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Published: February 22nd 2011
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Living on the Edge
Very appropriate advertising for another NZ adrenalin pursuit. Monday 14th February – Camper Van to Taupo
A long driving day to head to the centre of North Island, with all good exploring happening between there and the top:
Maui Pick Up – A strange sense of deja vu descends as we collect the Maui mark II - no need for training DVDs this time!
Pit Stops – More going on than we expected after the sparsely populated South Island, with refreshment stops at Foxton, Taihape and Turangi.
Thermal Pool – Would seem rude not to sample the thermal pool at the campsite – just the ticket after a 5 hour drive.
Tuesday 15th February – Time Out in Taupo
A day spent on a leisurely wander around some Taupo sites:
Huka Falls – A walk out from the campsite to the start of a 50 minute walk along the river and to the impressive Huka falls, which would fill an olympic swimming every 12 seconds!
Swim and Geothermal – More water-based antics as I try to remember what I had learnt in previous lessons (not altogether successful), plus a soak in a private geothermal pool.
Dinner by the Lake – Dixie Brown’s Restaurant
Back a Bit, Back a Bit...
A view of the kind of platforms used to launch yourself from - Simon happy to just take photos of this one. and Desert Bar for a lazy dinner overlooking Lake Taupo.
Wednesday 16th February – Rotorua via Rapids and Maoris
A short hop to Rotorua, taking in a couple of typical NZ activities en-route:
Rapids Jet – Had to take the chance to combine jet boats and rapids for a fun-filled, and very wet adventure on the Waikato river (check the pics).
Thermal Maori Village – Fascinating afternoon of Maori culture: Hangi meal, Maori cultural show and tour of this living village set around thermal pools and geysers.
Thursday 17th February – To The Gates of Hell
A hellish sort of day in Rotorua, at least to start with:
No Football – 13 hour time difference, so perfect for an early rise to watch the Arsenal v Barcelona match. Sadly, no ESPN channel in campsite, nor reception on van TV or even access to Internet (but was content with the 2-1 result when we found out).
Hell's Gate – A weird and wonderful bubbling, muddy, sulphurous landscape plus the chance for a genuine “centre of the earth” styley mud bath and thermal spa.
Night Market – A relaxed and friendly night market, for
This Looks like a bit of fun...
Simon and Deborah wave to the camera knowing this won't be exciting enough to buy the photos. stocking up on the essentials: ice cream, crepes, chocolate macadamias etc.
Friday 18th February – Freedom(ish) Camping
A chance to park up without being in a campsite, on a farm in the middle of nowhere, close to the centre of nothingness:
Zorbless – Visited the Zorb hill (big plastic spheres with you in them) but dry, strapped in Zorbs not running due to weather conditions – didn’t fancy the wet and wild Zorb experience.
Nikau Cafe – Long very windy drive to sheep country to stay a night at a local farm/café business – little taken aback by the sense of isolation.
Moonlight Walk – Full Moon and absolutely no ambient light meant a spooky backdrop to our night in the wilderness.
Saturday 19th February – Nikau to Whangerei
Waved goodbye to our wonderful hosts (Ann and Phillip) at Nikau Cave and Café and took the long road up toward the Bay of Islands:
Sheep Shearing – Spent a happy half hour watching expert shearers at work, including Sam who was due to have a crack at the 9 hour 2 man world shearing record the next day (aiming for over 1,300
...but getting a bit sticky now.....
OK, so the jet boat is in fact going to be ridden at high speed through the rapids - a little butt-clenching now! sheep)!
Leisurely Leave – A definite sense of time standing still at the Nikau Café meant we started our long drive at around 11:00 after fond farewells to all.
Road Trip to Whangerei – A long route through Auckland and Orewa to Whangerai, just a few hours short of the Bay of Islands.
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SimonandDeborah
Simon Burrell & Deborah Blakemore
Christchurch Earthquake
Seems like we are never far from a natural disaster, but luckily we are in the other (North) island and will be heading out from here on our next leg. We have been watching events in Christchurch unfold with horror this PM and are sharing the huge sense of loss with Kiwis here. It is amazing to think we were looking at building a few weeks ago that are now in ruins. Thanks for your messages of concern but we are safe and well here.