Day21 - Kohukohu / Rawene / Opononi / Omapere / Kaihu

Day 21 - Surprise, surprise - a bit of rain overnight and galeforce wind... seems to be a trend. Geez, you'd think it was winter or something... or maybe it has something to do with being on the coast with nothing to slow the wind down since Australia... Good thing that Sunday is a perfect day to not be in a particular hurry (much to the chagrin of the cleaning staff at the camp). Once we got into gear, we headed south past Kaitaia to catch the ferry at Kohukohu - quite a decrepid little village, with some OLD buildings. Actually, it didn't seem to have changed much from the c1920 photo... Only saving grace was that the wait for the ferry was quite sunny and picturesque - which was nice, as we drove up just as the ferry was pulling out. Once in Rawene, we headed to Opononi (named after an especially tame dolphin that lived in the area in the 50's). Very impressive views of the harbour mouth and the very large sand hills on the far shore. It was a nice place to stop for a coffee and watch some rugby. Back on the road again we visited Omapere and the Waipoua forest - home to a Giant Kauri tree that is 2000yrs old (and bloody big! - with a 15m circumference that implies it is 15' diameter - that's the size of my living room!). I think we've seen it before, but J says no... we have 10 bucks riding on it when we get home to our old journal and photos. The road through the forest is winding (bet you could have guessed that one!) and steep, but once you leave the forest, the road and landscape open up to rolling pastureland full of calla lilies and some other UF (unimportant flora). This would make for a lovely acreage locale... ended our drive at Kaihu to the nicest campground yet - see photos. Met some brits in the common room and talked about their travels and world economics. note: schnitzel is fairly cheap here and quite yummy. stay away from the waxy, plastic 'frankfurters'. they are made with a product that does not break down naturally in the next millenium. ps. By all accounts, the Kauri Museum outside Waipapakauri (2 days back) is worth a visit. Tried to post tonight, but W98 intervened...oh well, when we get back to the 20th century will try again!time for sleepies. g'nite

Day20 - Mangonui / Kaitia / Ninety Mile Beach

Day 20 - Rained like a bugger last night with a wind that threatenend to flip us over. It was yucky to try to sleep during the storm. by late mid morning there were breaks of sun, but mostly cloudy and cold - I had to dig out my turtleneck sweater (for those of you who think this is a 'vacation', please note that we make it a rule to never go vacationing anywhere that requires taking sweaters). We drove to Mangonui and it's still a lovely little fishing town...lots of locals enjoying breakfast in the cafes and a craft market happening today as well. On to Coopers Beach, not too impressed and Cable Bay (some possibilities)... A left turn inland at Taipa to look at a 5 acre property - mostly grazing land right now, but could have an orchard. The area is pretty, with steep hills and is very private and quiet. A spring fed stream runs through the site. Back on the #1 highway, (by-the-by, that means we just drove coast to coast) we made our way to Kaitaia. It is virtually unchanged in the past 20 years, but held no special memories, so we went north up the cape that leads to the very northern tip of NZ - Cape Reinga. Got as far as Pukenui and turned back to find accoms, as there is nothing further up for motorhomes. We stopped at Ninety Mile Beach to enjoy the enormous waves and ponder the unending horizon... ahhhhh, it is very beautiful and ...very windy. Note how the pavement ends just about where high tide begins...won't be driving down there today! On a different note, we finally found internet that is available but they want $5 for 5 minutes! ...sorry, guys, you're just not worth that much, so you'll just have to wait another day to read this.
big beach, and a big ocean, and big wind!...should've brought my windsurfer!

Day19 - Paihia / Kerikeri / Hihi Beach

Day 19 - Looking for something to do on a glorious sunny morning after you've had a hearty breakfast? Go to the nearest lookout point and take in the 360 degree views... just don't leave it too late because those ocean breezes really start to pick up and it can be quite harrowing up on that hilltop! There was a very cool sundial up there and I impressed J with my time-guessing skills, until he figured out that I was using it... ;^) As you know, we're all about community service. As such, we did our part for the Russell townfolk, and helped to iradicate a few of the noxious weeds that grow in their ditches...no need to thank us...this warm feeling in our hearts is what it's all about... Anyway, we drove to the ferry and took the much quicker and less scary way to Opua. As we began disembarking, a nasty rainstorm started and followed us all the way to Paihia. It gave us an excuse to pop into the local souvenir shops to poke around...and gave us some nice rainbows afterward. A little lunch, some photos, and we were on our way to Kerikeri. One property caught our eye on the way - our estimate of $1M was a little low, but in our defence, we really didn't get a good look. Turns out they want $2.5M. Good luck! Kerikeri is a buzzing little town now, but we recognized the main street and Stone store... and met some rather aggressive chickens and their buddy, the buzzard. Attached is a photo to prove it - the buzzard was giving us the stink eye because of yesterday... We stopped for the evening on Doubtless Bay - the location of famous Coopers Beach, which is quite a hotspot here in the summer - apparently this whole area is packed with surfers at Christmas. Now, that's mixed up!! The campground is right across the road from Hihi beach and is for sale - anyone care to hazzard a guess as to the pricetag?...we'll ask in the morning and let you know. We're the only people here - haven't even seen the owners - but MAN! it is a huge camp - wouldn't want to come here in the summer - the beach would be FULL...but then it is a really big beach, and a big ocean, and big wind!...should've brought my windsurfer!

