Run in to Auckland

Sunday 12th December

After a leisurely start it was time to say our farewells and head south, admiring the famous Hundertwasser toilet buildings at Kawakawa. These were Hundertwasser’s final creation and include ceramic columns, inset bottles and garden roofing.

We spent much of our time visiting bays and dipping our feet in the water including calling in at Whananaki North and South, Sandy Bay (it was!), Matapouri Bay before heading back inland to Whangarei where we spent some time at the Falls.

After this we picked up the Waipu Cove road again enjoying the bays and beaches.
We meandered down to Mangawhai where we found a river side campsite which was one of the best we visited during our trip. Our evening included paddling amongst the local fish and helping two young girls collect crabs from the sand for their (temporary) collection!

On Monday we continued our leisurely journey to Auckland visiting Wellsford and stopping off at the top of the Dome Forest for coffee where we met Wohja Whabbit (below) and Julia the very friendly cat.

It was then onwards via Warkworth and Orewa before diverting off on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula for lunch at Red Beach (not red at all!). It was then time to pick up the main highway into Auckland before finding our apartment and unloading the luggage. That done it was time to take the campervan to the drop-off point near the airport where they kindly arranged a shuttle back to the hotel.

We were very sorry to part company with the campervan. After 6756km, 43 days and 42 nights it had become part of our life, battle scars included! It had started faultlessly every time, had frustrated us with its quirky automatic gearbox, not complained too loudly when we tried to use it to adjust the entrance to the car park at Bluff, taken us over dusty gravel mountain passes without a hitch and dealt with city traffic with ease.

Our apartment is a good size (especially after the camper!) and is just a few moments walk from the quay side. Being on the 8th floor we have excellent views over the harbour. We now have 3 full days and 4 nights in Auckland to enjoy the city before heading to a somewhat cooler climate in Canada.

Bay of Islands

Thursday 9th December

Another sunny start to the day saw us head to the east coast diverting to the Karikari Peninsula where our first stop was Tokerau Beach. Here the water was the warmest we have found to date and this time Mark had his trunks on! As we wandered along the beach we came across a couple of ‘Ray’ type fish at the water’s edge, these being about 18 inches across, we also came across a group of youngsters who were choosing their sunbathing spot, one of whom was fair skinned and already heading towards lobster pink!

We then pottered off the peninsula and headed east via Cable Bay where the water was considerably colder than Tokerau, and then on via Mangonui (very pretty) and then turned off for lunch at Totara North on the quay. Here there is a fish processing plant of considerable size and we were bemused at the size of vehicles that were coming and going along a relatively small road (albeit sealed) including a large lorry of ice which took the journey along to the end of the wooden jetty to empty its load into the hold of a waiting fishing vessel.

After lunch we took the scenic route via Tauranga Bay, Mahinepua and into Te Ngaire where again the sea proved too tempting so we loitered appropriately. Here we were joined by a beautiful black Labrador type dog who wanted to play. The rules of the game were not quite clear but did include having to convince the dog to release his bit of seaweed so that it could be thrown out to sea for him to retrieve!

Once this game was over we continued on the scenic route calling in at the Taraire Water Gardens. These were made by Aubery Westgate, a man who emigrated from Eastbourne (in the UK) in the late 80’s and included a forest walk and a number of reasonable size ponds at the bottom of an escarpment. The pond area had been a swamp and this had all been dug out to form these naturally fed ponds.

It was then time to find iced coffees (at Waipapa) before making the short journey to Kerikeri where Mark’s Uncle David is currently project managing a large housing and care facility development. We had last met about 25 years ago and it was good to meet up. The plan is to stay here for a couple of days before completing our circuit of New Zealand and returning to Auckland.

On Friday David took us for a short tour of the local sights (he had a business commitment at 11.30) including the Rainbow Falls, the Stone Store at Kerikeri Inlet, an excellent coffee shop in Kerikeri and some of the prime view points around the area.

While David was busy we took a walk along the Kerikeri River from the falls to the Landing; enjoying a walk around the Stone Store and lunch at The Pear Tree (aka The Landing Restaurant). The afternoon was then spent chilling out, including a swim in the neighbour’s pool.

Saturday saw us spending the day with David heading off to Waitangi where we toured the Treaty House where the Waitangi Treaty was signed in 1840. The house and grounds are quite magnificent and enjoy views over the Bay of Islands.

