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 the semi-tropical Northland and then circling the East Coast down to the Coromandel Peninsula. 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 north to return to Auckland for the flight on to the Cook Islands, Tahiti and the west coast of the USA.
The distance driven is given, along with the cost of a powered site with 2 adults at the named CP, TP or HP, 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 Park HP = Holiday Park MC = Motor Camp TP = Tourist Park
(All mean a Campsite in the UK, a Campground in the US)
July 1/3 AUCKLAND Budget Travellers Lodge ($NZ 75)
Across 'the Ditch' from Brisbane to Auckland for a weekend in the City of Sails - from Barmy Army to Rainbow Warrior
We took a taxi from Aspley Acres Caravan Park to Brisbane International Airport, leaving a few 'gifts' behind in our cabin for the cleaning staff. (You can't use or pack all your supplies, after 3 months in a motorhome!)
Despite a mob of rugby supporters queuing at the check-in, we found ourselves on a plane with a few empty seats and were lucky enough to sit by the emergency wing exit with extra leg-room. This made up for the (extremely) light lunch! Good to read the 'New Zealand Herald' newspaper on board, with a reference to Denis Glover's lovely poem 'The Magpies' (first heard on Australian radio when Macca went across to NZ for Anzac Day) ' and quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle, the magpie said' goes the chorus.
The Air New Zealand 747 left promptly at 12.40 pm, landing us safely in Auckland - 2,400 km (1,500 miles) across the Tasman Sea in 3.5 hours (+ another 2 hrs time difference).
Auckland was cool (average winter temperature 13 degrees C) but dry, unlike our last few days in Toowoomba and Brisbane. Queensland's Gold Coast has just had its worst deluge in 30 years, with up to 512 mm (over 20 inches) of rain in 36 hrs. Hundreds of homes were flooded, about 3,000 people evacuated, including some caravan parks, the Pacific Motorway blocked and Coolangatta Airport closed. At least one couple drowned trying to cross a causeway in their car after midnight, 2 days ago. We read that 4 theme parks were shut down including one called 'Wet & Wild'!
Our motorhome hire begins on Monday 4 July (the first available date), so we checked weekend car rental rates at Auckland Airport and Avis won easily. Soon we had our luggage in the boot of a small Holden Barina and drove to the Budget motel we had booked on the Great South Road in Manukau, just 7 km east of the airport. Our en-suite room is small but the reception friendly and there is a guest kitchen and laundry, as well as cheaper non-suite rooms visit www.budgetravellers.co.nz for this lodge. For details of the complete Budget Motel chain in Australia and New Zealand, see www.budgetmotelchain.com.au.
After talking for an hour or more to fellow-guest Steve, a New Zealander who is here working for a month while his Indonesian wife and baby boy remain in Indonesia, we fetched some excellent fish & chips (price $NZ 4.50 under £2) from the takeaway round the corner. One of our best memories of previous visits to NZ is the still-excellent fish & chips the other is the TV programmes (mainly British), but these seem to have been replaced with the dreadful so-called 'reality TV' of the 'Big Brother' variety, like everywhere else. Unwatchable!
On the sunny Saturday we drove north into the centre of the country's largest city (population about 1.5 million out of 4 million), along the Great South Rd and the Southern Motorway (about 10 miles). We've arrived in NZ in the middle of the Lions Tour (25 June-10 July, the British rugby team losing to the All Blacks). The British supporters' organisation, known as the Barmy Army, has made its HQ on the sea front, by the Viaduct Harbour on Halsey Street and we went round there, lured by the promise of wireless internet access. The huge area (once used by America's Cup yachtsmen) has indoor and outdoor staging, with bars, food, special events, entertainment, matches shown on a giant screen, etc. Luckily, all the fans are in Wellington for tomorrow's big game, so we had the 'Chill Out Zone', complete with internet at $NZ 5 per hr, to ourselves, and plenty of free parking by the fish market. See www.thelionstour.co.nz and www.barmyarmyhq.com.
After a morning's work on emails and website, we walked across the floating pontoon to Quay Street, the main waterfront home to the Maritime Museum, Tourist Information Centre and many restaurants catering to the wealthy yachting set. See www.aucklandnz.com for more on the city. Greenpeace's ship 'Rainbow Warrior II' is in harbour and open to the public, with a long queue.
The main shopping street, Queen St, runs uphill from the waterfront it's a very compact city centre, which we know well. We bought 3 books of Day Walks in North Island (Northland, Coromandel and Waikato/King Country) in Whitcoulls winter sale (25% off), then wandered into 'Camera & Camera'. We left with a Canon Powershot digital camera, with more powerful magnification (10x optical then 3x digital) and a much better lens than our first Fuji digital an irresistible special offer, complete with case and battery charger, leads and software. It will be excellent for both website and wildlife.
Going back through the Barmy Army HQ to reach the car, the early evening cultural performance was in full swing (literally) a group of Maori men and women in traditional costume and tattooing, singing and dancing for a small crowd. Very powerful if the war dances are meant to frighten the onlookers, it works!
Back to MANUKAU, which is itself classed as NZ's 3rd largest city, home to 150 ethnic groups: 27% are Pacific Islanders (their largest centre in the world), 16% Maori - and 40% of its population are aged under 25! It's also home to Auckland International Airport, dozens of airport motels, the huge Rainbow's End theme park and about 20 shopping centres. See www.manukaunz.com. We visited the AA Centre (for a wealth of free maps and booklets) and the Pak & Pay supermarket, both on Great South Rd, just below our motel. To find other AA branches, visit www.aatravel.co.nz.
Sunday, with the weather bright and windy, we returned to the Barmy Army HQ. It was still virtually deserted, with last night's 'Live 8' concert from Hyde Park playing on the screen in the Chill Out Zone Paul McCartney singing 'Long and Winding Road' (perhaps in tribute to its writer, George Harrison). Barry settled at a computer while Margaret went to visit the 'Rainbow Warrior II'.
The ship is here to mark the 20th anniversary of the sinking of Greenpeace's first flagship by the French, in this very harbour. Like its predecessor, it's a converted (originally steam-driven) fishing trawler, built in Hull in 1957. Bought by Greenpeace in 1987, partly with compensation money from the French Government, it was relaunched in Hamburg after a 2-year refit, sailing under a Dutch flag. (In fact, Margaret saw the original in Amsterdam.) Now a 3-masted schooner rig (diesel-assisted for 80% of the time), again in forest green with rainbow decoration, it looks good. The original bell and wheel from 'Rainbow Warrior I' are on board, and the clock, which stopped at ten minutes to midnight - the time of the explosion, is in Auckland Maritime Museum. The fish-hold is now used for the inflatable boats and their launching crane. The fascinating free one-hour tour included a talk and film about Greenpeace's current campaign, to stop ocean-bed trawling which is destroying a wealth of deep-sea life and coral. Visit www.greenpeace.org.nz for details.
On our final afternoon in Auckland, we drove over the new Harbour Bridge to North Shore and round to DEVONPORT, home of the NZ Navy. The alternative to the bridge is still a 10-minute ferry ride across from downtown Auckland.
From Devonport's ferry wharf, we went east along the Esplanade, then walked up and round North Head. This hill, the site of a Maori pa (fort), was used for naval lookouts and gun emplacements through both World Wars, though it saw no direct action. There are tunnels and other remains to explore, and panoramic views of the Hauraki Gulf, the water dotted with yachts. Visit www.tourismnorthshore.org.nz for this side of Auckland. It was a great place to try out the new camera!
July 470 kmHELENSVILLE, Parakai Springs Camping Ground ($NZ20) Collecting a motorhome from 'Tui' and heading north to the Hot Springs at Parakai We returned the Avis car to Auckland Airport, from where the motorhome hire courtesy van transferred us to their nearby depot in Mangere, as arranged. The little C-class Tui motorhome, coachbuilt on a Ford Transit, was well equipped - a big improvement on the Maui panel-van hired in Australia in terms of storage and living space, ventilation and comfort, including 4 gas burners & grill, as well as microwave and fridge, and even a TV. We did have problems with the staff and their lack of care, given the state in which the motorhome had been returned by 3 British rugby fans yesterday.
External damage to corners was noted, but meant that the only outside locker was unusable, as its door hung by one hinge. We were told that the diesel was full (it was over half empty) and that the gas cylinder would contain 'whatever had been left in it'. Stopping after a few miles to shop and make coffee, we found that the bottle had been left not only completely empty, but unconnected obviously it had been swapped for one with some gas left in.
To happier things it is wonderful to be back in NZ and following the route we cycled, heading for Northland when we arrived in September 2000, our first visit to this lush, damp, emerald green land. Now, we drove north crossing Manukau Harbour on the Mangere Bridge, round Blockhouse Bay, then joined the North-Western Motorway across Waitemata Harbour. It amazes us how Auckland fits between so many bays and waterways! We saw the well-remembered cycle paths alongside the motorways, sometimes diverting through the suburbs. The NW Motorway becomes the narrower highway 16 to HELENSVILLE, by the mouth of the Kaipara River. We'd spent the first night of our cycle tour here, at the brilliant Mineral Park Motel (self-contained units, each with a private mineral spa fed by the hot springs at Parakai). Very well remembered!
PARAKAI, 3 km north-west, has a huge Aquatic Park with indoor and outdoor pools and spas, plus a camp ground. Details on www.aquaticpark.co.nz. Strangely, camping cost $20 for two, or $30 to include 'complimentary access to the Hot Pools'!! This contradiction had escaped the staff (admittedly we couldn't find anyone who had worked there longer than 3 weeks, and she was a lifeguard!) The camp ground was set among lovely trees, with wet grass and ducks and only one other van this is the mid-winter low season. Parakai, like many place names, is from the Maori (para = fern-root, kai=to eat). We preferred the roast chicken we'd bought at Countdown supermarket.
July 5167 kmDARGAVILLE HP Kiwi Group ($NZ 21.60)
Ever northwards on a rolling road in the rain
In Helensville we got a fill of both diesel and gas. The man at the BP filling station was astonished that Tui had sent us off with an empty gas cylinder. We'd also found that 2 of the motorhome's 5 internal lights were broken, as is the external light and the cab cigarette lighter (needed to recharge our mobile phone and to use our GPS). We bought a reading lamp at Mitre 10 (hardware chainstore), where the assistant was not surprised about our lights, saying he'd heard about Tui before.
Unimpressed, we phoned to ask again about one day's refund, again refused. We had booked and paid in advance (no choice on that) for 50 days, but found our onward New Zealand Air flight to Rarotonga had been rescheduled, meaning we could only enjoy 49 days touring. Although we had telephoned Tui with a new return date as soon as we knew, on 2 July, their 'policy' made a refund impossible! As our list of complaints grows, they might change their mind? Continued north on highway 16, a very hilly route, keeping Kaipara Harbour (NZ's largest harbour) on our left. We had tough memories of the climbs on this day's cycle ride the first ascent to 512 ft, dropping and climbing again 3 more times before the welcome of Brynderwyn Motel.
Today, we turned inland after about 30 km to follow a gravel track, climbing 3 km to a car park at the start of the Mount Auckland Walkway (described in our 'Day Walks of Northland'). As we ate lunch, the wind and rain increased in intensity. The planned 3-hour return walk to the summit (305 m) was abandoned, but we had already reached 676 ft and had good views of Kaipara Harbour and its entrance.
We dropped back to the main road for another 26 km to Wellsford, a small country town with a well-remembered cafι. A typical North Island landscape: hillsides dotted with sheep, vividly green fields of dairy cattle, the odd deer farm, wild turkeys, giant ferns and cabbage trees, huge white lilies all a stark contrast with the red dust of Australia. If only they could share this rain with the Outback. A stiff climb up to Cleasby Hill Lookout at 689 ft, where the road runs along the crest of a narrow ridge before dropping to WELLSFORD, down at 300 ft. Here we joined the busier highway 1 (direct from Auckland), for the next 28 km to BRYNDERWYN, a tiny place at the junction with highway 12, dubbed the Twin Coast Discovery Highway.
Turning west on road 12, we paused after 26 km at MATAKOHE, home to a Kauri & Pioneer Museum, as well as a Top Ten group Holiday Park. The HP asked $NZ 28 per night (less 10% if we paid $20 to join), so we continued to Dargaville, the next night's stage on our cycle tour 5 years ago. (Kauri is a giant tree, harvested by settlers for both its timber and its gum, native to the 'Kauri Coast' to the north and shipped out via Kaipara Harbour.) Matakohe has a range of heritage buildings (eg post office built of kauri in 1909, pioneer church/school of 1867). More on the Museum, complete with Gumdiggers Tearooms, on www.kauri-museum.com.
