This daily log gives an account of a 7-week motorhome journey through the North Island of New Zealand by hired motorhome, leaving Auckland on 4 July 2005. It is our third visit to this beautiful country, split between two very different mountainous islands: North Island is Volcanic while South Island is Alpine. The population of the country (with an area about the same as the British Isles) is under 4 million, three-quarters of whom are on North Island, with over a million of them in Auckland.That makes the rest of the country, especially the South Island, very peaceful. In 2000, we cycled 4,500 miles from the northernmost to the southernmost points and back again (part of a 12,000-mile round-the-world cycle ride).
In 2002, we returned for further exploration – the South Island by hired motorhome and about 1,500 miles of the North Island, once again by bicycle.
The route for this third visit is to take us around North Island, starting in Auckland. In July, we circled the semi-tropical Northland and then followed the East Coast, passing through Auckland again down to the Coromandel Peninsula. We continued around the Bay of Plenty and the East Cape, climbing 800 steps up to the Ligthouse at 178.5 degrees East. After Gisborne and Napier, we drove the length of Route 52 as far south as Greytown before turning West for the Taranaki.
An ambition for later in the journey is to visit Charley and Janet Hedges in the tiny town of Ohura, in King Country, in the distant shade of the 9,000-ft volcano Mount Taranaki. After this we should turn northto return to Auckland for the flight on to the west coast of the USA.
This log of what actually happened should be read in conjunction with 'Travel Notes New Zealand' which gives a lot of background information on travelling and motorhoming in this glorious country, as well as details of the motorhome we used.
The distance driven is given, along with the cost of a powered site with 2 adults at the named CP, HP, MC or TP, taking account of any available discount.
Exchange rate is $NZ 2.5 to the pound sterling, the NZ$ having increased in value since our last visit.
CP = Caravan ParkHP = Holiday ParkMC = Motor CampTP = Tourist Park
(All of these mean 'Campsite' in the UK and 'Campground' in the US)
August 1105 kmAROUND GLENROSS($NZ 0)
A visit to Kaitak and Akitio Beach
A leisurely start, using Pauline's washing machine and internet access (occasionally, life off the road has its temptations!) It was good to get news of Karsten and Agata to share with Pauline, as we last bade them farewell here in 2002 when our cycling paths separated.
Next we drove back for 24 km, through Pongaroa towards Weber, to Harvie's farm at Waione, which is named 'Kaitak' after the old airport in Hong Kong. Chrissy was at school but Harvie entertained us for the rest of the morning, over lunch and into the afternoon. The conversation was wide-ranging: from world events and our own travels, through the progress of his two sons (both helicopter pilots in the NZ Air Force) and his own flying escapades, to his own recent serious farm accident and recovery. A brave and thoroughly likeable man, farmer and bush pilot, Harvie's forebears include one of Lord Nelson's naval officers by the name of Hindmarsh, who came out to Australia! The single-engined Cessna now standing in the hangar is one Harvie has rented, to fly while his own is being repaired after turning over on his farm airstrip in a storm (it was being flown by a son!) The beautiful 'Lockwood' farmhouse - a replacement for an earlier one, destroyed by earthquake - has recently been flooded when the stream rose to unheard-of heights. Luckily, he had the house built on wooden piles, rather than a concrete base. A man of many parts – and many lives – and a privilege to know!
From Waione, we drove 31 km on a newly sealed road to the beach at AKITIO, where George and Pauline have a sea-front two-storey house for family holidays and for rental (fully equipped to sleep 11). We checked that all was in order there, enjoying a pot of tea with a magnificent view of the ocean towards Cape Turnagain. The village has a caravan park, store, school and excellent fishing. The road loops back, joining Route 52 at Pongaroa, though not yet fully sealed. (To rent the house, contact Pauline and George Wardle at Glenross Lodge, email , tel 06 376 7288.)
We returned to Glenross for a splendid roast dinner – their own beef and Margaret's Yorkshire puds (which didn't quite rise to the occasion, but then, she is from Lancashire!)
August 282 kmMASTERTON, Mawley Park MC($NZ 20)
To the end of Route 52 at Masterton
We had more conversation and a last lunch with Pauline (having said goodbye to George when he left to attend a sheep-farmers' meeting) before continuing on the quiet Route 52, climbing to a max of 846 ft. The recent rain had caused several landslips, reducing the road to single file in places.
Route 52 meets the SH2 at MASTERTON, the largest town in the Wairarapa. See www.wairarapanz.com. As asheep-shearing centre, it has a 'Shear Discovery Centre' and hosts the International Golden Shears contest, though we know it better for the country's best bicycle shop – Happy Valley Cycling. It also has a friendly motor camp by the Waipoua River, a short walk from the town centre.
August 350 kmMASTERTON, Mawley Park MC($NZ 20)
To Greytown to meet John and Ann Rhodes
At Glenross, Pauline had introduced us to John Rhodes through his beautifully written emailed accounts of a tandem ride, with wife Ann, through the Indian Himalaya last August. We found ourselves invited to visit them – a welcome opportunity to talk with fellow travellers and cyclists. John and Ann's home is just 23 km south of Masterton down the SH2, through CARTERTON to GREYTOWN – both pleasant towns settled in the 1850's, each with a caravan park. Over a pumpkin lunch we exchanged experiences and travellers' tales, learning more about John's tramping and cycling life. We envied him the spacious workshop and garage, with several good touring bicycles and the tandem 'Apollo' he rode with Ann. Their house came with a couple of acres of orchard and paddock, where 2 of Ann's 5 sheep had recently lambed. Going out to feed them, we were amused to see the newest twins wearing woolly jumpers over their own coats!
