Blogs from Northland, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 3

Hallo ihr Lieben, die letzten Tage oder besser gesagt Wochen vergingen wie im Flug. In Paihia haben wir uns für 2 Wochen einen Platz zum Wwoofen gesucht. Für 2 Stunden Arbeit am Tag konnten wir kostenlos im wunderschönen Hostel ,,Bay Adventurer" wohnen. Wir haben uns ziemlich schnell in Paihia und unser Hostel verliebt. Wir haben während der zwei Wochen super viele neue und vor allem nette Leute kennengelernt mit denen wir viel unternommen haben und sehr viel Spaß hatten. Mit Tabea und Eileen ( eigentlich auch Tabea ) haben wir sowohl zusammen gearbeitet, als auch ein Zimmer geteilt. Wir wurden schnell unzertrennlich und haben jeden Tag etwas zusammen unternommen. Außerdem haben wir noch 3 Amerikanische Jungs kennengelernt mit denen wir uns sehr gut verstanden haben. Wir haben eine Menge neue Kartenspiele gelernt und teilweise wirklich 5 ... read more

Ever seen a drunk Tui? Well there are literally hundreds of them here at Puriri Bay. The Kowhai trees are all in flower here and the Tui’s are singing away like happy drunks. The bird life around here is probably the best that we have encountered so far. The noise first thing in the morning could either relax you or drive you crazy. A little rain this morning so I decided to get the camera out and look for some inspiration. The Tui was on my list (got it:), not perfect but still ok). Puriri DOC Camp sits on the Whangaruru North Head Scenic Reserve, so this afternoon’s adventure was to walk one of the tracks. Up over the hill South of the camp and down to pretty secluded Admiral Bay. Up out of the Bay ... read more

Saving the best till last………Mahinepua Peninsula. We had been saving the Mahinepua Scenic Reserve track for when our daughter J and friend arrived. It was worth the wait. Mahinepua is a small peninsula between Tauranga Bay and Matauri Bay. The track takes about 2 hours return (photo stops included). This is a well maintained, track with plenty of stairs to help you up the steeper parts. Beautiful views up the coast towards Tauranga Bay, down to Mahinepua Bay, Te Ngaere Bay and the outer islands. As you get to the end of the track it loops around and from here you can walk out to the trig and the furthest point of the peninsula. This is an amazing spot with the red soil and contrasting blue water that looks directly across to Flat Island (Motueka Island). ... read more

It’s a new day and time to do the Rainbow Falls River Track at a more leisurely pace. The NZMCA Motorhome Park is at the top of the falls so you can hear the noise even from inside. The Rainbow Falls is 27 metres high and impressive. It’s quite difficult to take clear photos at the bottom as the misty drift covers the camera lens today. Further down the track is the Wharepuke falls not quite as impressive as the Rainbow but still very pretty. Then to the end of the track at the Kerikeri Basin where the Stone Store (oldest stone building in NZ built 1832) and Kemp House (oldest wooden building in NZ built in 1821) sit. I remember holidaying here as a child, back when the road ran around in front of the ... read more

It’s very wet and boggy here at Hihi Camp. On leaving we helped 3 young tourists who had their campervan sunk on the wet ground. Everyone happily back on the road and we are off to Taupo Bay. Arrived in heavy rain and drove down to beach for a peek before heading to book into the Camping Ground. Taupo Bay Motor Camp is a nice camping ground a family business with very friendly owners/managers. The sun decided to make an appearance later in the afternoon which allowed us to wander 100m down the road to the beach. Another beautiful beach, that looks like it has it all ……fishing, swimming, surfing. The dramatic cliffs at the Southern End of this beach give this place quite a unique feel. Day 73 With the Birthday Boy on board we ... read more