Auckland Ending

Up early, do washing, clean out the van, empty tanks, complete packing...

....then top up with fuel and battle through the inevitable umpteen kilometres of Auckland traffic jams to the Maui motorhome depot and drop off the van, completing the formalities. Exhausted, we board the coach to the rather nice Rydges Hotel, close to the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere, Skytower.

1000 feet in old money..

Once up there, it looks like this

It's nearly over - but before it is, we posh up and enjoy a really good farewell meal in the revolving restaurant up there in Skytower. Thanks from the tour leaders and thanks from us, this time from me on the behalf of us all. Then we all hug, kiss, shake hands and it's over...

..apart from at breakfast... and later in the evening - fewer people each time, though; you can have too much hugging and kissing.

We're last away, taking a couple of days to explore Auckland using the hop on hop off bus.

The very special Auckland Cathedral

Michael Joseph Savage Memorial

Cool Auckland marina and docks. Great bars and restaurants here, where we have our last meal.

Serious money, serious equipment

Cityscape  from the Devonport ferry

They park cruise ships at the end of the road in Auckland

On Saturday 1st we set off for Bangkok. That's April fool's day - but only in the UK, thank goodness.

So that's the end of this part of the blog, sadly. Apart from the joy of discovering New Zealand from the freedom of a motorhome, we've travelled with some great people.

Next post from Bangkok, all being well, then.

Russell to Orewa

Ok, back on track with the group now. For the avoidance of doubt, Russell is a magic little town, even though we spend very little time here. Sorry to leave, but leave we must.

Before we begin the trek south we spend a couple of hours at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the treaty between the Moari Chiefs and the British Crown for the coexistence of the Maori and British settlers was signed (slight simplification there) to lay the foundation for a united New Zealand (still work in progress). Uplifting experience and a fitting end to our tour.

Moari canoe.. in fact, the longest canoe ever, anywhere.

[canoe note: formed from three giant trees, the sides below water line being dimpled, as is a golf ball, to reduce friction between water and hull. Inspiration from fish scales. Early hydrodynamics by observation and experiment. ]

The sharp end..

Flags symbolic of agreement

Profound and so true, from original Moari

Back to (our) reality..

We're all heading for our very last stop on Orewa (again), where we'll brush out, flush out and generally cheer up our faithful motorhomes before we hand them back to Maui.

Image: Scary logging lorries bombing along on route. Stopping one of these from 90km/h is some task. Slightly worrying with one on the tail, have to say.

Arriving in Orewa, a surprise for Sue! Our dear daughters have arranged a delivery of flowers for mothers' day. Wonderful!

Anyway, after this, our final meeting lasts some time as we have to use up all our snacks, wine and beer - then, duty done and slightly sozzled, we slink off to bed amongst the chaos of almost-packed luggage.

We negotiate the latest possible departure slot so Sue can sort a bit of washing in the morning as we prepare for a few days in Auckland then six days in Bangkok. Everyone else seems to be heading straight home.

Sad day tomorrow. Goodbye motorhomewhowehaven'tbotheredtoname.

Our seats for 5200km...

Free to Roam

branching out

We're on our own for a couple of days (and nights).
While the main itinerary is all about sailing around the Bay of Islands, we're off to reach the most northerly point at Cape Reinga. Exciting Stuff

We head off to Whangarei, which, if you're looking at a map, might not seem all that sensible; it's just that we wanted to see it - and we were not disappointed. A lovely small city around a harbour with some expensive boats floating about in it.

The clock museum at Whangarei.. no time to visit

We eat here at Whangarei, before heading east, through the Waipoua Forest to the opposite coast - where I'm writing this in a beachside campsite at Opononi.

Looking across the estuary from above Omapere

Hope to reach the most northerly point tomorrow but not sure were we'll end up....

...contd

We start early, driving north, aiming to reach Cape Reinga early afternoon. We're lucky: the weather holds and we make good progress, using a small ferry before joining the SH1, which takes us, after a couple of interesting stops, to the Cape.

Ferry crossing heading north

 The sat nav tells the story of the drive through the Raetea Forest.. It's also very steep..

We're here!

Cape Reinga is a very significant place for the Maori people, and we are respectful of their spiritual beliefs. The Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea meet here with violent turbulence visible from the lighthouse, the Maori denoting this as the meeting of the male and female oceans.

