Blogs from Cape Reinga, Northland, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 5

Cape Reinga 26th November 2008 We drove up (on the road rather than 90 mile beach, as Erica wasn't really up to that), but the journey was pretty awful. Much of the road is unsealed to Cape Reinga, but this is all changing and it is being sealed - unfortunately for us, we hit all the road works. It's pretty different to the way we would do it in the UK - we would cone off one half of the road at a time, allowing traffic on the side not being worked on - notout here! No such safety nonsense - let's work on the road and make the traffic dodge around us and through the bits we are digging up - YEAH! Great fun - I don't think! Poor Erica - talk about shake rattle ... read more

tues - another hell early start today (6.20am) to get the bus up to Cape Reinga, well worth that time though!!! again, loads of stops on the way up, stopped in Mangonui on a Maori Pah to look out over Doubtless Bay. then on up to Kauri Kingdom to a gumdiggers park where they used to dig up 45000yr old kauri roots for the gum to sell. was amazing, there were 2 whole forests of huge kauri buried there, the first was buried from an iceage, the 2nd they think was from a huge tsunami. this was also the place where the name gum boots originated. when the diggers first came they wore leather boots called wellingtons (our wellies) then when plastic wa sinvented they called them gum boots because the plastic boot (which we know ... read more

Ross: After picking up the van on 1st October, we decided to take it for a three-day, 1200km test drive north of Auckland, an area of the North Island surprisingly known as Northland. After a quick stop at a mall in Milford to replace the aforementioned stolen sunglasses and a second stop in Whangarei for groceries (from Woolworths!), we arrived in Paihia in the Bay of Islands about 5 hours later. After cruising around the town, neighbouring bays, past Haruru falls, the local golf course and Waitangi Treaty Grounds in search of an illegal camping spot we ended up coughing up $8 to park in the local pay & display for 24 hours, along with another five or six vans. A tasty beef madras cooked over the van's stove helped keep us warm during the night... ... read more

After having been home for a couple of weeks, how could we just settle back into how we were before we went on this great adventure, many of the adventurers have come back with a different perspective on their lives, and in many ways have changed their outlook on why they are here ?, one thing is for sure they all agree they would rather be 'out there doing it' than sitting at home on the sofa reading this blog ! Sorry if you got a false e-mail yesterday, but here is the latest blog, with thanks to Keith and String. I am happy to see Ali from MYTB have fixed the photo down loads, so here is a selection of the 3,400 or so that are on my computer... Here are two motorcycle industry reports, ... read more

Monday 3rd Another 630am start - bus arrives 710. Today we have Jack and it's soon clear that he really knows his stuff as he drives us through an area which has plenty of history along with natural sites. Lots of Norfolk pines which indicate an area settled by missionaries (the top forms a perfect cross), some of the oldest buildings, and plenty of kiwi-fruit/avacado plantations. A short walk into the Kauri Tree forest where is a particularly large specimen. We stop at the Kauri shop, and get a chance to walk up a staircase hollowed from an ancient/large Kauri tree (the wood is about 45,000 years old). Soon we're en route to Cape Reinga - furthest point north in New Zealand (although I think some would beg to differ). Up here there's a lighthouse, and ... read more