BY MOTORHOME THROUGH NEW ZEALAND

The Log of a 3,500 mile Journey

Part Two: August 2005

Margaret and Barry Williamson

The log can be read in conjunction with our Travel Notes New Zealand.

A full sequence of photographs of the journey can be seen at Photos of New Zealand.

This daily log gives an account of a 7-week motorhome journey through the North Island of New Zealand by hired motorhome, leaving Auckland on 4 July 2005. It is our third visit to this beautiful country, split between two very different mountainous islands: North Island is Volcanic while South Island is Alpine. The population of the country (with an area about the same as the British Isles) is under 4 million, three-quarters of whom are on North Island, with over a million of them in Auckland.  That makes the rest of the country, especially the South Island, very peaceful. In 2000, we cycled 4,500 miles from the northernmost to the southernmost points and back again (part of a 12,000-mile round-the-world cycle ride).

In 2002, we returned for further exploration – the South Island by hired motorhome and about 1,500 miles of the North Island, once again by bicycle.

The route for this third visit is to take us around North Island, starting in Auckland. In July, we circled the semi-tropical Northland and then followed the East Coast, passing through Auckland again down to the Coromandel Peninsula. We continued around the Bay of Plenty and the East Cape, climbing 800 steps up to the Ligthouse at 178.5 degrees East. After Gisborne and Napier, we drove the length of Route 52 as far south as Greytown before turning West for the Taranaki.

An ambition for later in the journey is to visit Charley and Janet Hedges in the tiny town of Ohura, in King Country, in the distant shade of the 9,000-ft volcano Mount Taranaki. After this we should turn north  to return to Auckland for the flight on to the west coast of the USA.

This log of what actually happened should be read in conjunction with 'Travel Notes New Zealand' which gives a lot of background information on travelling and motorhoming in this glorious country, as well as details of the motorhome we used.

The distance driven is given, along with the cost of a powered site with 2 adults at the named CP, HP, MC or TP, taking account of any available discount.

Exchange rate is $NZ 2.5 to the pound sterling, the NZ$ having increased in value since our last visit.

CP = Caravan Park     HP = Holiday Park     MC = Motor Camp     TP = Tourist Park