Day 116 to 122 Glow worm caves, the Bay of Islands and the City of Sails

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We’d been told of some fantastic glow worm caves at Waitomo, so we headed off debating how best to see them. Sounds strange but there are several ways to view the caves, boat abseiling and ‘black water rafting’. We both fancied the latter, but as we approached we changed our minds as we didn’t want an injury to spoil the rest of our trip- so the boat it was. A young lad led us (along with a few others) into a cave, quite interesting but then we got into a boat in silence, in the dark and drifted into the underwater caverns, then wow! a spectacular display of glow worms all over the roof of the cave….quite magical. We didn’t get a picture, no photography allowed, so Kim photographed the brochure, and just has to photo-shop us in!



After driving for so many days we decided to head to a beautiful place and stay there, well for a couple of days anyway. We picked the Bay of Islands, a 5 hour drive from where we were but, then we promised ourselves we would stay put. It was an easy journey up along highway 1 through Auckland and you can view both the Tasman sea on the West and the Pacific Ocean on the East coast. Piahia was our initial destination and the first thing we did was book a boat trip out into the beautiful bay (of islands) to not only see but also potentially swim with dolphins.



The morning of the boat trip was wet and overcast, but armed with Stugeron we boarded the boat with about 70 others. The sea was quite rough and we had an exciting ride, the sun broke through and we could then see the beautiful islands dotted about the bay, but no dolphins yet. The boat we were on also delivered the mail, so we got to see some great isolated houses on the many islands. Across the bay we headed for Brett’s lighthouse and an unusual rock with a large hole in it. After lining the boat up several times, the captain took the boat through the rock! Quite a feat. Back across the bay, still no dolphins, we landed on Urupuka Island and had a walk up a hill for a fabulous view of the bay. Back on board we were all set the task of sighting dolphins, but still no luck… they were not out to play today so we were offered another trip, and another chance.



Just across from Paihia, a short car ferry ride away is Russell, it’s still on the mainland but takes an incredibly long drive without the ferry. Russell was apparently infamous as a rest & recreation stop for the whaling ships in the early 1800s. there were many grog shops and ‘dancing girls’ so it became known as a ‘hell hole’. Today it’s a gorgeous little town, with the oldest church in NZ which has bullet holes in the sides! We found a lovely campsite with a view of the bay.



Another reason for coming to this area was to catch up on some NZ history. This area, Waitangi, was home to the famous Waitangi treaty, between the British and the Maori Chiefs. Sold by the British as a sovereignty agreement, the translation has since been challenged many times, indicating the two sides did not sign up to the same agreement. However now there is a really good museum on the site. We had a terrific Maori tour guide, who talked us through the characters involved in the treaty the British ambassadors/governors and the chiefs of many Maori tribes. A cultural show was also included in the museum entrance, and I proudly announce that Kim made an excellent chief in the show… we knew his acting talents would come in handy sometime! Those Maori are really scary close up!



Before we left the Bay of Islands we decided to have another try at swimming with dolphins with our free ‘go again voucher’. So we boarded again, this time on a sunny afternoon, had a glorious trip around the bay, through the hole in the rock. Watching seals and albatross…. and yes!....still no dolphins!



Way back at the beginning of our trip we met a lady from Auckland who invited us to stay with her when we eventually got there. Well a tentative phone call and we were bowled over by her generosity, and enthusiasm for us to stay with her, so we did! She lived about 30 minutes south of Auckland, and we assumed we’d get public transport into the city, but no! we were told that New Zealanders don’t use public transport!, the train service is slow and expensive. So the following day we left our beautiful accommodation in the suburbs and drove into the city. However, parking was also not easy for a camper, but luckily Kim has a parking angel, which we needed! We did a walking tour along the harbour, into the university area, saw some nice Victorian merchant’s houses and other buildings surrounding Albert Park. We did a little shopping then headed over to Davenport a delightful seaside town only 12 minutes across the bay on a ferry. Here we could walk up one of the many extinct volcanoes (Mount Victoria), and have a different perspective of Auckland. You can certainly see why it’s called the City of Sails I have never seen such a huge marina, it was lovely watching all the boats buzzing and sailing around the bay.



The following day, it was time to say goodbye to our lovely host Susan, and also drop off our trusty camper. Having booked a motel near the airport we popped back into Auckland for the afternoon for one last visit on the bus. A very kind benefactor (Abi’s friend’s mum) who we never got to meet arranged for us to have free tickets up the Skytower 328 meters high above Auckland we had great views of the bay, the harbour and also the many volcanoes (aprox 50) that surround Auckland. There were 2 viewing platforms, where the true NZ need for exhilarating experiences is demonstrated. You can either walk around the rim of the Skytower – yes on the outside 328 meters up! Or why not jump off it? Attached to a wire that takes you to a target below. I’d like to tell you we embraced the moment and did both ….but we didn’t! Instead we decided to end our trip to NZ with some culture and took ourselves to the lovely little Civic Theatre for a dramatization of ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’, getting us nicely in the mood for the USA later in our trip.



Our tour through New Zealand has surpassed our expectations, with its friendly people, stunning scenery, and wildlife. We thought after our backpacking we would be taking it easier in the camper, but with so many things to see we could have done with double the time. We have driven over 4100 kilometres over the 4 weeks and although we seemed to be driving all the time, we don’t think we could have done anything differently to ensure we saw as much as we have.

Just as we settle in New Zealand we now fly off to a remote Polynesian island - Raratonga.

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Photos

Uretti beach
on route north of Auckland

Glow worms in the cave
photo from the brochure!

James Busby's House
British representative who helped set up the treaty, Museum of Waitangi

Being welcomed at leader of my 'tribe'
feeling overdressed for the part!

Maori show
Museum of Waitangi

Comments

[christine]

glow worms
We werent alowed to take photos either we thought they were amazing too.

[Lesley Mcmahon]

Hi
You both look so well Nz looks like a fantastic place! Don't think I would be walking outside that tower xx