A final 44 km to DARGAVILLE on the long winding Wairoa River (which flows into Kaipara Harbour). We passed through an area claiming to be the Kumara Capital of NZ (Kumara is a kind of sweet potato, introduced by the Maori and still widely grown). In the town, we went directly to the Kiwi Group HP where we'd previously taken a cabin, 2 strenuous days' cycle ride from Helensville - now one leisurely day by motorhome, despite the strong NE wind and rain. The Kiwi Group gives reciprocal discount to Australian 'Top Tourist'members, so we qualified for the 10% reduction here. (Whereas the NZ 'Top Ten' group reciprocates with Australia's 'Big 4' confused?)
All NZ campgrounds, in our experience, are well equipped with indoor kitchen, laundry, dump point and hot showers, as well as a variety of cabins and units, though prices have risen considerably in the last 3 years.
July 6/7DARGAVILLE Campervan Park($NZ 25 en-suite)
Time out in Dargaville Happy Memories and Tragic Events
We went up the hill to Harding Park, site of a Maori pa (fortified site), with a view over the town and the Northern Wairoa River. The hill-top museum of Maori and pioneer history has a maritime section with relics from the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour, as well as more historic shipwrecks. The 3 masts from the original Rainbow Warrior ship stand tall outside One of the exhibits is a 'pre-Maori carving', which set us wondering who was here first? Some Taiwanese Aboriginals, apparently, according to a recent TV programme.
As the rain became a mini-monsoon, we postponed the drive up the Kauri Coast and relocated the motorhome to a new campervan and cabins park, right in the town centre between the main shops on Victoria St and the internet centre on Gladstone St. Not large enough for caravans, not grassy enough for tents, but great for campervans, with powered sites at only $NZ 15 or en-suite sites for $NZ 10 extra. The simple cabins were made from railway carriages.
We worked on emails and website at the adjacent Computer Worx, run by the very helpful John MacDonald, who doubles as 'Rocking John', the Saturday night DJ on local community radio. Also shopped at Woolworths (alias Foodtown) and The Warehouse, finding a fan heater for the bargain price of NZ$ 16.55 (under £7) cheaper than using the fitted gas heating when we have unmetered electricity!
For our first wedding anniversary on the 7th, we dined at the splendid Northern Wairoa Hotel built by Joseph Dargaville, early settler and founder of the town, in the 1870's, then rebuilt, after a fire in the 1930's, in the original Victorian style. A 3-course meal (prawns, roast lamb, desert), then home for coffee and chocolates the perfect end to the day.
Then a news flash on the TV shattered the mood. All channels switched to BBC World or CNN reports, while the radio broadcast through the night, as the story of this morning's horrific terrorist attacks in London unfolded. (NZ is 11 hours ahead of London.) It seems that 3 bombs were planted on trains in the underground, as well as one on a commuter bus, causing at least 52 deaths and many serious injuries.
July 8123 kmRAWENE MOTOR CAMP($NZ 22)
Up the Kauri Coast through the Waipoua Forest, walking among the giant trees
One day's drive today (with time out for 3 walks), following a further 2 days of our cycle tour route.
Continuing north on SH (State Highway) 12, the 'Twin Coast Discovery Highway', we took a detour after 30 km, climbing inland for 7 km to the Trounson Kauri Park (past a Top Ten HP soon after the turning). The DoC (Dept of Conservation) has a car park at about 800 ft, from where we took a one-hour circular walk through the subtropical rain forest which covers large areas of the far north. An extremely poetic display illustrated the history and ecology of the forest and the magnificent giant Kauri trees. Predators (possum, rats, feral dogs and cats) are being eradicated from the Park with poisoned bait, so that the native birds, including North Island Brown Kiwi, can recover here. We did see a Tui bird (black with a white ruff above the chest) recognised from the emblem on our 'Tui' motorhome! Showery weather, cool, ideal for walking.
After lunch, 8 km of gravel road returned us to the highway, higher up at 1,100 ft, just a few miles before the Waipoua Forest Visitor Centre. We'd spent a night in a cabin here, 53 km from Dargaville, when we cycled but then the weather was dry. Today, the 2.5 hr track to the lookout, which we might have walked, was closed because of mud; the campervan sites were unpowered.
We drove 13 km further on SH12 to the Kauri Walks car park (guarded for $NZ 2), from where the path splits into 3 walks (the Four Sisters 4 kauris from the same base; the Father of the Forest widest girth and 2nd largest tree; the Yakas Kauri 7th largest). We did the longest walk, about an hour and a half return, to the Cathedral Grove (stand of monumental kauris) and Yakas tree, through dense, vibrantly green forest. For the record, Yakas (named after the Dalmatian gum-climber who found it), is 43.9 m high with a girth of 12.3 mat chest height. Climbers scaled the trees to harvest kauri gum (once exported for varnish). We could hardly see the tops of these magnificent ancient hardwoods, which host a mass of other plant life in the crowded clefts of their upper branches.
Just 1 km along the highway is another car park (with refreshments), for a 5-minute walk to view Tane Mahuta, the God of the Forest, the largest surviving kauri and about 2,000 years old! For more on the forest and the region, see www.kauricoast.co.nz and www.northlandnz.com.
We drove on through rain (and mist up at this height 1,170 ft): a typical NZ road, repeatedly dropping to cross a stream, then climbing again, until the steep descent to sea level at OMAPERE on Hokianga Harbour. Just before the bottom, we turned left on Signal Station Road for the scenic lookout and a short walk round the South Head of the Harbour, with great views of the coastline and the cosy little town below.
For publications on Day Walks in Northland (and other areas) visit www.reed.co.nz, and for details of walking tracks see www.doc.govt.nz.
Our road followed the southern side of the wide Hokianga Harbour (no town of that name), through the little resort of OPONONI (with overpriced camping), and on to RAWENE, from where a ferry crosses the Harbour. We found the little motor camp, where we'd taken a cabin on our cycle tour, on a hilltop overlooking the water. (Rawene means 'sun setting'.) A very friendly place, with a welcome laundry and internet access. 'Hotmail' is incredibly slow or impossible at present, however a mix of an old machine, slow phone connection and the volume of emails following the London transport bombings. Text messages are also busy on Vodafone. Everyone is outraged and many are anxious about friends and relatives in Britain.
July 976 kmKAITAIAMOTOR CAMP($NZ 22)
Across Hokianga Harbour and on to Northland
Down to Rawene Wharf for the hourly vehicle ferry across Hokianga Harbour, a 15-minute ride (operates 7.30 am 7.30 pm). We were classed as a 'Heavy Campervan' at $NZ 24 (cars are $NZ 14, foot passengers $NZ 2). On the far side, turn left for 2 km for the Treehouse Backpackers (where we didn't stay on our cycle tour 5 years ago!). Otherwise, turn right and follow the river for 3 km to KOHUKOHU, once the site of a sawmill for the Kauri which were floated down Hokianga Harbour from Omahuta Forest upstream. For tourist information, visit www.hokiangainforxtra.co.nz.
SH12 continues to Kaitaia via Broadwood (a quieter route with less climbing, which we cycled.) Today, though, we turned off for MANGAMUKA BRIDGE to join SH1 for a shorter drive through Mangamuka Gorge, climbing to 1,280 ft at the summit (50 km from Rawene), before dropping almost to sea level in KAITAIA, NZ's most northerly town.
Most shops had closed at lunchtime (it's Saturday), but the Pak'n'Pay supermarket is open till late, 7 days a week. The only internet outlet was at a pharmacy, where we spent a frustrating half hour, still unable to access hotmail. Stayed on a simple Motor Camp (pay at the nearby 'Dairy' convenience store), with tainted water and grim showers, but at least it was empty and peaceful!
We recognised the Kauri Lodge Motel, opposite the Visitor Centre/Museum, where we'd stayed before cycling the long finger of land to Cape Reinga. It is 95 km to Waitiki Landing (the last food and accommodation), then 25 km of rough unsealed road to the Cape. A memorable ride, both ways, which we need not repeat this visit! It is possible to drive one way along 90-mile beach, if you have 4WD, knowledge of the tides and insurance cover (expressly prohibited with hired vehicles)!
July 10/1276 kmKERIKERI, Gibby's PlaceTP($NZ 24)
Round Doubtless Bay and Maturai Bay, finding a Gypsy Fair and missing the Rainbow Warrior, then waterlogged in Kerikeri (= Dig, dig)
In a steady drizzle, north for 8 km to AWANUI, then right onto SH10. (Noticed a new motel and campervan park here, probably a better base for Kaitaia, had we known.)
After another 15 km, turned left onto the Karikari Peninsula, which forms the west side of Doubtless Bay. Huge sandspits connect former offshore islands to the mainland, a desolate area of peat swamps which preserved the kauri gum. Just 2 km along Inland Road is Gum Hole Reserve, where a short walk took us round some of the holes left by gumdiggers, using spears and spades to unearth the valuable kauri gum in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Further along the peninsula is a Top 10 HP at Whatuwhiwhi (don't ask your children to pronounce this) but we returned to the main road, following our cycle route along the south shore of Doubtless Bay.
At the first little resort, TAIPA, a 'Gypsy & Tinkers Market' attracted us. The 'gypsies' are akin to what the British call 'New Age Travellers' a community who live in a rare assortment of home-converted buses and trucks, gathering at weekend fairs and markets to sell their wares and talents. We bought home-made cakes and fudge from one van (Margaret could be that kind of 'Old Age Traveller'), took many photographs of the vehicles and were fascinated to talk with James, 'the Village Blacksmith', working at a travelling furnace, forging wrought-iron work, alongside the truck which is home to himself, partner and two children! For more images, try Travellers Fair
The road left the coast after Cable Bay, meeting water again when we detoured 6 km north to the beautiful little town of WHANGAROA (= long harbour), where a motor camp cabin had been the next stage in our cycle tour. Now, we lunched by the shore, next to the Big Game Fishing Clubhouse. The rain had stopped, the water shone like glass, reflecting the boats, disturbed only by a diving cormorant. It is impossible to exaggerate the beauty of NZ's coastline.
Back to SH10, through KAEO, then another detour for 16 twisting km to MATURAI BAY. A steep drop, from 922 ft to sea level (especially the last 4 tortuous km to Maturai Beach). The original Rainbow Warrior was deliberately sunk offshore, in the Bay, to make a reef for scuba divers to explore and a memorial to the ship crowns the headland. Today (10 July) is the 20th anniversary of the bombing and Rainbow Warrior II was here for a dawn remembrance service this morning, but didn't wait for us! The caravan park was overpriced and windswept, but we did spot dolphins leaping as we walked the beach before climbing back to the main road.
On to WAIPAPA, where we turned off to the large town of KERIKERI, a citrus growing centre with plenty of accommodation. The Top 10 HP doubles as a busy backpackers' hostel for fruit-pickers, a contrast with the quiet garden of Gibby's Place, open to motorhomes and campers. Both are a short walk from the town centre.
The next 2 days saw gale-force winds and torrential rain, ideal weather for reading and writing! Letters, postcards and journey log were written up; emails and website updated at an internet centre in a jeweller's shop (cheaper and better equipped than the town library); and Margaret got new frames made for her reading glasses (broken back in Brisbane but we always carry spares.) Barry replaced his recently-dead 128MB USB gizmo which had carried all our words and pictures between laptop and internet cafι. The only disappointment was that we could only get one fuzzy channel on the motorhome's TV, when we're eager for news of the terrorist activity in England.
July 13/14 27 km HARURU FALLS, Twin Pines HP ($NZ 18) - Kiwi Group
From historic Kerikeri to the Bay of Islands, for the Waitangi Track and Treaty
Having checked out of the TP, we spent an hour or 2 in the jeweller's internet room culminating in a wide ranging political discussion with the jeweller himself. Among much else, it seems that the number of Asians in the country now outnumbers that of Maori and causes some concern.
In calmer weather, we visited the historic buildings of Kerikeri down by the river crossing. The substantial 2-storey Stone Store is NZ's oldest stone building (1833 - not exactly ancient), while the nearby wooden Kemp House, built as a Mission in 1822, is the country's very oldest surviving house.
From the bridge, we climbed the footpath up to Kororipo Pa, overlooking the river - the 'whirlpool fort' of the famous warrior chief, Hongi Heka. The ditch and rampart fortifications reminded us of Britain's Iron Age hillforts, built some 2,000 years earlier. Hongi Heka was one of the 2 Maori who accompanied the missionary, Rev Thomas Kendall, to England to help a Cambridge Professor compile a Maori dictionary. On his return voyage, Hongi Heka exchanged many of the gifts he'd received for muskets in Sydney. He sent war parties all over North Island during the 'Musket Wars', which ended when he was shot and killed in 1827 (not wearing the suit of armour presented to him by King George IV).