We learned that John and Ann, who had both been teachers, had previously cycled the Khunjerab Pass (4,730 m or 15,600 ft) on the Karakoram Highway, linking Pakistan with China. John edits a walkers' magazine in New Zealand and aims to produce his own website. It will be a pleasure to keep in touch with such an adventurous traveller.
Back in Masterton, we tried the Library for internetting but the system was 'down' and no other access was available in the town.
August 4/5123 kmFEILDING, Greenmeadows HP($NZ 24)
Meeting Gordon at Happy Valley Cycling, Kaka and Kiwi at Mt Bruce
Before leaving Masterton, we went to Happy Valley Cycling on Church Street, to see the wonderfully happy Gordon Hyde. Originally from Derby in England, Gordon, a keen mountain-biker, is the kindest cycle-shop owner we know (and we've met quite a few, of all kinds!) He has been a great source of spares and inspiration on our previous cycling visits and when Margaret's handlebar-bag carrier broke, he made her a new one free of charge. Now turned 70, he has finally put his business on the market and we wish him many happy cycling years.
Driving north on SH2 into the Tararua district, we came to the Mt Bruce National Wildlife Centre, run by the DOC, after 30 km. This Centre (with excellent exhibitions and café) offers a short bush walk past various aviaries and uses the $NZ 8 entry fees to support its work, breeding threatened bird species for release into safe environments. We saw Kakariki (endangered yellow-crowned parakeet), kokako (bred to release on Kapiti Island), and a North Island Brown Kiwi foraging in the dim light of the Kiwi House (where chicks are reared for mainland areas cleared of predators). We were sad to learn that 95% of Kiwis do not survive their first year, falling prey to stoats, possums, dogs and cats. 'Operation Nest Egg' has been launched, hopefully in time, before they become extinct.
Most fun was at the daily feeding of forest parrots (Kaka) at 3 pm. They were re-introduced into the wild here in 1996 and about 50 now live freely in the forest. The daily feeding is a small supplement to their diet, in order to monitor their numbers and show them to visitors. Stoats are their main enemy and their numbers are being reduced. Too expensive to fence the Wildlife Reserve, local farmers help by keeping predator numbers in check around the perimeter of the forest. More on www.mtbruce.org.nz. (We missed the daily eel-feeding in the stream at 1 pm.)
We continued north, through EKETAHUNA and PAHIATUA (both villages with motor camps), to WOODVILLE. A small town at the entrance to the Manawatu Gorge, site of the largest windfarm in the Southern Hemisphere (you can't miss it!), Woodville has a Visitor Centre but no official caravan park. We were told we could stay overnight on the Community Centre car park, but the Library was not internet-friendly and we drove on. See www.tararua.com for information on the area.
SH3 westwards to ASHHURST through the Manawatu River Gorge, 7 km of which is extremely narrow, with no shoulder. The road follows the south bank of the river, while a railway line clings to the north bank's ledge, occasionally disappearing into a tunnel. We remembered our relief on emerging unscathed when cycling this route! From Ashhurst, the SH3 or SH57 lead to Palmerston North (NZ's fifth city) but we again followed a back road to quieter FEILDING (sic), where we found rural camping, 2 km NE of the town (pop 13,600), named after one Lt-Col Feilding, which explains the spelling (?)
After a frosty night, the occupants of the dovecote amused us over breakfast – and how did a pair of starlings get inside, anyway? We enjoyed Friday (weekly stock sale and farmers' market) in Feilding, a lovely town. With its Edwardian Heritage theme, it has been voted NZ's Most Beautiful Town a dozen times. The Visitor Centre welcomed with a blazing log fire, both Library and computer shop offered excellent internet access and the farmers' market baking was jolly good! Good shopping, too – Margaret found a new fleece jacket in the sports shop half-price sale. (Described as Mossy Oak Camouflage pattern, she'll never be seen again!) The old post office was destroyed by an earthquake in the 1940's, but its clock now graces a Millenium Project tower in the square. Visit www.feilding.co.nz for info.
August 6176 kmRAETIHI HP($NZ 22)
From the Manawatu to Rangitikei and Mt Ruapehu
Leaving on SH54 northwards, we climbed steadily, glimpsing snow on distant tops. At Stormy Point Lookout (1,378 ft) we had our first view of the magnificent volcanic cone of Mt Ruapehu, perfectly ringed in snow. This is North Island's highest peak (2797 m or 9,230 ft), used in the 'Lord of the Rings' films to play the part of 'Mt Doom'.
Descending to cross the Rangitikei River at the Ngahere Reserve (tent-camping only), the wattle (mimosa or acacia) trees were aglow with golden blossom. After 43 km, our road met SH1 (from Palmerston North) at Vinegar Hill, and both highway and railway follow the river for most of its length. Next stop was to photograph the Makohine Viaduct, carrying the mainline railway (Auckland-Wellington) high above the river. We have travelled this line, with many such spindly bridges, and wished we could turn off the loudspeaker – 'This bridge is 73 m high and 225 m long and was built in ….' – please, don't tell us! The Rangitikei River has cut a gorge backed by bare rocky cliffs, a fine view from the next lookout at 835 ft. See www.rangitikei.com for its attractions.
On through the bumpy volcanic landscape, with regular scenic lookouts and railway level crossings, past OHINGAITI (just a pub) to MANGAWEKE, 20 km from Vinegar Hill at over 1,000 ft. The village has a café inside a classic DC3 plane, a DOC office, a hotel, a heritage museum and a population of 180, tucked in the hill country farmland between deep river gorges.
TAIHAPE, 21 km further and 400 ft higher, has a pop of 1,800, shops, motels, a holiday park – the Gumboot Throwing Capital of NZ (!) The nearby Mokai Gravity Canyon offers a 180 metre bungy jump. We didn't linger!