We then drove into Paihia, a busy little town with a temporarily increased population due to the Russell-Paikia sea swim competition being on. We managed to find a parking space and caught the ferry to Russell (which had briefly been the capital of New Zealand) where we had a pleasant lunch followed by a stroll around the town including a visit to a missionary house, Pompallier House, built in 1842.

The town has many art shops and one in particular had some magnificent individual pieces that would have been very nice to own were it not for the price tag and the shipping costs!

Here in Russell we also came across a Morton Bay Fig tree with incredible air roots. It had been planted somewhere around 1880 by the first collector of customs.

There were also some excellent examples of Pohutukawa trees, the New Zealand Christmas Tree (because it flowers at....)

After our tour we returned to Paihia for ice creams and then the short journey to Opua to visit one of David’s colleagues who has a house with incredible views over the bay.

It was then home for chill out time and get sorted ready for getting back on the road tomorrow.

Ninety Mile Beach

Wednesday 8th December

A sunny start to the day with a little cloud around, 15 degrees at 0700....
We headed off promptly as we needed to be in the next town (Kaitaia) for our bus pick up at 0845; we made this comfortably and checked in.

We managed to get front row seats and left about 10 minutes early, so we assume that all booked people had arrived! We then headed out via a few pick-ups to the ‘Ancient Kauri Kingdom’ at Awanui. This is mainly a sales outlet thought there is a workshop attached. We had a browse around before heading on for views of Kauri trees and the areas where they are still extracting buried Kauri from the ground, these having fallen many thousands of years ago before being covered by shifting sand.

We then called in briefly for a view of Houhora harbour and then on to the brilliant white sands of Rarawa Beach. This part of the east coast has many bays of fine white silica sand, this being one of the best examples. The sun was well up and the sand was quite hot, so it was a welcome walk on the damp sand near the water before paddling in far enough for one of us to get his shorts rather wet!

From here we moved on to the Te Kao store which sells the ‘best ice creams in the Far North region’. We ordered two ‘single scoops’ which were actually about three scoops tall; and indeed it was delicious! A sample of a ‘double scoop’ is seen here:

It was then on to our lunch stop at another beautiful bay of white sand at Tapotupotu Bay. A picnic lunch was provided and slipped down very nicely before going for our second paddle of the day and a second soaking of those shorts - swimwear was in the bag but it hardly seemed worth worrying now!

After lunch we had just a short journey to Cape Reinga itself. The last few kilometres of road have in recent years been sealed and there are these days full washroom facilities which apparently cost NZ$1.3 million!

Here we walked to the lighthouse down a made up path (another recent development we believe) to get magnificent views of the surrounding bays and outcrops and of where the Tasmin Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. We were assured that this is much more dramatic on a stormy day, but we were happy to settle for sunny and calm!

On the return walk Mark opted for the unmade path over an adjacent hill and this gave an excellent view of the lighthouse, though whether it was such a good idea to run to the top we’re not so sure!

From here we moved on to the Te Paki Steam where we actually drove down the stream and through the quicksands (keep moving!) to head towards the beach.

This led us to the sand dunes of the west coast, which are golden in comparison to the white sand of the east. Here we stopped and had the opportunity to try sand tobogganing which entailed walking through the stream before climbing the dune (burning feet time!) and then sitting on an overgrown plastic tray to enjoy the descent! Just like on the snow, but warmer and drier.

Then it was on to the real reason for the bus ride.... we continued down the stream to join Ninety Mile Beach where we hung a left (now heading south) and drove 74km of the 103km beach, much of the time at over 100kph.

We slowed for the crossing of the numerous freshwater streams that come from the ‘dune pools’, and also stopped off to see the local ‘hole in the rock’. Mark was still ‘sandy’ from the tobogganing and did a quick check with the driver to see if there was time for a dabble; very soon about half of the group were paddling.... and the shorts got wet yet again!

We also stopped to admire what could be seen of a car that had driven on the ‘wrong part’ of the beach at one of the freshwater stream outlets, sinking into the quicksand. Just the top of the window frame was on view – this is apparently one of a number that have sunk into the sand over the years.

It was then time for the final run back to base where we picked up the campervan from the bus depot and headed for the Ninety Mile Beach campsite at Waipapakauri where we camped for the night.

