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Hello and welcome to the long awaited New Zealand Campervan blog. Its taken a long time but we made it! We've done plenty so now i'll do my best to update you.
Jana arrived safely from Germany via Thailand and we piled into our home for the next 43 days - "Woodstock" or "Woody" to his mates. Our first day was an event in itself travelling to the Coromandel Peninsula and ending up in a tiny campsite with only one other van for company. Kennedy Bay was our first stop and a chilling shower woke us up and combined with the sunshine. We travelled down the coast to Cathedral Cove with its cliffs and marine features, very photogenic. Carrying on down we eventually arrived in Tauranga where we met Jan a friend of a friend from home who put us up, fed us and let us use her spa! Thanks once again to Jan for her hospitality.
We headed for Rotorua or "Roto-vegas" as referred to by the locals and came across some mini-golf which kept us entertained for a while. This was the beginning of an epic series of mini-golfing all over New Zealand. The low budget maximised our pleasure as we ploughed through courses, more on that story later. We spent an afternoon at Hell's Gate hot mud pools and used the Gondola to get to a very fun Luge run in before planning our next step - Lake Taupo.
Taupo was a enjoyable place and we explored the town and shops preparing for a Skydive. Unfortunately the weather played up against us and we were unable to fit in a jump before moving down to Turangi. Here we embarked on a 19km trek through the Tongariro Crossing, crampons included. This left us tired and hungry but we got to see the famous Lord of the Rings' Mount Doom (with snow on top) on course and the beautiful Emerald Lakes. Turangi hot pools were inviting and we relaxed in them after the long walk. That Sunday we attended Turangi River of Life Church and were treated to intimate worship and some nice sandwiches. Some mini-golf followed on a course that now features in Jana's top 3 courses of all time, sensational. We continued to Ohakune where we were reunited with Clare and Gordon for a great day on the slopes that was, and i quote the big guy we met in the campsite TV room "One of the best of the season...". We were blessed with awesome conditions for some great runs on Mount Ruapehu.
From Ohakune we drove through New Zealands seemingly endless supply of gorgeous scenery right through to Wellington. We visited the Te Papa museum and enjoyed its many exhibits. The museum was extensive and well worth a visit as it was free. We met a friend called Alistair in Wellington that evening for a coffee and found a nice parking space by the sea. So this is the round up for the North Island and coming up, the South Island fun and games!
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