immaculate - adjective - free from flaws or mistakes; perfect. (Oxford Languages)
If there are angels put in place just to govern the weather, they must be watching over us on the Coral Princess because even though it is rainy season here in the South Pacific, we have experienced very little of the wet stuff. However, the morning we landed in Lifou, New Caledonia, the angels might have been snoozing as there was a down pour that lasted two hours. Ostensibly, they woke up as the clouds cleared and the sun came out just before my cohorts and I got out of a tour van to begin a hike through one of New Caledonia's ancient forests.
Along with twelve other shipmates, two native Kanak guides named Flo and Liz, and two nameless stray dogs, I spent about two hours stepping over roots and negotiating rugged, volcanic terrain in my very worn New Balance sneakers. (As the path was slick from the rains, it was a miracle I did not fall.) Since the mutts never left us, I decided to name them after two of the trees we came across: Blueberry for the (pregnant) female and Manna for the male. They proved to be excellent, ebullient companions. As we journeyed past sandalwood trees, endemic conifers, wild calla lilies, vanilla bean vines, etc., Flo enlightened us with information regarding New Caledonia. What I remembered at the end of the day was that the island has10,000 inhabitants who are under French rule. Although the islanders live for free in hatched huts decorated with hand-woven rugs or in concrete and tin shacks, they have few modern conveniences. The Kanak natives are mainly self-sufficient, depending on some livestock (pigs) and home-grown crops. As divorce is not an option, many of the young people delay tying the knot, or they remain single, something Flo admitted to being.
After about a half mile, we came across a scenic overlook of the largest bay in New Caledonia, a verdant hook of tropical vegetation, white sand, and water of glacier blue intermingled with turquoise. It was so clear that I could see many fish playing tag along the volcanic reefs from about 100 yards above the ocean. On the way back, we came across a deep, dank grotto containing human bones. Apparently, the dead used to be left in these caverns that punctuate the earth like black craters. Flo had no idea just how old the remains were. About an hour later when we were back in the vicinity of the ship, I took one last look at the island and realized that I had run out of synonyms for paradise.
Two sea days later, we found ourselves in contrasting, immaculate Auckland, the largest city (1.8 million people) on the island of New Zealand. Wealthy, westernized Auckland could not be further from Lifou. It reminded me of any one of a short list of international cities: Helsinki, Old Havana, London, and L.A. But if push came to shove, if you were to blindfold me while I was still out at sea on the ship, and then drove me from the port into the middle of the city, upon removing the mask, I'd look around and guess that I was in Vancouver as the city just feels Canadian. Which makes sense as once upon a time, the British made themselves known in Canada as well as in New Zealand.
Tu-EE, an indigenous person (Maori) who sounded like an MP, probably from the House of Lords, was our tour guide as we rode throughout the city. Just like I have found in L.A., a million dollars will buy you a home of 1200 square feet or a three-bedroom condo in Auckland. The American influence is greater here than anywhere else since they have a number of fast-food restaurants (KFC and Pizza Hut, plus Burger King and McDonalds) and mall shops (Lululemon, H&M). As our brand new coach bus was too comfortable for the octogenarians onboard, we only stopped once at a park just outside of the city that had spectacular views of the bay and skyline. From Tu-EE, we learned that New Zealand's economy depends mainly on dairy, agriculture, timber, and tourism. What impressed me most is Auckland's extremely organized public transportation system. Bargain hunting in the main shopping district is easy as the U.S. dollar is worth 30% more. Our tour took us by parks where cricket was being played, through Parnell Village–Auckland's equivalent of Notting Hill–up to the War Museum, down to the shopping district (Queens Street), around the sky needle, and back to the harbor where there were many opportunities to gape at tall ships and/or dine al fresco under multi-colored umbrellas. The perfect SoCal-esque weather (70 and clear) brought many New Zealanders out of their homes on this particular Saturday.
Once the tour was over, I had a chance to do a bit of traveling by foot around the city. Doing a bit of people watching, I noticed few differences between the tourists off of the cruise ships and the natives. Let's put it this way: If you saw any of them walking down 42nd Street in New York, you would not point and say, "Look! New Zealanders!" Despite the presence of indigenous peoples (Maori make up twenty percent of the country) who hold onto their customs, Auckland is very diverse. I could see myself living here as I am sure many others can.
In my next written episode, I will give you the lowdown on Tauranga, Picton, and New Plymouth–all in New Zealand–just in case you would like to take a separate trip here yourself.
#New Zealand, #blog, #blogger, #personal essay, #travel
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