Piha Beach and Kitekite Falls

One reason Auckland is an interesting city is because it is at a narrow point on the north island where it has ports on both the Pacific Ocean (on the east where we live) and on the Tasman Sea (on the west). To celebrate Kurt's birthday, we decided on a visit to Piha Beach. Piha is on the western side of the island; our first trip to the Tasman Sea side of the island! Once you leave the city, the road curves up and down switchbacks over a mountain range. Our first stop was a hike to Kitekite falls. The path is in good shape but does have lots of stairs and one place requires crossing the stream over rocks. You may have seen flags or emblems for the NZ sports teams with a white fern on a black background. The Silver Fern is green on top but white underneath. The falls are beautiful! And we had a great hike.

The path to Kitekite Falls

Towering fern trees

Top of a Silver Fern

Underside of the Silver Fern

Stream crossing

Kitekite Falls

On the trail

The magnificent Kauri trees were once logged almost to extinction. Now protected, they are threatened by a soil-borne pathogen. So all the hikes into and out of forests with Kauri have a shoe cleaning and sanitizing station at both the entrance and exit.

Kauri Tree that avoided logging

Shoe sanitizing station

Then onto Piha Beach on the Tasman Sea! The rock formation is the Lion's Head. It didn't rain but was windy and cold.

Lion's Head

Piha Beach

Our last stop was Murray's for lunch. Unfortunately, we can't recommend the food but the atmosphere was great!

Murray's

Goodbye to Piha!

Saturday Day Trips

 Saturday Day Trips

For Kathy's birthday on September 14 we took the bus from Takapuna across the bridge to downtown Auckland. It was a misty day but we enjoyed a stroll along the harbor. At one point the bridge was closed so we took a free "ferry" across to the other side. We walked around downtown a bit more trying to find the lighthouse on the map, but found it was instead an "artwork [by Michael Parekowhai] in the form of a 1950s family home." 

The view from the bus to downtown Auckland

"The Lighthouse"

View from the wharf

The little ferry ride

The next weekend we drove up to Mairangi Bay, a little beach town about 15 minutes north. Our goal: to eat (and take home) some of the best pies in New Zealand. But these are not desert pies but rather what we would call pot pies. We bought a couple warm to eat at the beach and a couple cold to take home for later. The Mairangi Bay Bakery pies win the National Pie Awards almost every year and we are now devoted followers!

Pie eating at the beach!

A Silver Gull looking for a handout

Another Saturday we took a drive to a Saturday market in one of Auckland's southern suburbs. We were greatly impressed by the size of the produce but the shoppers habit of touching each and every item put Kurt off of buying.

Cabbage

Califlower

Pacific Area New Zealand Mission

Our mission to serve in the Pacific Area of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

President Kelly, Elder and Sister Krieger, Bishop Carroll

Kathy and Kurt Krieger were set apart as missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, August 11, 2024, by our Stake President Donald Kelly. Joining us was our Bishop, Scott Carroll. Kathy was especially reminded to keep a detailed journal and Kurt was reminded to rely upon the Spirit especially to find unique solutions to problems. On Monday the 12th we flew to SLC from PBI (via ATL and an unscheduled stop in DEN because of weather in SLC). On Tuesday the 13th we started orientation at Church HQ. While in our training we were notified that we received our New Zealand visas, unexpectedly early! Wednesday we continued our OGC training then had dinner with the Schmutzes and Slaters. We spent the rest of the week in SLC doing some shopping.

Welcome to the MTC

On Saturday August 17 we took a shuttle and checked into the MTC in Provo. Our room was S2 334 where other senior missionaries are staying. Sunday we attended church in the MTC with other senior missionaries followed by a "Go and Do" exercise. The day was topped off by attending the Departure Devotional for all of the missionaries leaving the MTC the next week. After dinner we attended a Discipleship Devotional.

Devotional with the missionaries

Eating at the MTC took some getting used to as it is packed and is a very cafeteria style service with lines of junior missionaries at every station. The noise level makes it hard to enjoy the mediocre food. It turns out that the junior missionaries are instructed to let the senior missionaries cut in line and we took advantage of that if the line seemed extra long.

