We decided to have a chill out day and just mooch around in Takapuna. We had a late brekky and took in the wonderful sea view from the rear of the camper van. All of a sudden Jay shouted out in excitement as she had seen something flipping in and out of the water. We dashed onto the beach to get a better look at the dolphins that were playing just off shore! There were about four of them and although they weren't close up it was a wonderful sight to see. After al...

It was a public holiday in New Zealand today and therefore we were braced for everywhere being really busy. After brekky we left Matakohe and hit the road travelling south and back towards Auckland. We stopped off at Warkworth to get some food at New World and then we went to have a look at a little place on the coast called Leigh which was not too far from here. We weren't that impressed with it and the beach was rammed. A public holiday was obviously not the ri...

We had a lie in and an easy morning. We decided to stay at this camp site one more night. Around lunchtime we went for a walk. We followed the path from the camp site through a field of the cutest little cows who were very curious to see us in their field. Once through the field we followed a gravel road to the harbour and the mucky little beach at it's edge. We were afforded with a great view over the water and the surrounding hills. From here we walked back up ...

We awoke and showered early before the sink estate came to life. The morning view over the harbour was gorgeous though. After brekky we went to have a look at Rawene town. We parked up and went for a bit of a mooch around. On the surface it was very pretty in a picturesque location on the harbour and with lots of period buildings, however, it soon became apparent that something more sinister was lurking underneath the visual sheen. It was like a town from an epis...

The backpackers had been surprisingly quiet and we'd had a peaceful night. On our way out of Ahipara we went to have a look at Ninety Mile Beach. Ahipara marks the start of this famous beach that stretches from here almost to Cape Reinga. The name is a misnomer as it is actually only 55 miles long! In a four wheel drive it is possible to drive the beach but it can be treacherous at times. The beach here was vast and wide with big surf rolling in to the shore on t...