Firth of Thames, Auckland and Beyond

Monday 6th December.

Today we headed south through Thames and then turned west cutting down to Ngatea to visit the water gardens. These are run by people with a sense of humour as the gardens are littered with amusing signs and sights. The gardens were well worth the visit and we were escorted round by a gaggle of very friendly birds some samples which are shown below.

These were friendly enough to be fed by hand, though the middle one above had a rather sharp beak and when the food had gone....

The gardens also include Arthur’s Canny Museum, a collection of circa 30 years worth of collected drinks cans!

From here we followed the coast of the Firth of Thames through Miranda and Wharekawa to Kawaka Bay where we took a diversion to Raukura Point. Here we paddled in the sea (to mid-thigh level) before having lunch overlooking Ponui Island and an empty sandy beach.

It was then through a series of lanes to bring us close to Auckland where we joined the motorway to avoid the city centre (we’ll be seeing that later). This was incredibly busy and was just like driving in the UK! It did accelerate our journey back into the countryside and we were soon on to route 16 and onto Helensville via a short break to pick up fresh strawberries from a roadside strawberry packing house where they were packing strawberries by hand (they tasted delicious!).

North of Auckland the topography changes yet again and is of a softer, more rolling nature. We felt for a cycle tourist who was pushing his bike up one very long climb (simply ran out of gears or fitness!) and then, after we had stopped for a cuppa, we passed him again doing the same up another very long hill.

From these hills we had wonderful views of Kaipara Harbour and South Head as we twisted our way up and down through a series of ‘scenic reserves’.

Having been heading due north through Kakanui, past Mount Auckland and through Kaiwaka, we then turned due west at Bryderwyn to Paparoa where we stopped for the evening.

At this campsite we were one of two campervans. The other one was occupied by a French couple who claimed to speak very little English. We exchanged pleasantries utilising our very rusty French and their English. In the morning we got chatting to the French couple and between us got along fine with the usual ‘Franglais’. We had the same plans for the first part of our journey and duly met at the first two destinations of the day.

First stop was the Kauri Museum at Matakohe which we wandered around with our French companions. This museum gives a good history of how Kauri were harvested and processed with samples of Kauri wood millions of years old which has been found effectively fossilized beneath the ground. It also has a ‘Gum Room’ showing how gum was collected from trees (now banned) and how it was mined. There are also some wonderful examples of gum carvings, as well as some less than wonderful ones! There are some very large examples of slabs cut from single trees including one 22.5m long and another 6m wide. The display also included a plethora of Kauri furniture, a selection of the machinery used to convert trees to manageable planks and some interesting examples of natural grain patterns one of which is shown below.

It was then 1.5hrs drive through Dargaville and along highway 12 to the Kaihu Forest and then the Waipoua Forest. Today, unusually, it rained! Some of the showers were very heavy (there had been some overnight too) and at times we were high enough to be driving in cloud with the road reaching circa 500m.

The Waipoua Forest is home of the largest Kauri in New Zealand, so we visited Tane Mohula which is truly huge! It has a girth of 13.77m and a height of 51.5m.

On our departure from here we bade farewell to our French friends as they were heading for the Bay of Islands while we hoped to catch a small ferry to enable us to head north towards Ninety Mile Beach.

We continued following the coast road to Omapere where we came over the top of Pakanae Hill to emerge from rain forest and be faced with golden beaches bathed in sunshine on the opposite side of Hokianga Harbour.

We followed the road north east before taking the minor road to Rawene. As we joined this road we did pass a sign stating “Rangiora via ferry – suitable for all vehicles”, so it looked ok. When we got to Rawene there was indeed a ferry waiting for us; it had a capacity for about 15 cars and we drove straight on. The crossing was 15 minutes and saved us about 80 or 90km driving had the ferry no longer been operating!

From the ferry we entered an area that is known as very Maori oriented and which is apparently ‘anti-white’. We found no evidence of this but did not look too hard!

We headed north, then west and then north again passing through the lightly populated towns of Orawau, Broadwood, Herekino and Manukau before reaching the southern extreme of 90 Mile Beach at Ahipara.

Here we booked into a campsite before walking to the beach; we also booked a tour for tomorrow which would include a drive along this renowned stretch of coastline.

