Paihia was my next
stop. As one of the towns on the Bay of Islands (again, if only all of NZ had
such obvious names), it’s a coastal town with a lovely stretch of beach. I
joined a kayak tour there to better see the bay, and it ended up being one of
my favorite activities from the entire trip. (Pictures here.)
The tour began as one
big reminder that I’m single and will probably die alone: when I tried to
register online ahead of time, I couldn’t because it’s a minimum of 2 people to
sign up; when I did join the tour, I was the only one in a 1-person kayak
(which the guide said capsizes more easily); and one of the other people in
group asked me why my other half hadn’t signed up as well. However, I didn’t
let that get to me, and most of the tour—as I’d anticipated—turned out an absolute
delight (even though I learned that I am absolute rubbish at steering a kayak).
We paddled along the beaches, dug in the shallow waters for clams (I found over
20!) and visited a small island with stunning views. At the end of it I was
shivering, worn out, and couldn’t stop smiling.
To make the tour even
better, I met a family who are probably THE nicest people I’ve encountered in
NZ: a Scottish/English bunch on holiday in Paihia before making their way to
South Auckland to spend Christmas with extended family. During the tour we
chatted about travel, family, and swimming (some of my strongest conversation
points), and when I laughingly told the dad about my peanut butter-Vogel diet,
he invited me to join them at a rib shack for dinner. After I recovered from
hearing such a generous offer, I accepted, and breaking bread with them turned
out to be one of the best experiences during my trip. We talked about where we’d
gone before (their journey to NZ included stops in Dubai and Sydney), and what
we thought of NZ (the mum told me her Scottish uncle said much of the kiwi
countryside strongly resembles the highlands of his homeland).They were
absolutely delightful, and I still can’t get over what a kind gesture they
extended to me.
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