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Published: March 11th 2011
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Up for breakfast at around 07:30, another sunny day
Breakfast is included in our package so we make the most of it. We also have a late check-out for 12:00, but being as we have the day planned we decide to check out early. We pack up the car and head off.
Firstly we make for Kerikeri to look at he "Stone House" alongside the Kerikeri river. The house is the oldest stone building in NZ, and contains items that would have been bartered in earlier times such as blankets and muskets.
We then head off to Haruru Falls, Gary and I were considering a walk from the falls back to the Waitangi Treaty House, but it will take about 2 hours and 40 minutes and we do not have the time to spare.Gary stopped at some of the motor home camp parks, to give us some idea of the stops prior to us picking up our motorhome on Sunday
We head off to catch the ferry to Russell that lies across the Bay of Islands. Russell has a chequered history, but was capitol of NZ for one year in 1840.Russell is a quaint little place, with a lot of
white colonial type building, We spent some time walking along the front and stopped for coffee at a waterside restaurant. We then headed back to the car park to start our way back to Auckland. In the car park is a motorhome from the same company that we are hiring from, Tracey goes across to ask if it is a 4-berth, and both Tracey and Diane end up having a look around it!
We decide to to cut across westerly to Opononi, and head down the west (Kauri) coast to take in the Kai Iwi Lakes.We head off and drive for some time before we turn a corner and hit Opononi. This is really a stunning sight as there is a huge sand dune in the distance and a inlet from the sea, which is turquoise blue - very picturesque and a real photo stop.
As we have driven the scenery has constantly change from long straight roads to winding hill roads, from bush that looks like rain forest to high forests.We carry on going south along the Kauri Coast towards Dargaville. We came across a Kauri tree that is the oldest in NZ, and has been around
for some 2000 years ( It was starting off at around the time Jesus Christ was about!!). The tree is about 14m in girth around the trunk and 52 metres high. Taking photographs of the tree does not really do it justice as there is nothing to relate to the scale of things.- Awesome!
We carry on driving and come to Kai Iwi Lakes, which turn out to be a bit of a disappointment - not very picturesque. The largest of the three lakes has a campsite at its end - but it is not the kind of site that Di and I will be looking to stay on when we are in our motorhome. We carry on and eventually come to Dargaville, but it looks like it is half-day closing in Dargaville as there is no one around. We carry on south towards Brynderwyn to pick up highway 1 to Auckland
We are later than planned in returning home. Tracey had planned to barbeque kebabs for dinner, but it is too late to start firing up the barbie. We decide on an Indian takeaway - based on the fact that it is the only place left open. We
phone in the order and Gary and I go to pick it up.We are all hungry and tired, and after eating watching a DVD, we call it a day. I am tired, so I don't know how Gary must feel as he has done all the driving!!
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Candy
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Come relax in Opononi!
We hope you come back and stay in the Hokianga again sometime. You can check out the happenings at WaiotemaramaFalls.com He kone ra