James and I took an epic road-trip over the North Island for the holidays.
27th December: Wellington-Taupo
Getting up and beginning a road-trip with the worst hangover I think i’ve ever had was not a very good idea! Poor James had to do all of the driving for the whole day as I felt pretty shocking. At one point we were walking round K-Mart in Palmerston North and I though that I would either pass out or vomit!
We took the Rimutaka Road, hoping to miss the holiday traffic up the highway. It took a very long time, but I think it’s worth it just for the views alone! We got to Taupo in reasonably good time and found a ‘freedom camping’ spot (its basically just a field that you can camp in, and you might get a toilet or a shower if you’re lucky) at Reid’s Farm. Nipping out for fish and chips briefly, we spent most of the evening playing cards in our shiny new tent. It was lovely 😊
28th December: Taupo-Rotorua-Athenree
Not having a shower at the campsite, James and I got up and tried out the impressive Taupo ‘superloo’ in the city centre. It has showers and loos and proved most useful for us. We went out for a quick breakfast before driving out to Rotorua. We were going to stop at ‘Frying Pan Lake’, an area of geothermal activity, however when we found out how much it costs (over $30 each), we thought we’d give it a miss.
As we arrived into Rotorua we realised we were very hungry, so James created a steak lunch and we sat and ate it by the lake. It was very pleasant.
The sun was shining and we took our bikes and had a short cycle around the main centre of town. We were going to have a walk around the museum, however, since the last earthquake the building has been shut down. So instead of a museum visit, we went for an iced cream!
When we were well and truly sweaty, we packed up the bikes and drove off towards the middle of town. There are a lot of geothermal vents and mud pools right in the centre of town. Ones that you don’t have to pay to see!
Eventually we drove on, looking for a place to camp. We found out the hard way that you should really book ahead over the Christmas and New Years holidays!
Driving through Tauranga and Papamoa Beach, we came across no campsites, so we carried on. Papamoa Beach was heaving with people! It looked a it busy for us anyway, so it’s probably a good idea that we didn’t stay there, as I think we’d have been in for lots of noise and a busy, busy beach. We must have phoned twelve or thirteen different camp sites before finally getting through to one that had space for us; Athenree Hot Springs and Holiday Park.
It was small and friendly, with a warm swimming pool and a hot bubbly pool.
29th December: Athenree-Shelly Beach
Another driving day along the lovely coast. Athenree to Coromandel Town took a while. We headed from the campsite, out towards the Coromandel Town via Thames. I’ve never been to Thames before…it was a bit different to Wellington…James wasn’t a fan, commenting that it’s a bit rough!
Coromandel Town is very twee. I like that it has a lot of cute little shops and cafes.
We managed to get a place to stay for the next few nights at a Top Ten Holiday Park. However, it was severely lacking the usual Top Ten experience. Initially we were told to pitch our tent on a site that didn’t appear to exist, then told to move to the middle of a random piece of grass, then told to move again. Finally we were pitched in what appeared to be a suitable piece of grass. Our pitch was right next to a path to the amenities block, so we had a steady flow of people floating past. The people camping nearest to us were very clearly regulars who knew the other people camping nearby, and there were a load of people camping in caravans and motor homes. It wasn’t my type of campsite at all.
The Top Ten Holiday Parks are usually really nice, with excellent facilities, but this one was a little sub-par, with both of us feeling like we’d been let down a bit!
30th December: Coromandel Town
We drove around the Coromandel, it was gorgeous!
31st December: A day at the beaches
We started out with a drive to Hahai, the closet place to be in order to get to Cathedral Cove.
The beach at Hahai is gorgeous, though I couldn’t really enjoy it as much as I wanted to because I’d forgotten my bikini! Thankfully I managed to find a UV vest to suit my needs at one of the shops nearby, so didn’t have to go the whole day without some sun. The plan was to go to see Cathedral Cove, however, we didn’t actually make it there, as by the time we had spent the morning at the beach, we were both feeling a little lethargic (and a bit burnt) and couldn’t be bothered to hike across the hill to get there (as the water ferry wasn’t working).
For lunch, we went to the Purangi Winery, where they make fruity wines and spirits. We didn’t do much tasting, but they have a pizza oven, so we had a really delicious pizza in the sunshine (and then in the shade when the sun got a bit too much). We got chatting to a couple from Sweden who were travelling with their two small children. We learnt that in Sweden you get 184 days of parental leave per child, and you can sort of bank it up and take it over any time you like (as agreed with your boss I guess) within the first 8 years of the child’s life. So the couple we met were taking their children all around the world on a very long holiday before their eldest started school. How lovely! What a way to educate your children about the world.
Next up on our adventure was Hot Water Beach.
I had been told by a friend at work that it was a bit of a tourist trap…and as soon as we got there i could see exactly what he meant! It was fun to see it for myself though. James and I took a walk along the beach and I dipped my toes in a few hot bits of water. It’s amazing really how it all works; volcanic ground under the beach heats the water so that when you dig down into the beach, water will come up and it’s hot from the volcanic ground. Boiling at some points!
