Pulling the curtains aside and seeing absolutely clear skies, it was, “Oh beauty”, however, upon setting out after breakfast, a fog occurred from out of nowhere, reducing visibility to 50m or less. We ‘drove-out-of-it’ after about 30kms as we headed to our destination of Castlepoint on the eastern coast of the North Island. It is enough to say that wherever you travel in NZ the countryside is lush and scenic. Literally minutes after turning-off at Masterton for the coast the saturated and still flooded fields both sides of the road were in evidence. Things were to become worse. The streams had become rivers and the rivers had become raging torrents during the recent cyclone and infrastructure damage was clearly visible. Tall cornfield crops still had water to half of their height, farmhouses with mudlines a third ... read more

As we set off we were mentally prepared for an overcast rain filled day. However, as we slowly winded our way south the skies cleared and the rain ceased. The higher we went the stronger and colder became the wind. We followed the undulating highway 30 through scenic cattle filled lush countryside. From just before Atiamuri we drove high above the mighty Waikato River stopping where we were able to take a few photos and to walk some of the trails, one which included numerous stairs beside the highway which we climbed to be rewarded by sensational views. Through the Hydro village of Whakamaru and onto highway 32 keeping Lake Taupo to the east of us. Highways 47 and 48 took us into the Tongariro National Park, a place at high altitude, barren landscape and cold. ... read more

After a confusing start due to road works and road closures we finally freed ourselves from the metropolis of Maunganui-Tauranga and hit the countryside roads but not before we fell victim to a Toll Road due to road closures before the Toll. Deliberate I’d say! We followed the long Kohioawa Beach to our first stop, Matata where we had a coffee and shared half a muffin each and enjoyed the small community. Our NZ neighbour back in Perth, Ron Hardie, is from Kawerau and as that was not many kays from Matata we headed there. It is home to the Tasman Pulp Paper Mill. We watched some of the action from the side of the road. Our biggest surprise while exploring Kawerau was coming across the huge Ron Hardie Recreation Centre named after our neighbours Dad. ... read more

After a healthy breakfast we set off on foot down Maunganui Road with three aims in mind … find a watchmaker to replace a pin on the band of my watch … find an atm to withdraw cash to exchange for $2 coins for the laundry … to see the sights. All three achieved, with the walk continuing from the footpaths to the long, wide Mt Maunganui Beach, Moturiki Island and The Mount Main Beach. Surfers, paddle boarders and hydrofoilers were in abundance and enjoying great wave rides. There were many English tourists in town and on the beach as they had been watching the NZ v Eng 1st cricket Test at Mt Maunganui … England won. We struck up conversation with a delightful English couple whilst on Moturiki Island. They have migrated to NZ and ... read more

After a relaxing and enjoyable 2 day stay at Kinloch it was time to move on. We were ‘just-going-to-drive-and-see-what-tickled-our-fancy’. Before we departed a friend had sent us a photo of a place they had visited and enjoyed. We made note of it but were not going to seek it out. More of that to come. Our first fancy tickler was Aratiatia Rapids. We deviated off the beaten track and eventually found them … well, we found huge rocks, boulders, a gorge and rock pools. No rapids … until we heard a siren … the hydro electric dam up stream was letting water through. We headed to the viewing position above the gorge and waited and watched as the water rapidly cascaded down and over the boulders and rocks … rapids created. Onto highway 5 and Rotorua ... read more