Campervan North Island - Part Two

Saturday 24th May - Thursday 5th June

Waitomo - New Plymouth - Taupo

After Recovering from the black water rafting the day before we packed up and drove to New Plymouth (named so because people from Plymouth in the UK moved there so being clever they named it the new one) on Saturday 24th May. Not much to say really just lots of driving although we did stop off and got some 100% organic beers from a brewery. Once we reached New Plymouth we booked into the campsite before driving into town so that we could go to the Cinema to watch the new Indiana Jones movie. The cinema was great was like one of the Odeon ones from the 80's with it's around 50 seats and a screen that some posh people can afford in their houses. Was great though and it only cost $10 on a Saturday night which is about £4.

After a busy week we had a lazy Sunday 25th May, leaving the camper we walked into New Plymouth town centre along the coastal path arriving at the wind needle a 45metre high piece of carbon fibre that sways in the wind, the design was conceived in the 30's but not built till the 90's. We had a look around the town and got a Chinese for our Sunday dinner. In the evening we just watched a DVD.

Finally some surf to be had on Monday 26th May, just along the surf highway to place called kumara patch. Wolfie checked it out, but it's around about a half hour beach walk so a bit unsure but there was another lad from the states who was thinking about it and there happened to be a handy bloke with a quad who offered to take us up there. So we thought why not and jumped on and set off. About half way down the beach it went really steep and after hitting a bump wolfie went flying off, was really funny (could have been nasty) was a little disorientated when he stood up but it was all good.

Anyways the surf was great and after about 3 hours we got out the water and started to walk back. Reaching the girls after about 30 minutes we said goodbye with wolfie and Corinne heading off for Taupo. We drove somewhat around Mount Taranaki (a dormant volcano, looks similar to Mt. Fuji in Japan) and joined the aptly named 'Forgotten World Highway'. In the space of 4 hours driving on the highway we came across 3 cars and could have had a road kill tally of 12 possums, 3 hedgehogs and a cat (only got 2 possums) but wolfie managed to swerve out of the way most of the time. We arrived at the campsite about 10.30pm and lucky enough the warden was just about to do the pre-bed rounds and let us in, tired and exhausted we crashed out.

ANOTHER problem with the campervan a leaking water tank which ruined 12 toilet rolls meant a trip to the garage this morning (Tuesday 27th May). After having the problem fixed we went and checked out the Huka falls, which per gallon passed in a second, are NZ's most powerful. Their only a couple of metres high but so much power proving it's not the size it's what you do with it! Next up was the HUKA PUKA PRAWN farm and after a tour around the hatcheries and meeting Shawn the prawn the 21st (Malaysian River prawns). We hit the ponds with bait and lines ready to catch some shrimp. After about an hour and lots of bites Wolfie landed 2 in quick succession, a big male and a female, the lady gave us another one and we were set with enough to make a sushi roll!

We woke up on Wednesday 28th May not having much breakfast through shortness of time and not wanting much in case we were sick when we done our SKYDIVE!!! We had the free limo pick up and were whisked off to the airport at Taupo, showed a brief DVD and asked to decide which jump to do either the 12'000ft or 15'000ft the difference being an extra 30 seconds freefall Corinne went for the first and Wolfie the later. We then met our instructors Wolfie's being German but he was nice and Corinne was unsure to start off as to whom she was being attached to.

We got our jump suits on and harnesses and watched the first group go, soon though it was our turn to board the pink aeroplane and take to the skies. After lots of climbing it was time for the nice Irish couple and Corinne to go (was a bit surreal to watch Corinne on the edge of the plane one minute and the next she was gone!) then was time for Wolfie to have the oxygen and once at 15'000ft it was time to go. 'Wolfie' perched on the edge looking at the ground below, unsure when we were going to jump and then we were gone. Spinning around (you're not meant to remember the first 20 seconds because you have sensory overload but I seem to remember spinning and then settling into the freefall travelling 120mph) the instructor was getting us turning by moving our hands and then was parachute time. With a whip we were floating down slowly back down to earth taking in the mountains and lake.

Once back on the ground Corinne was waiting and never stopped talking about it all day, and the next day, and the next day. We collected our pictures, free t-shirt and got the limo back to the campsite. In the afternoon we went to the Craters of the Moon which is a geothermal site with hot-pools, mud craters and loads of steam vents, we had a look around and threw some rocks into the mud pools and watched them spit like Hayley when she's in a mood and shouting lots. Overwhelmed after the skydive Corinne excitedly phoned home to tell everybody we were in bed early after playing on some video games at the campsite.

Taupo - Rotorua - Papamoa

We went for a day out to the Tongariro national park on Thursday 29th May the area used in the Lord of the Rings movies for Mordor. We had a look in the visitors centre and bought the book of all the film locations so that we could track them down whilst we were out and about. Afterwards we went for a walk up and around got some amazing views of the volcanoes Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom) and Mt Ruapehu which last erupted less than 10 years ago. After a walk and some lunch we decided it was time to head off to our next destination Rotorua, some way up the highway we smelt it first with its trade mark 'eggy' sulphur smell eeeeeeeeee. Checking into the campsite we kept all the windows shut to keep the smell out.

