The Winterless North - the way up

While NZ is at the bottom of the world, it’s not as backwards or simple as some people would have you believe. There are hotels, motels, B&B’s, backpackers, campgrounds, hostels and huts to suit any budget. In my humble opinion however, jumping in a campervan is the best way to see the country. You have transport. You have accommodation. You have food within arms reach. You don’t need to lug heavy bags around. You can squash an inordinate amount of ‘important stuff’ into those little cupboards. And you meet some fun people at the campgrounds along the way.

We spent 4 weeks catching up on the Auckland scene but it was time to pack up the campervan, and head up north. 

Our camper van was a Dad-special. Simply throw a few planks of plywood, carpet and a BBQ into the back of a van. And voila. One fully equipped camper van (sans bathroom) ready to go. 

A bathroom would have been nice but no space in here!

We threatened to pimp mum and dad's van out like this

Our first stop, Urititi. The beach is your typical east coast, white, sandy beach that stretches forever into the haze. The NZ Department of Conservation has campsites set up all over NZ at spots just like these. Some campgrounds have powered campsites, full kitchens and bathroom facilities. Some have basic long-drop toilets and perhaps cold showers. Others are somewhere in between. But it doesn’t matter which when you’re in your trusty camper.

Urititi Beach at sunset

Beach flowers

Time for dinner - hoodies for protection from mozzies

It was still warm enough for a swim at 8pm and we both decided the temperate sea was much more appealing than a cold shower! When we finally bunked down for the night, we were pleasantly surprised to find the van bed more comfortable than most hotel beds. A fun trip and good nights sleep. Perfect!

Smash the waves!

I'm clean again!!!

The Waipoua Forest is an ancient forest on the west coast filled with NZ native trees. The most famous trees here are the enormous, solid Kauri.

Looking out over a small part of the forest

A lookout only reached at the end of a long, narrow, metal road

A 5 minute walk takes you to the oldest and tallest of these monsters, Tane Mahuta, aka Lord of the Forest. Tane Mahuta is a whopping 51.5 metres tall and believed to have sprouted around 2000 years ago. His older cousin (yep, over 2000 years old), Te Matua Ngahere is just up the road. While Tane is the tall, slimmer tree, Te Matua is the shorter, fat one with a height of only 30 metres but a waistline of over 16 metres around!

With Tane Mahuta

Te Matua Ngahere - the short, fat tree

We sat, enjoying the silence that permeated through the forest (when the other tourists disappeared). To sit in the shadow of these giants and soak up the calm, cool atmosphere around me was undefinable. It was like time had stopped. And I felt I could rest, regain my strength and, after a while get back on the road.

What you see if you get off the road occasionally

NZ has plenty of little inlets and harbours reaching into the mainland from the stormy sea. Which usually means a long drive inland to go around them. However, there is a car ferry that crosses the Hokianga Harbour every hour and avoids an 80+km detour. We had a dinner date in Coopers Beach and so really, really, really wanted to catch the next ferry. Despite a couple of quick stops to fleetingly admire the Hokianga sand dunes, we made it…just (after putting the camper through it’s paces on the windy roads). 

The sand dunes at the entrance to the Hokianga Harbour

Just made the ferry - Goodbye Rawene

On the ferry

And we were so glad we did! The view of Doubtless Bay from the horseshoe of hills surrounding it, where Elise and Mark live, is fabulous. Combine that with NZ roast lamb, red wine and old friends made for a wonderfully, fun, memorable night.

Stunning view to wake up to

Bright eyed the next morning

Our experiences at the top of NZ and back down the east coast continue in the next post...

Auckland - where there really is plenty to do!

It’s not only the small towns that are known for something distinctive. NZ cities also have their unique claim to fame. Auckland is known as 'The City of Sails' for the huge number of boats often seen on the harbour. Auckland has a large, sheltered harbour with small islands dotted around. There are passenger and car ferries which take you to most of the islands. Or you could find yourself on someone’s private boat island hopping and getting up close to the action during events on the harbour.

Mum and Dad have a boat so we went out with them quite a few times. We lost the anchor the first time we went out fishing. Which meant we had to go back the next day to dive and look for it. 

