Northland to Auckland

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Since our last update....we then went to KeriKeri which houses NZs oldest building(s) - 150 years old!
We also went to matauri bay where the (greenpeace) rainbow warrier is sunk - and now a popular dive site.
From there we went to whangaroa harbour and climbed "st paul", which is volcanic plug and a steep 100m ascent up. there is also another one on the other side of the bay called st peter but we gave it a miss!. we then headed to cape reianga which is where you get to the northern most point of the north island, theres a lighthouse and some great views. we could also see to ninety mile beach (actually 62 miles long) and considered part of state highway 1!!! there was also lots of other nice sandy beaches and big sand dunes around which we also visited. one which is longer than 90mile but only considered a leagal road (not highway).
we then went into the kauri forest. lots of huge kauri trees, we visited the biggest, tane mahota (god of the forest) 51.5m, and the 2nd biggest (although is wider), te matua ngahere (farther of the forest) 29.9m, and the "4 sisters" - an unusual group for a small space. they reckon that they're about 2000 years old. after matt rally drove us out of the forest we then made our way to kai iwi lakes - 3 lakes made of inland sand deposits and very rare. we also visited the kauri museum which was chainsaw heaven (in both ways). loads of other saws and stuff about trees and examples of furniture and stuff. also kauri gum (like amber) which has been polished and made into jewellery etc. one guy had donated his 834 pieces he collected. its a lot more interesting than it sounds. honest.
after this we visited 'sheepworld', oh yes. here they did some demos inc. dogs sorting the sheep, sheep shearing. i had to sort some sheep thru gates which was really difficult. i bet you're all jealous of the exciting lives we're leading! they also had lots of other animals etc.
the weather started to pick up and we also went to a couple of beaches. matt swam for the 1st time in NZ sea. i was sensible and avoided the frostbite.
we also caught the ferry to a native bird sanctuary (predator free), tiri tiri matangi. loads of rare birds etc being brought back from extinction. we had great weather so they were all out and about - tuis, saddlebacks, white birds, robins etc etc. also saw a takahe - big none flying bird that is very very rare. this was one of the last outings we had with our van b4 we gave back (after 3 hours cleaning!). we then went to hamilton (2hrs south of auckland) for a week staying with the fishs. we also went with them to their beach house back on the coromandel for a couple of days. had a lovely time with them. visited the sights of hamilton inc the art gallery/museum, the gardens etc etc. it was nice to relax after all our travels in van (and to be in a proper bed).
from hamilton we then went onto Auckland (we stayed in nearby suburb of parnell). did all the cultural stuff - art gallery, museum - where we saw a maori performance inc a haka, gardens. we also went up the skytower to see the panoramic views over the city (which is HUGE and stretches from one coast of NZ to the other). decided against a 'skyjump' mainly because it was $190 for 16secs!! but we saw some others jumping off. dont think we missed much!
we walked up mount eden (knackering) which is an extinct volcano and saw other great views of auckland. we also went to kelly tarltons aquarium (and "antartic experience"), which had lots of cool fish and stingrays and sharks etc.
we also just wandered round the city, and were asked directions from a taxi driver!!
are last day in auckland was the longest day of our lives. we were up about 8.30am and are flight wasnt until 7.30pm. but we landed in LA at 10.30am on the same day! with very little sleep on the plane cos it was so uncomfortable. we then spent about 1 1/2 hrs going thru security to get onto our flight to San Fran. we were then met by our lovely wonderful friends, and were up until about 2am, after chatting etc etc. just 38 1/2 hr day then....
lotsa love from the USA

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