Hello, I hope you all liked the recent video we put up, its just a quick snippet of our travels so far, up in the Northland and the beginnings of heading south. We are planning on making similar ones like it of the different areas we head too.I think we last left you when we had just arrived on the Coromandel Peninsula, we both think that the Peninsula has been one of the most beautiful and also one of the most rememberable places yet. The highlights of this area has got to be the Hot water beach, Cathedral Cove and the vast forests.The hot water beach was a bit of a ‘hot spot’ and we wanted to visit to test it out for ourselves. Natural springs bubble through the sand, and you can dig your own little thermal pool to enjoy during low tide.Before setting off to the beach we took note of the miserable looking weather and asked Marcel, the first person we have met who is cycling NZ if he would like to have a rest and join us for the day. He was more than happy to stick his bike in the back and jump onboard, Heather from England also followed and we were soon on our way to the seaside.We arrived at the beach at primetime, that is when everyone else was leaving. We had heard rumours that the springs can be so hot that you’ll need a bucket of water from the the sea to cool it down, we thought surely not. But I am not kidding when I say that the springs are HOT, they are. All excited on arrival, I jumped in a pre made hole, and was out like a flash. Then I noticed all the steam rising from that particular pool. It was good fun testing out the different spots, channelling the hot water from the main springs into the cooler surrounding areas, and soon Emma, Marcel, Heather and myself were sat soaking up the unexpected sunshine in our very own thermal pool.The tide eventually headed towards us and our defences collapsed. Next stop Cathedral Cove.After a short drive up the coast we arrived at the costal pathway which twists around the coves and beaches set in the Whanganui A Hei Marine Reserve. There are a few pathways which cut away from the main path and head down to secluded bays, some of which have a snorkel trail, where you can swim out to a number of buoys and observe the depths below (we are going to have to get some snorkelling gear now because it looked incredible). We carried along the main path observing the wildlife and sniffing some rather interesting bushes, we were earwigging a local eco guide giving his well rehearsed spiel. We finally arrived at Cathedral Cove. Which is stunning, postcard material, white beaches, blue seas, waterfalls, rock island and most impressively the Cathedral Archway. We spent a bit of time here, posing for pictures and dipping in the sea, enjoying this little bit of paradise.We finally took the long path back to the car park and said our goodbyes to Heather and set off on the road ourselves, still with Marcel we headed to a near by DOC site, where we spent the night in the woods, enjoying a simple meal and having a natter in the camper. Morning broke to a quick shower of hail and a few gusts of wind, but where soon followed by the sun. Sadly this was our depart from Marcel, who jumped back on his one brake wonder and set off on the scenic roads (Hope you doing well Marcel). But for us our next desired destination was down along Bay of Plenty and towards Rotorua, the bubbling sulphur whiffing town. On the way we stopped off at the Kiwi Capital of the World, Te Puke, to see the giant kiwi slice. You can actually work on a kiwi farm, for a minimum of three weeks here, which pays well, but we are still keen to travel around before we try stuff like that out.Anyway we are in Rotorua now, and yes it does smell rather odd.Hope everyone is wellLee & Emxxx
Tippy Top
As we have chosen to literally experience the whole of this country, it has included visiting northlands final gesture the Aupori Peninsula. Travelling along unsealed twisty roads we eventually arrived at a lumpy chunk of 60 million year old volcanic landform - Cape Reinga, believed by the maori to be ‘the place of leaping’ where the spirits of the dead depart! So yes, we’ve finally made it to the top, and as Lee says the real start of our adventure, the only way now is down.The weather wasn’t as glorious as it has been, apparently the worst storm in NZ history was on its way, which fortunately didn’t materialise to that measure after all. As the wind rushed around us at the lighthouse it added to the dramatic site of where the South Pacific and Tasman Sea meet, something that both of us have never witnessed before, two great oceans colliding.One of the attractions up north is to drive down the 90 mile beach, but not wanting to risk getting stuck in sand or being caught in the storm, the word of advice in NZ was to stay away from the coast. So we settled for having a little play on the dunes and going back down the twisty road, there are many more beaches to drive along. The