Day18 - Russell

Day 18 - After a tasty homemade breakfast (thanks J!) we set off for the Bay of Islands. Despite our new ma and pa 'look', we're still free spirits, so decided to take the road less travelled to Russell. An interesting experience -driving through the middle of nowhere on what started out as a normal road and then... imagine if you will, careening down a winding, single lane gravel road with washed out areas and steep drop offs on both sides...and no witnesses... I had my usual panic attacks, but didn't tell J (hid my white knuckles and stifled my screams). Crashing and not being found until after the buzzards are finished, isn't on my list of vacation highlights! Obviously, we found our way out alive (and unscathed - silly girl) and as such, were able to visit some great beaches and discovered a few nice properties on the way. Anyone have $500k we can 'borrow'? We ended our day in Russell, a place that used to be a small town, and has now grown and grown to an overbuilt, expensive area full of empty weekend and summer properties. Just like Canmore, Dad, only with beaches... too bad... on the other hand, the motorcamps are as good as we remember - maybe even nicer. We'll post a photo of the usual on site facilities... campgrounds at home don't even compare.
PS - do us a favour and make a comment today, as we're wondering how many are actually reading the blog (use your initials if you feel weird about commenting - we'll know who you are)... thanks! :)

Day17 - Whangarei

Day 17 - Yesterday we drove through some road work and were advised to wash our vehicle ASAP (which we didn't)...thought to myself 'maybe a light overnite shower, courtesy of mother nature, would be the ticket to take care of this for us'... be careful what you wish for... :( it did start raining overnight and was a deluge by 8AM. it reminded us of the poem (by A. Hill-Walker) we found at Milford Sound during our last visit here... 'it rained and rained and rained, the average fall was well maintained, and when the tracks were simply bogs, it started raining cats and dogs...' (some homework for you - do an internet search for the whole poem - we can't be doing everything for you - we're on vacation!). it just kept coming down and the puddles on the lawn turned into lakes, and no amount of running or hopping helped to keep us dry. nothing to do but drive. we got as far as the first 'mall' in Whangarei and went in to wait for it to let up. this was a good opportunity to check out some prices for housewares, beds, electronics, etc. at what seemed to be a good quality store. Not a big surprise that things are more money here, but not by a huge amount. As we continued on our way checking out some neighbourhoods on the coastline and finally returing to downtown Whangarei, the rain stopped and the sun tried to peek out. It is much milder here at night than in Auckland - and much nicer when taking our evening constitutional... and speaking of strolls, we happened to find a motorcamp in Tikipunga, beside the Whangarei Falls. It was another trip down memory lane, as we've definitely been here before. It was also our first trip to the supermarket (we now have the technology to cook)... my goodness - we stumbled onto a Stupidstore clone... now this is where things get expensive! 6 eggs for $1.90...$1.70 for 1 medium tomato...$1.65 for a tiny red capsicum... anyway, we bought some lamb to bbq and made a salad - it was loverly with our wine and choccy bikkies, and tea... A note for all of you non-kiwis: apparently, people here DO NOT address other people's children. it sends the kiddies into a bit of a panic (wide eyed, tongue tied and searching desperately for mom). if you must, ask an adult about peanut butter...perhaps it was the unfamiliar lack of accent... or maybe that 'special' smile I save for the young'uns (my kids know it well)...or maybe,just maybe, it is rude to speak of peanut butter?

Day16 - Auckland / NE Coastline

Day 16 - Internet is hard to find, so it's difficult to post to the blog. Pull up a chair, y'all, and set a while as you have many days of catchin' up...So it seems that we have reached a crossroads in life where we're unwilling to thumb a ride and sleep on the ground...and at the same time, we're not too excited about becoming too yuppie and spending upwards of $200 a night on MOTELS (some are pretty grim)... So starts our dark descent into 'Ma and Pa Land' and motorhomes (ok, so we own a westfalia, but this is totally different) Anyhoo, got ourselves a 'campa' today and headed out for the Northland. Set a course for straight north out of Auckland. Many nice places to check out. Orewa has a great beach - we couldn't resist a stroll... then on to Warkworth. This was the first time J really got the sense of having been here before ...that is, actually recognizing something. ...However driving into Warkworth was a different matter - we looked at each other and said "This has changed"...as in, we remember Warkworth as being a quaint little one-street town, but now... it's bloody huge and ugly! The old Warkworth Inn we stayed at years ago is now a grubby bar, complete with tattoo parlour and takeaway shop, but the structure was unchanged so we had a look around just to refresh our memories...in actual fact, the place hasn't changed at all - except that the common room is now full of slot machines and the usual group of zombies and no one is manning the front desk..and...and... and what's that smell? ...ah well, the riverfront park looked pretty much as it did, and all the same ducks were still there...(honest, mate - i recognized them). We stopped for the night at Waipu Cove - also a nice beach, but as the sun sets by 5PM, we didn't have much time to enjoy it.

Day15 - Katikati / Auckland

Day 15 - Back to Auckland today. Driving inland and the roads are much straighter as this seems to be primarily ranching country. the weather was gloriously sunny today (but chilly to the locals, as it was only 12 degrees). no wonder people move to the country...
we came across a store called the Warehouse, and Len, you will be happy to hear that your reputation has made it all the way 'down under', we found they stock the PERFECT item for you...
after some driving around in Auckland, we found ourselves back at the Dukes Motel to stay the night. Marla and Phil are very hospitable hosts. Note: always check your milk carton for unwanted extras... ewwww!