, and state and county parks, we’re improvising with abandoned roads, back-country roads and former sugar cane haulage roads.
Picked some longan (also known as “dragon eye” or “eyeball”). We’re renting a cabin on a fruit farm where we can pick all the fruit we want. Longan is a smaller version of lychee.
Au revoir Hawaii Big Island. It was time to pause our stay in Hawaii: tomorrow, a stay-at-home order goes into effect for the whole of Hawaii. We’ll return in December (ultimately it was December 2021) to complete the journey when the island will be back in business and trails have been reopened.
Tragically, it was easy to maintain social distance at Minneapolis/St. Paul MSP.