Along the drive back to the campsite we stopped to feed some random pigs…as you do. There was a tiny baby, so of course I had a hold! It was about two weeks old!
The rest of the day we just chilled out by our tent. As it was New Years Eve, the noise continued well into the night, so we brought out the ear plugs in the end!
1st January: Coromandel Town-Whangarei (via Auckland)
We left quite early and hoped to get to Auckland for a spot of breakfast. We passed by lots of beautiful trees and what felt like a million gorgeous beachy coves and inlets…and what must be the best placed loo in the North Island!
Carrying on up the North island, we drove on through Auckland. While there we decided to park up and have a bit of a walk around to stretch our legs. Making the terrible decision to park in the SkyTower ($15 for the first hour, then $5 for every hour after that), we eventually decided upon Coffee Club and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast. We took a walk to the Waterfront and I spotted some yachts that I would happily have run off in…
When we eventually arrived at our campsite, we were tired and hot (the weather further up the coast is a lot warmer) but were happy to have found a lovely campsite. And it really was lovely; a small place with about six powered campervan sites, four tent sites and then a dorm room and a small collection of cabins. And a swimming pool!
The man who owns it was very helpful, telling us about some interesting places to visit while we stayed. We set up the tent and went off for a walk before dinner.
3rd January: Adventures
We started the day with breakfast and a lovely cup of tea (for me) and coffee (for James). We went for a stroll to the waterfall, we had already been.
Next we took a stroll to the ‘treetop walk’ which sounded quite exotic but was a bit of an anticlimax!
4th January: Whangarei
We had a walk about town…but nothing major to report…we found James St. where James got a photo, of course! There was much kitty petting back at the campsite. It’s the most adorable cat, and so friendly.
5th January: James’s Birthday
As it was James’s Birthday, we decided to do something fun…so we went to have a surfing lesson! It was amazing: I’ve had surfing lessons before, but none as fun as this one, I even managed to stand up on the board!
We began with putting on wetsuits and then a conversation about safety, before moving onto the shore with a short theory section, where we all laid on the surf boards and practiced our surfing. Eventually we got into the water and had an attempt at proper surfing, I failed miserably, however, James was rather good. He managed to stand up on his first attempt and i was very impressed. It took me a little while longer!
After we’d finished surfing, we drove around the bays nearby. It was lovely! We got out and walked about a little bit and stopped for a sit down in the sunshine for a few minutes. I had a lot of fun and after the surfing I was glad to not be doing anything very complicated.
Finally we went to go see the longest footbridge in the southern hemisphere…it wasn’t that spectacular to be honest! We drove down a really long dirt road, then parked up and walked across the bridge. It was very long but quite interesting. Once over the far side, we had a short walk to the dairy and got ourselves a coffee and an iced lolly.
6th January: Treaty Grounds
As neither of us had ever been, and we were so close, we decided to go visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the Bay of Islands. Driving up the coast, we were blown away by the beauty of the area! I knew that a lot of people class the Bay of Islands as New Zealands most beautiful area, and I can see why; around 150 little islands that are otherwise undeveloped sit along the gorgeous beaches and turquoise waters.
The area around the Treaty Ground is also really important historically as it’s one of the places that early settlers migrated to. They knew it as Pewhairangi and it became the site of New Zealand’s first permanent British settlement, across the inlet at Russell. It’s where the Treaty of Waitangi was drawn up and first signed in 1840.
We arrived and the sun was boiling hot, I was thankful that most of the treaty grounds is under a canopy of trees, draped in lawns and bush! We got the tour (which included headphones that amplify the guy giving the tour); it takes you all around the treaty grounds.
In 1840 the first Māori chiefs (there were 43 of them) signed the Treaty, after a lot of discussion. Eventually over 500 chiefs signed it. In NZ, almost everyone understands the importance of the Treaty, and the tension that surrounds it, but i think visitors might find the whole tour lacking in a little bit of context.
At the site there is the Treaty House, built in 1832 as the home for James Busby, the man that the British Crown sent over to delegate. It’s a four-room house, with lovely garden and is preserved as a museum now, with displays that i think remain there all year round. Across a large grassed area is the Meeting House, where you can go and watch a ‘cultural show’, which is most certainly put on for the non-New Zealand residents.
7th January: Whangarei- Taupo
We began our drive home, via Taupo for the night. Our motel was decidedly average; very basic and a little bit grubby! We had a tiny room with a bed, ensuite and a tv, however, it did serve the purpose that we needed it for and it was reasonably cheap, so we were happy. After dumping our stuff and getting a quick freshen up, we went in search of food. We ate in an absolutely gorgeous little Italian restaurant called Portofino (which i’m told have a branch in Wellington). We had a lovely meal; James had a Bolognese and I had a gorgeous Risotto. We sat in the sun and enjoyed our last night of holiday
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