dunes where massive, Lee found an old road sign and tried to sandboard, but not to much success, the sand was too wet. Eventually we ended the long day at a pleasant campsite in Awanui.Our next few days of travelling back down the west coast followed an ongoing theme of stormy weather and mighty Kauri trees.To begin with we visited an operating sawmill, where they cut and shape huge Kauri logs which have been buried in swamps for 30,000 - 50,000 years. The Ancient Kauri Kingdom allows people to visit for free which suits us, and although there were lots of lovely things to buy we were content with admiring the work and checking out the impressive spiral staircase, hewn out of the centre of the largest piece of Kauri trunk ever unearthed. What a project!Getting back on the road and we were almost being blown off so after the short ferry crossing we arrived in Rawene and sheltered in the small quirky town, which I went exploring before the heavens really opened up.Next day we made a brief stop off at Opononi where a dolphin called Opo once visited for the summer in 1955, it played with children in the shallow water and apparently allowed them to ride on her back.Our route passed through Waipoua Forest which is home to Tane Mahuta ‘Lord of the Forest’ the largest kauri tree known, with a trunk girth of nearly 14m, we visited him and some of his friends and just enjoyed being in their presence, they have been made accessible to the public and are protected by board walks which run through the forest, this helps protect the fragile roots. There was an excellent visitor centre which had loads of old pics showing how forestry was done in the past, quite incredible stuff. The road eventually led back to a place of familiarity, we were freedom camping at Waiwera once more.Sunday turned out to be a real treat, as we decided to start the day with a bit of luxury and hit the Waiwera Thermal Resort, which is a network of outside pools natural heated by the underground springs, the warmest of which was 40°C. There was also a series of water rides to enjoy.So thats our brief update. We are currently south of Auckland now and are staying in Coromandel, on the Coromandel Peninsula. We met a great German lad called Marcel at the campsite, who we passed on the road a day earlier, he’s cycling around NZ. We asked him to join us for tea. We also met a lady who has spent a few weeks in Australia and has been in NZ for a couple of weeks now, she is the first English person we’ve met and guess what...she’s from Denton, right near where Lee lives! Typical. We all got chatting and headed down to the pub in town. Me and Lee are going to head to some great white sand beaches tomorrow and the famous ‘Hot Water Beach’, you’ll find out why its called that in the next blog!Speak soonEmma & Leexxx
Big Noises
The week began with one of our most packed days yet! After a pleasant night in Waipu we awoke to yet another glorious morning, and what better way to start it than a swim in the sea, so we put on our glad rags and raced over the dunes and into the sea, luckily we had the beach to ourselves. To warm us up again I fuelled Emma with eggs and toast and a morning cup of coffee, whilst we discussed the first stop of the day, Waipu caves.The caves have relatively easy access, and a free map can be obtained from the infomation centre in Waipu. The cave is famous for viewing one of the longest stalagmites in NZ and a 200m glow worm filled passage, and boy was there some glow worms, as we turned off our lights and looked up we could see a galaxy of little lights, it was pretty amazing, and something Em hadn’t seen before. We had a good wonder through the cave, wading through the streams and boulder hopping, and as we stopped for a brief spell, low and behold a massive Cave Wetta (a flightless cricket) was lurking on the wall. We took some footage of him, and tried to catch the glow worms but its really something to be seen with your own eyes. Eventually we left the cave, had a rinse down in the stream and set off again. Heading along miles of quite country roads, which are literally dirt/gravel tracks, which i know the Mossley ‘rally’ boys would be in their elements.Whangarei pronounced (fahn-ga-ray) is one of the last big towns before being in the north, but in the mists of it, is the wonderful ‘Whangarei Falls’ so we stopped off and took a look. We also carried on along the river walkway which brought us to yet another waterfall and the MASSIVE Kauri trees. People use to bleed the trees for gum which had many uses such as setting false teeth! some of these tree in parts of NZ are about 2000 years old.We left Whangarei and headed further up north to find a place to settle for the evening, luckily enough we found the rather pleasant Waro Limestone Scenic Reserve which consisted of a forest of weathered limestone rock formations. As we escaped the pesky flies and settled in for the evening