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We really have to plan smaller routes now we’re somewhere with windy roads and places of interest more closely packed together - it’s taken us all day driving and photo-taking and we’re still not quite where we ought to be yet! We have promised ourselves that we will restrict ourselves to 2 weeks in the North Island, allowing us 3 weeks in the South as everyone has told us it’s the best, but there is already so much to do and see where we are, I’m sure we’ll renege on our other promise - to rest and relax occasionally!

Our first stop was just up the road at a place called Waipu which still celebrates a Gathering of the Clans, together with Highland Games, every January as this was a place predominantly settled by Scots, although many arrived via Nova Scotia. All the shops were heavy on tartan and thistles. I have to confess to turning my nose up at the most awful beach towel printed to look like a tartan kilt with sporran - although it did remind us of the poor chap who went to Oz to get married and Aussie quarantine wouldn’t let him take his sporran into the country as it was ‘animal matter’ ho ho ho! [Ironically, he was from South Africa of Welsh ancestry.]

We’d come to see the Waipu Caves, and after a 13km drive, most of which was up a dirt track, we arrived. Luckily there were some others there who kindly lent us their torch, as John couldn’t find our one ‘that he’d used only yesterday evening’. (Unfortunately the van etiquette training of ‘putting your stuff away in the same place, so you know where to find it next time you want it’ hasn’t been terribly successful). The caves were huge and go back several hundreds of metres, but we only went a short way in looking for the promised glow-worms, which we didn’t find.

We drove through some really beautiful valleys, saw some dramatic seascapes and waterfalls and past some fantastic beaches. Quite often we’d turn a corner and both say ‘wow!’ at the same time. I got quite excited when I saw the first roadsign warning of Kiwis, but think it’s very doubtful we’ll see one in the flesh as they’re supposed to be very shy and nocturnal to boot.

The countryside consists of high green mountains/hills, wooded in places with trees and tree ferns and agapanthus along the roadways, which must have been wonderful when they were in bloom. There is also a good smattering of pampas grass everywhere which makes me smile - I don’t know whether its indigenous, but like to think it’s because someone planted it in the 70s when it was all the trend, and it got out ...

There are a lot of domesticated animals, cattle and sheep obviously, but we’ve also seen a couple of free range turkey farms. We’ve also seen quite a few ‘wild’ peacocks (something else that must have got out!) - and John’s had a great time twitching. In one area that we drove through, all the properties and farms had dry stone walls, which made it all look very quaint and reminiscent of home.

A little bit of shopping gave us two new pillows and some clothespegs. We need the pegs to keep the curtains closed ... although we have to string a towel up in one place to close the gap!

We found a wonderful spot to spend the night - North Whananaki just by the mouth of a river with a pedestrian bridge across. We arrived in low tide to watch the wading birds (sorry Dani - your olds are definitely getting into this twitching lark!), the horseriders, the golfers on the sand and we just sat and enjoyed the sun shining (John also said there was fantastic light for photography, and proved it by going all arty...!). Later in the evening we braved the bridge again to look at the stars shining brightly down. This is in our top 5 of sites!

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