New Zealand; The North of the North Island

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We had a week to go until the crunch game against Scotland at Eden Park. With so much of the North Island still to explore, we made a decision to focus on the northern coast of the Island and made a promise to ourselves to return and cover the east and west sides on another trip. After airing our much needed clean laundry we set off from just outside Wellington for the long drive straight up the middle of the country to Tauranga on the Bay of Plenty. It was an all day road trip, but it was kept interesting with the awe inspiring snowy volcanic landscapes of the Tongarriro national park. The volcano that was filmed as Mount Doom was especially impressive looming eerily in the distance. It was while thinking about Lord of the Rings that we thought of James (and Claire) and wondered how they were getting on with their own tour of the North Island. We had planned to meet up at some point before the next game to catch up and by some coincidence they were actually free camping in Tauranga, and very nicely offered us a welcoming Chilli con carne on arrival. We sat and chatted the night away in a deserted bayside car park.



It was quite a noisy morning and we soon realised why as we found ourselves parked in the middle of a now packed marine yard where the retired and wealthy were lowering their yatchs down a slipway into the ocean. After deciding to drive in tandem again, we swiftly moved on and stocked up on supplies for our trip around the Coromandel peninsular. After a small stretch of motorway we found ourselves on a lovely coastal stretch of road that lead all the way along the east coast of the Coromandel. We made it just in time to Hot Water Beach as the tide was still out, and this allowed us to enjoy the natural thermal pools that form below the sand. Luckily for us someone had already dug a hole and left early, so we borrowed this one and all put our feet in for a natural foot spa. It took a little digging and manipulation of the sand to get the temperature correct, but once we did, it was very relaxing. We sat in our pool until the incoming tide swept over the sand barrier and we had to evacuate somewhat red footed. After treating our feet we put them back to work and went for a coastal walk from Hahei to Cathedral Cove, it was quite a short walk encompassing a few pretty coves and ending at the confusingly named Cathedral Cove, which looked more like an Archway. We mucked around on the beach and rocks and then headed back to find a campsite. We managed to get into a site with SKY tv, so we settled in with a curry and beers and watched the evening rugby game.



We made a plan to cut off the northern loop of the Coromandel by taking a gravel road cut through. It was tough going and very bumpy but interesting all the same. We stopped off to visit a nice waterfall and pool and eventually rattled our way to Coromandel town and took a look around. For lunch we decided to purchase a kilogram of the famous green lipped Coromandel mussels from the Mussel Kitchen. We stopped just outside Thames and James knocked up a cracking cream and white wine sauce to cook them in. They tasted amazing as we tucked in with our chups and bread to soak up the juice. Now on Claire’s behalf I have to take time here specially to thank Jamie Oliver for the recipe that James used (just in case he ever reads this blog!). After our scrummy lunch, we made our way to Auckland and found ourselves caught in our first traffic jam in our whole time in NZ. It was rush hour, but the traffic was very heavy and reminded us of the roads at home. Auckland is a complete contrast to the rest of the country in terms of size and number of people. We eventually made our way through the traffic and carried on north towards the Bay of Islands.



We planned to stop just outside Whangarei in a Department of Conservation campsite on Bream Bay. When we arrived, we were immediately impressed by the campsite's location right on the beach and picked a secluded spot nearby. We strode along the beach at sunset and made the crazy choice to take an early morning dip in the sea the next day (mainly in order to make the campsite’s cold water shower feel a little warmer). We awoke the next morning somewhat less keen on last night’s idea as New Zealand was just coming out of winter and the South Pacific Ocean is mighty cold anyway. However, James was keen to get his budgie smugglers wet, so we decided to go ahead with it. Let’s just say it was somewhat nippy and I think both of our budgies were trying to hide in their cages when we came out. It did make the cold water shower feel quite warm though. Feeling fresh and wide awake, we set off for Whangarei to organise our visit to the Bay of Islands. We made our plans and headed for Pahia, the main town in the Bay of Islands, where James and Claire booked their Tandem Skydives for the following morning. The weather wasn’t great which was a shame as it hindered the beautiful views of the surrounding shoreline. So after a quick lunch in the back of the van we walked a 10km round trip to a nearby waterfall. We chilled out afterwards at the campsite to try and ease the pre-skydive tension.



It was the morning of J&C’s skydive and they headed off to the airport. We were the official photographers so we had to make our way to the landing point to capture the descent. It was a little cloudy so we kept our fingers crossed that they would be able to make their jump. After waiting a while we caught sight of the tiny plane making a loop through the clouds. The landing marshal let us know that they had made their exit through a cloud window and shortly after we saw their chutes open. They spiralled downwards and safely made their landing on the beach. They were both completely exhilarated with their jump and I think a little relieved to have landed due to the fact that their instructors looked like stoned hippy pensioners. After coming down from the thrill of the morning's activity, we visited the local swimming pool for a swim and shower. We then headed back down to Whangarei and visited another waterfall and the Abbey caves, where we checked out some fascinating glow worms. After another lunch of mussels in creamy white wine sauce we pushed on down to Waiwera and set up camp in the car park of Woody’s Bar. James had earlier accidentally thrown away most of the contents of that night's Mexican dinner, however we made the best of what was left and filled our bellies. We spent the rest of the evening in Woody’s watching Samoa nearly beat South Africa while having a few tasty local beers with a pack of Hell's Angels.



We got up early and headed to our pre-arranged campsite in Auckland to see whether we were able to squeeze J&C’s van on the same pitch as ours. The site was very accommodating and we managed to get both our vans side by side. The site was packed to the rafters and full of English supporters all eagerly awaiting the evening’s big game with Scotland. We headed into Auckland early to check out the city and soak up the atmosphere, we also needed to buy a frame for the skydiving photo we had printed for J&C’s birthdays. After a tiring afternoon walking around the city we headed to my uncle and auntie's apartment for a pre-game drink and meal. Auckland is a big city and without a decent map we found ourselves a little lost. Fortunately a nice off duty taxi driver came to our rescue and dropped us off at the apartment building. It was good to see our family again and we were treated to wine and some smellies they had collected from their posh hotel bathrooms. We had a cracking meal at the Cock and Bull pub while happily watching France getting taken apart by Tonga. We then caught the match day bus to the stadium and excitedly took our seats. The game was another below par performance by England and one which we looked like we were going to lose, which would mean facing the All Blacks in the quarter final. However, with a few minutes to go, England scored and took the lead and the relief from the England fan’s inside the stadium was immense.

We walked home happy as we had topped the group and were due to play the under-performing French in next week's knockout game. We spent the remainder of our last evening in New Zealand together with James and Claire in their campervan finishing off our alcohol. The next morning we cleaned and tidied our little van that had been home for the last month and packed away all our gear. We said our sad farewells to our new friends who were flying home and recycled most of the stuff they had decided to leave behind. We then headed off to the airport a little sad to be leaving New Zealand, but also very excited to be meeting my parents and auntie Val in Sydney.

Beard Update: (Week 4) I now have my first proper beard and feel like a real man. England win again so I decide to keep it and impress my Mum and Dad.

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