Lunch on the River Basin car park was shared with dozens of hungry ducks, geese, seagulls and pukako (delightful long-legged purple swamp-hen-like birds). A discussion with a New Zealander (whose Alfa Romeo, lovingly personally imported from the UK, had now punctured) confirmed that the Coromandel is the peninsula of choice
A short drive south along SH10 to PUKETONA, then east for 14 km on SH11 towards the HARURU FALLS, with no less than 3 caravan parks by the Waitangi River just downstream of the Falls. (We chose the first, a member of the Kiwi Group - giving 10% discount to members, or to those of us who joined the Top Tourist Group in Australia. See www.twinpines.co.nz for the park, or www.kiwiholidayparks.com for the group.) The other 2 campgrounds were linked to motels, more expensive but with a better view of the Falls! Haruru means 'big noise' and the sound of the horseshoe falls is impressive after the recent rain.
Just 5 minutes' walk from our campsite, by the bridge and lookout above the Falls, is the start of the 5-km Haruru Falls-Waitangi Track, a walk of about 1.5 hours each way through the Waitangi National Trust forest (kiwi habitat - no dogs allowed).The path skirted the shoreline of the river, crossed Hutia Creek on a boardwalk through mangrove swamp, then emerged from woodland onto a golf course at Waitangi (= noisy or weeping river). The river is sluggish, barely moving towards the sea after dropping over the Haruru Falls (195 ft above sea level).
The little settlement at the river mouth, across from Paihia, is best known for the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. At this time the Waitangi River was an important trade route and Haruru was a busy port, with a wharf below our campsite. The Treaty is regarded as the founding document of bicultural New Zealand, and commemorations are held in the Treaty Grounds every Waitangi Day (6 February) - a national holiday.
For $NZ 10 each, we visited the Treaty House (former home of the British Resident, James Busby, and his family), on whose spacious lawns the thing was signed by 43Maori Chiefs and those representing the British Crown. (The number increased to 500 Chiefs when the Treaty was hawked round the country.) There is also a carved Maori meeting house, Whare Runanga, and a huge ceremonial waka or Maori war canoe, built from 3 kauri trees - both completed in 1940 for the centenary celebration. We could have paid extra for a guided tour and/or a cultural performance. The highlight of the experience was probably the view across the Bay of Islands - or maybe the pies, sausage rolls and coffee in the cafι before the return walk. The rain held off until we got back, then poured all night, making the Falls even better value next morning! See www.waitangi.net.nz for more on the Treaty Grounds and this significant document.
July 15 209 km WAIWERA HP ($NZ 22)
To Whangarei before leaving Northland
Drove the 5 km into the main Bay of Islands town, PAIHIA (= here's a good place: named by the Rev Henry Williams, missionary and Treaty translator!). Now a busy resort, with plenty of motels, campsites and cafes. On our cycle tour, we took a passenger ferry across the Bay to camp in Russell (there is also a vehicle ferry).
Today, we needed a fill of diesel - motorists were complaining that fuel prices had just risen (again) by 4 cents a litre, making diesel 99 cents (just under 40 pence). They didn't believe that the price could be double in Britian! We continued on highway 11, a narrow road, twisting up and down the hills for 15 km to rejoin SH1 southwards at KAWAKAWA.
Another 54 km to Northland's biggest town, WHANGAREI (pop 47,000), at the head of Whangarei Harbour (another stage on our cycle tour, staying at the Kiwi Group HP). Entering the town, we made a short detour to the swollen Whangarei Falls though it was too wet for the circular walk. In the congested city centre, Barry circled (unable to park the motorhome) while Margaret collected her spectacles from the optician (or 'optometrist' - ordered at another branch in Kerikeri). They had put the lenses from her broken frame into a new, stronger one. Visit www.whangareinz.org.nz for more on the town, including the site of NZ's largest pa (Maori hill-fort).
Continuing south, we left the Northland region, turning off at RUAKAKA for lunch by the sand dunes, with a view across to Bream Head. The busy State Highway 1, which runs the length of North and South Island, is best avoided by cyclists whenever possible. On our cycle tour, we had turned off at WAIPU for a coastal loop via Mangawhai Heads, but today we drove straight down SH1, the road rising to almost 1,000 ft before BRYNDERWYN (where we'd turned west for Dargaville on our outward route). The next stretch, to WELLSFORD, is particularly narrow, hilly and dangerously busy with logging trucks. For tourist information on the whole of the Northland region, see www.northlandnz.com.
Through the Dome Forest to WARKWORTH, where we stopped to shop (the New World supermarket was packed, on a school-holiday Friday). See www.warkworth-information.co.nz for more on the town.
We finally reached the coast again at WAIWERA (= hot water) - a thermal spa, of course. The HP is right on the sea shore, next to the (expensive) hot pools. We got a sea-front pitch - 'absolute beach front' - with a nice view of sea birds and mud. We are 46 km north of Auckland Bridge and the resort proclaims itself '25 minutes from the City' - not in our motorhome!
July 16 139 km KAIAUA MC ($NZ 19)
Straight through Auckland to the Thames Estuary
A further 8 km down the Hibiscus Coast is OREWA, a resort with a couple of overpriced holiday parks. See www.orewa-beach.co.nz. It's presently the northern limit of the SH1A motorway to Auckland, which we joined a little further on at SILVERDALE. It was grey and drizzly, with 2 busy lanes of traffic in each direction, increasing to 3 lanes as the city hove into view across Auckland Harbour Bridge. (No pedestrians or cyclists allowed - they have to take a ferry - but no tolls to pay for us.) The distinctive skyline of yacht masts, backed by the office blocks of the Central Business District and dominated by the Sky City Tower, welcomed us back. It's very easy to slide through Auckland on the motorway, the SH1 south towards Hamilton - and almost impossible to traverse it by bicycle.
We left the motorway after MANUKAU, at PAPAKURA, and bought the 'Weekend Herald' (the 'NZ Herald' is Auckland's daily paper, sold throughout the upper half of North Island, and the Saturday edition provides a substantial weight of newsprint, crosswords and classifieds). We now turned east, joining the Pacific Coast Highway (90 km from Waiwera) at CLEVEDON to follow previous cycle routes to the Coromandel Peninsula. Lunch in the Community Hall car park, as there was no place to park by the historic wharf at McNicol Bridge, where pioneer settlers arrived by boat from Auckland.
Reaching the Pacific Coast at KAWAKAWA BAY, we were welcomed by a warning: 'Polluted water. Do not swim. Do not eat shellfish'. The road then climbed inland to 463 ft through Richardson and Te Morehu ScenicReserves (disappointing for cyclists that there's no way to stay at sea level). It drops down to ORERE, where there is a Top Ten HP at Orere Point - the site of our first meeting with German/Polish friends and fellow cyclists, Karsten and Agata, 3 years ago (we texted them the news to Oldenburg). Today we continued, climbing to over 300 ft again on the narrow quiet road before dropping to MATINGARAHI on the Firth of Thames, after which the road follows the level shore.
We stopped 50 km after Orere, at a simple Motor Camp at KAIAUA, a popular Maori fishing spot. Heavy rain set in, 5 inches falling during the night, with thunderstorms from Kaitaia to the Coromandel.
July 17 83 km THAMES, Dickson Park ($NZ 22) - Kiwi Group
A very wet drive, round the Firth of Thames to the Gateway of the Coromandel
Overnight, our grassy pitch had become a boggy lake and the Maori campsite keeper had to tow us onto the gravel drive with his 4WD, recently bought for $NZ 800 (about £320)! Then a flat road along the Firth of Thames, the sea to our left and waterlogged fields of paddling cattle and soggy sheep to our right.
We soon came to the 'Seabird Coast Wildlife Refuge Reserve', with 'No Shooting' signs on the fences! The Miranda Naturalists Trust Centre - entry free, run by volunteers - provided a respite from the rain, with informative displays on the thousands of shorebirds wintering on this coast, many of them unique to NZ (such as the Wrybill and the NZ Dotterel), others migrating from the opposite hemisphere. The black swans we'd seen are not native, but have come over from Australia and settled!
After 11 km we passed the Miranda Hot Springs HP (with natural hot mineral pool and expensive camping), then met the busier road 25. Here, the twin-lane bridge over the river Waitakaruru had been damaged by a lorry, with one side closed and leaning into the water. Barry braved the downpour to photograph it, while Margaret spoke to a bloke working in a field: 'How long ago did that happen?' 'Too long', he replied, and carried on digging his ditch!
Another narrow bridge spanned the wider Waihou River, across to KOPU, where we turned left for Thames, Gateway to the Coromandel. (There are many canals and rivers draining the Hauraki Plain, none of which are called Thames on our map!)
THAMES (pop 10,000) is the largest town on the Coromandel Peninsula, and at the height of its gold boom (1880's) had more people than Auckland. The Goldfields Shopping Centre has all we need. The only caravan park, 3 km north of the town, is also a butterfly and orchid garden (admission extra). We have stayed twice before, when cycling the peninsula, but never followed the Rocky's Goldmine Trail (a 3-hr circular bush and hill walk) which starts at its gate. Nor did we today, as the heavy rain poured through the afternoon and evening, to the delight of the resident ducks and geese! Time to write (on laptop and postcards) and read (found A H Reed's splendid account of his walk 'From North Cape to 'Bluff' - 1,704 miles at the age of 87, averaging 15 miles a day, in the very different New Zealand of 1960).
Still pouring with rain, we drove the 3 km back into THAMES to catch up with emails, MMM reader enquiries and development of our website. It's more difficult (and more expensive) to find internet outlets in NZ, compared with the good, often free, provision in Australian libraries.
The choice in Thames was Central Backpackers (closed), the library (closed to upgrade the computer facility!), a video store with a couple of machines in the window, or the Laundromat/internet/designer-clothes-and-crafts shop, Pohutakawa Design, on Pollen Street (which claims to be the country's longest straight shopping street). The latter was a surprisingly good place to work, with the computer corner run by the owner's very helpful son.After adjourning to the motorhome for lunch, Barry returned for more internetting while Margaret shopped and got her mobile phone recharged at a Telstra store (free of charge).
It was 5 pm and dusk was falling by the time we left, so a short drive up the coast, past last night's campsite (too busy), to a simpler holiday park mainly cabins, statics and a large hall for school groups. It was very quiet and we had the use of a comfortable TV lounge/library to ourselves. Margaret appreciated that, as Channel One is showing Jamie Oliver's School Dinners on Monday nights! An old TV is actually supplied in our 'Tui' motorhome, but the aerial is so useless that we rarely get a watchable picture.
July 19100 kmCOROMANDEL, Long Bay MC($NZ 24)
To Coromandel, Colville (the end of the bitumen) and return to Coromandel
With the weather still showery, we drove up the Pohutakawa Coast (the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, named after the trees which flower at Xmas in mid-summer). We have cycled this route twice before, as far as Coromandel Town, and well remembered the switchback road. It follows the shore through TAPU (with another motor camp) and on to the top of the Firth of Thames. Next it climbs to 573 ft, drops a little, then rises to 740 ft. The rest area at the summit, with a panorama of offshore islands, saw a gathering of cyclists getting their breath on our last visit (ourselves, Karsten and Agata, and a French family with dad towing their 2 youngsters in a trailer!)
We must have been too busy talking in various languages to notice the lone memorial cross to a 75-year old called Avis, placed in 1991. After dropping to sea level, there is still one last climb to nearly 600 ft before the final descent to COROMANDEL, Capital of the Peninsula, where the Lions Club greets visitors with the sign: 'We welcome careful drivers we have 2 cemeteries and no hospital'! (They do have a doctor, but nearest hospital is in Thames.) It had certainly been a strenuous 39 km thus far, a road to take slowly whether driving or cycling!
We walked round the former timber and gold-mining (now fishing and tourist) town of about 1,500 souls. There are mussel and oyster farms in the bay, a Visitor Centre and plenty of accommodation, though the cycle shop had gone. More at www.coromandeltown.co.nz. In the past, we'd stayed at both the Coromandel HP and the YHA in the centre, and had cycled from here across to the east side of the peninsula - once on the sealed road to Te Rerenga and once on the gravel 309 road to Whitianga.