enjoying couscous and veg for tea, a local out litter picking knocked on our door to say hi and shared his stories of his travels around the UK, dinner was going cold and the flies were delighted to have easy access in, but it didn’t matter as he was very pleasant. He eventually said farewell, and we discussed the possibility of stopping off again here on our way back, we’ll have to see.14th SeptemberLike any morning we had a wee dip, this time it was in the reserves quarried lake, It was a bit chilly but refreshing. After we took a stroll into the depths of the limestone forest, and attempted to loop back around the lake, but were starred down by a herd of rather edgy cows, so we looked and turned away, they won the stand off. Next stop Bay of Islands.Its true what they say, Bay of Islands is a beautiful part of the country, but its also true that its best explored on sea by one of the highly popular cruises and at $80 a pop we decided to explore on foot and save a boat trip for another venture. The town of Paihia is where it all happens in terms of trips out to sea, but its also home to the Waitangi Treaty Ground, which is the founding document of modern New Zealand. We explored the grounds whilst making our way to Haruru (Big Noise) Falls and the mangrove forest walk, apparently maori legend tells of a water monster that lives in the lagoon below, we didn’t see it though.We ended the day with another freedom camp, and whist being frugal on the accommodation for the night we splashed out on dinner and bought a hot chicken with stuffing, fresh soft buns and a bottle of coke from the shop and had that for tea, and it was absolutely delicious. As we took an evening explore after tea we realised we were near the site of the oldest wooden house in NZ ‘Kemp House’ to be honest it looked pretty similar to all the other wooden houses here, but give NZ a few more hundred years of history to catch up with and it may just be something else.15th SeptemberToday was about exploring the rest of the Bay of Island region, we really wanted to get up high and take a look, so we headed to a place called St Paul’s Rock but not before stopping off at yet another waterfall, this one was called Rainbow falls. You can actually walk behind this one but after the heavy rain the night before, the stream was impassable, especially with a camera etc.We popped into Matauri Bay to see the rather interesting stone arch memorial symbolizing a rainbow, which remembers the Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace flag ship which was sabotaged by the French secret service, before it set sail to protest against the French nuclear testing out in the pacific. I couldn’t help but scramble up it.We followed the coastal road round to Whangaroa, and scrambled up the volcanic dome of St Paul to get a view of the almost land locked harbour. It was an amazing view, we even met the local Rambling club or should I say Tramping club out for the day.We decided we wanted to stay at a campsite tonight so we took the long drive up to the base of the 90mile beach and found a great campsite in Pukenui, which offers a free bottle of wine on your arrival. They even have a pet sheep, which for some reason is on a lead. We’re here now and we’ve just had a lovely warm shower and tided up the camper and are currently sat in the evening sun enjoying the wine, Emma is already getting rather jolly. Think we will behaving a fish paella for tea and even some popcorn for supper. We are now only 1 hour from the tip of NZ so think we shall head up there tomorrow.We hope you are all well, missing you allLee & Emma
On The Road Into Northland
Whilst petrol was at its cheapest in town, we filled her up. With advice of there being a nice beach in Orewa we set off up the east coast, which is said to be a labyrinth of coves hidden between plunging headlands with lots of beautiful and swimmable beaches, perfect as spring is almost here.Pinewood campsite gave us a home for our first night in the van, we hooked upto electricity and checked out all the sockets and gadgets, which are all in full working order. Lee also sussed out the awning whilst i soaked up the sun, and delved into the great rough guide book of NZ (my bible).After finally deciding where everything should be stored, thats a gear cupboard, a food cupboard, toiletries, leisure and book shelf, washing and pan store, and of course where the ‘erbs and spices’ should go, we headed to the surf club. A lively community type club, which had decent beer flowing and good food. Lee enjoyed a chicken burger but couldn’t keep his mitts of my first NZ ‘fush n chups’ as they say. I give up trying to protect my dinner eventually because it was a gigantic proportion and tasted delicious.As well as waking upto birdsong, the rain was also pouring. Lee was in his element doing projects on the van, fixing the stereo, breaking a lock, fixing a new lock. He said something