Continuing north, the snowy cone of Ruapehu (the highest of the 3 volcanic peaks forming the Tongariro National Park) dominated the view, beautifully clear in the afternoon sunshine. The landscape became bleaker, an army training area, as we approached WAIOURU – the 'Desert Oasis' - home to both army and navy bases, high on the windswept plateau at 2,700 ft. There is no campground, though you can park overnight behind the Army Museum. (Perhaps a good option in summer months, but we wanted shelter and electricity!)
We turned west for 27 km to OHAKUNE, the 'Gateway to Ruapehu' at 2,000 ft, where we once spent a quiet Christmas in a cabin at the Top 10 Holiday Park. But Christmas is low-season, while August is the peak ski-ing season! The staff told us that today is Mardi Gras as well (on a Saturday in August?!) Rejecting the offer to squeeze us into a crowded noisy corner of the park (for $NZ 28), we drove just 11 km further to RAETIHI. Here Patty Plimmer (from the USA) runs a more peaceful campsite, though it was too cold to try the river bush-walk – we are still at 1,700 ft in the shadow of the snow-field.
August 7/9288 kmWANGANUI, AVRO HP($NZ 25) – En-suite Site
A circuit of the Tongariro NP and Whakapapa Skifield, thensouth to Wanganui
Our coldest night so far, with thick frost and low cloud on waking. Warming ourselves with fan heater and bowls of porage, we were amazed to see 4 skimpily-dressed teenagers emerge from a tiny tent pitched nearby!
We drove north on SH4, through HOROPITO (a village with a Motor Museum), following the mainline railway at about 2,700 ft. After 22 km we photographed another spindly railway viaduct high above the Makatote River, where the road drops and climbs again, its bridge much closer to the water. The road is very exposed over the next 10 km, through ERUA to NATIONAL PARK village (2,680 ft). A strong wind cut us from the east and Mt Ruapehu's head was lost in the mist.
A couple of kms before the village of NATIONAL PARK is a comfortable hotel/motel, Mountain Heights, whose owner (a Yorkshireman from Captain Cook's native Whitby) also caters for campervans in his field. Previously, we found this a better place to break a cycle ride than the horrendous jumble of backpacker hostels in the village itself. (Despite its name, there is nothing in keeping with a national park, and it virtually closes down outside of the ski-ing season.)
We turned east on SH47 for 9 km, until SH48 headed into the Tongariro National Park (World Heritage Area) and climbed snow-wards. After 7 km, the ski resort of WHAKAPAPA is dominated by the enormously misplaced 'Chateau' hotel (built by someone who had never been to the Loire Valley). There is also more affordable accommodation, including a holiday park, and an excellent Visitor Centre, at 3,725 ft. The Tongariro Crossing is a very popular one-day walk (in summer – at present, it is only possible with ice-axes and crampons!)
The road spirals another 6 km to IWIKAU, the end of the bitumen and start of the snow-field at 5,285 ft. A brief walk (it was bitter cold, misty and sleeting) revealed ascending bus and car parks on black volcanic gravel, ski-lifts to the lower slopes, a van with coffee and hot dogs, a first aid post and traffic wardens! Not many visitors were ski-ing - listening to 'Ski-FM' (the only station available on our cab radio), we learnt that conditions today were 'poor', with only one ski field open – and that for beginners!
Back down to the main road, SH47 at 2,870 ft, passing several signs for short walks among the hills or to the rapids on Whakapapanui Stream. On across the bleak volcanic plateau through driving rain for 17 km, before turning east on SH46, through forest and past Lake Rotoaira. We heated some soup for lunch on its shore, watching the black swans, then continued to the junction with SH1, south of Turangi, by the remote Rangipo Prison.
The 53-km section of SH1 from here to Waiouru is called the Desert Road, sometimes closed by snow in winter. Not strictly a desert, but indeed deserted! It climbed from 1,800 ft to 2,850 above Tree Trunk Gorge then remained at around 3,000 ft, as bleak as England's high Pennines. At WAIOURU, the Army Museum has a good café and currently a Gallipoli Exhibition to mark the 90th anniversary of the ANZAC landings. See www.armymuseum.co.nz.
We returned to OHAKUNE, to complete the circuit of Tongariro NP (about 175 km or 110 miles, not counting the side-trip up to Whakapapa ski-field). By now it had stopped raining and we called at the village store for a pair of 'Johnny's Famous Chocolate Eclairs' – as good as we remembered them, a wicked treat at just one NZ dollar apiece! It's also a good place to buy local carrots and other root vegetables.
From RAETIHI, SH4 led south for nearly 100 km to Wanganui, though it was by no means downhill all the way! We wound our narrow way through the green bumps of the volcanic landscape, following the Mangawhero River on our right, with an unstable storm-damaged cliff to our left. Down at 700 ft we admired the Raukawa Falls from a lookout platform. At KAKATAHI, 33 km from Raetihi, there was a store/tearoom, then empty hills and pine-forest.
We met the wide Whanganui River at UPOKONGARO, 16 km before WANGANUI city (spelling different from river!) Past a historic relic of a brick kiln (1869), where thousands of bricks were loaded onto a steamer and taken downstream; then an old Pa (Maori fort) site. On the opposite (west) bank, we noticed the Top 10 HP, before driving through the suburbs of Wanganui East, past the Durie Hill Elevator (1919) and the City Bridge, to meet SH3 (from Palmerston North) and cross the river on Cobham Bridge.
We headed straight for a fill of diesel (warning light on for the first time) and then to the Avro Motel and HP, which has a private shower and toilet for every power site and is the closest camping to the city centre. Even better, it has an indoor hot spa to rent by the half-hour. We retired warm, clean and very relaxed!