After a couple of hours walking to the beach from the cape summit and back we decide to camp overnight at the basic site provided by the Ministry of Conservation - right on the beach. It's pure magic but a slight problem: no signal and it's Mothers Day. We resolve to trundle up the washboard track to the Cape summit to make contact in the morning.

...............

Morning comes, we trundle up the 3km to the top and make contact with the world, Sue's phone downloading loads of messages... It's still Mothers Day in the UK.

We spend an hour or so helping out a German couple who have lost their car keys - car 3km at bottom - phone signal at top but only on my Vodafone sim. After trundling up and down the dreaded 3km track again it's all sorted and it's panic over, hugs all round... then we're off.

We head to Russell to join up with the rest of the crew but stop at Mangonui for some world famous fish, mussels and chips. Russell turns out to be a really nice little town, reached by another ferry. After hellos and  chats we finish the day with a meal to celebrate a member's 70th. All good companiable fun.

Pictures of picturesque Russell, on the way to group meal.

Last stop tomorrow.

Rotorua to Orewa (via Middle Earth)

Up early. Have to call in at Hobbiton on the way, you see.

A surreal visit to the Hobbit Film set that we had booked a couple of weeks ago. Goodness. Wow. Why do we feel a bit emotional? It's only a film set for goodness sake.
A drink at the Green Dragon calms us down a little (No Gandalf or Frodo though). Travelling companions who visit later (our medical mates) feel the same; it's not just us who are wierd then.

The rest of the journey is, well, just a journey for the first time. The jams through Auckland make us nostalgic for the M25. Dire Straits help us through...

The campsite at Orewa is really great; beach and on the front line. Who could want for more?

The rest are off to Russell for three days including a day on the boat around the Bay of Islands... which is certainly not Sue's cup of tea, especially in dodgy weather - which is why we're off on our own for a couple of nights....

See next post

Taupo to Rotorua

Another day, another surprise...

getting there

Although a short trip if travelling direct, we hear that the Orakei Korako Hidden Valley thermal walks are worth visiting, so off we go in the morning. Located on the banks of Lake Ohakuri, the valley is approached by a short foot ferry and is, in Lonely Planet's words "arguably the best thermal area left in New Zealand". We couldn't disagree.

We spend too much time here really, because when we near Rotura, we haven't enough time left to do the sights justice. That'll be tomorrow's challenge then.

Tonight, though, we meet up with friends who have finished the earlier tour and are lingering in NZ. A great Thai meal in Rotura.. and a great time had by all.

day two

Two nights at the site, so time to visit the Mauri thermal village of Whakarewarewa - unique because the locals live here as they have for centuries, using the numerous thermal springs to cook and bathe amongst other things. NOT to be missed and very informative indeed.
Another plus of visiting the village is that the view of the highest geyser in NZ, Te Puia, is arguably as good as the one from the neighbouring thermal park and it's less dosh, too.

Village traditional meeting house

Tourists (that'll be us then) watching traditional  cooking from thermal steam

Te Puia, not performing..

We head off to spend a couple of hours relaxing on the beach in the Bay of Plenty. Worth the one and a half hours drive to see this pleasant retirement area.. and the beach is wonderful.



The evening is a highlight, spent at the Tamaki Mouri Village with the rest of the group. Learning, entertainment, fun, meal - great evening. We even had our own Chief to lead us.(Thanks Pete).

Here's the popular Maori love song Pokearekare Ana


Not sure about the coach driver, who rattled on in a range of languages and sang songs, largely to himself, on the way back. He went around a traffic island eight times, honking the horn while singing 'the wheels on the bus go round and round'. Madness, loved by some... He certainly made the most of his captive audience. Would have been locked up in the UK, I think.

Orewa tomorrow.

Napier to Taupo

What day is it? Where are we? Who am I?

We're at that at that stage of the tour when things become a bit of a blur; we've done so much, driven so far, talked with so many people. So this post will be just about the highlights because that's all I can remember...

The journey passed pretty quickly but we did stop off to see valleys and walks with fumeroles venting sulphurous superheated steam. Reminds us of Iceland, as does the thermal power station and the high speed stream and water transmission to reduce heat loss. Interesting stuff.
We also saw the massive amount of water shooting through the Huka falls.

