| Laura
& Mark 7th January 2000 |
We packed up
our things and threw them in the car, ready for
the off. But before we went we had to check the
oil and water as advised by Sel Jones. To our
dismay, both were perilously low so we headed off
first for a garage in the opposite direction to
our intended journey. Leigh looked very close to
Pakiri on the map, as indeed it must be in real
life. The only snag for us was the high mountain
in between, and the dirt road we had to use to
get over it. The car handled the road well and
Laura swallowed her nerves, so we were soon (ish)
in Leigh. A friendly lady in the garage filled us
up with oil and told us that the water in the
radiator would be fine for now, but we should top
it up tomorrow. Back over the mountain, through
Pakiri and on up the coast. We'd been driving for
quite a time when we rounded a corner and were
faced with a fairy-tale bay. We stopped the car,
parked it in the shade and went down to the beach
for a swim. The bay was called Waipu Cove and
from this gorgeous stretch of sand was a perfect
view of the two large offshore islands: Little
Barrier Island and Great Barrier Island. The bay
rounded at both ends to a headland of rocks which
the waves broke beautifully on, and to the
northern side of the bay, the first of the next
series of islands could also be seen: The Hen
& Chicken Islands. The surge here was pretty
good too, so we continued our favorite pastime of
trying to catch the waves to the shore. When we
began to feel tired, we retired to the beach and
lying on our towels under the heat of the midday
sunshine, we admired the cove. While we let the
sun dry us, we played Pictionary in the sand and
chatted about where to go next. Feeling refreshed
and relaxed we returned to the car and continued
heading northward, up the east coast (we had by
now abandoned our original plans to do the west
coast first), We followed some of the tourist
drive routes, past places like "One Tree
Point" and along the coast with views of the
ocean until we came to Wangarei. Wangerei is a
large town compared to the others in Northland,
and we had a large choice of accommodation and
attractions. With help from a lady at the
information office, we reserved a standing
caravan in a camping ground just north of the
city centre. We went there straight away as it
was already four o'clock in the afternoon and we
wanted to sort our things out in the daylight.
Our little caravan felt very homely with our junk
tipped inside it, but we decided that we didn't
have enough junk yet. With directions from the
camp-site owner, we went back to the town centre.
We wanted to buy a tent! With no luck in the
cheap store, we headed for the real camping shop
and bought a two-persons igloo tent for $112.
Back to the cheaper warehouse store and we added
a cool box, some cooling elements, a small
cooking set, cutlery and crockery set and a
potato peeler to our purchases. While we were in
a spending spree we also went to stock up on
food, washing up liquid, a tea towel and plenty
of drinks. Back at the campsite we cooked a pizza
in the communal kitchen and chatted to some
fellow travelers about NZ. Then it was time for
bed.
|
| Laura
& Mark 8th January 2000 |
Packing up and
going on again was easier this time as we could
sort things into bags according to their uses:
tent, sleeping bags and pillows went together in
the back of the boot; spare oil to one side,
washing up and cooking things on the other side,
clothes in the middle; and food where it could be
reached, on the back seat. We parked nearby in
order to do some more shopping and then went in
search of internet facilities. Having written
home that we were alive and well, we went on to
the Wangarei caves. We found them easily (the
second time) and parked the car at the top of the
hill. We followed the trail down the steps and
off into the countryside. We had walked a long
way down the hill when we began to wonder where
the caves were. Just at this point, another
signpost spurred us on. The trail led through a
grassy field strewn with grey rocks like giant
breadcrumbs. Then over another style and into the
forest, where, according to the sign, the cave
would be. To our left, a narrow gorge could be
seen, also strewn with rocks. At the top of this
gorge was a small opening which led down into a
narrow cave. We couldn't get near it, or see any
of the promised glow-worms so we walked on. The
next two caves (much further down the track) were
even more disappointing and so we decided to turn
back to the car. It was a long way back up the
steep hill and we reached the car hot and sweaty.
A refreshing drink, a piece of quiche and a cold
orange and we headed on. Next stop was just north
of Wangarei: Wangarei Falls. No long walk this
time, just a few steps down to a lookout over the
top of this waterfall. The river plunges 25m down
into a large pool at this point, and the falls
form part of the horse-shoe shape of the cliff
down to that pool. We ate our sandwiches while we
watched one man abseil down the falls (under the
waterfall itself, very wet and nasty) and a group
of kids swim in the river upstream. Just before
the falls, a very deep pool forms in the river,
and the kids were swinging from a rope into it.