Wanganui (meaning 'big river mouth') is a historic river port founded in 1840, now home to 43,300 people. The river banks had long been a centre of Maori settlement. NZ's oldest restored (and only remaining) working paddle-steamer, the Waimarie (built 1900), makes daily river trips in summer. See www.wanganuinz.com for other attractions. For us, it's a good place to catch up with some writing, planning and internetting. It even stopped raining long enough to dry the washing!
Sad news: Robin Cook, a former Foreign Secretary in Blair's Labour Government (but best remembered by us as 'yon wee Health pixie' when he was Minister for Health), has died while walking in the mountains of his native Scotland, aged 59.
Stratford (pop 5,230) is a delightful town, the Shakespearean theme echoed in the street names: the Visitor Centre and Library are in Prospero Place on Miranda Street, while the cast of street names includes Romeo, Hamlet, Portia, Ariel … It also boasts the only Glockenspiel in NZ (if not the Southern Hemisphere), with speaking figures of Romeo and Juliet who emerge from the 1996 Elizabethan Clock Tower thrice daily! We caught the delightful morning performance at 10 am, but wish the tower had been sited away from the main street. Trying to video the performance resulted in a blur of passing trucks and a sound track of traffic!
Along the Forgotten World Highway (SH43) to the unforgettable town of Ohura
On our last morning in Stratford, the rain and cloud lifted briefly for a better view of Mt Egmont/Taranaki, before leaving on SH43, the 'Forgotten World Highway'. This 155 km route (Stratford-Taumarunui) is fully described in a free Tourist Office leaflet. It makes a great scenic drive, or a wonderful 2-day cycle ride which we've enjoyed twice in the past.
Starting at over 1,000 ft in Stratford, SH43 drops to 560 ft at the village of Douglas before its first climb, over the Strathmore Saddle. From the top at 797 ft there is a view of 4 volcanic peaks – Mt Egmont to the west and Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe to the east – on a clear day (but today is damp and misty). The road drops again to 472 ft and rejoins the parallel railway line (which wisely disappears regularly into tunnels).
After about 40 km, the Te Wera Forest Lodge offers picnic and camping (including power sites), before the second climb over the Pohokura Saddle (summit at 842 ft, 47 km from Stratford). After dropping to 650 ft, the road then scales the Whangamomona Saddle (summit at 1,020 ft, among dense forest with a 3-hour walking trail from the summit).
A delicious descent to 515 ft at the historic village of WHANGAMOMONA (settled 1895), 65 km from Stratford. The Whangamomona Hotel still offers good meals and accommodation (we stayed when cycling the route) and there is also a camping ground, a café and an interesting walking trail round the heritage sites of the village.
SH43 climbs gradually to 706 ft, then more steeply to 895 ft atop the Tahora Saddle. This is the half-way point to Taumarunui (78 km from Stratford). Perched above the Saddle, at 1,000 ft, is the excellent Kaieto Café, which also has overnight cabins and space for tents and campervans. We broke our first cycle journey along the Forgotten World Highway here, and remember the Russian lady and her pies! Today, calling in for coffee and to photograph the amazing 360-degree view of the mountains, we found that the café has new owners, Bob and Annie Fletcher, whose menu and log fire are just as welcoming. Only there for the last 7 weeks, they have plans for expansion and Bob wants to continue to use his motorbike-repair skills.
Down again to 578 ft and 6 km along to the Moki Tunnel, which is now known as the 'Hobbits Hole'. (A right turn just before the tunnel leads in another 6 km to Bushlands Cabins and Camping.) SH43 runs through the 180-metre long tunnel, built in 1936 and unlit – just wide enough for the motorhome and providing a nervous passage for cyclists!
After another 3 km the road becomes a narrow gravel track for the next 12 km, through the splendid Tangarakau Gorge, rolling gently at 460-500 ft. We passed a left turn for Mt Damper Falls (16 km of gravel track plus a 20 minute walk), the highest falls in North Island, but it is wet and we are running late – 'next time', we said.
At Morgan's Grave, signposted on the left near a picnic site, there is a short walk through riverside bush to the resting place of Joshua Morgan, the surveyor largely responsible for this route, who died working here in 1892 (aged 35). His widow joined him many years later. The road then climbs out of the Gorge, reaching 930 ft, through former coalmining country, now devoted to sheep farming – we are held up by an oncoming flock for several minutes!
At 630 ft, 113 km from Stratford (before reaching Taumarunui), we turn off the Forgotten World Highway taking the road north for 10 km to the little town of OHURA, where our good friends Charley and Janet Hedges have lunch ready for us. We also meet their son, John, and his boisterous young dog, Auahi (the Maori name for Smoke, his colour and as in Auahi Kore – No Smoking).
We have a lot to talk about, joined later by neighbour and friend Jack Magon, and somehow we all end up in the Cosmopolitan Club across the road, where Janet and John are key members of staff, eating the best burgers and chips we've had in New Zealand! Leaving our motorhome outside to sink gently into the grass, we enjoy the luxury of Charley and Janet's guest room (with electric blanket!)
August 13/17OHURA, Charley & Janet's Home
A week with Charley, Janet, John, Jack, Paul and friends learning about rural life, a boar hunt, a hangi, the Cosmopolitan Club, flying, cycling and living a full life far from the madding crowd!
Click here for a fully-illustrated account of Ohura, the town, the people, the boar hunt, the hangi!
August 18/19271 kmCAMBRIDGE MC(NZ$ 21.60) – Kiwi Group
Farewell to Ohura, east to Lake Taupo and north along the Waikato
Experiencing the words of the Stratford Bard, 'Parting is such Sweet Sorrow', we left our good friends in Ohura and set off for Matiere (17 km north on SH40), turning east after another 7 km at Tuhua to cross the scenic reserve of Ohakuhura Saddle (9 km of gravel road linking to the SH4). Today we got a superb view of Mt Ruapehu capped in snow from the 1,260 ft summit.