Today, we drove on northwards for 28 km to Colville, on an increasingly narrow and twisting road, past a series of holiday parks on this scenic coast. The first is a Top 10 HP at SHELLY BEACH after 5 km, another at OAMARU BAY 2 km further on, then 4 km over another headland to PAPA AROHA HP. The recent heavy rain had caused small landslips, with rocks and an uprooted tree in the road, and a bridge half-subsided into a stream. Luckily, the road was quiet! After AMODEO BAY, we climbed to 565 ft before dropping to COLVILLE, the end of the bitumen. (The 'Heritage Trail' continues round the top of the Peninsula to Port Jackson and Cape Colville, returning to Coromandel via Port Charles, but it is very rough and not suited to hired vehicles.) The Colville Bay Lodge and Motorcamp was closed, so we lunched by the shore, watching 3 barefoot shellfish-pickers at work, before turning back to COROMANDEL.
We drove 3 km west, past the wharf and fish factories to Long Bay, where the road ends at a little motor camp tucked between the shore and a kauri bush reserve. Very popular for those with fishing boats we talked to a couple using their small motorhome to tow their boat up the ramp after an excursion to the nearby islands. Eunice, from Waitomo, was cooking a pair of lobsters in the camp kitchen, the result of her husband's diving (along with some scallops). Three other campers were filleting the Snapper they'd caught. We too have fish for dinner frozen hoki fillets with garlic butter sauce (much easier to catch and cook!)
July 20/21131 kmWHANGAMATA, Settlers MC($NZ 22)
A walk on each side of the Coromandel Peninsula, fine weather, an excellent campsite
Dry weather at last, cool and bright, with the wind from the south. Before leaving camp, we had a 45-minute walk through the Long Bay Scenic Reserve a gentle climb through dense forest to a giant Kauri tree and its progeny, then down to Tucks Bay and back round the rocky shore of the Hauraki Gulf. A beautiful walk, school holidays, and we didn't meet a soul along the way.
In COROMANDEL town we got the 'NZ Herald' and raided the ATM, but declined a fill of diesel at $NZ 1.35 a litre fortunately, we had enough to get to Whitianga, where it cost a more normal 90-odd cents (just under 40p in English money).
We drove east on SH25, the road now fully sealed. When we cycled it on a very hot day 5 years ago, we had to dodge the roadworkers' trucks and struggle on uphill gravel sections. Today, we stopped at the scenic lookout at the top (a climb to 1,200 ft from sea level in just 7 km), and met Belgian Isabelle and French Jacques, also travelling in a hired campervan and also on a year's round-the-world ticket. They are ahead of us, leaving in a week for Tahiti.
After an 8 km descent to TE RERENGA at 135 ft, we saw Whangapoua Bay below but there is no easy coast road along the east side of this Peninsula! Up and down the hills, we finally met the sea at KUAOUTUNU a lovely sandy beach with a caravan park and a view across to the Mercury Islands. The road turned sharply south, climbing inland again for 17 km to WHITIANGA on Mercury Bay, the main town (pop 4,000) on east Coromandel. There are several caravan parks and other accommodation. We lunched by the busy marina and remembered our previous cycling visit, when we'd taken the little passenger ferry across Whitianga Harbour to Ferry Landing and ridden on to Flaxmill Bay, Cooks Landing and Hot Water Beach.
Vehicles have to continue down SH25 on the west side of the harbour. After 7 km at KAIMARAMA we passed the end of the 309 (gravel) road from the west coast, which we cycled on our second visit, 3 years ago. We drove on, up and down, through COROGLEN (with a friendly pub), WHENUAKITE (where vehicles can turn back towards Hot Water Beach), then climbed to 750 ft before the steep descent to reach the coast again at TAIRUA, at the entrance to Tairua Harbour
We made a short detour to the headland for another 45-minute walk, up to Paku Summit. A path zig-zags through the bush up the steep-sided volcanic dome (climbing from 330 ft to 600 ft), emerging by a trig point with a panoramic view of the Tairua estuary and the coast, with Shoe Island just offshore and the Alderman Islands in the distance. The freshest air and sea imaginable (the Kauri sawmill is long gone). Magnificent! We watched the little passenger ferry crossing the estuary (a drowned river valley) from Tairua (a historic goldmining and logging centre) to Pauanui (a recent development of second and holiday homes in NZ such a beach-house is called a bach). We had taken that ferry with our cycles, after fetching the ferryman from his home! Just last week, Pauanui was cut off for 48 hours when the road flooded though some managed to leave by light aircraft or boat! The store even ran out of fresh veggies such hardship!
Continuing to drive south, SH25A turned off for Thames at Tramway Gully but we stayed on SH25, with another well-remembered climb to 600 ft before dropping to WHANGAMATA, a surfing resort (pop 4,000) at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula. We had gone right round the weathered chain of extinct volcanoes which form the backbone of the Coromandel, densely clad in sub-tropical rainforest and bush, fed and watered by the rich soil and plentiful rainfall (yes indeed!).
There are at least 3 motor camps here (including a Top 10 HP) but we headed straight for Settlers, where we'd previously taken a cabin.! Henny & Bruce Gibb run a delightful little motor camp, the best we know in NZ, where you can even have a good hot bath! And we had the whole place to ourselves.
We shopped and internetted in the town and got some of our address cards printed at Bartley Graphics on the main street. This required (a) using the one machine that had Microsoft Office Publisher, which (b) also took our USB Flash Drive and (c) a compatible printer. But, (d) that printer had no colour cartridge so (e) a second printer was found and plugged in. However, (f) there was no driver for this printer and the patient shop owner could not find (g) the appropriate CD. Nevertheless, (h) he got a driver from the internet, which, although not quite the right one, (i) worked. He then (j) let us have some A4 card and (k) we printed 3 sheets of cards which were easily cut up (l) on his guillotine! Success! And for all this he charged a mere $NZ 6! We then walked home in the gathering dusk along the flower-strewn beach round the wide bay, filled with islands and surfers.
Lured by the wonderful smell wafting over the fence behind us from 6 pm, we walked round the corner to the town's RSA Club (Returned Services Association). Like the Australian RSL (League), these clubs often have an excellent and reasonably priced restaurant, in addition to a bar, snooker tables, etc. We enjoyed the day's specials (roast pork dinner or local fish, chips and salad), while a party of a dozen members celebrated a birthday, complete with cake, at the next table.
July 22214 kmWHAKATANE HP($NZ 24)
A long drive round the Bay of Plenty, still on the Pacific Coast Highway
Back into Whangamata for a brief email session at Bartley Graphics (we're still trying to arrange accommodation for a 4-night stopover in Tahiti at the end of August a frustrating exercise!) Then south on SH25 again, still following our previous cycling routes. After 2.5 km, just past the golf course, Wentworth Valley Road leads to forest camping and the start of a long walk to Wentworth Falls and/or Mines (1870's goldmining relics). Both involve crossing stepping-stones and are not recommended after heavy rain, like we've just had.
The narrow hilly highway continues, climbing to over 250 ft then down to the coast at tiny WHIRITOA. We remembered a cycling break here before the road climbs again, inland, reaching 790 ft before dropping through Golden Valley to WAIHI, after 25 km, where the Coromandel Peninsula meets the Bay of Plenty, and SH25 meets SH2. The Martha Goldmine is still working and visitors can peer down into the open pit, 200 m deep, or pay for a conducted mine tour. The century-old Cornish Pumping Station impresses, on the way into town, but is now roped off because of subsidence. On leaving Waihi, SH2 goes west to Auckland, or south to Tauranga care is needed!
After 3 km southwards, we turned off on a loop to the coast at WAIHI BEACH, 9 km away. We had lunch by the fine ocean beach and walked among the lovely shells, left by the ebbing tide. A wooden staircase leads up to a viewing platform on the cliff and there is also a longer walk to Orakawa Bay, but the caravan park we remembered seems to have disappeared under seaside development.
Regaining the SH2, we drove south for another 10 km, through a fruit-growing region (rhubarb, citrus, avocados and vines) to KATIKATI (pop 3,000). The SH2 along here is notoriously busy and we passed many exhortations to Slow Down and a chilling number of white wooden crosses by the bends, with names like Justin and Damian, side by side in death as they had been on their motorbikes or in a car. For cyclists, there is at least a narrow shoulder on the road.
The highway bypasses TAURANGA, the bridge at the southern end of Tauranga Harbour becoming an Expressway. This city (pop 78,000) is the largest on the Bay of Plenty coast and is an important Maori site from the 1860's Land Wars' Battle. www.tauranga.govt.nz for visitor information. We had camped there in the past, but carried on now, through TE PUKE (= the hill), the Kiwifruit Capital of the World, where you can visit a Kiwifruit Theme Park!
At PAEGAROA, SH33 turned off for Rotorua and SH2 became quieter a great relief. If cycling, a better route to Rotorua is to take the (part unsealed) Pyes Pa road from Tauranga, through the forest, as we did 5 years ago.
We remained on SH2 along the coast to MATATA, where it turned inland and we drove on a minor road for the last 20 km to WHAKATANE. A sizeable town (pop 18,000) on a river estuary, it claims to have been the first Maori landing place. The shops were open late for the weekend Midwinter Festival, which started with a firework display at 9 pm. We watched the sky light up from inside the motorhome (it was a cold clear night), parked on the town's only caravan park on the river, a short walk along the embankment from the town centre. We'd taken a simple cabin here when cycling.
The Visitor Centre on Quay Street supplied us with the extremely useful (free) guide book to the next section of our journey: 'Traveller's Guide to the Pacific Coast Highway Whakatane, Opotiki, East Cape, Gisborne, Wairoa'. Very useful, for drivers and cyclists alike. More information at www.whakatane.com.
July 2374 kmOPOTIKI HP($NZ 24)
Round Ohiwa Harbour to Opotiki, as East Cape looms ahead
After shopping in Whakatane (a lightweight tripod for the new camera in the Midwinter Sales), we climbed steeply out of the town up Hillcrest (not suitable for towing caravans!) At the first viewpoint (160 ft up) we met the top of the flight of steps up which we'd pushed our loaded bicycles on our previous visit. The road then climbs higher, leaving the housing behind, reaching a maximum of 410 ft, with great views of Whakatane Heads. Down to sea level again at OHOPE BEACH, after just 7 km. A spit of land stretches 11 km to the east, separating the beach from Ohiwa Harbour, ending at Port Ohope, with boat ramp, golf club and Top 10 HP. We walked along the sand, alone with the driftwood and seagulls on this 'world-class' surfing beach.
Back to Ohope to drive inland round the extensive harbour and its oyster farm, meeting SH2 again at Matekerepu Bridge. At KUTARERE we turned off for a scenic loop round the eastern arm of the harbour on a narrow sealed road. Despite 'Camping Prohibitedin these Reserve Areas' signs, we saw a group of 4 motorhomes 'freedom-camping' by the estuary, where NZ's most southerly mangroves grow. Lunch and a walk on the beach at Ohiwa Reserve, where there is also a Family Holiday Park. Very bracing the only camper we met was 'rugged up' in boots and woolly hat - even her poodle had a coat on!
Back on SH2 and along Waiotahi Beach, past Island View Caravan Park. The island in view is White Island, an active volcano 48 km out in the Bay of Plenty. The sulphur phosphate factory, built in 1899, has closed down and the island is left to the gannet colony and those who brave a 6-hour boat trip/guided walk from Whakatane see www.whiteisland.co.nz. On our previous 2 visits, cycling round East Cape, White Island constantly emitted steam, a cloud hovering over it, but this year it appears dormant.
For the last few miles the road turned inland through the Kukumoa Cutting, then crossed the long bridge over the Waioeka River into OPOTIKI on the harbour inlet. See www.eastlandnz.com for information. This is the last town before Gisborne, which can be reached by following SH35 round the East Cape (335 km) or by cutting across through the Waioeka Gorge on SH2 (144 km). Opotiki is the last place with a choice of shops, the place to fill the fuel tank and to stay the night at the comfortable holiday park, which also has motel units and YHA hostel.
We'd stayed before and remembered Amanda, who runs it with husband Paul. She left her native England over 20 years ago to work (as a dentist) in Papua New Guinea for 14 years. It's a fine campsite, apart from the incredibly slow coin-in-the-slot internet facility. These machines are strictly for a brief look at incoming email! (20 minutes to get into Hotmail must be some kind of record!)
July 24212 kmTE KAHA HP($NZ 22)
Up the Waioeka Gorge to Matawi and back, then along East Cape to Te Kaha
First we drove half-way to Gisborne on SH2, then returned to OPOTIKI, in order to follow the Waioeka River up its 58 km long gorge.
