Wow, last night was windier than a field of cows...and I am referring to the weather! Speaking of which, today was another day that started with showers but brightened up by the time I reached my first destination, the Hobbiton film set. It being Waitingi Day, and the last holiday weekend of the summer, it was very busy, but they are well set up for dealing with high numbers. The 2 hour tour started with a 10 minute coach ride to the set, with commentary provid...

Today JB got well filthy in the Coromandels. As I left Papakura, in complete contrast to when I arrived, the sun was shining. However, as I headed for the Coromandel Peninsula, the clouds and showers returned. Thankfully, they were shortlived and the sun shone for the rest of the day. The peninsula is across the Hauraki Gulf from Auckland and on the east side the beaches are lapped by the Pacific. It is dominated by the Coromandel Ranges, a group of mountains t...

Today dawned overcast and a bit damp. It continued showery so today was a good day for being under cover. Just as well then that I already planned to be under tree canopies followed by a long drive. Leaving the Bay of Islands, I headed west to the Waima Forest.  Here I embarked upon the Waiotemarama Loop Track. Now if, like me, you assumed a loop track is a circuit then you'd be wrong. This is a 3km track, which follows the Waiotemarama Gorge to a stunning 20...

Woe, that bread certainly made for some great toast this morning! Another day of beautiful weather was only matched by the scenery encountered. Today was spent exploring the Bay of Islands. Captain Cook counted 144 islands in the bay. However, since a more formal definition of an island states that it must have vegetation and never be buried under the tide, the number of islands has subsequently been recalculated to 88 - still a fair few. The rest are now class...

Today, I said farewell to my friends and struck out on my own, heading north into Northland. My first stop, after about 150km, was Whangerie Falls, a very popular and beautiful waterfall. Next I went to Kawiti Glow Worm Caves. The site has been owned by the same family for many generations. I was lucky enough to be given a personal tour of the cave by the granddaughterrof the man who found the cave. The glow worms are beautiful little creatures who live in clu...