Followed SH4 to TAUMARUNUI, then turned east on SH41 for 40 km, over the Waituhi Saddle (3,000 ft). From the lookout, 140 ft above the Saddle, there is a magnificent view of the 3 peaks of the TangariroNational Park to the south. The road continues almost to LakeTaupo, where we turned north at Kuratau Junction (1,560 ft) with a scenic lookout over the Lake and the raw green volcanic hills studded with the white dots of distant sheep. This is a long, empty road.
At WHAKAMARU we met SH30 and turned north to follow the WaikatoRiver (and a previous cycle route from Taupo) along minor roads to MANGAKINO (where there is a hotel). The route continues through the Waipape Scenic Reserve, past the Waipape Dam and power station and the WaipapeFalls. The forests are empty, silent, until they give way to sheep and cattle pasture. We just managed to photograph the limestone outcrops at 380 ft at WHAREPAPA before the sun set. Nearby, black and white cows filed back from the milking parlour and the Rock Climbers' Café was already closed.
We met traffic again at KIHIKIHI (the next hotel) on the SH3, then made our way via TE AWAMATU to CAMBRIDGE. The town has a population of 14,000 and was founded as a military base, being as far up the Waikato as British gunboats could sail. It has an 'English atmosphere', with horse-breeding, polo-playing and mock-Tudor buildings like the 'Prince Albert Old English Pub' - though the university is in Hamilton, 24 km away.
The peaceful MotorPark is in the Leamington area, on the west side of the WaikatoRiver, one km over the bridge from the town centre. Cambridge street names have a literary theme – to find the motor park you follow Shakespeare St, turn left into Wordsworth, past Longfellow and right into Scott Street.
We had a working day, walking into the town to post a few items and cleaning and packing the 'Tui' motorhome which is due back tomorrow. Like the real Cambridge, many young school-children use bicycles to get to and from school. Unlike the real Cambridge, no provision at all is made for them and we cringed as we saw groups of them negotiating roundabouts and a river bridge no wider than 2 cars.
August 20145 kmAUCKLAND, Airport Travel-Air Motor Inn(NZ$ 79.00)
Return to Mangere, Auckland's Airport District
Our last day's drive in the 'Tui' was straightforward – State Highway 1 all the way to Manukau. HAMILTON, 24 km north on SH1, is the country's largest inland city, its population boosted by 25,000 students It has a university and polytechnic, gardens and paddleboats on the Waikato River, a zoo, 3 caravan parks, plenty of shops and accommodation, even a Sikh temple. See www.hamiltongardens.co.nz.
Another 20 km towards Auckland is the smaller Maori capital of NGARUAWAHIA (pop 5,000). The name, meaning 'Break open the food pits', derives from a marriage feast held there. At the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers, it is the location of the sacred burial site at Mt Taupiri and the Maori Queen's official residence at Turangawaewae Marae (open to visitors only one day a year, during the regatta in March). There is one motel and a new 'New World' supermarket (which have appeared in most towns since our last visit).
HUNTLY, 10 km further at the centre of the country's largest coalfield, is also the site of NZ's largest power station, dominating the town (pop 6,900). There is a small caravan park and a wide Waikato River.
The SH1 continues for 100 km to Auckland, much of it a 4-lane expressway, but with unfinished sections and roadworks. It rises to over 700 ft through the Bombay Hills before reaching MANUKAU, where we turned west onto SH20 for Mangere, the township near Auckland's international airport.
We checked in at the Airport Travel-Air Motor Innon McKenzie Road – a big improvement on the range of motels, lodges and bed & breakfast establishments we have tried round the airport in the past! The South Korean staff are very friendly and the rates include free car storage, airport shuttle and simple email/internet access, as well as Sky Movies. To see the self-contained units, visit www.travelairmotorinn.co.nz.
The 'Tui' motorhome was safely returned to its depot on nearby Robertson Road, a process eased by an itinerant Australian artist part-timing for 'Tui'. Another chapter in our Round the World tour nears its end, with a day or two in hand to explore MANGERE. We found it to be an interesting and under-rated township – unusual within the vicinity of an international airport. A mile from our motel is the shopping centre at MangereBridge, with a Library (internet at NZ$ 2 per hour) and an excellent Spanish-run café. There are long or short walks round the lagoon, along the foreshore (with a bird-hide), in AmburyPark (with visitor centre and farm), or up the hill known as MangereMountain (a long-dormant volcanic cone complete with crater and Maori food pits). An off-duty nurse we met on the ridge of the 'Mountain' told of Royal Spoonbills nesting on the tiny island below.
A mile away in the other direction is Mangere Town Centre, with its vibrant Saturday morning market, multi-cultural shops, a new sports/swimming centre and a comprehensive modern health centre. With not another European face in sight, we were able to enjoy mingling with the inhabitants and produce of many another Pacific Island – Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Rarotonga, Tahiti – to mention but a few.
TABLES OF DISTANCES, FUEL AND COSTS
Barry and Margaret Williamson
The following tables of distances, fuel and costs are for the 49-day motorhome journey around the North Island of New Zealand. For a full-log of the journey click here and for comments on the failings of the Tui Hire Motorhome click here.