Others were climbing the tree on the riverbank
and jumping in from there. We felt it was a
little too chilly for a swim here and enjoyed
feeding ourselves and the range of bird-life that
paid us a visit. Strangely enough, despite all
the wide varieties of birdlife and tropical
species, it is still the simple sparrow that we
enjoy most. He hops about, shy, yet inquisitive,
his manner of moving almost like a kangaroo:
hop..hop..hop.. They have the sweetest faces and
are quick to grab the bread we throw. Some is
eaten on the spot, other bits brought
considerately back to mother and baby in the
nest. Enough about cute birdies, we left the
falls and headed yet further north, before
turning to the east, out to the coast again. We
drove through dense rainforest and over rolling
hills until we came to the harbour town of
Ngunguru. It was still not wonderful weather for
a swim, so we drove on, looking all the time for
somewhere nice to stay next. Past Tutukaka, Sandy
Beach and then all the way up to the Bay of
Islands we went, by which time dusk was drawing
in. We drove, purely by accident, to Opua where a
vehicle ferry took cars to another part of the
large series of bays. We decided against taking
it yet and drove on to Paihia, where we were sure
we'd find somewhere nice to stay. The very
touristic town of Paihia was nice, but busy and
the accommodation was too far from the town so we
went on.
We decided
to go to Russel, where according to the brochure,
there was a very nice holiday park. It was really
beginning to get dark, so we thought it best to
take the vehicle ferry after all and were first
in line for the next crossing. It cost $8 for the
two of us and the car and the loading, crossing
and unloading were painless. A short drive on the
other side and we reached Russel's Top 10 Holiday
Park. We had a little nose around, decided the
facilities were good and clean, and booked a tent
site for two nights. Putting the tent up for the
first time only took a few minutes, so our
sleeping quarters were soon ready, just as it got
too dark to see very well. We walked into town,
but chickened out of going into any restaurants
for a meal as it was late and they looked
expensive. We went back to the site and ate our
last rolls and some crisps before going to bed in
our own tent.
|
| Laura
& Mark 9th January 2000 |
Today would be
a quieter day for us, with less travelling and
more relaxing. We did however want to go to
Paihia for a while and decided to drive the 50km
coastal route. Unfortunately a wrong turn had us
headed in completely the wrong direction, but we
decided to continue anyway. We went to the east
coast and looked at a few more beaches. Here they
were less beautiful and sandy than further south,
but at the 6th beach we decided to swim anyway.
The beach was Whangaruru North and could only be
reached by a long gravel road, through a gate and
down a big hill in a "Kiwi Zone". Here
the water was very cold and full of rocks so we
didn't stay in for long. Down here by the beach
was also a campsite, at least a natural reserve
campsite, which meant a site you could camp in.
It was $6 per person, per night, so this kind of
place was always available as a cheap alternative
for us. We drove back up the coast to Russel,
abandoning the idea of going to Paihia and opted
for another swim, this time on the beach in
Russel. We had lots of fun chasing each other in
the water and then even more fun building a huge
hole on the beach. Almost an hour later the hole
the roughly one and a half meters in diameter and
at least 70cm deep. Covered in mud, we ran back
into the sea for a last swim before going home.
We started cooking as quickly as we could, trying
to beat the rush. Soon we discovered, however,
that the kitchen was full of people, all cooking
the same as us: the ever-simple spaghetti.
Despite the "petite" size of our pan
set, we cooked it rather successfully and feasted
as we watched the sun set slowly across the
harbour. After the washing up, we sat down in the
TV room to see what was on. A two-part
mini-series had just started, so stayed to watch.
"Merlin" was, not surprisingly, about
the Life of Merlin the wizard, before and after
the King Arthur part. It was a very nice version
of it and both parts were nearly two hours long.
We made a mental note to watch part 2 tomorrow
night, and went to bed.
|
| Laura
& Mark 10th January 2000 |
We booked a
trip yesterday, but were unable to book it for
today, so today was another free day. Tomorrow we
would be going on the "Day in the Bay"
tour. This took all day and included swimming
with dolphins in the wild, a stop on one of the
islands in the bay, a ride through the famous
Hole in the Rock and lots more. So today we had
the whole day to look round Paihia and relax.