Out with mum and dad on their boat

No luck with our search and recovery (that day or the next), but we did see loads of nudibranchs (colourful sea slugs) we hadn’t seen before. And they were enormous! None of this looking for 3mm long nudi’s like we were in Thailand! We had 1 metre long kingfish circling us and plenty of scorpionfish to watch out for too. Good to be back in NZ waters although a tad colder than the tropical waters I’ve become accustomed to!

And the evening sunsets are stunning on the water

The last Monday in January is Auckland Anniversary Day. Every year, they have a regatta on the harbour with all sorts of races, events and old sailing ships to watch. 

We started off the day with a trek up Rangitoto, a dormant volcano in the middle of the harbour. It last erupted about 250 years ago and has been pretty quiet since then (thank goodness!) I thought I was along for a gentle stroll to the top. But with Mike (my brother) leading the way, it was more like a military march up! The view is well worth the hike up (only about 40 minutes from the ferry wharf or about 75 mins from Islington Bay). Native birds hop around your feet, there are bunkers from WW2 set into the cliff to explore and plenty of places to sit and enjoy the view. 

Another stunning view of Auckland from the top of Rangitoto

Native waxeyes aren't scared to get close

Mike, me, Kris and Uncle Brian at the top

Then it was back to the boat and off to see the old ships racing. They really are spectacular to watch and with a good, stiff breeze blowing, they were getting along very nicely. Unfortunately we missed the tug boats racing - which I think would have been pretty funny to see!

A cruisy day for this old timer

But a bit more action on board here

Our final activity of the day was a spot of waterskiing. Mike set the standard getting up on his first go. I followed suit, even managing a short stint on one ski. Then it was Kris’ turn (who had never skied before). After a few sideways splats and a bit of help from Mike, he managed to stand on his skis and make a few laps of the bay.

Mike setting the standard

I've still got it!

Kris' first attempt

We've all been there!

Got the feel for it now

About 1.5 hours drive north of Auckland is Goat Island, the site of NZ’s first marine reserve. It became a reserve in 1975 and since then, fish populations (and fish sizes) have increased dramatically in the area. In summer, Goat Island is incredibly popular with people turning up to snorkel, dive or watch the fish from the surface in a glass bottom boat. 

Goat Island is packed already, and only about 1030am

Kris, Mike and I decided to do a dive there one hot, summer day. Even though it was shallow (max depth about 12 m), we saw more than enough to keep us all interested. About 8 eagle rays (you’d be lucky to see 1 in Thailand), enormous stingrays (3m from wingtip to wingtip), plenty of nudibranchs, huge snapper hanging just above our heads, crayfish, kina (sea urchins), parore, kelpfish and plenty of other NZ species Kris has never seen. It really highlighted how a marine reserve does help fish populations recover and increase the overall biomass of the area. 

Lunch after a dive

Not so good was how many fish hung around waiting to be fed. In the past, people would bring frozen peas and bread to feed the fish. It’s not encouraged any more although it is taking time for the message to get through - to people and the fish!

If you’re more of an indoor person but would still like to see some of the underwater world, Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World is worth a visit. Kelly Tarlton was an explorer, a creator and a treasure hunter exploring several shipwrecks and recovering their treasure. He developed the first dome aquarium where you walk through a tunnel under the fish. Sadly, Kelly Tarlton died just 7 weeks after his dream aquarium opened in 1985.

Under the original aquarium dome

Kelly Tarlton's display mainly local species of marine life in the aquarium. It's lucky both Kris and I enjoy the marine life as we spent hours here watching fish swimming back and forth and reading just about every sign we came to!

Translucent jellyfish floating around

Stingray - about the same size as the ones we saw diving

NZ Kelp fish

Just a hermit crab saying hello

Native long-fin freshwater eel

Rare NZ Spiny Sea Dragons

Alongside the local species there are several species of brightly coloured, tropical fish that bring smiles of delight to kids (young and old). 

A mandarin fish - I'd love to see one of these in the wild

Anemone fish - super cute in huge schools

Kelly Tarlton's also has an Antarctic section. Beginning with a walk through Scott’s Hut, a replica of explorer Captain Robert Scott's hut in Antarctica, you then come to the penguins. 