Item
New Zealand
English
Total Distance
4,120 km
2,575 miles
No of Days
49
49
Average Distance
84 km/day
52 miles/day
No of Places Stayed
31
31
Average Stay
1.6 days
1.6 days
Total Fuel Used
460 litres
101 gallons
Fuel Consumption
8.95 km/litre
25.5 mpg
Total Fuel Cost
$NZ 450
£ 180
Cost per Litre
$NZ 0.98
£ 0.39
Item
Total Cost
Average Daily Cost
Food
£ 231
£ 4.70
Camping
£ 411
£ 8.4
Post & Email
£ 149
£ 3.04
Sundries
£ 61
£ 1.25
Eating out
£ 89
£ 1.81
Diesel
£ 180
£ 3.67
Total Costs
£ 1,121
£ 22.87
Notes
1.Camping means a powered site for 2 adults, typically over NZ$ 20 per night.
2. Post and Email includes telephone cards for public phones.
3.Sundries include laundry, newspapers, postcards, one ferry crossing, entry fees to museums, baths etc, and (very rarely) parking fees.
4.Diesel is considerably cheaper than petrol.
5. Food was usually bought from the Foodtown/Woolworths, New World, Pak'n'Save or Countdown Supermarkets and cooked in the motorhome.
6. Eating Out includes coffee, some fast food, pub food for a special occasion, fish and chips (excellent value) and clubs (RSA = Returned Services Association and the Cosmopolitan Club).
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ew Zealand by hired motorhome, leaving Auckland on 4 July 2005. It is our third visit to this beautiful country, split between two very different mountainous islands: North Island is Volcanic while South Island is Alpine. The population of the country (with an area about the same as the British Isles) is under 4 million, three-quarters of whom are on North Island, with over a million of them in Auckland._M_and_Harvey,_Kai_Tak_Farm.JPG "NZ10_(179)_M_and_Harvey,_Kai_Tak_Farm.JPG")
drove back for 24 km, through Pongaroa towards Weber, to Harvie's farm at Waione, which is named 'Kaitak' after the old airport in Hong Kong. Chrissy was at school but Harvie entertained us for the rest of the morning, over lunch and into the afternoon. The conversation was wide-ranging: from world events and our own travels, through the progress of his two sons (both helicopter pilots in t_Cessna_Cockpit.JPG "NZ10_(183)_Cessna_Cockpit.JPG")
he NZ Air Force) and his own flying escapades, to his own recent serious farm accident and recovery. A brave and thoroughly likeable man, farmer and bush pilot, Harvie's forebears include one of Lord Nelson's naval officers by the name of Hindmarsh, who came out to Australia! The single-engined Cessna now standing in the hangar is one Harvie has rented, to fly while his own is being repaired after turning over on his farm airstrip in a storm (it was being flown by a son!) The beautiful 'Lockwood' farmhouse - a replacement for an earlier one, destroyed by earthquake - has recently been flooded when the stream rose to unheard-of heights. Luckily, he had the house built on wooden piles, rather than a concrete base. A man of many parts – and many lives – and a privilege to know!_George_at_Glenross.JPG "NZ10_(195)_George_at_Glenross.JPG")
conversation and a last lunch with Pauline (having said goodbye to _Pauline_at_Glenross.JPG "NZ10_(186)_Pauline_at_Glenross.JPG")
George when he left to attend a sheep-farmers' meeting) before continuing on the quiet Route 52, climbing to a max of 846 ft. The recent rain had caused several landslips, reducing the road to single file in places._In_Anns_Paddock.JPG "NZ11_(101)_In_Anns_Paddock.JPG")
Pauline had introduced us to John Rhodes through his beautifully written emailed accounts of a tandem ride, with wife Ann, through the Indian Himalaya last August. We found ourselves invited to visit them – a welcome opportunity to talk with fellow travellers and cyclists._Johns_Tandem_Apollo.JPG "NZ11_(106)_Johns_Tandem_Apollo.JPG")
park. Over a pumpkin lunch we exchanged experiences and travellers' tales, learning more about John's tramping and cycling life. We envied him the spacious workshop and garage, with several good touring bicycles and the tandem 'Apollo' he rode with Ann. Their house came with a couple of acres of orchard and paddock, where 2 of Ann's 5 sheep had recently lambed. Going out to feed them, we were amused to see the newest twins wearing woolly jumpers over their own coats!_Goodbye_to_John_and_Ann.JPG "NZ11_(109)_Goodbye_to_John_and_Ann.JPG")
John and Ann, who had both been teachers, had previously cycled the _Advert_Enough.JPG "NZ11_(117)_Advert_Enough.JPG")
Masterton, we went to Happy Valley Cycling on Church Street, to see the wonderfully happy Gordon Hyde. Originally from Derby in England, Gordon, a keen mountain-biker, is the k_Margaret_and_Gordon.JPG "NZ11_(110)_Margaret_and_Gordon.JPG")
indest cycle-shop owner we know (and we've met quite a few, of all kinds!) He has been a great source of spares and inspiration on our previous cycling visits and when Margaret's handlebar-bag carrier broke, he made her a new one free of charge. Now turned 70, he has finally put his business on the market and we wish him many happy cycling years. _Californian_Redwoods.JPG "NZ11_(119)_Californian_Redwoods.JPG")
after 30 km. This Centre (with excellent exhibitions and café) offers a short bush walk past various aviaries and uses the $NZ 8 entry fees to _Kaka_or_Forest_Parrot.JPG "NZ11_(120)_Kaka_or_Forest_Parrot.JPG")
