5th March Waiheke Our final day in Auckland before embarking Queen Victoria So an early morning ferry ride to Waiheke Island, but first we had to reach the ferry terminal in the CBD. Whoops!!! Nobody had told us about the Bay run where thousands of fun runners were gathering to take part for a jog round the harbour! Loads of roads closed but our erstwhile chauffeur (JP) found a car park for the short walk to the ferry. Meeting up with the Paines friends, Jan & John we set out for the short ferry ride to the island. Waiheke lies in the Hauraki Gulf which stretches from Auckland and the Coromandel peninsula. There are some 47 islands administered by the DOC (Department of Conservation). As you ferry out you pass Rangitoto, joined by a causeway with ... read more

1st March Rotorua The trip from Napier took us across more spectacular countryside, with very few townships and even fewer petrol stations. Fill up before you leave any big town!!!. We bypassed Taupo before heading into Rotorua for a few days to be chauffeured by John and have a couple of days respite from Doris (our nagging Sat nav) The hotel was close on Sulphur Lake but with all the amenities close by. 2nd March Lake Taupo and surrounds New Zealand's largest lake, sits in a caldera that began erupting some 300,000 years ago. This lake and surrounding waterways attract fishing enthusiasts from all over. Our first stop was the Huka Falls on the Waikato river, New Zealand's longest, fed from Lake Taupo the Falls crash on to the Aratiatia Rapids another place for adrenaline junkies. ... read more

New Plymouth to Gisborne 24th February Up early and on the road at 7am Now Doris (our Sat Nav) wasn't quite awake and as we went down the east side of Mt Taranaki she wanted to take us back to Dawson Falls. Mind you Mt Taranaki looked beautiful with the sun rising on her. We'd chosen to go South towards Palmerston North before passing through the Manawatu Gorge and turning North for the run up to Gisborne. With Doris now awake we headed down to Hawera, now don't expect too much stopping on this route. For instance Hawera's listed highlights include an Elvis Presley museum which houses over 10,000 of the kings records and a mind boggling collection of memorabilia!!! Apparently a good pit stop to stretch your legs, onwards to Whanganui which we easily bypassed ... read more

Bay of Islands to Auckland Left Paihia after a pleasant few days, we are back for one day only on March 7th so hope to do the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi. Before leaving we stopped at the Hurura Falls, we had rowed to these in a Maori war canoe a couple of years ago. Anyway, onward down the West coast of Northland first of traversing the spine of the Northland passing through some spectacular scenery and the townships of Kaikohe, Taheke, Waima before coming upon Opononi with more scenery of huge sand dunes that surround Hokianga Harbour, the fourth biggest in the country. This area remains underdeveloped, just how the locals like it. But for how long!!! From here it's a drive down through the Waipoua and Kauri forests, the forests boast some of the largest ... read more

Bay of Islands 15th March Auckland to Whangarei Day 1 After leaving Auckland on the 14th, Valentine's Day, we had to look for accommodation for the night. We headed towards Waipu, a small township just off Highland 1 in Bream Bay. This was the settlement of over 800 Highlanders who arrived here under the guidance of the Presbyterian minister Norman McLeod. They arrived here in the 1850s after leaving Scotland following the Clearances, they came the long way round via Nova Scotia and Australia. A highlight of Waipus calendar are the annual Highland games held in the New Year. We needed accommodation so headed a bit further North to the town of Wharangei, visiting the Isite (Tourist Board info) just on the outskirts of town. This is when we found there wasn't much accommodation to be ... read more