1 season in 4 days

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Kia Ora and hello from Aotearoa (New Zealand). As you can probably gather from the title we've been experiencing "weather" in NZ for the last few days. They say it's the country where you can experience 4 seasons in 1 day but we seem to be having just the 1 at the moment and that's rain. Tropical cyclone Funa (yet another cyclone) has been hovering over us for the past few days and treating us to various levels of rain, from downpour to gloomy drizzle, but hey ho, we're still enjoying ourselves.

Landed in Auckland 3 weeks ago and were met by friends Nod (Paul) and Rebecca at the airport. Spent the next four days at their house out at Point Chevalier which was a great base for exploring the city. Saw the key sights; Sky Tower, Kelly Tarlton's Arctic Adventure, Auckland Zoo, One Tree Hill, Mount Wellington, Cornwall Park Beaches and Bays etc and met up with relatives. Had some great meals out, particularly at a Winery on Waiheke Island and enjoyed exploring the city and surrounding Islands before picking up our transport and heading off into the NZ bush.

"The Bear-Mobile" is probably not the size that most people think of when you say camper-van and Noddy and Rebecca were surprised that we were planning to spend 10 weeks in it. However, we've been on the road for 12 nights now and are getting quite used to it. Compact and bijou is the expression or as Tina says "cosy".

Wicked Camper vans advertising ploy is to paint thier vans with crazy pictures so that everyone notices them. For some reason, our one came decorated with Garfield. One side's not too bad but the driver's side has a pink pussy-cat and lots of love hearts on it. I feel quite gay when driving it and keep getting winked at by motorbikers. I felt particulary uncomfortable pulling into the same caravan park as 30 hells angels! (no lie). Tina loves driving it as she enjoys the shouts and waves from other vehicles and men working at the side of the road!.

The van comes equipped with a kitchen unit/sink and gas barbecue cooker in the back, together with floor storage cupboards which form the base of our bed at night. All the caravan parks here have barbecue areas and fully equipped kitchens so we've been coping fine. The trick is to have 2 chilly bins, 1 for food and another, larger 1, for beer.

(Technical detail: we get about 450 k's from a full tank and a full tank costs about NZ$90)

So, anyway back to our travels. We decided to head north from Auckland up the west side to Cape Reinga and then down the East side back to Auckland and then beyond.

So far highlights have included; Waipoua Forest with huge 2,000 year old Kauri Trees, 90 Mile Beach (It's a beach but it's not 90 miles long), Cape Reinga lighthouse (meeting point of Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean), Sand-bording at Te-Paki sand dunes, Mangouni town and Hi Hi beach, Kari Kari Beach, Russell & The Bay of Islands, Historic Keri Keri and Whangarei falls.

We're currently staying in Whangarei hoping that the weather will clear in time for us to go to the Poor Knights Islands tomorrow which is meant to be in the top 5 dive sites in the world.

The scenery is pretty spectacular. Rolling hills to huge primeval forests, deserted coral white sands and jagged moutain ridges, rolling meadows and tumbling rivers. People before have said to me that every corner you drive around is a photo opportunity and that has proved to be the case. We hope that some of the attached photos do it justice.

From here it's our plan to meet with Noddy and Rebecca on Friday in a place called Leigh before heading back through Auckland. Then it's the Coramandel, Rotorua and Lake Taupo. We're due in Wellington for Saturday 9th February for New Zealand v England in the first one day international cricket match. So if you happen to be watching, look out for us. We'll be in fancy dress, ( A big pink pussy cat and a Hell's Angel).

Hope you are all well, coping with January and we will write again soon

D&T x

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Photos

The Bear Mobile
90 Mile Beach - we had about 30 miles to ourselves

Entmoot
Tina and Tane Mahuta (big Kauri tree)

Cape Reinga
A bear with a view

The Lighthouse Family
It's a long walk to London

Sand's up dudes
Sand Boarding at Te Paki

She's a waterfall
Whangarei Falls

Not Britten
A fern

Sunset at Hi Hi
see, you're laughing already

The Captain's log
Kari Kari beach again