support its work, breeding threatened bird species for release into safe environments. We saw Kakariki (endangered yellow-crowned parakeet), kokako (bred to release on Kapiti Island), and a North Island Brown Kiwi foraging in the dim light of the Kiwi House (where chicks are reared for mainland areas cleared of predators). We were sad to learn that 95% of Kiwis do not survive their first year, falling prey to stoats, possums, dogs and cats. 'Operation Nest Egg' has been launched, hopefully in time, before they become extinct. _Mt_Bruce_Wildlife_Centre.JPG "NZ11_(123)_Mt_Bruce_Wildlife_Centre.JPG")
was at the daily feeding of forest parrots (Kaka) at 3 pm. They we_Kaka_or_Forest_Parrot.JPG "NZ11_(125)_Kaka_or_Forest_Parrot.JPG")
re re-introduced into the wild here in 1996 and about 50 now live freely in the forest. The daily feeding is a small supplement to their diet, in order to monitor their numbers and show them to visitors. Stoats are their main enemy and their numbers are being reduced. Too expensive to fence the Wildlife Reserve, local farmers help by keeping predator numbers in check around the perimeter of the forest. More on _Mount_Ruapehu.JPG "NZ11_(127)_Mount_Ruapehu.JPG")
on SH54 northwards, we climbed steadily, glimpsing snow on distant tops. At Stormy Point Lookout (1,378 ft) we had our first view of the magnificent volcanic cone of Mt Ruapehu, perfectly ringed in snow. This is North Island's highest peak (2797 m or 9,230 ft), used in the 'Lord of the Rings' films to play the part of 'Mt Doom'. _Makohine_Rail_Viaduct.JPG "NZ11_(129)_Makohine_Rail_Viaduct.JPG")
a) trees were aglow with golden blossom. After 43 km, our road met SH1 (from Palmerston North) at Vinegar Hill, and both highway and railway follow the river for most of its length. Next stop was to photograph th_Rangitikei_Gorge.JPG "NZ11_(130)_Rangitikei_Gorge.JPG")
e Makohine Viaduct, carrying the mainline railway (Auckland-Wellington) high above the river. We have travelled this line, with many such spindly bridges, and wished we could turn off the loudspeaker – 'This bridge is 73 m high and 225 m long and was built in ….' – please, don't tell us! The Rangitikei River has cut a gorge backed by bare rocky cliffs, a fine view from the next lookout at 835 ft. See _DC3_Cafe_at_Mangaweke.JPG "NZ11_(131)_DC3_Cafe_at_Mangaweke.JPG")
outs and railway level crossings, past OHINGAITI (just a pub) to MANGAWEKE, 20 km from Vinegar Hill at over 1,000 ft. The village has a café inside a classic DC3 plane, a DOC office, a hotel, a heritage museum and a population of 180, tucked in the hill country farmland between deep river gorges. _Mt_Ruapehu_or_Mt_Doom.JPG "NZ11_(136)_Mt_Ruapehu_or_Mt_Doom.JPG")
north, the snowy cone of Ruapehu (the highest of the 3 volcanic peaks forming the Tongariro National Park) dominated the view, beautifully clear in the afternoon sunshine. The landscape became bleaker, an army training area, as we approached WAIOURU – the 'Desert Oasis' - home to both army and navy bases, high on the windswept plateau at 2,700 ft. There is no campground, though you can park overnight behind the Army Museum. (Perhaps a good option in summer months, but we wanted shelter and electricity!)
night so far, with thick frost and low cloud on waking. Warming ourselves with fan heater and bowls of porage, we were amazed to see 4 skimpily-dressed teenagers emerge from a tiny tent pitched nearby!
ngariro National Park (World Heritage Area) and climbed snow-wards. After 7 km, the ski resort of WHAKAPAPA is dominated by the enormously misplaced 'Chateau' hotel (built by someone who had never been to the Loire Valley). There is also more affordable accommodation, including a holiday park, and an excellent Visitor Centre, at 3,725 ft. The Tongariro Crossing is a very popular one-day walk (in summer – at present, it is only possible with ice-axes and crampons!) _Lava_Flows_of_Old.JPG "NZ11_(128)_Lava_Flows_of_Old.JPG")
tion of SH1 from here to Waiouru is called the Desert Road, sometimes closed by snow in winter. Not strictly a desert, but indeed deserted! It climbed from 1,800 ft to 2,850 above Tree Trunk Gorge then remained at around 3,000 ft, as bleak as England's high Pennines. At WAIOURU, the Army Museum has a good café and currently a Gallipoli Exhibition to mark the 90th anniversary of the ANZAC landings. See 
t was by no means downhill all the way! We wound our narrow way through the green bumps of the volcanic landscape, following the Mangawhero River on our right, with an unstable storm-damaged cliff to our left. Down at 700 ft we admired the Raukawa Falls from a lookout platform. At KAKATAHI, 33 km from Raetihi, there was a store/tearoom, then empty hills and pine-forest. 
straight for a fill of diesel (warning light on for the first time) and then to the Avro Motel and HP, which has a private shower and toilet for every power site and is the closest camping to the city centre. Even better, it has an indoor hot spa to rent by the half-hour. We retired warm, clean and very relaxed! 