Nothing at all to write about Friday 30th May as we didn't do much but some washing and Corinne had to clean the camper (Wolfie's getting scared).

We went to the Polynesian spa for the morning on Saturday 31st May we tried out thedifferent pools some being better for your skin others for your joints depending on the acidity or alkalinity of the water. We bathed for a bit in the water trying to figure what the bits were floating around were unsure whether it was dead skin or it come up through the springs with the water. After the spa we went to the Agrodome and watched a sheep shearing show, learnt about the different breeds and the dogs they use in NZ. We had a race on the sweeb (a new thing were you sit in a capsule and pedal) and a go on the jet boat.

We then drove the short distance north to Papamoa to meet up with Siobhan. We spent the evening in their bigger van chatting to Siobhan and her family.

With a good low tide on Sunday 1st June (the start of our 4th month away) we went digging for tawtaws in the sand which is like a shell fish to use on the snapper line as bait. We got 7 of tawtaws and one crab which was very grouchie and a viscous little b*****. The snapper fishing was so near as successful as the snapper line was stupid and it ended up nearly being broke and thrown away.

After some shopping we got a BBQ on the go and had some nice sausages, chicken kebabs and steaks, accompanied with fresh bread, salad and coleslaw washed down with some nice wine.

Papamoa - Gisbourne - Napier - Wellington

Monday 2nd June in NZ was a bank holiday for; get this 'the queen's birthday', She's our queen and we don't get a bank holiday for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyways we spent a good portion of the morning on the beach with Siobhan watching her boys bury each other in sand. It was soon time to say good bye and we wished them well as they were soon to start jobs, school and get a house.

We then had a bit of a mammoth drive to Gisbourne as we needed to make our way down to Wellington to meet up with Gemma and Andy. We passed the giant kiwi at the Kiwi 360' in Te Puke the home of the kiwi, and got some kiwi jam, kiwi fruit juice and a kiwi spoon (was only 50c). Then like we say it was a huge 5 hour drive to Gisbourne, a Dominos funky chicken pizza (bbq chicken with a mayonnaise swirl yes cookie mayo on a pizza) later and we watched a movie before going bed.

(Tuesday 3rd June) Gisbourne was just a stop-over town for this trip we had bigger fish to fry so after checking out the Captain Cook and Young Nick statues (to celebrate Cook's original landing site and the fact that young nick spotted land first) we left on route for Napier and a bike wine tour. It was another crazy 5 hour drive with beautiful countryside to look at, before we arrived at our destination.

What a fun day Wednesday 4th June was we picked up the bikes from the BIKE D'VINE place and set off to follow the map to the wineries and chocolate factory laid out for us. The fist was a relatively short distance and had the wind behind us to the Church Rd Winery, we learnt that the names like shiraz, chardonnay and merlot are actually the grapes and that sometimes they are mixed together to make different types.We didn't buy any from there but bought a bread dip very nice, the next along was the mission estate the oldest winery in the area formally owned by monks, we really liked the wine from there and bought a bottle of red and white. We then had a big cycle against the wind to our nest stop the chocolate factory on Silk Road.

We had some lunch and tasted some chocolate and of course bought some hmmmmmmm. We then had another big cycle on along the country roads to the 'Park estate'; you may recognise this name as you can get it in UK supermarkets. We had a nice chat with the owner whose son is in London on an OE (overseas experience) for 2 years, so we bought a nice white from there as it was on special offer and tasted some more wine feeling a little tipsy on the bikes, some people wouldn't be able to ride their bikes by now (Liz and Derek) because they would be trying to much wine!The final winery of the day was the Brookfield's estate winery were some of the top London restaurant owners including Gordon Ramsey buy there wine from for £20 and sell it for £120 a bottle. We tried some and it wasn't the nicest of the day but there was a nice white so we got that one. On the big ride back to the van all Corinne done was moan how sore her bum was for about 45 minutes. Once back at the site we had some tea and our chocolates.

Thursday 5th June was our final journey on the north island as we were off to Wellington to see Gemma and Andy. It was the closest of places still having another 4 hours drive. We had a little look around Napier a city devastated by an earthquake in the early part of the last century and was rebuilt in art deco style as it was in at that time. We looked in Opossum world where they sell everything they can made from dead possums NZ no.1 enemy its funny and well worth a look. On the road to Wellington we stopped at the Tui brewery one of NZ's main beers along with Speight's, Macs and Montieths. There were some nice straight roads which as I think I have explained before are somewhat of a novelty in NZ.We crossed the mountains and drove down into Lower Hutt a suburb of Wellington were the top 10 was and booked in for the night, afterwards we drove down parked the camper up and meet Gemma and Andy.

Gemma was Corinne's chief bridesmaid at the wedding and is from the same town as Corinne. We got some tea and sat in the Irish bar all night swapping stories and talking about what we had been up to. It was great to catch up and on the other side of the world.