Mount Maunganui & Coromandel Peninsula

Saturday 4th December.

Today we met up with Dave Croft (ex student/colleague - see previous post....) and walked up Mount Maunganui. We opted to climb via the steep shady route and the views from the top showed the area at its best with the sun shining and surfers, canoeists and swimmers in the water.

‘The Mount’ is relatively (for NZ) densely populated with 100,000 people in quite a small area. It is also very much a holiday area, with the Bay of Plenty on one side, which has white water suitable for surfing, and the calm and tranquil Pilot Bay on the other. Off the end of the spit which the Mount is on is the Maori owned Matakana Island with its miles of white sandy beaches and a very limited population.

After our return down to sea level (via a less steep but sunnier route) Dave drove us through the town which is very much a ‘resort’, and back to his place for lunch and to meet his wife Gerri, mum-in-law Jenny and adorable daughter Leila who is rapidly approaching 1 year old.

After lunch Heather and I walked back along the beach to the campsite (40 minutes), encountering a plethora of jelly fish as well as numerous swimmers, surfers and sunbathers. We then chilled for the rest of the day apart from walking into the local ‘Plaza’ which was somewhat limited, but fortunately only 10 minutes walk away!

Sunday 5th December.

The morning started a little grey, but warm. It soon burnt off to give another hot and sunny day with a fair bit of cloud on the mountains.

We headed through Tauranga following Highway 2 with wonderful views of Tauranga Harbour on our right and the Kaimai Mamaku Forest on our left. We were soon in the Coromandel Forest Park following the Pacific Coastal Highway as it dipped in and out of coves giving us alternating beach and cliff top views. The area is quite mountainous and the road zig-zagged up and down making for some interesting driving to gain those incredible views.

We stopped in Whangamata for coffee and explored the town, which like most NZ townships was based almost entirely along the main road through it. Whangamata has actually been by-passed which reduces traffic, but it was quite busy as the beaches along this coast are of golden sand with sufficient surf to attract surfers as well as swimmers, sun-worshipers and 'boaties'.

We then continued through Tairua turning off at Whenuakite to Hot Water Beach. Here you can dig a hole in the sandy beach and have it fill with hot water. It was necessary to do this in such a way that the sea also added cold as otherwise scalding was a serious risk! As we approached the area it was quite clear where the springs were as there was a considerable gathering of people sitting in a selection of holes!

It was a strange sensation to have the cool sea wash over your feet with the soles of your feet being in hot water......

We then headed on via Cathedral Cove, Cooks Bay and Cooks Beach to Ferry Landing; however our intention of then cutting to Whitianga was thwarted as the only way across was by passenger ferry and we didn’t feel we could abandon the campervan just yet!

So it was back to Whenuakite and round the twisty roads via Coroglen and Kaimarama, passing through Whitianga and as far north as Kuaotunu where we took the small road to Matarangi and enjoyed tea overlooking Wainuiototo Bay.

We then returned to the (relatively) main road and turned west to cross the Coromandel Range (with magnificent views from the top) and down into Coromandel Town.

Here we joined the west coast which in direct contrast to the east is rocky with just a few sheltered bays of grey sand. The road literally follows the coast with very little separating the road from the sea.

We followed this through its twists and turns to Tapu where we took one look at the campsite and kept going! It was then a short way on to Te Puru where we were much more impressed and booked in before taking a stroll along the beach. We had tried booking in to a more ‘rural’ campsite by a mountain stream but were advised that as they had a youth group of some 70 youngsters it would be better to go elsewhere!

Rotorua & Thermal Area

Thursday 2nd December. It is still a challenge for us to accept that it is December, Christmas is being talked about and yet we are spending a lot of our time in shorts and t-shirts. We have been kept updated on the UK weather where there is apparently about a foot of snow in the Crawley/Horsham area and considerably more in Yorkshire. I suspect the usual chaos that snow brings will be the order of the day.

We were away by about nine and headed off on the short distance to Taupo, a pretty and lively town overlooking Acacia Bay on the lake itself. We had a look around before heading out on Highway Five to the Aratiatia Dam where the there are boat rides to view the dam and the Huka Falls. Unfortunately the next (first?) of these was at 12.30 and it was only just 10.00, so we abandoned that idea. The dam sluices are opened to allow power generation several times a day and they had just been opened creating spectacular rapids below the dam.

