http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Oceania , New Zealand , North Island , Auckland en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:06:48 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:06:48 UTC Motorhome News from New Zealand 7 30th November 2008Wellington Wanganui Taupo Taumarunui Stratford New Plymouth Hamilton AucklandReturning to North Island for more mountains volcanoes and old friends. The clock is ticking ever faster now. The rhythm rising a notch each day as we approach the end of our journey through New Zealand. That's how it is with holidays isn't it. As sprin http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-350995.html Well here I amI left Wales on the 9th December 2007 but only now do I get the chance to really get the travelling boots on and 'get amongst it' as we'd say back in Swansea.After a brief wet and sticky stopover in Singapore I and the family spent the best part of DecJan in Australia based mainly in Sydney with a brief but memorable trip up to Fraser Island and some time spent in the Blue Mou http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Central/blog-350850.html Hello all for the last time from beautiful New Zealand. We are once again in Auckland city where for the thrid time last night we crashed and landed in transit. We have been here for a day of laundry and chores in order to organise ourselves to leave for Fiji tomorrow at ridiculous o clock otherwise known as 5 am.The week that has been since I last wrote has been one of the best if not the http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Central/blog-350825.html After 4 months in South America we had become accostomed to speaking bad Spanish everyday in Brazil we had hidden our valuables in secret money belts in Peru and Bolivia we had got used to carrying toilet paper around with us everywhere we went being stared at worrying about being scammed or mugged and being called 'gringo' had become normal. So when Luke left his bag with all his valuables http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Central/blog-350211.html Well here we are passing time at the Auckland Airport bored to death while waiting for our plane. Plane ride from Palmy was good Mum just kept pretending it was just a bumpy bus. We even made it tothe airport on time how impressive is thatChristmas decorations are prettybut nothing compared to what they will be when we get to Europe. Everything is overpriced but i guess we will have http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-349847.html After nearly a whole year later than I planned I arrived in Auckland and have been able to catch up with my old school mate from Pewsey School Dan. Since I was in Oz over a year ago Dan has been expecting me in Auckland but I have been pushing the date further and further back due to unforeseen circumstances. I told him I would be there in March and then June July etc I kept pushing back the da http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Mount-Eden/blog-349807.html I've finally made it to New Zealand Yesterday after I arrived I was walking around town with a huge silly grin on my face. That's how excited I am to be here My journey here was pretty interesting as well I flew out of Dubai at 1030 pm on wed 26th and finally got into Auckland friday morning at 11. Whew a long couple days of traveling. The Dubai airport was a ZOO So many lines to http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-349575.html 'You'll smell it before you see it' is what we'd read about Rotorua and boy they weren't kidding The place is one of the most thermally active area in all of NZ and when you're downwind of it all you can smell is rotten eggs due to all the sulphur in the air. We visited WaiOTapu an amazing thermal park full of crazy coloured lakes bubbling mud pools and the famous Lady Xnox Geyser that go http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Mount-Eden/blog-349463.html ...hits the ground running buys some football boots gets buried by jetlag zaps to the south a zoom to the north... Yep it's the obligatory tripbackforamateswedding. Almost an essential part of any selfrespecting OE this involves a return to the land of one's fathers for a manic 2 to 3 weeks of frantically seeing everyone followed by a wedding. I however chose to avoid all this and go on a http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Parnell/blog-348941.html Well since the last entry some slight problems arose... we missed our Virgin Blue flight from Cairns to Auckland because they didn't change their flights for daylight savings and Sarah didn't get the notification when they did. The first lady was somewhat of a btch but the other took pity and politely booked us into the flight for the next day. I think my tears got us out of the 80 charge. Whil http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-348875.html So we fell asleep last night to a wet windy and rainy Auckland. We woke this morning to that same Auckland so decided to have a lowkey laundry day.After dropping off our laundry at a nearby laundry service we walked around the central business district a bit and the KrsquoRoad area. This is a bar area of Auckland complete with some interesting shops. We popped into an army surplus store a http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Central/blog-348752.html The Beginnings of a Voyage of Self DiscoverySayonara Hull and Hello world These are the Voyages of Magic Murphy ldquoa Gorilla with attitude plus a banana earringrdquo his adopted human Jaim and his travel buddy Nadine.They say the longest journey starts with a single step but for me it seems like 10 million steps just to get to the jumping off point.For the sake of completeness and in ca http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Central/blog-348704.html Hello all once again from Auckland where we very tiredly arrived on a bus full of very whacked looking travellers most of whom at the end of their magic trail and ready for a rest or some about to take a flight home to another country. For us our arrival into Auckland it is a stop gap a quick clotheswashing fix a twin room at our hostel in order to get some good shuteye fingers cross http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-348386.html Drei Monate in der FerneAnfangs mchten wir uns ganz herzlich bei euch fr die lieben Briefe Eintrge und emails bedanken die wir in den vergangenen Monaten erhalten habenMan lebt sich ein und gewhnt sich an die Vor und Nachteile am Leben in der Stadt. Mittlerweile haben wir ein Stamm Caf und einmal pro Woche besuchen wir ein Vegetarisches Restaurant. Wir wissen nun auch wo man europ http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Central/blog-348265.html