river port founded in 1840, now home to 43,300 people. The river banks had long been a centre of Maori settlement. NZ's oldest restored (and only remaining) working paddle-steamer, the Waimarie (built 1900), makes daily river trips in summer. See _Stratfords_Glockenspiel.JPG "NZ_19_(108)_Stratfords_Glockenspiel.JPG")
5,230) is a delightful town, the Shakespearean theme ec_Romeo_and_Juliet.JPG "NZ_19_(109)_Romeo_and_Juliet.JPG")
hoed in the street names: the Visitor Centre and Library are in Prospero Place on Miranda Street, while the cast of street names includes Romeo, Hamlet, Portia, Ariel … It also boasts the only Glockenspiel in NZ (if not the Southern Hemisphere), with speaking figures of Romeo and Juliet who emerge from the 1996 Elizabethan Clock Tower thrice daily! We caught the delightful morning performance at 10 am, but wish the tower had been sited away from the main street. Trying to video the performance resulted in a blur of passing trucks and a sound track of traffic! _Mount_Egmont.JPG "NZ_19_(101)_Mount_Egmont.JPG")
g in Stratford, the rain and cloud lifted briefly for a better view of Mt Egmont/Taranaki, before leaving on SH43, the 'Forgotten World Highway'. This 155 km route (Stratford-Taumarunui) is fully described in a free Tourist Office leaflet. It makes a great scenic drive, or a wonderful 2-day cycle ride which we've enjoyed twice in the past._Mount_Egmont.JPG "NZ_19_(113)_Mount_Egmont.JPG")
H43 drops to 560 ft at the village of Douglas before its first climb, over the Strathmore Saddle. From the top at 797 ft there is a view of 4 volcanic peaks – Mt Egmont to the west and Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe to the east – on a clear day (but today is damp and _Taranaki_Country.JPG "NZ_19_(115)_Taranaki_Country.JPG")
40 km, the Te Wera Forest Lodge offers picnic and camping (including _Whangamomona_Hotel.JPG "NZ_19_(119)_Whangamomona_Hotel.JPG")
of WHANGAMOMONA (settled 1895), 65 km from Stratford. The Whangamomona Hotel still offers good meals and accommodation (we stayed when cycling the route) and there is also a camping ground, a café and an interesting walking trail round the heritage sites of the village._Something_Saddle_Cafe.JPG "NZ_19_(121)_Something_Saddle_Cafe.JPG")
gradually to 706 ft, then more steeply to 895 ft atop the Tahora Saddle. This is the half-way point to Taumarunui (78 km from Stratford). Perched above the Saddle, at 1,000 ft, is the excellent Kaieto Café, which also has overnight cabins and space for tents and campervans. We broke our first cycle journey along the Forgotten World Highway here, and remember the Russian lady and her pies! Today, calling in for coffee and to photo_Taranaki_Country.JPG "NZ_19_(122)_Taranaki_Country.JPG")
graph the amazing 360-degree view of the mountains, we found that the café has new owners, Bob and Annie Fletcher, whose menu and log fire are just as welcoming. Only there for the last 7 weeks, they have plans for expansion and Bob wants to continue to use his motorbike-repair skills._Hobbits_Hole_Tunnel.JPG "NZ_19_(125)_Hobbits_Hole_Tunnel.JPG")
to 578 ft and 6 km along to the Moki Tunnel, which is now known as the 'Hobbits Hole'. (A right turn just before the tunnel leads in another 6 km to Bushlands Cabins and Camping.) SH43 runs through the 180-metre long tunnel, built in 1936 and unlit – just wide enough for the motorhome and providing a nervous passage for cyclists!_Auahi_or_Smoke.JPG "NZ_19_(132)_Auahi_or_Smoke.JPG")
113 km from Stratford (before reaching Taumarunui), we turn off the Forgotten World Highway taking the road north for 10 km to the little town of OHURA, where our good friends Charley and Janet Hedges have lunch ready for us. We also meet their son, John, and his boisterous young dog, Auahi (the Maori name for Smoke, his colour and as in Auahi Kore – No Smoking). _Ohura_Cossie_Club.JPG "NZ_19_(194)_Ohura_Cossie_Club.JPG")
r by neighbour and friend Jack Magon, and somehow we all end up in the Cosmopolitan Club across the road, where Janet and John are key members of staff, eating the best burgers and chips we've had in New Zealand! Leaving our motorhome outside to sink gently into the grass, we enjoy the luxury of Charley and Janet's guest room (with electric blanket!)_Ohakuhura_Saddle.JPG "NZ17_(10)_Ohakuhura_Saddle.JPG")
words of the Stratford Bard, 'Parting is such Sweet Sorrow', we left our good friends in Ohura and set off for Matiere (17 km north on SH40), turning east after another 7 km at Tuhua to cross the scenic reserve of Ohakuhura Saddle (9 km of gravel road linking to the SH4). Today we got a superb view of Mt Ruapehu capped in snow from the 1,260 ft summit._Mt_Ruapehu.JPG "NZ17_(11)_Mt_Ruapehu.JPG")
turned east on SH41 for 40 km, over the Waituhi Saddle (3,000 ft). From the lookout, 140 ft above the Saddle, there is a_Lake_Taupo.JPG "NZ17_(12)_Lake_Taupo.JPG")
magnificent view of the 3 peaks of the _Waikato_Limestone_Outcrops.JPG "NZ17_(13)_Waikato_Limestone_Outcrops.JPG")
e there is a hotel). The route continues through the Waipape Scenic Reserve, past the Waipape Dam and power station and the _Turangawaewae_Marae.JPG "NZ17_(16)_Turangawaewae_Marae.JPG")
uckland is the smaller Maori capital of NGARUAWAHIA (pop 5,000). The name, meaning 'Break open the food pits', derives from a marriage feast held there. At the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers, it is the location of the sacred burial site at Mt Taupiri and the Maori Queen's official residence at Turangawaewae Marae (open to visitors only one day a year, during the regatta in March). There is one motel and a new 'New World' supermarket (which have appeared in most towns since our last visit).
improvement on the range of motels, lodges and bed & breakfast establishments we have tried round the airport in the past! The South Korean staff are very friendly and the rates include free car storage, airport shuttle and simple email/internet access, as well as Sky Movies. To see the self-contained units, visit 
chapter in our Round the World tour nears its end, with a day or two in hand to explore MANGERE. We found it to be an interesting and under-rated township – unusual within the vicinity of an international airport. A mile from our motel is the shopping centre at 
r short walks round the lagoon, along the foreshore (with a bird-hide), in 
met on the ridge of the 'Mountain' told of Royal Spoonbills nesting on the tiny island below.