about being in his karma, i left him happy and content, and had a walk.We watched kitesurfers on Red Beach and were soon ready to get moving, however didn’t get far as the food shop took a lifetime, we only bought tins of beans and bags of pasta but hey. The rain was still with us, so with the luxury of having time we stopped at Waiwera and freedom camped - (NZ term for not being in a campsite) in a quiet spot of a car park, right next to an estuary, with the beach in view.Sunday, and we were up early, Lee had a cheeky quick dip, as i battered down the hatches. The sun was out so we wanted to make way to the beach, but not before stopping off at Warkworth where the Honey Centre is. NZ’s largest live bee display and free honey tasting, with a jar already in the van, we made promises of returning on our way back down to fill up with theirs, as it was truly delicious.Mathesons Bay was a small little beach just off the main road, so we stopped for some lunch and our first little paddle in the sea. Driving up the east made way to an enjoyable van journey, much of the scenery similar to that of the lakes, but in its own way.Coming back towards the coast we were then spoilt for choice of which beach to go to, ending up at Mangawhai Heads. A long stretch of beach where you can look out onto Great Barrier Island. We had a stroll in the sun and watched the surfers, I think we are going to have to get a body board at least some time soon.Another stop of a Langs Beach allowed us to be introduced to the annoying sandfly, which like midges like to have a little nibble and get a drop of blood. We seeked revenge whilst back in the van squishing all who dared to show themselves.With sunset soon on the way, we decided to check out the DOC camping site at Waipu, a range of sites which are maintained by wardens and range from being free with minimal facilities to only being a few dollars with all you need. They encourage people to use designated camping sites to prevent damage to the environment, sounds good to us and this one at Waipu also backs out onto its own beach.With water and cold showers, and an adjacent unofficial naturist beach, Waipu is somewhere you will have to wait to hear more about, as we will discover for ourselves in the morning.
Birthday & Wheels
Hi everyone, firstly we want to thank the Mossley crew for the little surprise hidden deep in my bag, i’ve only just found the little message book which you all put together. We enjoyed reading through the comments, and had no ideal about it, it was a great birthday treat along with the cards. Thank you all very much!Right then, so what have we been upto? Well we’re still in the city setting ourselves up, but we’ve also been doing plenty of site seeing. We visited the Auckland Museum, which was fantastic, there was so much to do and see, even a stuffed elephant! The museum has the biggest collection of Maori/Pacific art and crafts a big section on natural history, we saw loads of insects...even a Wetta and witnessed a volcanic eruption. Also there is a great section about New Zealand at war and topping it off I got chance to stand next to Edmund Hillary’s Ice axe. FantasticSO THEN THE BIG NEWS:We have a van, or should i say campervan, its amazing and has got everything we need, a sink, bed, stove, table, fridge, awning, and storage ...check out the video of our grand tour. We got a good deal on the camper, its showing its age on the outside a little but it came with everything like pots, pans and cutlery etc but more importantly its got new cam belts, fan belts, brakes, tyres, oil etc so we’ve been lucky to find it. Its a great runner, no problems and also insurance is really cheap, we got a quote from a specialist motorhome company for about £200 fully comp for the year! So lets hit the roadToday we’ve headed out to the beach to a place called Piha, its a really nice quiet stretch of coastline not too far from Auckland. Its been great testing out the van and to get out of the city and get a real taste of what NZ has to offer. The surf here is amazing, alot of people have holiday homes which lead direct onto the beach, we saw a bunch of rads just strolling out from their living room wet suited up and boards in hand ready to hit the surf.We took a stroll along the coastal track through the bush to a really good view point and then scrambled down to the beach. The wildlife was in abundance and i couldn’t believe how many starfish we saw, and the crabs are massive, the rock pools where just teaming with stuff. There was a hugh sea cave too but the tide was on its way in so we headed back to the camper to enjoy the rest of the sun before heading back to the city.We are just in the apartment now about to head out to see whats on offer for a birthday boy. Thanks again for the messages its good to hear what some of you are upto and looking forward to seeing some of you when you come out.Cheeryoxxx
Venturing out for a van