Auckland City of Sails Thursday 20th November 2008This is our third night in Auckland and our verdict is that itrsquos a great city. Leaving Fiji with its bure huts coral beaches and simple lifestyle and then just three hours later arriving in such a vibrant modern city has been quite a surreal experience. We arrived at lunchtime on Tuesday and spent over two hours between landing and get http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Central/blog-347974.html Day 6 Wednesday 19th NovemberWe have an early start this morning up at 5.00 to get organised and onward to the airport for 6.30. Our taxi driver is quietly courteous and efficient. Unfortunately our high regard for Melbourne Airport immigration officers is completely undermined by their departure security officials curt lacking communication skills and unhelpful. The first official reprim http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Devonport/blog-347960.html went to Grey Lynn festival today was great fun had a music stage but we didnt really see it loads of stalls D im good i didnt spend any money on unnecessary stuff i only bought food which was yummy was lush just to sit out on the grass with everyone in the sun with a couple of monteiths summer ales buy them if you can theyre soooo goood got burnt but hey who cares so relaxing mm http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-347701.html left home exactly 2 months ago todayanother local week this week we were on Mount Albert on mon and fri and in North Shore tues thursteam Dan me Adam Charlotte i requested them for my birthday week Taz Matthias 21 germany Hosung Sascia Kate welsh onemon mount albert pulling out montpellier broom thistles privet etc. only did about 2.5hrs as we strated late and finished early http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/North-Shore/blog-347700.html local week again this week team Jenny team leader 26 really nice was from manchester but came out here to travel when 18 loved it and moved out here....might be me in the future... me Tom Tracy 41 Carlisle Hosung 24 Korea Taz Kengo Kordi.mon oakley creek this was my first ever day of work in New Zealand all that time ago was good going back and seeing the difference we had made http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-347697.html Heres to final chapter of our four wonderful weeks in New Zealand. I have to whisper this in case Nancy is listening but l am sure she stated perhaps under the influence of alcohol that she would after seeing the country that if she had to she would consider the possibility of travelling back to this beautiful country. I am not sure that she would say this in the cold light of sober.So what in http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-347680.html If yoursquore RVing in a camper van renting a car and staying in hotels or just poking around Auckland yoursquoll find water every where. Surrounded by water the lsquoCity of Sailsrsquo has much to offer those who like boats maritime history or just plain sea life.Near the Ferry Berth on Quay and Hobson Streets the New Zealand Maritime Museum covers Kiwi maritime history from t http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-347656.html Here we are in north Island Looking forward to our next lot of adventures but not looking forward to it all coming to an end as time just seems to be flying by. Loved South Island and have been told that north is totaly different so we shall see.Wednesday 29th OctoberWe arrived on North Island safely but had a bit of a do when we arrived as everywhere was full and we couldn't really get out into t http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Central/blog-347611.html Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the the bowlines. Sail away from the safe habour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.Mark Twain http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-347334.html 30th October 2008AuklandHad bit of a nightmare journey to Aukland. My original morning flight from Hamilton Island to Brisbane had been cancelled before I left England and Qantas had rerouted me from Hamilton to Cairns to Brisbane to connect with my Aukland flight. This would have been fine and it wasn't too harsh to be flying backwardds and forwards over the Barrier Reef. Unfortunately the Bri http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-347294.html AUCKLAND NEW ZEALANDWelcome to Aotearoa land of the long white cloud New Zealand We are here We flew from Manila to Singapore to Auckland and arrived here on October 20th. Immediately we encountered the famous Kiwi hospitality. Grant who was sitting beside us on the plane drove us from the airport to our hostel Fabulous kindness Thank you Grant And thank you Betty and Bruno for recomme http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-347281.html As most of you know but I'm sure some still do not two weeks ago I was forced to make a hasty exit from my cushy little life in Scotland and undertake a 40 hour journey to get myself to Auckland. I had 10 hours between receiving the phone call telling me I had to leave and leaving the hostel to catch a train to the bus which would get me to the airport in Glasgow in time for my flight.To cut a http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-347145.html Hi thereThanks for feedback on Carlisle PaulaThis stay east of Auckland was just a one night stand because as we have said we decided to go up to the Bay of Islands for a bit of extra time. Can we say at this point and l have Nancy's permission to say so that we could quite easily spend another 4 weeks in NZ and stll not do the place justice.Anyway this park was quite small and largely filled wi http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-346783.html We have had a fantastic variety of experiences over the last 36 hours. We spent our last morning in Hollywood in the sweltering heat looking around the shops. Then really smooth organisation got us to the airport then to Auckland for 5.30 this morning and luckily into a room for a nap. The only hiccup was a diplomatic incident involving Sylvia's walking boots. They were declared muddy and http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Central/blog-346391.html The last three build days were different than the rest because the team broke up into our home stays. Our host families were charming and considerate hosts. Thursday saw the completion of the roof insulation and preinspection electrical. Brad Bill and Mike worked on the water drainage system. Kirk made many scenic runs to the quarry and offered tours to overworked team members to view the http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/Takanini/blog-346338.html