Just 7 km from Opotiki, the road enters the Waioeka Gorge Scenic Reserve (NZ's largest scenic reserve). After another 18 km, now at 250 ft above sea level, we stopped for a 10-min walk to see the historic wooden Tauranga Bridge, which replaced an earlier one in 1924 (to carry stock and pedestrians over the river). It was restored 10 years ago and now has a load limit of 10 people. The 3-hour Tauranga Track walk starts from the other side, through dense bush farming is long abandoned on these steep hillsides.
22 km further on, having risen to 645 ft, the highway crosses the Manganuku Bridge. On the left, beside the river, is a DOC forest campground (a simple clearing with toilets and fireplaces). There was once an honesty box in which to deposit $NZ 7 per group, but it has been broken off (so much for honesty!) We took a short walk through the woods to see the old main highway bridge another narrow wooden structure. Hard to believe it was in use for all traffic until the road was realigned in 1965.
The road finally climbs out of the river gorge, up and over Trafford Hill. The summit, 57 km from Opotiki, is at 2,353 ft. The landscape broadened into sheep and cattle pasture as we crossed the headwaters of the Motu River and arrived in MATAWI. This village, at 1,750 ft, is exactly 72 km from either Opotiki or Gisborne and has a store and a hotel. We made lunch, then turned back to OPOTIKI.
Taking the SH35 Pacific Coast Highway eastwards from Opotiki, we followed our cycle route round the hauntingly remote East Cape. After 6 km, we paused at TIROHANGA, outside the beach motor camp and store, to talk to the occupants of a motorhome called Cheibe Schőn. Arthur Schűler and his wife are originally Swiss, and the name is dialect for Bloody Good! They invited us to drop in to their White Cross Orchard on the way to Rotorua, should we pass that way.
The coast road continues through timber milling and farming country, rich in Maori history and pa (fort) sites. It frequently climbs round rocky inlets and drops to sandy coves most frustrating when cycling but wonderful for coastal views. There is another camping ground at OPAPE Beach, then an ascent to 230 ft before dropping to TORERE Bay. Climbing the hill again, we photographed the intricately carved Whakairo Gateway to Torere School (enough to give the mixed infants nightmares!)
Down again to Hawai Beach, covered in driftwood huge bleached trunks and branches, like the skeletons of trees. There is a simple campground for tents. A serious climb follows, with a lookout at 390 ftand another at the summit of Maraenui Hill (630 ft). Descending, the road runs inland for several miles to bridge the mighty Motu River (rising near Matawi, it runs 110 km to the sea, popular for jet-boating and kayaking in summer). After WHITIANGA Bay, we climb again to 250 ft, then drop to OMAIO (57 km from Opotiki). There is a general store and tearooms on the main road, where a side road turns left to the Omaio Reserve, with a wonderfully carved gateway on the Marae (Maori community centre). Tent camping is possible here.
TE KAHA, 70 km from Opotiki, has a well-run holiday park/motel/store/cafι, which has provided a welcome overnight in the past when cycling from Opotiki or Tirohanga. And so it did tonight, when we were the sole occupants of the grassy camping area, well hidden behind huge shelter-hedges. Owner Tim Brown thought us brave to come in mid-winter but the micro-climate here is actually very mild, about 60 degrees F and dry. Frost is uncommon and snow extremely rare much like winter by the Greek coast. Indeed, the seascapes and the orange trees and the stock wandering on the road are very reminiscent of the Peloponnese. Hard to say which of the two is our favourite country.
July 25157 kmTE ARAROA HP($NZ 24)
Round East Cape to the World's Easternmost Lighthouse and 800 steps!
The fantastic coast road continues, one of the world's great cycle rides (and a very quiet scenic drive). Round Waikawa Point and down to WHANARUABAY, with tent camping. Whaling no longer takes place along this coast but there is plenty of fishing and diving. Inland to cross RaukokoreRiver then up to 285 ft on RAUKOKORE promontory, where there is a simple white wooden Anglican Church with a little cemetery overlooking the ocean. Built in 1894, it is lovingly cared for by an active Maori congregation. Entering, a notice on the door apologised for the fishy smell, due to penguins nesting under the floor of the font and feeding their whanau (family)! The children had put 3 soft-toy penguins nearby! Most of those resting in the churchyard are members of the Stirling family, including 3 brothers killed in a single accident, and one Reverend Stirling.
Next stop WAIHAUBAY, 37 km from Te Kaha, a fishing community with a store/post office next to a hotel/campground. There is also a Holiday Park/cafι at which we have stayed, opposite the beach sand-dunes. We got fresh bread at the store but had no luck with the 'NZ Herald' paper we are running ahead of its afternoon delivery from Opotiki!
Another climb to WHANGAPARAOA at 390 ft, going inland past CapeRunaway (inaccessible by road). This area saw one of the first Maori canoes land, around 1350 AD. Now it is sparsely populated, with a little farming and forestry. At POTAKA, with a school and a marae, a 4 km lane leads to LOTTIN POINT and we turned off for lunch by the shore. Little did we know that the recent sealing of the road was only half finished and that it would climb to 424 ft before hairpinning seawards, past the exclusive Motel to a rocky cove. Gravel roads in this country are alarmingly banked on the bends, hazardous to both sliding bicycles and wallowing motorhomes! It was a tricky drive, rewarded with good photos and solitude.
The road met the coast again at HICKSBAY (named after Cook's 2nd lieutenant on the 'Endeavour'). We went out to the old wharf and derelict freezer works(abattoir) at the western end of the bay, which once served the sheep and cattle stations. There is still a village store, a small settlement and a backpackers' lodge around the eastern HorseshoeBay. A steep climb out, with a viewpoint at 128 ft and the Hicks Bay Motel overlooking the bay.
The hill reaches 440 ft before dropping to Tokata Flats, leading to Te Araroa Holiday Park. Mid-way between Opotiki and Gisborne, and the nearest caravan park to the East Cape Lighthouse, many travellers pause here (as we did on our 2 cycle rides round East Cape). Set among extensive gardens and trees, with access to the beach, a shop and 'the world's easternmost cinema' it was once delightful. However, the projectionist is long dead, the friendly old couple we knew had retired 2 years ago, and it seems the facilities have not been cleaned since. All that hasn't gone backwards is the price!
From here, it is another 6 km to TE ARAROA village, nestled under the sandstone cliffs, home to the country's (and therefore the world's) largest Pohutukawa tree (in the school grounds)! The SH35 turns sharply south here (for Gisborne), but a mostly unsealed road continues east through farmland along the coast for 20 km to East Cape Lighthouse. We drove out to re-visit this landmark before returning to the caravan park for the night.
The sign near the car park warns of a steep 25-minute climb (up 470 ft, with 800 steps spiralling up the hillside, emerging suddenly from the bush at the base of the iron lighthouse). It was built in 1900 on EastIsland, visible just off-shore, but moved in 1922 after earthquakes. The keeper was withdrawn in 1985 when the light was fully automated (now visible for 35 km). Its longitude of 178 degrees 32.9 mins shows how far east we are on a clear day, you can see yesterday! Latitude 37 degrees 41.5 mins, for those geographically inclined.
We did find the ascent less strenuous than 5 years ago (admittedly, on that occasion we had cycled there and back as well). We certainly slept well, both times!
July 26/27195 kmGISBORNE, Waikanae Beach HP($NZ 21.60) Kiwi Group
Down the east coast of Eastland, in the shadow of Captain Cook, to Sunrise City
Taking the Pacific Coast Highway (SH35) south for 30 km to Tikitikiinvolves several climbs through forested farmland. First an abrupt rise from sea level to 335 ft (and down again) on leaving Te Araroa, over the edge of the East Cape headland, followed by 2 more climbs reaching maximum 705 ft cyclists notice these things!
At TIKITIKI, we paused at St Mary's Church. On previous visits we had admired the Maori craftwork of the splendid interior the wooden carvings, the pulpit, the woven raffia panels. Sadly, we found the church now locked (according to the Pacific Coast Highway booklet, guided tours are available by arrangement with Ngati Porou, the great landowning tribe of this area). The church was built soon after WWI and has a memorial to Sir Apirana Ngata, famous Maori Statesman and MP (portrayed on the $50 note) who lived in Ruatoria, as well as a splendid War Memorial on the hill behind. The village itself, on the WaiapuRiverValley, seems to be in serious decline. The Co-operative Dairy building is long derelict and the shop we remembered is now shuttered. There is an RSA Club, a garage and a simple caravan park in a field.
After 20 km, we took a short side-trip to RUATORIA, the largest town since Opotiki and a centre for the outlying farms and settlements of Ngati Porou. Here there are busy shops, hotel, police, school and not a sign of tourism! The area is dominated by the outline of Mt Hikurangi, the highest non-volcanic peak on NorthIsland (1754 metres), a sacred place to the Maori. There is a hint of snow at the top, despite this being the first place in NZ to see the sun each morning. Back on the highway, after the Ruatoria turning, is the Blue Boar Bar and Cafι, which had been a very welcome sight when cycling. Over the next 18 km, the road climbs to over 800 ft, where a rest area is a good place for photos of the back of Mt Hikurangi. Another 7 km to TE PUIA SPRINGS, a one-time thermal resort at 780 ft, where we lunched by a small lake. There is a Visitor Centre and store but no camping. The comfortable old hotel (where we'd stayed on the cycle rides) is now for sale, as is the fish & chip shop across the road. We were sorry to see that the ambition of the new owner to re-instate the thermal spa baths had not worked out.
The road climbed again, to over 1,000 ft, before dropping to TOKOMARU BAY 11 km later. Another stronghold of Maori culture, it has a store and caravan park. We drove to the eastern end of the bay, to another old wooden wharf and the remains of a freezing works which closed in 1952. The NZ Shipping Co operated the harbour for a further 11 years but now it is left for the local anglers. A display of poignant sepia photographs showed the heyday, with tramlines to the wharf and wool bales piled high.
This east coast is steeped in Captain Cook's history. As we continued over the inland hills for 36 km to TolagaBay, we passed a turning for AnauraBay, where the 'Endeavour' landed in October 1769 after its hasty retreat from PovertyBay. Cook went on to land at TOLAGABAY, our next port of call, 3 days later (and returned on his third voyage in 1777). This pleasant town (pop 870) has a motel we know well, run by Wally Tukukino, as well as a holiday park down by yet another wooden wharf. This is New Zealand's longest at 660 m, opened in 1929 but no longer needed after the construction of the road to Gisborne. Now in a dangerous condition, the piles are being restored in concrete. There is a 5 km return walkway on the cliffs above Cook's Cove, but it is closed at lambing time, which has just begun. Yes, spring is on its way, complete with daffodils!
For the final 55 km today, we climbed inland again before reaching the coast at POUAWA, just before TATAPOURI, where there is a caravan park right on the shore. We continued to GISBORNE (pop 32,000) and its large holiday park on PovertyBay, a short walk from the centre. Claiming to be 'The First to see the Light', it is the world's most easterly city and also the site of Captain James Cook's first landing in NZ at Kaiti Beach on 9 October 1769.
On WaikanaeBeach, a short walk from our campground, is a statue of Young Nick (the surgeon's boy who spotted land from the masthead of the Endeavour), pointing to the cliffs of Young Nick's Head. Nearby is a statue of Cook himself, standing on top of a granite globe showing the route of his 3 circumnavigations, which completed the map of the world the end of the great age of explorer-navigators. Just across the river mouth on top of Kaiti Hill is a splendid lookout and an older statue of the Captain a short drive or a stiff walk up from the Esplanade. This is a Maori Pa site, the scene of the crew's first meeting with the natives which ended in a violent clash, forcing the ship to leave without the food and water they were seeking - hence the name 'Poverty Bay'.
Now it's a thriving town, the centre of a fertile area of farms and vineyards, with a working port (its quay piled with logs for shipping). We took time for shopping (food and diesel), internetting (at a Computer Shop named Xith), posting letters and getting some photographs printed all needs met along the long main street, Gladstone Road.
See www.gisbornenz.com for tourist information. Camping is also available at the Showgrounds, a couple of miles out.
July 28108 kmWAIROA, Riverside MC($NZ 23)
From Poverty Bay to Hawkes Bay: the end of the Pacific Coast Highway
The 100 km from Gisborne to Wairoa followed previous cycle routes ridden in a single long day on our first visit, then broken at Morere Springs the second time (older and wiser?)
The road (SH2) is level round the estuary of the Waipoa River, where a flood control embankment protects the citrus groves and vineyards of the plain. After Muriwai, where Poverty Bay ends at Young Nick's Head, it starts to climb through sheep farms and forests, reaching 1,634 ft at Wharerata Lookout. Drivers and cyclists alike stop here, to rest or take in the superb view of the coast and Gisborne, 42 km behind us.
