November 28th-December 3rd 2006
Greg goes on (yes he does doesn’t he!)
We drove up through Kataia and stopped for Coffee at an amazing café called the Ancient Kauri Kingdom, where inside there is a staircase built into the trunk of a Kauri Tree. This tree was pulled from a swamp, and has been carbon dated at being 45-50,000 years old! Apart from nice coffee, they also sell wooden gifts made from this tree, which I have to say are lovely. It’s not your normal tourist junk! I was taken with a handmade guitar from the Kauri, which was priced at only 36,000 dollars- about 12-13,000 pounds! (Sorry I forgot to say that we had to stop at the Warehouse on the way through, where everyone gets a bargain!!)
We travelled through Waitiki Landing, where the road changes to a gravel track, and headed for the next site which was Tapotupotu Bay. Again an awesome place! As you approach from the road you can see the campsite below. It is nestled right beside a beautiful white beach with the Pacific rolling in. The sea also runs into a river, which you can throw yourself into when it is too hot. It’s difficult to explain but suffice to say it’s an absolutely beautiful site (another one!) No sooner had we settled in, than we’d met Shirley, Morgan, Murray and Lesley who agreed to take us fishing off the rocks. We had a lovely evening with them, where Alistair and Rowena were the only ones to catch a fish! Ali caught a rock cod, and Row got a Blue Moki. Well done kids! After a few beers, wine, and great company we went back to van for bed.
Murray and Lesley run a tavern in Whangerai, which I shall be pleased to make a visit to….Lucy can drive! Morgan and Shirley have a Saw Mill in Rotorua, and we are planning on catching up with them later on the trip.
Next day (29th) we walked across to Cape Reinga, a trip of 4 km’s, doesn’t sound far, but it was up and down very steep climbs. We had to stop of the way for our second Skinny dip in Sandy Bay, again a lovely beach with no-one on it! Lucky really, as they would have had a fright seeing our naked bodies!
We got to Cape Reinga at the same time as 5 tourist buses, so we had to wait till they had gone to really appreciate the sight of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meeting. Looking up at the sign which said 19,271 km’s to London, you realise how far away from home we are!
Walking back we decided to go along the road as it was not so steep. Half way back we re-joined the track, which led us straight to the beach. It’s difficult to describe how wonderful taking your walking boots off and walking in the sea actually is, but it was heaven! Getting back to the camper, we put our swimmers on and dived into the icy waters, well not icy, but cold. It was lovely!
The campsite is a DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite, so the facilities do not include hot showers, but there were cold ones! Blimey they were cold!
That evening we were invited into Morgan and Shirley’s van….well palace. Their van was lovely, it had a pull out, a queen-size bed, a beautiful bathroom, and Sky TV, which means that Morgan can watch all he Rugby!! Also there is a fridge or freezer which keeps the beer at a lovely colder than cold! Thanks to Morgan and Shirley for a lovely evening.
We left for Whatuwhiwhi Top 10 Campsite on 30th, with the children looking forward to opening their advent calendars tomorrow! The weather was foul, torrential rain most of the way, so when we got the site we warmed up with a bacon sandwich and a hot cup of coffee. This place was a fishing mecca, and the children told me that a lobster was caught the previous week was the size of a 12litre diving tank! We didn’t see it unfortunately. The weather was so bad we stayed in and did extra school work!!
Friday 1st saw us move down the coast to Mangonui and Whangaroa Bay. Mangonui is a delightful little coastal village, imagine what Cornish villages by the sea looked liked 50 years ago and you’ll be pretty close to what it’s like.
Whangaroa Bay is another gorgeous little village, but the highlight for me was the fishing club. At home a fishing club meets at a wooden hut on Poole Harbour, this place was as big as my Rugby club, with more trophy’s and awards on the wall. It also has models of the fish caught, and you wouldn’t believe the size of them…..a Blue Marlin is about 10-15ft long, and the size of 5 men put together. Fishing is big here, because you know that you will generally catch something that is big enough to eat (see later!)
We got to Kerikeri Camp site at 4 pm ish, just in time for the children to enjoy the Xmas Parade. It’s strange to be thinking of Xmas when the sun is always (well nearly) shining, and doesn’t set until 8pm! I stayed at the campsite, because as the coach driver, I felt I deserved a beer or 10.
Saturday 2nd we moved down to Hararu Falls, where we parked our van with a back window view of the falls. A trip into Pahia that afternoon, and we were booked on two boatrips on Sunday and Monday. Nice little place. But a bit more touristy.
Sunday 3rd December – we went on a trip on the fastest Catermaran in New Zealand called ‘On the Edge’. Beautiful weather, a trip to a lovely beach, kayaking, and a nice BBQ with beers made a great day out for all.
Recap
There are so many highlights really, I don’t think I could choose any! So far we have travelled to the USA, Fiji and NZ, and we love them all. NZ is more like home, and you can bump into a Brit any time. It’s cheap compared to the UK, Diesel is 99 cents a litre, beer is 12.99 for 12 x 330ml bottles, campsites vary between 16 dollars (no power and generally cold showers) to 45 dollars which includes power, kitchen, fridge and freezer access, sky TV, and very clean facilities. The shopping is generally 1/3 cheaper, and you can have a meal out with beer and sweet for 80 dollars for us four. There are no shortages of campsites, and you get so many free maps etc in Auckland that you would never be short of information where to go.