Sunday began with an early start, and as we headed to the train station we came across a film crew, and pac man characters just chilling out, they were holding mobiles so I guess its for some advert, it would of been good to watch on but we were heading to the Green lane car auction.As we arrived, we thought of our friends in Mossley and how in a few hours they would be arising for the car boot madness they all love so much. We stayed to check out a few of the little campers but they were pretty bashed, and not much more than a mattress inside. We got a feel for what is available though, and for people just looking for a car it would be perfect.As we headed back into Auckland, Lee had his mind set on getting back into bed, man flu was on its way. I thought some homemade veg soup would be a good weapon against it, so i headed to the shop, bag on back, Lee’s wallet in hand : ) although having a joint account doesn’t make spending his money any more fun. You cant complain getting half a pumpkin for 50p though.After some browsing on the trade me sight, the equivalent of ebay, I went to sleep next to thundering sneezes and dreams of a little camper. I was also looking forward to speaking to the family on skype first thing in the morning. We have internet all week for just $20 dollars and its really great to use.Thanks for the chat guys, really good to see you all, even oscar or should I say Dads legs with his black pants and slippers on : ) we have put a clock on the website which shows our time so you can work out the difference easily.So are you wondering what happened about that little camper that i went to sleep thinking about, well you are just going to have to wait a little longer to find out. Video evidence will be available soon I promise.Stay tunedEm xxx
Setting Foot In New Zealand
Well we made it! It was one long journey getting here, about 30hr of travelling I think, but our feet are finally on NZ soil...and it feels good. Although Em feels like the ground is still moving.The flight wasn’t too bad, there was loads of movies, music and documentaries to keep us entertained and excellent food which even filled me up! Our first meal was prawn cocktail followed by a gorgeous Lamb curry, top off with chocolate cake and cheese and biscuits...oh and don't forget the free booze. We also passed time by playing games against each other, I even got my name at the top of the leader board on one game against the rest of the plane hence I found it quite hard to sleep. Emma on the other hand slept far too easy, mind you she was sprawled out over me and her chair, giving her self that little extra leg room and more ‘horizontalness’!We landed in Auckland midday, but even with our free pair of socks and toothbrush we still had quite a decent aroma to us. It was fairly simple getting through customs...we had our boots and tent checked in BIO-SECURITY, but everything was ok. We got a bus into the centre of Auckland and headed to our apartment, but we didn’t anticipate that Auckland has some quite hilly roads and the 5mins walk took that little bit longer with 30kg on our backs! It was well worth it though as the apartment is really nice, we’re so glad we didn’t have to spend the night in a noisy hostel or at a random persons house, if we had gone with the HelpX option. The apartment has everything we need here...even a washing machine and free powder! We had an early night last night, only popped out to the supermarket to grab some food for tea, and then zap we were gone.We awoke today to find that there had been an earth quake in Christchurch, we’ve seen abit of the local news, it seems pretty bad but people seem ok, we hope our friends down there are ok too. The first thing to sort today was our banking, everything went smoothly, got our EFTPOS cards, one each for our joint account. Banks here are amazing, they have free internet and unlike the UK they don’t have a massive wall of glass between the banker and customers, its all open and its wasn’t busy. Amazing.I got a ton of leaflets from the iSite (visitor centre) and we had a walk around the docks which are really nice, the sea is beautiful, its got that really nice light blue colour to it! We also bobbed over to the Sky Tower and saw someone do the Sky Jump, think we will go up before the weeks done and check out the view.We just had a potter about today really to get a taste of city life in New Zealand, whilst we get over jet lag. We can’t believe how nice the people are here, people in the shops ask how you are and have a nice day etc people in the streets are the same, even the wildlife are friendly we had these little birds eat from our hands as we had lunch.Anyway, we’re going make some tea and head out later I think to see whats going down in the city of sails. Hopefully heading to a car auction tomorrow. Will post back soonLee & Em xxxP.S. Thanks for the messages on the Guestbook, we really love reading them