Sadly the weather was getting worse, so there was
no chance of a swim today. We went to Paihia on
the ferry and parked the car in the centre. We
wandered around in the wind and drizzle, watching
all the other tourists. Many of these were on a
day-trip from a cruise, as a large cruise ship
was moored just off the coast. These
"cruisers" were mainly Americans with
lots of big, gold jewelry and brand new, bright
white sports shoes. There were two people by the
wharf, one did temporary Henna-tattoos, the other
multi-coloured hair-ties. The kind that wrap
around and around a strand of hair, changing
colour. Laura chose a nice, bright group of
colours including light blue, dark purple,
yellow, orange, white and dark red. For $15, the
girl then twisted these into her hair. The next
stop was for lunch and we chose a nice take-away
and ordered chips and chicken nuggets. The
weather was getting worse and a severe storm was
predicted to be heading this way so we decided to
stop at the tour bookings centre and ask about
tomorrows trip. The lady was very understanding
and told us that as long as we phone before the
tour was due to leave in the morning, we could
still cancel and be fully refunded. We walked
past the midget golf park, but decided against a
game as the weather was worsening and the course
looked a little dull. Instead we went to the
supermarket. While we were shopping, the heavens
opened and rain bucketed down outside, a true
tropical storm. Once the downpour had ceased, we
returned to the car, and to the campsite. As the
wind picked up and the dark clouds grew closer,
we cooked some rice and boiled up a tin of
disappointingly tasteless Chilli on Carne. We
watched Merlin part 2 and headed back to the tent
across the already soaked grass. The night was a
long and windy one, with torrential rain at
various intervals. Mark slept soundly while Laura
worried about the tent blowing away and getting
soaked by the rain.
|
| Laura
& Mark January 11th 2000 |
We got up this
morning, Laura relieved the night was over, and
Mark refreshed after the long sleep. The weather
was still miserable, the wind at almost gale
force and rumours on the radio of the tail end of
a cyclone hitting later in the day. Everyone was
packing up their things and leaving. We decided
to join them. We cancelled our tour and packed up
the tent in a dry spell. Although we had one more
night on the campsite, we left and headed south.
To avoid the worst of the incoming storms we had
to go a long way south, even past Auckland. We
drove continuously all morning, battling strong
winds and the occasional burst of rain from the
clouds. By early afternoon, we reached Auckland
and trying to follow the signs for the motorway
we wanted, we wound up in the very heart of the
city. Laura trying to keep her panicking to a
minimum, and Mark trying to supply directions we
hurried through the chaotic streets. We
eventually found a round-about way through to a
motorway and gladly joined it. We finally found
what we were looking for: the cinema. We
remembered from our last visit to the group of
warehouse shops that's there was also a cinema,
and we bought tickets for the afternoon showing
of Anna and the King. We had a snack at Burger
King and then took our seats in the large, comfy
cinema. The film was lovely and surprisingly
long; we came back out into the heat feeling
fully refreshed. We drove on towards Hamilton,
then to the Waitomo Caves, some 150km south of
Auckland and arrived at the Waitomo Caves
campsite. We put our tent up and explored the
site. We found two trampolines and for a
marvelous change, they were unoccupied. We had a
go at bouncing around and then got ready for bed.
From this campsite, directly opposite the
information centre and 500m from the cave
entrance, it would be an easy task to get on a
tour of the caves in the morning. And at least
here, it was lovely and sunny.
|
| Laura
& Mark 12th January 2000 |
| We woke up in
the sunshine this morning and packed everything
up, ready to vacate the campsite before 10.00am.
By the time we'd breakfasted and washed up, it
was a little past ten and we drove the car the
full 15m across the road to the information
centre. We scanned the list of tours operated in
the Waitomo caves, apparently one of NZs best
attractions. Many of them were adventure tours
which cost a very large amount of money and
didn't sound all that fun. We eventually decided
to take the cheapest, simplest tour available:
for $20 we would be shown round the main Waitomo
cave and have a short boat trip through the
"Glow worm Grotto". This tour departed
regularly and was only one and a quarter hours
long, so we would have plenty of time for onward
travel later. Having bought the tickets, we
drove the short distance up the road to the caves
carpark and then wandered round the gift shop
before the next tour departed. There was a group
of about 20 of us, led by a guide with a very
annoying way of talking. He spoke frustratingly
slowly and stopped where ever he chose (which was
never at the end of a sentence, always somewhere
in the middle). It was a real task just
understanding what he said and to top it off he
kept saying "ok people" all the way
through. Never--the -less, the tour of the cave
was interesting, but the limestone features such
as the stalactites and stalagmites were nothing
we hadn't seen before. At the end came the bit
we'd really paid to see, the glow-worms. In the
lavae stage, these "worms" are about
half an inch long, and their tails glowed a light
green colour. We saw a few around the cave, but
the boat ride through the grotto was a real
treat.
In a low boat
like the ones in the Fatamorgana in the
Effteling, we moved quietly through the cave
(which was filled in the bottom by the
underground river). Above our heads, thousands of
glow worms glowed and as everything else was
dark, it was a wonderful sight.
Fully satisfied
that we'd finally seen some glow worms, we bought
a postcard as a keep-sake and drove on towards
New Plymouth. This is a reasonably large town on
the west coast, just north of Mt. Taranaki, a
dormant volcano standing 2500m above sea level.
