First Tow

  Bay of Islands, New Zealand
Sunday, October 5, 2003

************************
Wednesday 1st October

No free breakfast but paid for full English anyway ( I can feel my arteries clogging).
Picked up Bongo and loaded all our gear into it. Drove over Auckland harbour bridge-spectacular view of harbour.
Not long before we were in rolling green countryside. First stop at Tawharnui Regional Park, drove Bongo down 5k of unsealed road - bit bumpy but did well. Went for country walk, great coastal views, cows,fields. really enjoying walk when it started to get a bit muddy- glad we'd bought new walking boots. as we continued it went from muddy-swampy and we squelched on through mangrove forests sinking down to our ankles. Mike's boot actually came off after getting stuck in the mud.
Saw double rainbow on drive to Whangarei.

Thursday 2nd October

First night in Bongo-good night's sleep!
Went to Whangarei falls- had to ford a stream and descend a forested path. Walked along the river to the AH Reed memorial park. There was a boardwalk that took us to see the biggest types of trees in NZ, Kauri.
Further up the coast we stopped at Kakawara and used their 'world famous toilet'.
The sun came out for the first time at Pahia on the Bay of Islands. Had a wander along the beach and chilled on a grassy hill.
Stayed at Hararu falls. Took photos of Jane playing on the trampoline. I tried to re-enact the scene but couldnt get the hang of it. Ended up landing on my neck and flying off the side.


Should be a health warning.

Friday 3rd October

Too cold, wet and windy to do a boat trip so went to Waitangi instead. This is the place were a treaty was signed by th Maori to cede NZ to Queen Victoria in 1840. They didnt really have much choice at the time although some of them would have prefered to fight.
Largest ever Maori war canoe was housed on the site 35metre long. Must be cool to see it full of maori warriors.
Just beginning to enjoy the morning when got back to the van and realised I'd left the lights on. Doh, battery flat, had to call out this guy from town to drag the van unceremoniously around the car park till got a jump start. He told us we would have to drive for about an hour to charge the battery so headed for Cape Reinga in the north.
It was a really long drive and there was a severe weather warning out. There was no-one else on the road and it was pretty bleak. A few branches had fallen onto the road too. The last 21k were on an unsealed road. Madness. We got there in the end and got out the van for about 10minutes. It was pretty amazing with massive waves and cliffs but the wind made it too dangerous to walk out on the narrow pathway to the lighthouse there. Glad to get back in the van.
Stayed in a motel and had a gorgeous meal out (Ostrich steak) to cheer ourselves up as its lashing down.

Saturday 4th October

Visited the west coast, signal point at south head and then the Waipoa forest. The trees here are massive. Biggest Kauri in the world Tabe Mahuta 16 metres around the base. There are loads of plants and animals living up on its branches. The Kiwis parks are great, loads of boardwalks around the forest.
Cold night in the van, oh for a 4 star hotel.

Sunday 5th October

We were the first in to the Kauri museum. Lots of big planks of wood and photos of early bushman, tough guys with moustaches and large saws.Not much else to say really it's a museum about trees. The one 'highlight' was the gum section. All about sap.
A bit more exciting was the gannet colomy at Muruwai beach. You can walk up to a viewpoint right above were the colony has nested. The birds take off and land in the strongest winds, amazing..

Back to Auckland, stayed in Devonport which is all posh cafes and restaurants. Walked up to the top of Mt Victoria and just enjoying the views of Auckland when it started to pour down. took shelter under a WW II gun at the top of the hill before calling it a day and heading back to the motor park.

Monday 6th of October

Back to Auckland and it looks so much better in the sun. Took a ferry from Devonport over to Auckland city centre. Walked up to Mt. Eden, an extinct volcano, with a great panoramic view of city and bay.
Met Jean-Luc, a Swiss guy we met in Fiji, and he updated us on his adventures (an offer of marriage and four days spent with a Fijian fisherman).
Left Auckland and did a short drive to Miranda. The sun was setting over the Coromandel peninsula as we arrived at the motor park. The place had a fantastic hot mineral pool and we stayed in it till dark looking up at the stars and conversing with a few arthritic friends.
*********************