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Coromandel Peninsula
After negotiating rush hour traffic in central Auckland we finally made it onto the open road and quickly arrived at the Coromandel Peninsula, passing a spectacular sunset at Whakatiwai. As we found with all of New Zealand, the sunsets are like none we’ve ever seen before. The sky turns a bright pink and stretches across the horizon for miles. We camped for the night in a tiny village called Opoutere which was very close to the beach so in the morning we had a gentle stroll through a pretty forest then nearly got blown away by the strong winds as we walked across the beach. We also discovered that we had virtually no petrol and the nearest garage was about 20km away. Fortunately it was downhill nearly all the way but we were grateful when we rolled into the station.
We visited Hot Water Beach where part of the beach has natural hot water springs beneath the sands. We watched as people hired large spades and dug holes close the sea big enough for a whole family to sit in. The sight of steam rising from the sand and hot water bubbling in the holes was quite strange. We drove on to Cathedral Cove, a natural geological formation of white rock which is shaped like the nave of a cathedral. The only way to see the cove is via a very pretty walk through forest which had stunning views of the sea and white cliffs. We spent a while exploring the cliffs and sitting on the beach before returning and setting off for Rotorua.
The Geothermal Areas
Rotorua is a massive geothermal area, full of volcanoes which regularly erupt, bubbling mud pools and 20 metre geysers. When we were about half an hour from the centre an earthquake was reported on the radio but we didn’t notice anything. As we entered the town we were greeted by a rotten-egg smell which apparently is there permanently. We saw steam rising from everywhere; drains, the floor, big holes in the ground! En-route to our campsite we saw a massive area full off steam right by the side of the main road. It turned out to be Kuirau Park, the sight of volcanic activity in 2001 which created massive holes in the ground and are still steaming today! We arrived at the campsite to discover the ground was naturally heated although we couldn’t really tell. They also had natural hot-pools so we got up early when it was quiet to relax for half an hour. It was very hot and tranquil and the only thing that spoilt it was the ever-present smell! We had a walk round the town and Government Gardens which were very English-looking and saw people playing bowles.
We drove round Lake Rotorua to a viewing point of the town then drove round to the Blue and Green Lakes which were packed with families. We headed down to Taupo, the skydiving capital of New Zealand and seemed to stop at masses of viewing points, all equally impressive. The town of Taupo was largely uninspiring despite the great views of snow covered volcanoes but we did manage to find a free campsite (Reids Farm) situated by the banks of the bright blue Waikato River. We celebrated by having a BBQ and drinking our duty-free Pisco from Chile but panicked when we accidentally set the grass on fire (fires spread VERY quickly here). Luckily disaster was averted and we had a pleasant evening feeding the ducks and cockerel which came and sat next to us. In the morning the river had risen considerably and we congratulated ourselves on not being swept away!
We had an action-packed day in Taupo, firstly visiting the Volcanic Activity Centre which was extremely interesting and only cost 2 pounds! We watched a video about the 95/95 eruptions of Mount Ruapehu and other eruptions which have occurred in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, looked at a seismograph linked to sensors on Mount Ruapehu and sat in an earthquake simulator. See, education can be fun!! We then visited Huka Waterfall which is not very high but very wide instead. There was masses of water coming down which was a lovely light blue colour, caused by the white stones on the riverbed not to mention the extremely clean water. Finally we visited the Aratiatia Rapids and Dam which was just spectacular. Water from the river is released about six times a day and we were lucky enough to visit when a release was due. We walked about half a km down-river and saw the empty, rocky river. A siren was sounded and water came gushing from the dam to slowly fill the river.
Wellington
After all that excitement we headed straight down State Highway 1 to Wellington. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to look round the city as we had to hand in our hire car and catch the ferry to the South Island. We camped in a small town outside of Wellington called Tawa and were about to go to sleep when the police arrived and gave Craig a summons! Unfortunately for me they had got the wrong guy so he was let off.
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