Complete with old tins of food, radios, scientific equipment and a piano!

I worked here for 2 years and it was delightful to see the birds that I grew to love again. The larger king penguins were sitting on eggs, while the smaller gentoos looked miserable going through their annual moult. They still moved with the same grace underwater and stumbling waddle on land and had me reminiscing about my time there.

An old friend coming to say hello perhaps?

Miserable gentoos moulting

King penguin sitting on an egg with her mate beside

So as you can see, 2 blog posts worth of 'nothing to do in Auckland'. And this really is only a small selection of all that the largest city in NZ offers you. I really did enjoy living in Auckland and it was fun to be back as a tourist again. Happy sightseeing and hope you enjoy it too!

Don’t visit Auckland - The City of Sails

If anyone tells you to only spend 1 day in Auckland, I challenge you to think again. There are so many things to do and see, both at a price and for free. Volcanoes, beaches, open-air movies, boating, diving, aquariums and bush walks are just some of the activities we got up to...

A great place to start is One Tree Hill. One of Auckland’s 53 extinct volcanoes with 360 degree views over the city. (It also inspired the U2 song of the same name.) It’s locally known as No Tree Hill as chainsaw-weilding protesters attacked the only tree on top of the hill eventually killing it.

Views from the top of One Tree Hill

We spent a relaxing 45 minutes or so taking in the uninterrupted views from the top. Sir John Logan Campbell, one of the first Europeans to settle in Auckland and a mayor of Auckland is buried here. And on the way down, we saw some of the wild birds and animals living in the surrounding Cornwall Park.

Crazy looking pheasants

Rabbits hiding

About 45 minutes drive from the centre of Auckland are a number of west coast beaches - Muriwai, Bethells, Piha and Karekare. Completely different from the gentle east coast beaches, these are exposed to the winds and often have powerful waves, large swells and strong currents. Take care if you decide to go for a swim as it only takes a few seconds to get stuck in a rip and swept out to sea. The beaches are also popular with surfers hoping to catch the perfect wave. And watch out for the black sand. Kris learned the hard way about how hot black sand can get in the middle of the day so remember your jandles! 

Muriwai was our destination. Not only for some beach time, but also for the gannet colony that breeds here in summer. In January and February, the flat, exposed tops of the cliffs are covered in large, white birds with bright yellow heads sitting on eggs, soft, grey, fluffy chicks or beside larger fledglings. 

Muriwai - black sand, hot sun, cool water

The cliff tops covered in birds

Dealing with a noisy chick

Time goes quickly watching the birds go about their daily life. The adults circling around trying to land next to their mate without getting attacked by their aggressive neighbours. The young demanding food. A fledgling flapping it’s underdeveloped wings hoping to get off the ground. And don’t forget ice-cream afterwards!

Fledgling determined to fly soon

Hokey Pokey icecream - a NZ icon

Throughout the summer months, Auckland has free movies in one of the many parks scattered across the city. Every Friday and Saturday night a different movie is screened. Crowds turn up early to claim their piece of grass, eat a picnic and enjoy a glass of wine or beer. We met up with some friends to take a nostalgic run down memory lane and watch Crocodile Dundee. Actually, it was less about the tacky 80’s movie and more about sitting on the grass, surrounded by people and catching up on 2 years of life.

Hanging out with friends in the park...

...with the movie projected onto an old silo

There are plenty of forest and bush walks to do all over Auckland. We headed to the Hunua Ranges on the southern boundary of Auckland one afternoon. The falls are about 20 metres high and quite dramatic after heavy rain (not so much this day). There is also a 1.5 hour bush walk (with a few steep hills) which takes you to a dam where some of Auckland’s water supply originates. With views stretching out across the ranges and plenty of native birds to spot, I think it’s a very relaxing place to spend an afternoon.

The Hunua falls

Through the bush

NZ Native Wood Pigeon (Kereru)

NZ Native Tui

The dam with some of Auckland's water supply

Framed touristy shot

This was only the start of the things we got to do and see in Auckland. Head along to my next post with some of the rest of what we got up to!