Over the next 18 km the road drops to 124 ft at MORERE. The former hotel burnt down in 1994 but there is still a bathing and spa complex with hot pools, set in an area of lowland rainforest with bush walks. Nearby, the Morere tearooms offer camping and cabins, as well as the restored village schoolroom (used from 1924-62).
The road meets Hawkes Bay 9 km later at NUHAKA, a Maori village with a richly carved marae (meeting house). The last 31 km to WAIROA (= long river) follow the coast, past Whakaki Lagoon, then over the bridge into the town. Once a river port, its population of 4,500 is 50% Maori. It has a Visitor Centre, good range of shops and a campsite right on the river bank. Sharron and Bill pride themselves on this little motor camp, its excellent facilities including a cosy kitchen with fresh flowers and a bowl of fruit on the table! Very quiet at this time of year, but the photos of the Christmas celebrations show how lively it can get.
'Wairoa New Zealand the way it used to be' is the town slogan: see www.wairoa.com or www.wairoavic.co.nz for more. Internet facilities were limited to the Library, at an extortionate NZ$ 10 per hour for an extremely slow connection on a single old machine. The way NZ used to be?
July 29192 kmWAIPUKURAU HP($NZ 20)
Over the hills to the Art Deco cities of Napier and Hastings
Found the Post Shop (hidden inside the 'Mitre 10' hardware store) to send Mum a letter (price depends on size of envelope, not weight!) Left Wairoa on the SH2 northwards for 25 rainy kms through the Wairoa valley. Then the road climbed steeply to a lookout over Hawkes Bay at 705 ft. At the summit at 802 ft we had a view down to the estuary of the Mohaka River, its banks forming sheer cliffs. Well remembered cycling this route, now dropping to 92 ft to cross a stream before climbing again, high above the Mohaka, winding through its gorge to RAUPUNGA at 346 ft. The village store had closed down but a picnic table and toilets await weary cyclists, 35 km from Wairoa.
Another drop to 110 ft to cross the Mohaka on a new bridge, by the piers of the old one and beneath a railway viaduct, high above both road and river. Up again to 670 ft, through rolling hills supporting sheep, goats and cattle, along the edge of the Mohaka Forest, then down to cross the Waikare River at 200 ft before climbing to PUTORINO, at 270 ft. This village is half way between Wairoa and Napier (60 km from each) and we had stayed twice when cycling this route. The Waikare Hotel/cafι/bar still offers welcome meals and rooms, though the shop opposite has closed. Today, we had lunch and continued, as the sun broke through. With new lambs in the fields and daffodils along the hedges, spring is on its way.
Another climb to 500 ft, down to 340 ft and under another impressively high railway viaduct, then up again to 670 ft. And so the road goes on for 15 km, making an impressive vertical profile on our GPS, or in the 'Pedallers Paradise' cycling guide we once carried.
The road then skirts the western shore of LAKE TUTIRA (wildlife reserve with DOC forest camping) at 530 ft, busy with black swans and a variety of ducks, sheltered by well-watered forests. After crossing yet another river, there is a strenuous climb round the Devil's Elbow, rising from 400 ft up to 1,120 ft. Finally, the road drops down through White Pine Bush Scenic Reserve, to meet the coast at TANGOIO and follow the shore along Hawkes Bay and its vineyards. Through BAY VIEW (2 Holiday Parks), past the airport and into 'Art Deco Capital'.
NAPIER (pop 55,000) is a busy port and a popular tourist city, with plenty of accommodation and caravan parks, including the Portside Inn (backpackers and campervan park) and a Top 10 HP. There is free parking and excellent toilets/showers by the Tourist Office on Marine Parade, which also organises 'Art Deco Walks, though we explored on foot and saw the architecture for ourselves. (Destroyed by an earthquake and fires which killed 256 people in the area in 1931, the city was rebuilt in Art Deco style.) More on www.hawkesbaymuseum.co.nz or www.artdeconapier.com.
South down the coast for 11 km to CLIVE (with motor camp), then a choice of routes: the busy SH2 via HASTINGS which we took today, or a quieter road through Havelock North which is better for cyclists. They converge at WAIPAWA (with motor camp by the river), having climbed to about 400 ft.
SH2 continues 7 km south to WAIPUKURAU, 70 km from Napier, with a little campground by the Tukituki River where we have stayed when cycling. (Good memories of inviting fellow-riders Karsten & Agata into our cabin to watch 'Saving Private Ryan' on the TV.) No cyclists out at this time of year we shared the park with a couple of residents and a lone 'Wings' member (the NZ motorhome club), whose home was called 'Just Me & My Old Bird' (referring to the birdcage which filled the passenger seat!) The Australian habit of giving a van an amusing (?) name is rife here, too another example seen was 'Duz Us'.
The town name, 'Waipuk' for short, refers to an edible fungus. Once a Maori pa site, there is now a population of 4,000 with a good range of shops, library, railway station, cinema an extremely friendly place, too.
July 3056 kmPORANGAHAUBEACH($NZ 0)
A short drive to a quiet beach and a night of 'Freedom Camping'
After a very cold night (snow on the ranges this morning) we had a morning in 'Waipuk', shopping and internetting. Barry found a cap which was actually made in NZ (not China), as well as new shoes, in Quayles Gentleman's Outfitters clearance sale and we used the Fine Print Company's high speed public internet access (which wasn't, but the owner was very entertaining).
SH2 heads for Wellington, but we continued south through rolling sheep hills on the minor road which passes Wanstead Tavern after 18 km (where 2 thirsty cyclists once got coffee from the landlord, whose son played for the All Blacks). We parked here for lunch then turned off after another 10 km or so, following Blackhead Road to climb over (max 476 ft) to the coast, then along the side of PorangahauRiver lagoon and down Beach Road to the sandy shore. The caravan park at PorangahauBeach, where we'd once taken a simple cabin, was deserted and the ground looked very boggy after recent rain.
Instead, we spent a night 'free-camping' on the car park by the beach. We had a bracing walk along the sands, talked to Alan and Gill (our neighbours, out from nearby Hastings in their new motorhome, complete with dog and fishing rod) and, in the absence of mains electric for our fan heater, we slept under all the bedding provided in our 5-berth!
The small settlement (holiday houses, a fishing shop and one motel) has no public phone and no mobile phone signal disappointing, as we want to contact friends at Glenross Lodge, who were out when we tried to ring from both Waipuk and Napier!
July 31139 kmGLENROSS FARM, PONGAROA($NZ 0)
Reunion at Glenross Farm
From the beach into Porangahau village, where neither the shop nor the Duke of Edinburgh hotel (where we'd once spent a night) had a public phone. And still no Vodafone signal these are the 'backwoods' indeed!
Still following our cycle route of 2000 and 2002 (the second time accompanied by Karsten and Agata on this stretch), we climbed out of the village on Route 52, Wimbledon Road, a short steep rise to 220 ft. After about 5 km, a new sign displayed the longest place name in the world a Maori word of some 30 syllables, recording the exploits of Taumata, a warrior-chief who played his flute, lamenting his slain brother. Hard to get it into one photograph!
Previously, we'd found the hilly road was gravel for the next 20 km (reaching a maximum of 421 ft) as far as Wimbledon Tavern, but now it is fully sealed. The landlord at the Tavern (which has meals, rooms and a blazing fire) is kindness itself. Last time he made us all coffee and gave us certificates saying we had played tennis at Wimbledon the village school has a court! Today, he let us use his own phone to ring Glenross Farm, to warn our friends Pauline and George Wardle of our impending arrival. Pauline was as warm and unphased as ever 'Come for dinner, stay the night, you don't have to rush away do you?'
Before continuing, we took a 10-km side road to the beach at HERBERTVILLE for lunch. It was sealed as far as the coast (with pub and motor camp), then a gravel track (Seaview Road) ran along the shore. We walked alone and read the memorial to the pioneering Herbert family (came out in 1842, settled here in 1854), before returning to WIMBLEDON.
We continued rolling up and down hills, with plenty of live sheep and the odd roadkilled possum, climbing to over 900 ft through high forest. 40 km from Wimbledon, just before WEBER (where another friend, Harvie Beetham's wife Chrissy, is Head of the village school built in 1894), Route 52 turns sharp left, south-west, for another 24 km to Pongaroa. Half-way there we passed Harvie's sheep and cattle farm, but couldn't find anyone home (except the two dogs and his light aircraft outside its hangar).
On over a 600 ft hill (important landmarks on a cyclists' route) to PONGAROA village at 445 ft, complete with shop, school, pub, toilets (with a sewage dump point) and simple camping up at the sports ground (the 'Domain'). Much better accommodation for budget travellers and cyclists lies 9.5 km further, over another 600-footer, at Glenross farm.
We first met Pauline Wardle when we stayed at her new shearing quarters/backpackers' lodge in 2000, arriving cold, wet and late. (Harvie and Chrissie had taken us, 2 complete strangers, in out of the rain for lunch, delaying our arrival but that's another story!) Pauline had greeted us with a splendid meal, ready to microwave, in the lodge kitchen and invited us up to the farmhouse for dinner the next day, after George gave us a tour of his sheep farm. Marvellous people. On our second visit, they hosted a reunion dinner for us, Harvie and Chrissy! Pauline simply loves travellers, especially cyclists (who always get a free meal when they stay at her excellent lodge).
Now, bringing our own lodge with us, we parked in the farmyard for 2 nights and were made as welcome as ever in their comfortable home. Youngest son, 11-year-old Dean, is still home, while his 3 elder brothers have moved on to boarding school or agricultural college. The 2,200 acre farm is still pretty lively though, with cat, dogs, hens, swans and ducks, cattle and not least over 10,000 head of sheep after the imminent lambing! We asked George how many, but he fell asleep counting them! There is a wonderful view from the farmhouse, across the hillsides of sheep to the new shearing shed and lodge, beautifully equipped for shearers and Route 52 travellers alike.
Pauline is a fellow fan of Jamie Oliver (celebrity chef) and we all enjoyed his creamy smoked fish pie, made for supper by the blazing fire. We had 3 years to catch up on and talked until late what a treat.
Should you want to stay at Glenross Lodge, ring Pauline and George Wardle on 06-376-7288 (if you can find a phone!), or email , or visit www.tararua.net/glenross.It's a member of the BBH budget accommodation group, full details on www.bbh.co.nz.