The sluices were closed just after 10.30 and the water steadily subsided (taking a surprising amount of time) until it left quite a tranquil flow.

Next we headed off on a circular route back to Huka Falls, though this entailed an unplanned re-visit of Taupo so we popped in for coffee in a ‘creative cafe’ where you could paint pottery and buy beads..... we stuck with the coffee.
The Huka Falls are on the Waikato River and here it narrows to 15m wide and is 10m deep. The volume and colour of the turbulent water is impressive and any ‘fallers’ would not survive long.

Then it was off up Highway 1 turning right along an unclassified road (with a surface this time!) where we found a tranquil lunch spot before heading on to the ‘Hidden Valley’ thermal area at Orakei Korako. This necessitated a short boat crossing across the Waikato River (which they also confusingly describe as ‘the lake’!) and then a wonderful walk (including about 1000 steps) to teh sound of large cricket type insects, through active geysers, sulphur formations, mud pools and hot springs.

The day was already hotting up and the added heat of the steaming springs and geysers contributed further to the sauna effect.

The formation of some of the earliest scarps are dated back to 131 AD, and while these look like volcanic lava flow they are formed from the emerging sulphur which can also be seen running down to the river’s edge.

After an hour and a quarter wander around the well formed board walks and paths (dire warnings not to deviate as the crust is very thin in places) it was time for the return ferry crossing which coincided with the landing of a local sea plane on the river; then it was ice cream time.
Next we headed on via Rotorua (visiting tomorrow) to Papamoa Beach near Tauranga.

In the evening we met with an ex-student and subsequent colleague (my first TCS Associate for those in the know), David Croft. We had not seen each other for some eight or nine years and he is now resident in New Zealand, married to a local and has a (nearly) one year old daughter. We had a great evening in a local restaurant, catching up and generally chatting. We plan to meet up again on Saturday for a walk round Mount Maunganui when we will also meet his girls, Geri & Leila.

Friday

Laundry on the line by 0830, sun shining again, surf’s up!

We had a circular tour today, heading out for Rotorua via Tauranga and cutting through the minor roads through Oropi down to Te Pu and joining Lake Rotorua at its northern point before following the banks down to the town itself. As we approached Rotorua we saw rising steam to our right so turned in to a parking area – we had stumble across Kuirau Park, an open area of mud pools, hot springs and steam vents. We explored this before enjoying soaking our feet in a thermally heated (ie naturally thermally heated) foot pool.

We lunched here and then wandered into the city where we managed to get a little lost! Fortunately we had noted a large clothing shop so we could ask for directions back to the campervan before heading out of town along the east side of the lake and picking up Highway 30 which follows the shores of series of lakes making a very scenic drive.

Along this road we came across ‘Hell’s Gate’, another thermal area, this one being the only one owned by the Maoari. We enjoyed wandering around here and took the opportunity of bathing our feet in the mud pools – the mud is very fine and it is not like getting muddy feet in the garden, not least because it is at about 40 C!

The bubbling mud pools here were quite dramatic, and as we had found previously, the hot day coupled with the rising steam made for warm walk! The area also included a hot waterfall (40 C) and a mud volcano that erupts from time to time.

On departure we were rapidly on the lookout for iced coffees and found a suitable cafe a short way up the road – they were most welcome....

We then carried on heading east, skirting Kawerau and turning north to join the coast at Matata. It was then back along Kohioawa Beach, through Otamarakau and Te Puke and back to camp via the supermarket.

Whanganui River

Monday 29th we had another adjustment to our plan and drove to Whanganui as we had arranged to meet my other auntie there. The majority of the trip was on the main highway (little choice) so good progress was made. We arrived at Whanganui in good time so we headed a short way up the Whanganui River Road to the first view point and stood just where my dad must have stood some 20 years earlier when he took the picture of the Whanganui river valley that adorns his wall; one of those ‘strange’ moments when a tingle runs down your spine.

We then headed back to my Auntie Anne’s where we also met up with my cousin’s children and husband. Unfortunately my cousin Nikki was away on business, ironically in Wellington where we had just come from!

We had a pleasant evening including a tour of Whanganui and dinner with Anne and the children. Everybody had reasonably early starts the next day (school, work, us going canoeing) so nobody was keen to be up too late!

