New Zealand.........Brits in Campervans, North Island Part 1

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Day 1

We landed in Auckland around midnight and had no idea how to get anywhere or where to go, luckily for us they had one of those backpackers information boards in the airport that have the free phones so you can ring up and get a free lift to a motel or hostel, we phoned the cheapest one that offered a free lift and off we went. We crashed in a motel for the night for around $80 bit expensive I know but we were knackered and just wanted a bed for the night. The next morning we abused the free airport transfers again and got taken back into the airport as they offered a cheap bus service into town a taxi from the motel would have cost us a fortune! We went back to the backpackers board in the airport and rang a few hostels in town until we settled on the Queenstreet backpackers they were only $60 a night for a double room.

We jumped on the airport shuttle $12 each i think and we got dropped off right outside the hostel, turned out that queenstreet is the main high street in auckland so we were right in the thick of the action. We checked into our room and went down to chat with the chick behind reception. Our aim for NZ had always been to hire a campervan and tour both islands like this, however since we got here as its colder and wetter we were having doubts about how long we should spend in the van and if we should do some of it by bus and hostels. Anyway the chick behind reception (bless her) put our minds at ease after about a million questions from the both of us, she then rang a few companies for prices for us, the guys that work in this hostel were the friendliest and the best service we have ever had throughout our whole travels they really go that extra mile for you.

We decided to sit on it for a while and have a wander around town. We arrived in New Zealand with no winter clothes at all, we had a pair of jeans and a hoodie each and god it was cold! So we went to see if we could get a jacket each, i managed to grab a cheap billabong coat about 40 pounds but we couldnt find anything for katie. We decided to go and see some of these campervan rental places in person and check out the wagons they had on offer. First we went to spaceships, we had seen a lot of these about the little orange rockets, however they are tiny you are living in a car and you have to cook outside, plus they were the most expensive out of all of them. We then went to Escape campers, these are the ones with all the wicked graffitti on the sides, we were almost set on getting this one when we went to check out backpackers campers, here you get a proper full on camper with sink and cupboards and a 2 ring cooking hob inside! plus they were by far the cheapest! so settled $1150 for a 24 day hire SOLD!

Day 2

So feeling happy with ourselves the next day we decided to go and check out this designer outlet they have somewhere in the suberbs of Auckland, they run a free shuttlebus there, if you can find where it leaves from! and its called dressmart. After hours of asking around Katie eventually spotted the bus driving through town so we chased this free minibus through the centre of Auckland until we caught it and got on! (looked like a right pair of muppets, how cheap are we!) When we got there we were amazed at how cheap it was there Katie got a Roxy jacket for 16pounds, a pair of ugg type boots for 8 pounds a hat and all sorts, but our bargain of the day was a rough guide to new zealand book, which we were gonna buy in the shop for $80 cost us $10, old eagle eyes Price does it again! That night we went out for a bit of sushi............i know what your thinking but know i had a japanese curry instead of those stupid seaweed roles!

Day 3

So today was the day we picked up our campervan, I went around to pick it up while Katie sorted the checkout i vastly underestimated how long it would take to pick it up, it took me over an hour to sign all the paper work and check everything out but eventually i got back and picked Katie up. We were really happy as we had been a newer van then the one we had been showen, it had more room and a microwave!!! i know but when your living on 4 wheels you learn to appreciate these small things! So anyway we headed out of Auckland with no real idea where we were going we headed over the bridge and decided we would head north up to the Cape. We worked out a rough route and decided to take the scenic coastal route up to the By of Islands stay there a night then push on the next day. So with Katie at the map and me behind the wheel we were off! so it wasnt long until we realised 1 the map we had was crap! and 2 that the distances were far greater than we first anticipated! 7hrs later we finally made it to the bay of Islands. We decided to camp in a car park designed for campervans. We had a walk about the bay and took some pictures, cooked up some dinner then crashed for the night.

Day 4

We woke up terified the next morning to a loud siren, which we had no idea what it was! We thought the campervan alarm was going off, so clambering around in pants and PJ's at 06.30am in the morning and finally realised the siren was coming from outside the van! It did finally stop, and we later found out it was the fire station alarm! Afterward all this we headed on up towards Cape Reigna it took us another probably 4 hrs but we got there and boy was it worth it. The Cape it famous as it is the exact point at which the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea meet each other, it was truly amazing to stand there and witness these two great bodies of water poring against each other causing huge whirlpools and crashing waves. This point is also hugely significant to the mauris as they believe that this is where the spirits from the dead progress on towards their next life, with the white tips crashing up you can see where they get this. On the very tip of the cape is a lighthouse which can be seen from 60km out to sea, next to the lighthouse is a sign post that points in the different directions of countries and tells you just how far from home you are at that point! The surrounding area is covered in sand which looks really bizarre however it turns out that the sand is all here due to the huge eruptions NZ experienced in the previous years and these erruptions carried the sand all the way from the centre of the island out to this point...............thats hundred of K's!!!! So after all this we chilled and had some lunch then decided to make as much ground as possible back towards the main body of the island, we made it to Rawene where we had to cross the ferry to get there and thanks to some mad ass driving from katie we just and i mean only just made it! so we camped down for the night exhausted from all this driving!

Day 5

Again we rose early as we had a lot of ground to cover our aim for the day was to make it to the Coromandel penninsula which is a fair old trek. We set off and as we had to go through Auckland anyway we decided to stop at the hire garage and sort a few bits out, we had a busted fridge door and the mp3 adaptor wasnt working, the guy was sound as a pound and went a nicked the fridge door bit out of another vehicle and changed the mp3 adaptor 5 mins and we were on our way again! After hrs and hrs of driving we finally arrived at Whitianga the main town on the penninsula, this was to be our base for the night. As we drove through the town it became apparant that there was some type of festival happening. Turned out we had arrived on the biggest day of the year for this small town where thousands of people flock in for the annual Scollop Festival, there was to be a huge street party. We were happy as larry chance for a few bevvies! So we had dinner (which i proper messed up) then headed into town where ................absolutely nothing was happening! there was a hand full of people hanging around having a few beers in bars but that was it, we decided to save our cash and head back. It makes you realise just how few people there are in this country, only 4 million and 2 million of those live in Auckland so that doesnt leave a lot left to live between 2 whole islands!

Day 6

The night before the chick working at the campsite (mercury bay holiday park) had helped us out with tide times as this morning we were heading for Hot Water Beach. This was an experience let me tell you. We turn up at this car park at 9am, bearing in mind its about 10 degrees out side and there are all these people sitting in holes they have dug on the beach. What it is, underneath the beach is 2 natural hot springs heated by the remaining lava from the surrounding volcano's. This water is drawn up through the sand and if you dig a little hole you end up sitting in a 40 degree water sandy bath! you have to get it right though and have a mixture of sea water in there or you burn yourself badly....as i found out! After we had finished we went to have a shower only to find out the only ones on offer where the free ones you have by the beach that are freezing cold water, so Katie and i manned up and got washed under those............i dont need to remind you that it was 10 degrees plus freezing water..........NOT NICE! Anyway after this we were kindly refreshed and headed off to Tauranga where an old university friend of mine is living Ross.

But you will have to wait for the next installment to hear about that little puppy! as we have taken too many pictures and cant get them all on here.

Scott & Katie

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