For our travel notes on New zealand, click here: Travel Notes NZ
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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).![NZ_(100)[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/Auckland and Around/NZ_(100)%5B1%5D.jpg "NZ_(100)[1].jpg")
mob of rugby supporters queuing at the check-in, we found ourselves on a plane with a few empty seats and were lucky enough to sit by the emergency wing exit with extra leg-room. This made up for the (extremely) light lunch! Good to read the 'New Zealand Herald' newspaper on board, with a reference to Denis Glover's lovely poem 'The Magpies' (first heard on Australian radio when Macca went across to NZ for Anzac Day) '
and quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle, the magpie said' goes the chorus. ![NZ_(101)[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/Auckland and Around/NZ_(101)%5B1%5D.jpg "NZ_(101)[1].jpg")
watchable!![NZ_(102)[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/Auckland and Around/NZ_(102)%5B1%5D.jpg "NZ_(102)[1].jpg")
we drove north into the centre of the country's largest city (population about 1.5 million out of 4 million), along the Great South Rd and the Southern Motorway (about 10 miles). We've arrived in NZ in the middle of the Lions Tour (25 June-10 July, the British rugby team losing to the All Blacks). The British supporters' organisation, known as the Barmy Army, has made its HQ on the sea front, by the Viaduct Harbour on Halsey Street and we went round there, lured by the promise of wireless internet access. The h.JPG "NZ1_(102).JPG")
uge area (once used by America's Cup yachtsmen) has indoor and outdoor staging, with bars, food, special events, entertainment, matches shown on a giant screen, etc. Luckily, all the fans are in Wellington for tomorrow's big game, so we had the 'Chill Out Zone', complete with internet at $NZ 5 per hr, to ourselves, and plenty of free parking by the fish market. See ![NZ_(119)[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/Auckland and Around/NZ_(119)%5B1%5D.jpg "NZ_(119)[1].jpg")
back through the Barmy Army HQ to reach the car, the early evening cultural performance was in full swing (literally) a group of Maori men and women in traditional costume and tattooing, singing and dancing for a small crowd. Very powerful if the war dances are meant to frighten the onlookers, it works! ![NZ_(128)[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/Auckland and Around/NZ_(128)%5B1%5D.jpg "NZ_(128)[1].jpg")
very harbour. Like its predecessor, it's a converted (originally steam-driven) fishing trawler, built in Hull in 1957. Bought by Greenpeace in 1987, partly with compensation money from the French Go![NZ_(130)[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/Auckland and Around/NZ_(130)%5B1%5D.jpg "NZ_(130)[1].jpg")
vernment, it was relaunched in Hamburg after a 2-year refit, sailing under a Dutch flag. (In fact, Margaret saw the original in Amsterdam.) Now a 3-masted schooner rig (diesel-assisted for 80% of the time), again in forest green with rainbow decoration, it looks good. The original bell and wheel from 'Rainbow Warrior I' are on board, and the clock, which stopped at ten minutes to midnight - the time of the explosion, is in Auckland Maritime Museum. The fish-hold is now used for the inflatable boats and their launching crane. The fascinating free one-hour tour included a talk and film about Greenpeace's current campaign, to stop ocean-bed trawling which is destroying a wealth of deep-sea life and coral. Visit .JPG "NZ_(127).JPG")
e went east along the Esplanade, then walked up and round North Head. This hill, the site of a Maori pa (fort), was used for naval lookouts and gun emplacements through both World Wars, though it saw no direct action. There are tunnels and other remains to explore, and panoramic views of the Hauraki Gulf, the water dotted with yachts. Visit .JPG "NZ1_(117).JPG")
a view over the town and the Northern Wairoa River. The hill-top museum of Maori and pioneer history has a maritime section with relics from the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour, as well as more historic shipwrecks. The 3 masts from the original Rainbow Warrior ship stand tall outside One of the exhibits is a 'pre-Maori carving', which set us wondering who was here first? Some Taiwanese Aboriginals, apparently, according to a recent TV programme..JPG "NZ1_(127).JPG")
ame a mini-monsoon, we postponed the drive up the Kauri Coast and relocated the motorhome to a new campervan and cabins park, right in the town centre between the main shops on Victoria St and the internet centre on Gladstone St. Not large enough for caravans, not grassy enough for tents, but great for campervans, with powered sites at only $NZ 15 or en-suite sites for $NZ 10 extra. The simple cabins were made from railway carriages..JPG "NZ1_(123).JPG")
anniversary on the 7th, we dined at the splendid Northern Wairoa Hotel built by Joseph Dargaville, early settler and founder of the town, in the 1870's, then rebuilt, after a fire in the 1930's, in the original Victorian style. A 3-course meal (prawns, roast lamb, desert), then home for coffee and chocolates the perfect end to the day. .JPG "NZ1_(138).JPG")
turning). The DoC (Dept of Conservation) has a car park at about 800 .JPG "NZ1_(143).JPG")
ft, from where we took a one-hour circular walk through the subtropical rain forest which covers large areas of the far north. An extremely poetic display illustrated the history and ecology of the forest and the magnificent giant Kauri trees. Predators (possum, rats, feral dogs and cats) are being eradicated from the Park with poisoned bait, so that the native birds, including North Island Brown Kiwi, can recover here. We did see a Tui bird (black with a white ruff above the chest) recognised from the emblem on our 'Tui' motorhome! Showery weather, cool, ideal for walking. .JPG "NZ1_(145).JPG")
rther on SH12 to the Kauri Walks car park (guarded for $NZ 2), from where the path splits into 3 walks (the Four Sisters 4 kauris fr.JPG "NZ1_(150).JPG")
om the same base; the Father of the Forest widest girth and 2nd largest tree; the Yakas Kauri 7th largest). We did the longest walk, about an hour and a half return, to the Cathedral Grove (stand of monumental kauris) and Yakas tree, through dense, vibrantly green forest. For the record, Yakas (named after the Dalmatian gum-climber who found it), is 43.9 m high with a girth of 12.3 m at chest height. Climbers scaled the trees to harvest kauri gum (once exported for varnish). We could hardly see the tops of these magnificent ancient hardwoods, which host a mass of other plant life in the crowded clefts of their upper branches. .JPG "NZ1_(162).JPG")
rain (and mist up at this height 1,170 ft): a typical NZ road, repeatedly dropping to cross a stream, then climbing again, until the steep descent to sea level at OMAPERE on Hokianga Harbour. Just before the bottom, we turned left on Signal Station Road for the scenic lookout and a short walk round the South Head of the Harbour, with great views of the coastline and the cosy little town below..JPG "NZ2_(100).JPG")
for the hourly vehicle ferry across Hokianga Harbour, a 15-minute ride (operates 7.30 am 7.30 pm). We were classed as a 'Heavy Campervan' at $NZ 24 (cars are $NZ 14, foot passengers $NZ 2). On the far side, turn left for 2 km for the Treehouse Backpackers (where we didn't stay on our cycle tour 5 years ago!). Otherwise, turn right and follow the river for 3 km to KOHUKOHU, once the site of a sawmill for the Kauri which were floated down Hokianga Harbour from Omahuta Forest upstream. For tourist information, visit .JPG "NZ2_(110).JPG")
Huge sandspits connect former offshore islands to the mainland, a desolate area of peat swamps which preserved the kauri gum. Just 2 km along Inland Road is Gum Hole Reserve, where a short walk took us round some of the holes left by gumdiggers, using spears and spades to unearth the valuable kauri gum in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Further along the peninsula is a Top 10 HP at Whatuwhiwhi (don't ask your children to pronounce this) but we returned to the main road, following our cycle route along the south shore of Doubtless Bay..JPG "NZ2_(124).JPG")
are akin to what the British call 'New Age Travellers' a community who live in a rare assortment of home-converted buses and trucks, gathering at weekend fairs and markets to sell their wares and talents. We bought home-made cakes and fudge from one van (Margaret could be that kind of 'Old Age Traveller'), took many photographs of the vehicles and were fascinated to talk with James, 'the Village Blacksmith', working at a travelling furnace, forging wrought-iron work, alongside the truck which is home to himself, partner and two children! For more images, try ![NZ2_(136)[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/Northland/NZ2_(136)%5B1%5D.jpg "NZ2_(136)[1].jpg")
n we detoured 6 km north to the beautiful little town of WHANGAROA (= long harbour), where a motor camp cabin had been the next stage in our cycle tour. Now, we lunched by the shore, next to the Big Game Fishing Clubhouse. The rain had stopped, the water shone like glass, reflecting the boats, disturbed only by a diving cormorant. It is impossible to exaggerate the beauty of NZ's coastline..JPG "NZ2_(135).JPG")
KAEO, then another detour for 16 twisting km to MATURAI BAY. A steep drop, from 922 ft to sea level (especially the last 4 tortuous km to Maturai Beach). The original Rainbow Warrior was deliberately sunk offshore, in the Bay, to make a reef for scuba divers to explore and a memorial to the ship crowns the headland. Today (10 July) is the 20th anniversary of the bombing and Rainbow Warrior II was here for a dawn remembrance service this morning, but didn't wait for us! The caravan park was overpriced and windswept, but we did spot dolphins leaping as we walked the beach before climbing back to the main road..JPG "NZ3_(14).JPG")
weather, we visited the historic buildings of Kerikeri down by the river crossing. The substantial 2-storey Stone Store is NZ's oldest stone building (1833 - not exactly ancient), while the nearby wooden Kemp House, built as a Mission in 1822, is the country's very oldest surviving house. .JPG "NZ_(100).JPG")
Kororipo Pa, overlooking the river - the 'whirlpool fort' of the famous warrior chief, Hongi Heka. The ditch and rampart fortifications reminded us of Britain's Iron Age hillforts, built some 2,000 years earlier. Hongi Heka was one of the 2 Maori who accompanied the missionary, Rev Thomas Kendall, to England to help a Cambridge Professor compile a Maori dictionary. On his return voyage, Hongi Heka exchanged many of the gifts he'd received for muskets in Sydney. He sent war parties all over North Island during the 'Musket Wars', which ended when he was shot and killed in 1827 (not wearing the suit of armour presented to him by King George IV)..JPG "NZ_(122).JPG")
along SH10 to PUKETONA, then east for 14 km on SH11 towards the HARURU FALLS, with no less than 3 caravan parks by the Waitangi River just downstream of the Falls. (We chose the first, a member of the Kiwi Group - giving 10% discount to members, or to those of us who joined the Top Tourist Group in Australia. See .JPG "NZ_(103).JPG")
r campsite, by the bridge and lookout above.JPG "NZ_(104).JPG")
the Falls, is the start of the 5-km Haruru Falls-Waitangi Track, a walk of about 1.5 hours each way through the Waitangi National Trust forest (kiwi habitat - no dogs allowed).The path skirted the shoreline of the river, crossed Hutia Creek on a boardwalk through mangrove swamp, then emerged from woodland onto a golf course at Waitangi (= noisy or weeping river). The river is sluggish, barely moving towards the sea after dropping over the Haruru Falls (195 ft above sea level)..JPG "NZ_(109).JPG")
mouth, across from Paihia, is best known for the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. At this time the Waitangi River was an important trade route and Haruru was a busy port, with a wharf below our campsite. The Treaty is regarded as the founding document of bicultural New Zealand, and commemorations are held in th.JPG "NZ_(110).JPG")
e Treaty Grounds every Waitangi Day (6 February) - a national holiday..JPG "NZ_(111).JPG")
carved Maori meeting house, Whare Runanga, and a huge ceremonial waka or Maori war canoe, built from 3 kauri trees - both completed in 1940 for the centenary celebration. We could have paid extra for a guided t.JPG "NZ_(117).JPG")
our and/or a cultural performance. The highlight of the experience was probably the view across the Bay of Islands - or maybe the pies, sausage rolls and coffee in the cafι before the return walk. The rain held off until we got back, then poured all night, making the Falls even better value next morning! See .JPG "NZ3_(10).JPG")
biggest town, WHANGAREI (pop 47,000), at the head of Whangarei Harbour (another stage on our cycle tour, staying at the Kiwi Group HP). Entering the town, we made a short detour to the swollen Whangarei Falls though it was too wet for the circular walk. In the congested city centre, Barry circled (unable to park the motorhome) while Margaret collected her spectacles from the optician (or 'optometrist' - ordered at another branch in Kerikeri). They had put the lenses from her broken frame into a new, stronger one. Visit .JPG "NZ3_(12).JPG")
grassy pitch had become a boggy lake and the Maori campsite keeper had to tow us onto the gravel drive with his 4WD, recently bought for $NZ 800 (about £320)! Then a flat road along the Firth of Thames, the sea to our left and waterlogged fields of paddling cattle and soggy sheep to our right. .JPG "NZ3_(13).JPG")
mineral pool and expensive camping), then met the busier road 25. Here, the twin-lane bridge over the river Waitakaruru had been damaged by a lorry, with one side closed and leaning into the water. Barry braved the downpour to photograph it, while Margaret spoke to a bloke working in a field: 'How long ago did that happen?' 'Too long', he replied, and carried on digging his ditch!![IMG_0401[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/The East Cape/IMG_0401[1].jpg "IMG_0401[1].jpg")