See you next time!
We drove up through Kataia and stopped for Coffee at an amazing café called the Ancient Kauri Kingdom, where inside there is a staircase built into the trunk of a Kauri Tree. This tree was pulled from a swamp, and has been carbon dated at being 45-50,000 years old! Apart from nice coffee, they also sell wooden gifts made from this tree, which I have to say are lovely. It’s not your normal tourist junk! I was taken with a handmade guitar from the Kauri, which was priced at only 36,000 dollars- about 12-13,000 pounds! (Sorry I forgot to say that we had to stop at the Warehouse on the way through, where everyone gets a bargain!!)
We travelled through Waitiki Landing, where the road changes to a gravel track, and headed for the next site which was Tapotupotu Bay. Again an awesome place! As you approach from the road you can see the campsite below. It is nestled right beside a beautiful white beach with the Pacific rolling in. The sea also runs into a river, which you can throw yourself into when it is too hot. It’s difficult to explain but suffice to say it’s an absolutely beautiful site (another one!) No sooner had we settled in, than we’d met Shirley, Morgan, Murray and Lesley who agreed to take us fishing off the rocks. We had a lovely evening with them, where Alistair and Rowena were the only ones to catch a fish! Ali caught a rock cod, and Row got a Blue Moki. Well done kids! After a few beers, wine, and great company we went back to van for bed.
Murray and Lesley run a tavern in Whangerai, which I shall be pleased to make a visit to….Lucy can drive! Morgan and Shirley have a Saw Mill in Rotorua, and we are planning on catching up with them later on the trip.
Next day (29th) we walked across to Cape Reinga, a trip of 4 km’s, doesn’t sound far, but it was up and down very steep climbs. We had to stop of the way for our second Skinny dip in Sandy Bay, again a lovely beach with no-one on it! Lucky really, as they would have had a fright seeing our naked bodies!
We got to Cape Reinga at the same time as 5 tourist buses, so we had to wait till they had gone to really appreciate the sight of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meeting. Looking up at the sign which said 19,271 km’s to London, you realise how far away from home we are!
Walking back we decided to go along the road as it was not so steep. Half way back we re-joined the track, which led us straight to the beach. It’s difficult to describe how wonderful taking your walking boots off and walking in the sea actually is, but it was heaven! Getting back to the camper, we put our swimmers on and dived into the icy waters, well not icy, but cold. It was lovely!
The campsite is a DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite, so the facilities do not include hot showers, but there were cold ones! Blimey they were cold!
That evening we were invited into Morgan and Shirley’s van….well palace. Their van was lovely, it had a pull out, a queen-size bed, a beautiful bathroom, and Sky TV, which means that Morgan can watch all he Rugby!! Also there is a fridge or freezer which keeps the beer at a lovely colder than cold! Thanks to Morgan and Shirley for a lovely evening.
We left for Whatuwhiwhi Top 10 Campsite on 30th, with the children looking forward to opening their advent calendars tomorrow! The weather was foul, torrential rain most of the way, so when we got the site we warmed up with a bacon sandwich and a hot cup of coffee. This place was a fishing mecca, and the children told me that a lobster was caught the previous week was the size of a 12litre diving tank! We didn’t see it unfortunately. The weather was so bad we stayed in and did extra school work!!
Friday 1st saw us move down the coast to Mangonui and Whangaroa Bay. Mangonui is a delightful little coastal village, imagine what Cornish villages by the sea looked liked 50 years ago and you’ll be pretty close to what it’s like.
Whangaroa Bay is another gorgeous little village, but the highlight for me was the fishing club. At home a fishing club meets at a wooden hut on Poole Harbour, this place was as big as my Rugby club, with more trophy’s and awards on the wall. It also has models of the fish caught, and you wouldn’t believe the size of them…..a Blue Marlin is about 10-15ft long, and the size of 5 men put together. Fishing is big here, because you know that you will generally catch something that is big enough to eat (see later!)
We got to Kerikeri Camp site at 4 pm ish, just in time for the children to enjoy the Xmas Parade. It’s strange to be thinking of Xmas when the sun is always (well nearly) shining, and doesn’t set until 8pm! I stayed at the campsite, because as the coach driver, I felt I deserved a beer or 10.
Saturday 2nd we moved down to Hararu Falls, where we parked our van with a back window view of the falls. A trip into Pahia that afternoon, and we were booked on two boatrips on Sunday and Monday. Nice little place. But a bit more touristy.
Sunday 3rd December – we went on a trip on the fastest Catermaran in New Zealand called ‘On the Edge’. Beautiful weather, a trip to a lovely beach, kayaking, and a nice BBQ with beers made a great day out for all.
Recap
There are so many highlights really, I don’t think I could choose any! So far we have travelled to the USA, Fiji and NZ, and we love them all. NZ is more like home, and you can bump into a Brit any time. It’s cheap compared to the UK, Diesel is 99 cents a litre, beer is 12.99 for 12 x 330ml bottles, campsites vary between 16 dollars (no power and generally cold showers) to 45 dollars which includes power, kitchen, fridge and freezer access, sky TV, and very clean facilities. The shopping is generally 1/3 cheaper, and you can have a meal out with beer and sweet for 80 dollars for us four. There are no shortages of campsites, and you get so many free maps etc in Auckland that you would never be short of information where to go.
See you next time!
posted by greg and lucy | 10:33 PM
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