With the Walkers and Hepworth's

On Monday we had an orientation meeting, a welcome from the MTC presidency, and then we broke up into districts. Our district "J" consisted of us, Joe & Cyndee Hepworth (we got to know the Hepworths at our OGC orientation as they are headed to Tokyo where he will be an AALC) and E/S Walker (who are headed to the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors Center where they will work with Dave and Julie Colton.)

Monday afternoon was class, a tour of the MTC and a meeting with our MTC Branch Presidency. Each day we had class in the morning and afternoon, being taught out of the Preach My Gospel manual. Friday at noon our classes were over. 

View out our window

Our flat

Our complex

On Saturday we left the MTC and stayed two nights in SLC then on Monday August 26 we flew SLC to SFO then to AKL arriving Wednesday August 28. Paul (the Area Legal Counsel, our boss) and Irene Rytting picked us up at the airport and drove us to our "flat". We are staying at Shoalhaven Apartments, Unit A212, 130 Anzac St Takapuna. Two bedrooms, two baths, a small study, and a kitchen/dining area/living room with a TV and an up/down washer/dryer! Someone was kind enough to put some food in the cupboards and fridge that got us through the first few days. The flat is great except it has been unused for some time and has an overwhelmingly powerful mold/mildew smell that permeates everything.
We then stopped by the Area Office for a quick tour. That evening we had dinner with the Hafens who also work in OGC in the office. We started working on Thursday and worked until about 2 and again on Friday then out for some shopping each day. On Thursday the Hilliers took us out to Al Forno, their favorite restaurant in Takapuna. Friday night leftovers from Al Forno. Saturday it rained giving us the excuse to stay home and try to recover a bit more from the jetlag.

Showing our flat and office in Takapuna, a suburb of Auckland

Port of Spain, Trinidad

 Next stop Trinidad. Port of Spain is commercial not a touristy stop. It is a wet, drizzly day so we take a stroll through town to Independence Square and then back to the ship.

Fort de France, Martinique

 In port we took a bus to a kayak trip. We crossed an open bay to a mangrove forrest where we wandered among the mangroves looking for crabs: yellow spider crabs in the trees and bigger, red and black crabs on the roots.

We prefer smaller ships! (ours on the right dwarfed by another)

St. Barts

 Our next stop was St. Barts. The nature of the shops in the harbor make it clear that this is a place for the rich and famous. We just walked the port area but took advantage of the fantastic French pastries for sale at "L'atelier de Joel Robuchon"!!

Street scenes

The pastry shop

Enjoying the fruits of our labors!

Amazon River Cruise 2022

 We took a cruise on Oceania Insignia to from Miami up the Amazon River to Manaus and back. We boarded on Tuesday 15 Nov 2022 and spent two days at sea on our way to San Juan Puerto Rico. On board we walked, exercised, ate, ate and spent some time at leisure. In San Juan, we walked the Old Town, bought a nativity from the same shop we visited before and had tostones for lunch.

Cobblestone street in Old San Juan

Tostones!

View along the Old Town wall

Gibraltar

On Saturday, July 1, 2017, we awake at the “Rock”, Gibraltar. We relax on board the ship until noon, and then take a tour with 6 other passengers to see the highlights of this very British mountain. We see the lighthouse overlooking the Mediterranean and Africa, the natural St. Michaels cave used by the Allies in WWII but now a concert venue. We drive to the top then see the siege tunnels on the north overlooking the steep cliff down to Spain and the filled in area that made Gibraltar from and island to a peninsula and that now holds the airport (the road runs across the runway so traffic has to be stopped to allow planes to takeoff and land.) We are dropped off at the main square then walk back to the boat.

Almeria, Spain

We wake up in Almeria, and we have planned absolutely nothing for the day. After a late breakfast, we take the shuttle bus into town, which is very much like Alicante with an ancient fort on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean town), walk by the cathedral, quickly visit the local photographic institute and then wander down the seafront promenade. We take the bus back to the ship, have lunch, and then Kathy enjoys the afternoon at the pool while Kurt reads. We enjoy dinner at the Polo Grill (steakhouse!).