Rochelle

KiwiRochelle

Rochelle

Me, Rochelle, the homeschooling mum (also known as mom),
Neil, the plant biologist and golfer,
Elizabeth, the competitive gymnast,
Samuel, the lego addict.



Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland October 8th 2012

We wanted to make the most of the short time we had left in NZ, so we left Parakai early and went out to Murawai Beach which was close by. Murawai is one of Auckland’s west coast surf beaches. It is such a beautiful place to visit. It has rough surf, a long stretch of black sand, sand dunes, and native bush. Luckily for us, it was not summertime so we didn’t have problems with burning our feet on the black sand (childhood memories!). There is a gannet colony there which you can walk to from the beach if the tide is out. If the tide is in, you need to drive up to the lookout area. We timed it perfectly as the tide was out when we got there so we got to do the ... read more
Murawai
Murawai
Murawai

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland October 7th 2012

Neil had to be up at 7am this morning as he was heading off for a game of golf with John all the way down near Hamilton. It was hard for him to be up so early after a late night out! He’s still not sure if giving up a sleep-in when on holiday is worth it for a game of golf. Mum, Elizabeth, Samuel, and I drove out to North Head on Auckland's North Shore. North Head, a volcanic cone, is a historic reserve with tunnels, guns, searchlights and other fortifications. It was used as a defense site and lookout for centuries, first for Maori and later for Europeans. It was set up as a defence fort in the late 1800s to defend Auckland from a possible Russian attack. It was later expanded during World ... read more
North Head
North Head
North Head

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland October 6th 2012

It was still pouring down when we woke up. We were worried because we had planned to go to Rainbows End today (an outdoor amusement park). No need to worry; rain here can clear up in an instant. One minute it was pouring down and the sky was grey, the next minute the rain had stopped and the sky was blue! Our plan for Rainbow’s End was back in action. On the way out from the campground, we had to stop and explore the little beach across the road. We didn’t stay long because of the wind! This is one super windy spot. We went off to Rainbows End which is in Manukau (South Auckland). It was lucky we found it; signage was not very clear. We were early enough to find a good parking spot ... read more
Rainbows End
Rainbows End
Rainbows End

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Waikato October 5th 2012

This morning we enjoyed walking around the kiwi house and native bird park. We had a great view of a kiwi in the nocturnal house. It was an amazing experience to see it foraging for food up so close. Unfortunately I couldn’t get a photo because it was too dark and I couldn’t use my flash. We also saw tuataras and geckos. We learned that the tuatara was around before dinosaurs! It was lots of fun to walk through the huge aviary where we were surrounded by native birds in their natural rainforest habitat. A tui entertained us with its territorial behaviour keeping other birds away from its food treats. One of the Red-Crowned Kakariki , by the name of Sam, was very friendly and climbed on our hands and arms. Another highlight for us was ... read more
Kiwi House and Bird Park
Kiwi House and Bird Park
Kiwi House and Bird Park

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » New Plymouth October 4th 2012

We woke up to the sound of rain and sheep baaing this morning. It didn’t take long for the rain to clear up; although it did drizzle off and on over the morning. E & S got to help their Auntie Vicki bottle feed the lambs, put some food out for the chooks, and pet the sheep. This was the highlight of their visit to New Plymouth! After all this, Elizabeth and Vicki had a jam session on the piano, while Samuel, back in his element, built with lego. More sad farewells as we had to leave New Plymouth today to fit in our other planned stops. The coastal drive from New Plymouth to Waitomo District was very scenic. We stopped briefly in Mokau. The beaches here look very wild and windswept. There is driftwood all ... read more
New Plymouth
New Plymouth
New Plymouth

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Manawatu » Levin October 3rd 2012

Some more rain in the night but it did fine up in the morning. We took E & S and their cousin Isobel to Levin’s Adventure Park for the morning. We treated ourselves to some Kiwiana for morning tea; custard squares and lamingtons. After the playground, it was off for a game of mini golf, a quick lunch and sad farewells as we said goodbye to family. Our new destination was New Plymouth to visit one of Neil’s sisters, Vicki, and her husband John. We also had to stop for ice creams on the drive. Neil wanted to savour a flavour he had forgotten all about while living in Canada; Boysenberry. Delicious! We arrived in New Plymouth in time for a delicious NZ feast Vicki had prepared for us; roast lamb, roast vegetables (potatoes, kumara, parsnip), ... read more
Levin
Levin
Levin

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington Region » Porirua October 2nd 2012

To start the day off, we tried connecting to the internet. We got a connection but it was very slow. Trying to post a daily travel blog with photos is extremely difficult to do in NZ! After a while we gave up because it was eating up too much time. We drove into Porirua to go to the Adrenelin Forest. This is where they have a multilevel aerial obstacle course. Samuel was only tall enough to do course 1 and 2, but Elizabeth could do as many as she wanted. Neil, Elizabeth and Samuel all took to the trees, while I stayed on the ground to be photographer. Each participant is responsible for their own safety and must keep themselves attached to the wires at all times using two carabiners to do so. Samuel loved it! ... read more
Porirua - Adrenalin Forest
Porirua - Adrenalin Forest
Porirua - Adrenalin Forest

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Rotorua October 1st 2012

A bonus of this campground is that campers don’t have to wait for the hot pools to open up. Campers can access them any time in the morning. We took advantage of this and spent the morning relaxing in the wonderful thermal hot springs, enjoying pleasant surroundings, and no crowds. From there we went on to Wai-O-Tapu thermal wonderland. We were there in time to see the Lady Knox Geyser erupting. It was fun to watch but at the same time disappointing because the geyser doesn’t erupt naturally. The staff put some soap powder into it to get it to erupt at a set time each day. After watching the geyser we walked around the extensive grounds and viewed all the attractions; sinter terrace formations, volcanic craters, steaming ground and hot springs, all in a forest ... read more
Rotorua
Rotorua
Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Rotorua September 30th 2012

We woke up to the sound of Pukekos. They were busy running all around the camp grounds. The campground had its own boiling mud pools, and it had hot mineral pools. The river running alongside it had steam coming from it too. You could see steam coming from people’s yards that backed onto the camp ground as well. Imagine having your own natural hot pool in your back yard! Elizabeth, Samuel and I all made sure we enjoyed the luxury of soaking in the camp’s hot mineral pools before check out time! The day turned out to be hot and sunny. We went and did the walking track to Okere Falls. We saw some people doing rafting down the river and over the falls. It was fun to watch them. After Okere Falls, we went to ... read more
Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Coromandel September 29th 2012

Yay, the clouds are lifting and the sun is making its appearance. Samuel really wanted to play in the sea again before moving on, so Elizabeth and Neil decided to join him. The three of them had fun in the waves, while I had fun keeping dry and doing the watching. It was beautiful to relax on the beach and enjoy the views, while listening to the song of the Tui. We checked out of the campsite and went on to where the walk to Cathedral Cove starts. The great thing about travelling here at this time of year is that it is not busy. We found a campervan park easily. It would be hard to do in summer time! The walk through the forested trail was mostly pleasant except for some super muddy patches. The ... read more
Hahei Beach
Hahei Beach
Whitianga




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