And so it was time to head north. Alan was very excited by the prospect of a 'real' car ferry experience - 3.5 hours sailing the slightly choppy Cook Straits to windy Wellington. I was less excited at the prospect of arriving at 2am and having to find somewhere to sleep for the night, but I sailed onwards nevertheless. After a rather pleasant time watching the US Open women's final on the crossing we arrived in Wellington ready to find a spot to bed down. This was a little harder than we'd hoped and after some rather desperate driving round we stopped at a spot next to a park that seemed suitable, only to be harassed by a drunk who threatened to call the police if we didn't open the window for a chat. After a quick Bonnie and Clydesque escape from him, we eventually found ourselves a spot that was at least a little better hidden if not quite as glamourous as some other campsites in town - we slept under a motorway bridge next to a McDonalds.
Feeling a little sleepy, but determined to make the most of a couple of days in Wellington we went ventured back into town the next morning and found a great market in full swing on the harbour side and decided that it was about time we stocked up of fruit and veg - our Mums would be proud that we were trying our hardest to get the full 5 a day in. Next on the agenda was a visit to the Te Papa national museum, a huge museum full of exhibits about New Zealand's past present and future. We spent hours wandering round the first floor alone. Unfortunately we were flagging a little and decided to come back the next day to see more. After a quick refuel and coffee we took a tour around the parliament buildings, though the tour guide sounded remarkably like the voice of our SatNav which meant that we stopped listening to her after the first five minutes. Feeling much better after a full nights sleep at a proper site we attacked our second day in Welly with gusto, finishing off the museum, walking in the Botanical Gardens, feasting on Roast beef and mustard sangers on the seafront and generally trying not to get blown away by the gale force winds.
After enjoying Windy Welly we hit the road and were blown all the way to Napier - Bernadette struggled to keep two wheels on the road and it was not my driving that was causing all the problems. Napier is a lovely little town on the east coast renowned for its Art Deco architecture and , perhaps more importantly, it's proximity to the Hawkes Bay wineries. The sun had returned as we rolled into town and we spent a very pleasant day wandering around the centre admiring the architecture and wishing we had more money to sit and while away the day in one of the swanky little cafes. Instead we had a lovely picnic on the beach and a stroll along the front before hopping back into the van for a spot of wine tasting as we drove towards Lake Taupo.
Bernadette was beginning to feel the strain of Alan's (and not mine) driving and began to make some rather worrying noises on the way to Taupo. Fortunately we managed to make it into town with the sun blazing and found a lovely spot next to the river to park up and relax with yet another fine bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and watch the ducks and black swans paddling away. I must point out that this was no ordinary murky stream; it was one of the bluest, sparkliest quickest flowing rivers I have ever seen. We had heard talk of a hot stream that you could walk to and wallow in for free and so the next morning we set off to find it, but not before a quick stop to admire Huka Falls crashing down below us. The rumour didn't disappoint and before long we were sat with another couple of canny explorers enjoying the boiling hot water that was flowing into the Bluey River (as I have named it because I don't know it's real name). Eventually we managed to summon the strength and pull ourselves out and wander back to the van and on into town for more of an explore and a relax on the shore of the beautiful lake with volcanoes in the background.The next day we headed further north to Rotorua a town famed for its geothermal activity, large Maori population and the distinct smell of eggs that fills the air. A quick stroll around the town showed that there was very little to keep us entertained and so we trotted off to the Te Whakarewarewatanga O Te Ope Taua A Wahiao thermal village (bit of a mouthful eh!) and had a great time being guided round the village to show how people live using the boiling spring waters to cook all their food, bathe and myriad other things. Later we were treated to a "cultural show" which involved lots of singing and dancing and a performance of the Haka. I was slightly disappointed that Alan didn't join in on the audience participation haka, but it was fun nonetheless. With very little time left on the North Island and with the ever capable Bernadette we hit the road again that evening and headed for Auckland and the promise of a real bed at Alan's friend Nethers' house.
We had promised ourselves a "fush and chup" treat on the way to Auckland and eventually sated the urge just around the corner from Nethers' house. We felt like kids in a candy shop when we arrived - a proper bedroom, bathroom and a frosty beer on arrival was almost more than we could cope with. We had a great evening catching up/getting to know each other and taking notes for our tour of Auckland.
With a proper night's sleep and the last of our 'van food' under our belts we set off into town to have a look round the largest city in New Zealand. It didn't take us long to check out the main strip and we decided that we'd probably prefer the views from Mount Eden, one of the volcanoes that surround the city. The views were great, we could almost see inside Eden Park stadium where in 261 days the Rugby World Cup final would be played between England and...
Later that same say we headed off to Takapuna beach in search of it's cafe's award winning ice cream. After a stroll along the beach watching people paddle board with varying degrees of success we reached the cafe and it's numerous flavours of ice cream, I just about managed to get over the disappointment of not being able to try their Hokey Pokey flavour by devouring a giant cone of Lemon Curd and Yogurt flavour - I am a very brave girl after all - whilst Alan finished his fruity treat in record time. We spent the rest of the evening with Marc and Carolyn sampling some of NZ's finest ales and wines. And so came our final day with in Kiwiland, and what better way to start the long goodbye than with a slap up breakfast at a lovely cafe in the hills before driving down to Piha beach? After stuffing our faces with Eggs Benedict, bacon, toast and coffee, the four of us just about managed to waddle along the path to a beautiful waterfall and back in order to work off some of the damage done. Feeling invigorated we headed onto the beach for a bit of frisbee and then dodged the jelly fish for a quick paddle in the sea. We also called in at the Arataki Visitor Centre to see the beautiful views of the mountains and Auckland skyline before it was time to head back to the city and to bid farewell not only to Marc and Carolyn but also to the wonderful Bernadette. It was time to head off to the Cook Islands, to a little island paradise for a week of R&R - a chance to recover from all the wonderful things we saw and did in our hectic tour of New Zealand…heck, to recover from our hectic tour of 'the world' thus far.
Bye for now!
K&A x