Hot Stuff

Huka falls violence

We're firmly in the northern volcanic region now.. but our location on the edge of lake Taupo is serene. Spot the seaplane taking off...

We decided to go it alone up to the still active volcano, Mt Ruapehu by driving, then chairlifts. We aimed to walk while up there to see the acidic lake but walking far was not on because of very high wind speeds. The wind chill on the chairlift was pretty high as we rocked and whirled up there.. and we had to hurry our lunch at New Zealand's highest restaurant because the lift closed later. Oh well - it was brilliant in any event.

Rotorua tomorrow ...and a meet with travelling friends.

Wellington to Napier

the journey

A long one, this, especially as we choose to travel on an undulating forest road; all goes well to begin with but it gets narrower with more hairpins that are negotiable in themselves but then add mad cyclists hurtling towards us a breakneck speed, sometimes fully committed, in the centre of a blind hairpin: sheer madness. I resort to blaring the horn on each uphill bend. This road is a no go on a Saturday, I think. It's a relief to get back on a state highway for a change as we make a couple of welcome stops at Paekakariki (for a cool coffee) and Waikanae Beach.

The long trip to Napier passes quite quickly, with Sue taking a big stint. We roll in around 5pm and settle in before an enjoyable 'social' with the group.

the city

The second day is all about Napier, which was virtually destroyed in the 1931 earthquake and rebuilt in the following years. The quake lifted the surrounding land, creating an amazing extra 3000 hectares.
What makes the place unique is that, because it was rebuilt at that time (in the 30's depression) it's the highest concentration of original Art Deco buildings in the world. A very nice place it is too, with the Art Deco Trust looking after its preservation.

We have a relaxing day seeing and learning; I have this fascination with the Art Deco period, although it stood, in many ways, for a time of class division and excess.

We finish the day with an enjoyable get together with the like minded travelling gang.

Poor bandwidth and 4G at this site so just a couple of Napier images. See HERE  for more about this amazing town.

Blenheim to Wellington

A small matter of the Cook Channel in the way on this trip..

So we say farewell to the South Island with some sadness, spending the morning by a lake with a wonderful relaxing atmosphere. It's been a surprising trip around South Island in so many ways; we've enjoyed it more than expected.

We can't put it off any longer and, reluctantly, we finally head to the Interislander ferry for our 1.15pm check in deadline. We're  packed in tightly and sooooo thankfully for Sue, the sea is quite calm as we head for the channel.

A final, sad, farewell to South Island as it fades away on the three plus hour crossing....

Disembarking at Wellington is a chaotic affair as a motorhome breaks down forcing much reversing to and fro' to get out. All good fun. We head off to spot some blue penguins with a couple of other vans as a bit of relaxation before camp. No penguins, but it turns out as a bit of a laugh as we all suspect that thee penguins are very elusive, despite the signs. Certainly, the locals we chatted to said they might be there but were reluctant to say if they had actually seen one.

Even more fun. Three vans rushing back through the Wellington traffic to reach camp as darkness falls. Fail

But here we are:

The second day is all about Wellington.

We have a pre-arranged coach tour around Wellington which is pretty good; the driver drives through heavy traffic and reels off a stream of information, even when reversing. Didn't hit anything either. A lot of history here and, of course, earthquake proofing work is an ongoing occupation. Too much to write about so do try Lonely Planet if you want more info.

Note the new building standard in NZ: more steel and crossbracing on shock absorbing foundations. It's the same in Christchurch.

Parliament buildings.

View from the top.

We're dropped of at the National museum which is great. Very flash, actually, with some impressive Maori artefacts; it's success, for us, is how it manages to convey the Maori beliefs and values.

Maori canoe with a long history

After the museum, we try to get a feel for Wellington, which is, of course, pretty impossible in a few hours. Still, eating the seared salmon with a glass of the local brew, sitting outside in the student area is great.

The city is quite small (600,000ish) and it feels like it. Many of the former office blocks have been converted to student or other apartments as many firms/corporations have relocated to Auckland, which has now reached around 1.7 million. Nice place, Wellington, but it doesn't tug at our heartstrings like Christchurch.

We catch the bus back to the campsite which takes a circuitous route of one hour. Phew.

Long trip to Napier tomorrow.