Tuesday saw us away by 0830 complete with packed lunch ready for our trip on the river. We followed our route of the previous day and then headed on up the Whanganui River Road through Atene, noting the board showing the river level in 1998, which was well above the road itself, and on to Koriniti to The Flying Fox where we were to join the river.

The Flying Fox is effectively a cable car which runs across the river to the house out of which the boating is run. Heather was not too keen on the concept when she saw it spanned 100ft above the river, but reality was far better than expectation and we crossed smoothly and sedately across the river to by met by our host John and his very friendly dog.

We had a chat and then it was down to the serious business of coffee and homemade blueberry muffins before the safety chat and discussion about the route and how to approach the ‘rapids’.
We then sorted our kit into waterproof bags and wandered down to the river where there was a quick paddling demonstration before ‘feet wet’ time and into the double kayak (we had originally planned on the Indian Canoe, but with a promised rising breeze John had decided against this).
We then had great fun paddling down river in glorious sunshine and rising temperatures (it probably made 30+) including one grounding, which entailed Mark getting out to refloat the boat, some very fast and exhilarating bits of water through the rocks, and several occasions where the water was turbulent enough to result in us getting water over the gunwhales and into the boat!

We stopped for lunch on a ‘beach’ and got partly dried out, though I’m not sure why we worried about the drying out bit! We provided the food but John had provided the making of fresh coffee compete with ‘plunger’ and lunch was very relaxed sitting in the sunshine, during which John appeared on the opposite bank and we had a quick chat by two-way radio.

After lunch we headed on through more rapids and presently John came and found us in his Jet Boat which he was testing out after some work, and made flattering remarks about our style, but then we were paying him for the privilege so we’d expect him to make such comments!
It was then onto our final end point after 3 hours of paddling to be met by John for a ride back in the car. He assured us it was the norm to have wet seats from people who had been canoeing, and indeed he had got pretty wet himself.

After a very sociable drive back to Koriniti it was back in the campervan for the twisty and, at times, dusty journey to Pipiriki where we are staying at a very basic ‘public shelter’ site ready for tomorrow’s day on the river, this time with a big engine providing the power!
Tuesday morning we were nearly ready (in good time) when Brent from ‘Spirit of The River Jet’ was knocking on the campervan door to let us know he was ready – 30 minutes ahead of plan! The sky was overcast, but were assured that it would burn off.

We were soon ready and walked down to the river to board the jet boat just after 0900.

We were joined for the trip by a family of five from Colorado so the group size was good. We then enjoyed an hour of jet boat ride through the rapids stopping off on the way to hear stories of the river and the surrounding land, giving an insight into the history of the land and the Maori people. We arrived at Mangapurua Landing where we walked for about 40 minutes (uphill) to The Bridge to Nowhere for coffee, provided by Brett along with a selection of cakes. The bridge was built as part of the project to put a roadway through which would have given much improved access for the farmers and other local trades; however the road was never built, even though the bridge was completed.

By this time the sun was out and we were all getting warm!

After coffee we walked back to the boat and then continued upstream for another hour through further rapids and deep gorges with more stories from Brent before stopping off for lunch (self catering!). On the way we met a good number of canoeists making their way downstream, including a large party of about 20 who were doing a three day journey, camping overnight at the DOC huts along the way.

The return journey after lunch was completed without further stops; with little water in the river at places and a need to keep the boat high in the water we travelled rapidly through the rapids with a few good turns long the way. We arrived back at Pipiriki early afternoon and by now the temperature was in the 30’s.

After our farewell and a quick sort out we headed on up the narrow and twisty road from Pipiriki out to Raetihi before joining Highway 4 to National Park (yes, that’s a place name). Along this road we had views of Mount Ngauruhoe, an active volcano, and the snow capped Mount Ruapehu.

From here we headed to Whakapapa where we had a wander round and spotted a nice property that would make a good second home.

From there we headed out to Papakai, through Rangipo where we joined Highway 1. We then proceeded via Turangi, shortly after which the road starts following the banks of Lake Taupo. In Motuoapa we called into our chosen campsite only to find that nobody was there and the number to ring went straight through to the fax! So, it was on up the road a few kilometres to Motutere where we are now camped overlooking Lake Taupo.