e drove up the Pohutakawa Coast (the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, named after the trees which flower at Xmas in mid-summer). We have cycled this route twice before, as far as Coromandel Town, and well remembered the switchback road. It follows the shore through TAPU (with another motor camp) and on to the top of the Firth of Thames. Next it climbs to 573 ft, drops a little, then rises to 740 ft. The rest area at the summit, with a panorama of offshore islands, saw a gathering of cyclists getting their breath on our last visit (ourselves, Karsten and Agata, and a French family with dad towing their 2 youngsters in a trailer!) ![IMG_0402[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/The East Cape/IMG_0402[1].jpg "IMG_0402[1].jpg")
ourist) town of about 1,500 souls. There are mussel and oyster farms in the bay, a Visitor Centre and plenty of accommodation, though the cycle shop had gone. More at ![IMG_0407[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/The East Cape/IMG_0407[1].jpg "IMG_0407[1].jpg")
d now fully sealed. When we cycled it on a very hot day 5 years ago, we had to dodge the roadworkers' trucks and struggle on uphill gravel sections. Today, we stopped at the scenic lookout at the top (a climb to 1,200 ft from sea level in just 7 km), and met Belgian Isabelle and French Jacques, also travelling in a hired campervan and also on a year's round-the-world ticket. They are ahead of us, leaving in a week for Tahiti. ![IMG_0410[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/The East Cape/IMG_0410[1].jpg "IMG_0410[1].jpg")
short detour to the headland for another 45-minute w![IMG_0415[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/The East Cape/IMG_0415[1].jpg "IMG_0415[1].jpg")
alk, up to Paku Summit. A path zig-zags through the bush up the steep-sided volcanic dome (climbing from 330 ft to 600 ft), emerging by a trig point with a panoramic view of the Tairua estuary and the coast, with Shoe Island just offshore and the Alderman Islands in the distance. The freshest air and sea imaginable (the Kauri sawmill is long gone). Magnificent! We watched the little passenger ferry crossing the estuary (a drowned river v![IMG_0419[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/The East Cape/IMG_0419[1].jpg "IMG_0419[1].jpg")
alley) from Tairua (a historic goldmining and logging centre) to Pauanui (a recent development of second and holiday homes in NZ such a beach-house is called a bach). We had taken that ferry with our cycles, after fetching the ferryman from his home! Just last week, Pauanui was cut off for 48 hours when the road flooded though some managed to leave by light aircraft or boat! The store even ran out of fresh veggies such hardship!![IMG_0425[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/The East Cape/IMG_0425[1].jpg "IMG_0425[1].jpg")
A turned off for Thames at Tramway Gully but we stayed on SH25, with another well-remembered climb to 600 ft before dropping to WHANGAMATA, a surfing resort (pop 4,000) at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula. We had gone right round the weathered chain of extinct volcanoes which form the backbone of the Coromandel, densely clad in sub-tropical rainforest and bush, fed and watered by the rich soil and plentiful rainfall (yes indeed!).![IMG_0429[1].jpg](http://www.magbaztravels.com/images/stories/The East Cape/IMG_0429[1].jpg "IMG_0429[1].jpg")
coast to MATATA, where it turned inland and we drove on a minor road for the last 20 km to WHAKATANE. .JPG "NZ7_(103).JPG")
last town before Gisborne, which can be reached by following SH35 round the East Cape (335 km) or by cutting across through the Waioeka Gorge on SH2 (144 km). Opotiki is the last place with a choice of shops, the place to fill the fuel tank and to stay the night at the comfortable holiday park, which also has motel units and YHA hostel. .JPG "NZ7_(104).JPG")
enters the Waioeka Gorge Scenic Reserve (NZ's largest scenic reserve). After another 18 km, now at 250 ft above sea level, we stopped for a 10-min walk to see the historic wooden Tauranga Bridge, which replaced an earlier one in 1924 (to carry stock and pedestrians over the river). It was restored 10 years ago and now has a load limit of 10 people. The 3-hour Tauranga Track walk starts from the other side, through dense bush farming is long abandoned on these steep hillsides..JPG "NZ7_(111).JPG")
ge. On the left, beside the river, is a DOC forest campground (a simple clearing with toilets and fireplaces). There was once an honesty box in which to deposit $NZ 7 per group, but it has been broken off (so much for honesty!) We took a short walk through the woods to see the old main highway bridge another narrow wooden structure. Hard to believe it was in use for all traffic until the road was realigned in 1965..JPG "NZ7_(114).JPG")
continues through timber milling and farming country, rich in Maori history and pa (fort) sites. It frequently climbs round rocky inlets and drops to sandy coves most frustrating when cycling but wonderful for coastal views. There is another camping ground at OPAPE Beach, then an ascent to 230 ft before dropping to TORERE Bay. Climbing the hill again, we photographed the intricately carved Whakairo Gateway to Torere School (enough to give the mixed infants nightmares!) .JPG "NZ7_(121).JPG")
mighty Motu River (rising near Matawi, it runs 110 km to the sea, popular for jet-boating and kayaking in summer). After WHITIANGA Bay, we climb again to 250 ft, then drop to OMAIO (57 km from Opotiki). There is a general store and tearooms on the main road, where a side road turns left to the Omaio Reserve, with a wonderfully carved gateway on the Marae (Maori community centre). Tent camping is possible here. .JPG "NZ7_(134).JPG")
from Opotiki, has a well-run holiday park/motel/store/cafι, which has provided a welcome overnight in the past when cycling from Opotiki or Tirohanga. And so it did tonight, when we were the sole occupants of the grassy camping area, well hidden behind huge shelter-hedges. Owner Tim Brown thought us brave to come in mid-winter but the micro-climate here is actually very mild, about 60 degrees F and dry. Frost is uncommon and snow extremely rare much like winter by the Greek coast. Indeed, the seascapes and the orange trees and the stock wandering on the road are very reminiscent of the Peloponnese. Hard to say which of the two is our favourite country..JPG "MAW_(100).JPG")
coast road continues, one of the world's great cycle rides (and a ve.JPG "NZ7_(146).JPG")
ry quiet scenic drive). Round Waikawa Point and down to .JPG "NZ7_(144).JPG")
on RAUKOKORE promontory.JPG "NZ7_(140).JPG")
, where there is a simple white wooden Anglican Church with a little cemetery overlooking the ocean. Built in 1894, it is lovingly cared for by an active Maori congregation. Entering, a notice on the door apologised for the fishy smell, due to penguins nesting under the floor of the font and feeding their whanau (family)! The children had put 3 soft-toy penguins nearby! Most of those resting in the churchyard are members of the .JPG "NZ7_(156).JPG")
APARAOA at 390 ft, going inland past .JPG "NZ7_(172).JPG")
coast again at .JPG "NZ7_(176).JPG")
on the 'Endeavour'). We went out to the old wharf and derelict freezer works.JPG "NZ7_(186).JPG")
eaned since. All that hasn't gone backwards is the price!.JPG "NZ7_(183).JPG")
is another 6 km to TE ARAROA village, nestled under the sandstone cliffs, home to the country's (and therefore the world's) largest Pohutukawa tree (in the school grounds)! The SH35 turns sharply south here (for Gisborne), but a mostly unsealed road continues east through farmland along the coast for 20 km to East Cape Lighthouse. We drove out to re-visit this landmark before returning to the caravan park for the night..JPG "NZ7_(182).JPG")
ep 25-minute climb (up 470 ft, with 800 steps spiralling up the hillside, emerging suddenly from the bush at the base of the iron lighthouse). It was built in 1900 on .JPG "NZ7_(190).JPG")
we paused at St Mary's Church. On previous visits we had admired the Maori craftwork of the splendid interior the woo.JPG "NZ7_(192).JPG")
den carvings, the pulpit, the woven raffia panels. Sadly, we found the church now locked (according to the .JPG "NZ7_(195).JPG")
hort side-trip to RUATORIA, the largest town since Opotiki and a centre for the outlying farms and settlements of Ngati Porou. Here there are busy shops, hotel, police, school and not a sign of tourism! The area is dominated by the outline of Mt Hikurangi, the highest non-volcanic peak on .JPG "NZ7_(207).JPG")
, to over 1,000 ft, before dropping to TOKOMARU BAY 11 km later. Another stronghold of Maori culture, it has a store and caravan park. We drove to the eastern end of the bay, to another old wooden wharf and the remains of a freezing.JPG "NZ7_(216).JPG")
works which closed in 1952. The NZ Shipping Co operated the harbour for a further 11 years but now it is left for the local anglers. A display of poignant sepia photographs showed the heyday, with tramlines to the wharf and wool bales piled high..JPG "NZ7_(217).JPG")
hasty retreat from _Young_Nick_in_Gisborne.JPG "NZ10_(100)_Young_Nick_in_Gisborne.JPG")
asterly city and also the site of Captain James Cook's first landing in NZ at Kaiti Beach on 9 October 1769._Cook_at_his_Landing_PLace.JPG "NZ10_(101)_Cook_at_his_Landing_PLace.JPG")
ung Nick (the surgeon's boy who spotted land from the masthead of the Endeavour), pointing to the cliffs of Young Nick's Head. Nearby is a statue of Cook himself, standing on top of a granite globe showing the route of his 3 circumnavigations, which completed the map of the world the end of the great age of explorer-navigators. Just across the river mouth on top of Kaiti Hill is a splendid lookout and an older statue of the Captain a short drive or a stiff walk up from the Esplanade. This is a Maori Pa site, the scene of the crew's first meeting with the natives which ended in a violent clash, forcing the ship to leave without the food and water they were seeking - hence the name 'Poverty Bay'. _Riverside_Motorcamp.JPG "NZ10_(114)_Riverside_Motorcamp.JPG")
er) follow the coast, past Whakaki Lagoon, then over the bridge into the town. Once a river port, its population of 4,500 is 50% Maori. It has a Visitor Centre, good range of shops and a campsite right on the river bank. Sharron and Bill pride themselves on this little motor camp, its excellent facilities including a cosy kitchen with fresh flowers and a bowl of fruit on the table! Very quiet at this time of year, but the photos of the Christmas celebrations show how lively it can get. _River_Gorge.JPG "NZ10_(117)_River_Gorge.JPG")
road climbed steeply to a lookout over Hawkes Bay at 705 ft. At the summit at 802 ft we had a view down to the estuary of the Mohaka River, its banks forming sheer cliffs. Well remembered cycling this route, now dropping to 92 ft to cross a stream before climbing again, high above the Mohaka, winding through its gorge to RAUPUNGA at 346 ft. The village store had closed down but a picnic table and toilets await weary cyclists, 35 km from Wairoa._Mainline_Rail_Bridge.JPG "NZ10_(124)_Mainline_Rail_Bridge.JPG")
hedges, spring is on its way._Gisborne_Art_Deco.JPG "NZ10_(128)_Gisborne_Art_Deco.JPG")
usy port and a popular tourist city, with plenty _Napier_Art_Deco_Arch.JPG "NZ10_(126)_Napier_Art_Deco_Arch.JPG")
of accommodation and caravan parks, including the Portside Inn (backpackers and campervan park) and a Top 10 HP. There is free parking and excellent toilets/showers by the Tourist Office on Marine Parade, which also organises 'Art Deco Walks, though we explored on foot and saw the architecture for ourselves. (Destroyed by an earthquake and fires which killed 256 people in the area in 1931, the city was rebuilt in Art Deco style.) More on _Porangahau_Bay.JPG "NZ10_(133)_Porangahau_Bay.JPG")
heep hills on the minor road which passes Wanstead Tavern after 18 km (where 2 thirsty cyclists once got coffee from the landlord, whose son played for the All Blacks). We parked here for lunch then turned off after another 10 km or so, following _Free_Camping_Porangahau.JPG "NZ10_(139)_Free_Camping_Porangahau.JPG")
we spent a night 'free-camping' on the car park by the beach. We had a bracing walk along the sands, talked to Alan and Gill (our neighbours, out from nearby _Wimbledon_Tavern.JPG "NZ10_(148)_Wimbledon_Tavern.JPG")
we'd found the hilly road was gravel for the next 20 km (reaching a maximum of 421 ft) as far as Wimbledon Tavern, but now it is fully sealed. The landlord at the Tavern (which has meals, rooms and a blazing fire) is kindness itself. Last time he made us all coffee and gave us certificates saying we had played tennis at _On_Herbertsville_Beach.JPG "NZ10_(152)_On_Herbertsville_Beach.JPG")
LE for lunch. It was sealed as far as the coast (with pub and motor camp), then a gravel track (_View_of_Glenross_Farm.JPG "NZ10_(161)_View_of_Glenross_Farm.JPG")
600 ft hill (important landmarks on a cyclists' route) to PONGAROA village at 445 ft, complete with shop, school, pub, toilets (with a sewage dump point) and simple camping up at the sports ground (the 'Domain'). Much better accommodation for budget travellers and cyclists lies 9.5 km further, over another 600-footer, at Glenross farm._View_of_Glenross_Farm.JPG "NZ10_(164)_View_of_Glenross_Farm.JPG")
yed at her new shearing quarters/backpackers' lodge in 2000, arriving cold, wet and late. (Harvie and Chrissie had taken us, 2 complete strangers, in out of the rain for lunch, delaying our arrival but that's another story!) Pauline had greeted us with a splendid meal, ready to microwave, in the lodge kitchen and invited us up to the farmhouse for dinner the next day, after George gave us a tour of his sh_Pond_at_Glenross.JPG "NZ10_(169)_Pond_at_Glenross.JPG")
eep farm. Marvellous people. On our second visit, they hosted a reunion dinner for us, Harvie and Chrissy! Pauline simply loves travellers, especially cyclists (who always get a free meal when they stay at her excellent lodge)._Pond_at_Glenross.JPG "NZ10_(174)_Pond_at_Glenross.JPG")
eep counting them! There is a wonderful view from the farmhouse, across the hillsides of sheep to the new shearing shed and lodge, beautifully equipped for shearers and Route 52 travellers alike. 