We reached New Plymouth by mid-afternoon and
stopped by the information centre to find a nice
campsite. The holiday park we had hoped to stay
in was completely full, so we went instead to one
which stood on the cliff, overlooking the
harbour. We set our tent up and walked back into
town to find somewhere to eat. We opted for the
Irish Pub, which boasted good drinks and good
food: Laura chose the chicken pie and Mark the
steak.
When we finished
eating, we walked to PukeKura Park. Here we were
promised, a lights festival was being held, one
that shouldn't be missed. Many of the fountains
and waterfalls were lit by different coloured
lights, as well as trees and other features. We
caught the end of a children's talent show and
stopped to watch other performers in the park. It
was a lovely walk and there were plenty of things
to see, so we were pleased that we'd made the
effort. We set out on the long walk back to the
campsite, where we very quickly fell asleep.
|
| Laura
& Mark 13th January 2000 |
Today would be
one of those days that you needed between the
days of great excitement. A chance to catch up on
things, and with a little luck even get ahead. We
did the washing (a highly needed task) and hung
it out to dry. We drove to the supermarket
(parking in a multi-storey carpark for the first
time) and bought lots of food. We went to the
centre of town to use the internet facilities.
When we got back to the campsite we started the
slow preparation of tonight's meal: fried potato
slices, hamburgers and salad. We spent about an
hour and a half preparing, Mark doing most of the
work while Laura wrote the diary. Today we were
also lucky enough to make the acquaintance of
Pete. Pete is a 45 year-old man who is apparently
part of the French Legion on some mission in NZ.
he talked forever about everything and in most
cases considered his opinion to be law. He had a
story to tell about everything and if you
listened closely (which we honestly didn't always
bother), you would no doubt have discovered that
many of the stories didn't quite match up. We ate
our delicious dinner and talked to Pete and each
other (Dutch is useful sometimes), then we
prepared the sandwiches for tomorrow. Tomorrow we
would climb Mt Taranaki, the volcano just south
of New Plymouth. So an early night was on the
agenda too. Not that we could follow this plan as
"The Hornblower" was on TV and turned
out to be quite good.
|
| Laura
& Mark 14th January 2000 |
| Bright and
early, the ever-chirpy alarm-clock woke us up,
ready for the adventure that lay ahead of us
today. By half past seven we had left the
campsite and were driving towards the mountains
that grew out of nowhere 30km away. We drove up
the winding road until we could go no further and
paused there to enjoy the view (we were already
some 1000m up). Once we'd gathered our belongings
we set off in search of the first signpost on the
route to the summit. We found it and followed it,
up a steep gravel path. The path wound upwards
towards a little hut and a large antenna (1600m
up). Laura wasn't feeling very well so the going
was slow. We had to stop regularly to allow her
slight nausea to subside. At about the half-way
mark to the hut we decided to stop and turn back.
Laura was feeling worse, and it would be a waste
of a day to continue. We chose a spot on the way
down, with a nice view and sat watching the
mountain. We had a little of the food we'd
brought and played games with the pebbles on the
track. It was worth the climb this far, with a
spectacular view of both the volcano's summit and
the surrounding landscape, it was the perfect
place for brunch. We sat for nearly an hour and
Laura was feeling much better when we made our
way back to the car. We took the scenic route
home, over the rolling countryside, past farms
and small villages. When we were nearly back at
the Holiday Park, we decided to take a look at
the aqua park next door. From what we could see,
the aqua park had an outdoor swimming pool with
diving boards and slides, and there was an indoor
bit too. By now it was 11.00 and getting hot so
we went in to find out how much it was. Three
dollars would get us access to the pool for the
day, an extra $1.50 would get us half an hour on
the slides. We decided on both and handed over $9
in return for a day of fun in the water.
The indoor pool
had a wave machine, bubble bath, kids pool and
lots of floaty mats. Outside was a 50m pool, a
separate diving pool, baby's pool and of course
the slides. There were four slides, tow straight,
two curly and these were open three times a day
for a half hour session each time.
We swam a little
inside before taking the plunge in the outdoor
pool. We made use of all the pools we could and
at 13.00 we joined lots of kids on the slides.
Laura went down a few times, but feeling a little
giddy still, she then sat back to watch Mark
enjoy himself. He favoured the steep, straight
slide and prided himself on the large splashes he
produced. At 16.00 we were completely wrinkled by
the water and ready to go home. We drove the full
800m back to the campsite where we relaxed for a
while. Surprisingly exhausted by the swimming we
certainly felt like we had climbed the mountain
(even if in reality we only got one eighth of the
way up). We ate some tasty, chunky soup and hot
quiche and went to bed early this time. Tomorrow
we would be on our way again, with or without the
aches from the swimming.
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