Blogs from East Coast, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 4

We finally managed to make a decision on where to go so headed to Napier. We stopped briefly in Hastings to see some of the Spanish style buildings in town. However it hadn’t stopped raining since the night before so we weren’t really in the mood for walking around. Instead we headed straight for a campsite to hanker down for the day as the rain wasn’t about to ease up! The following day we headed to Art Deco Napier. It was a bit of a grey day and overcast but at least it had stopped raining. The main town is the only place that is in the Art Deco style along with the sound shell on the seafront, so its really concentrated in one area. We walked around the town to see the beautiful styled buildings ... read more

Sorry been a while since i've been on here. Been on a bit of a road trip. Having left Auckland, i made my way to Mount Maunganui. I stayed there longer than i should. The weather was so nice and the beaches there were amazing! Really nice little cafes, and great walks as well. After that i was in Gisborne. The town it's self was not that impressive, but it had some nice shops, and some great beaches. Again some really good walks. The town is the first place where Captain Cook landed. They seem to be very proud of this fact as there's loads of statues. I've just arrived in Napier now, so i'll probably stay a few days here. ... read more

Our time spent in East coast Temps passe sur la cote Est... read more

In contrast to the busy tourist bus route of the centre of the North Island, New Zealand's East Cape promised to be a venture into the rural, remote, and beautiful culture, lifestyle, and scenery that makes New Zealand unique. The first night was spend in a tiny lodge, boasting the only wild stingray feeding in the world. Unfortunately they had been scared away by a recent storm and would not respond despite the guide standing knee deep in the sea throwing out fish oil for a good hour. The saving grace was, without doubt, an immense barbeque and mussels banquet - apparently costing around $2 per kilo, a fraction of the price and a multiple of the quality found in the UK. Anyway, the real reason I am in New Zealand is (amongst others) to witness ... read more

Friday 3rd April 2009 Despite a day at work, today was still the start of our holiday. We left the dogs and house in the (hopefully) capable hands of Lee, the house sitter, and headed off into the sunset. We got as far as Wellsford before stopping for dinner. Nothing special, we got a foot long sub each (Subway) and drove a bit down Highway 16 to the first lookout. We ate half the sandwich, leaving the other half for lunch the next day. The views are awesome from, and we werent the only ones having dinner there. Another camper van was parked up, and by the looks of it were planning to stay longer than us. We kept going south after dinner to meet Kirin, our couch surfing host for the night. He is one ... read more