Bonnie and Mel met us at the airport in Auckland driving an outrageously orange mini van called a spaceship. ours was named kenobi. can we look any less like tourists. oh well that's what we are to be for the next 3 weeks. let's have at it.
We began just south of Auckland, staying in a suburb called Manukau. we were to be caravaning it. there were four of us, and though the rental company said sleeps four comfortable, they surely were talking about four hobbit-sized people. it was cramped to say the least. a minor detail. we'll make it work. sooo, the sleeping arrangements were rotated between three options.. IN the van, ON the van or OUTSIDE the van. (we'll put up a pic as soon as we can so you get the idea).
-thru Hamilton, Cambridge and Tirau. Camille slept most of the way..in awe of how beautiful it is.
-to Rotorua, geothermal hotspots and Maori culture abound. we visited a Maori village at Whakarewarewa and ate their traditional hangi meal. helped save a kiwi at kiwi experience where we saw the endangered creatures in action. i couldn't help but think.. they looked tasty! stayed at a campground where the sites were heated by thermal mud pools and toured around Lake Rotorua
-driving south from Rotorua we came upon Taupo. saw our first super-loo. voted best loo in new zealand. it was fab, i have to say.
Taupo was a beautiful area with an incredible lake and several rivers for trout fishing. we visited craters of the moon, a pockmarked landscape teaming with sunken thermal areas. you'd think it would have been warmer but we froze our ears off. we half expected to see a dinosaur hiding amongst the bush. the honeyhive was a great place to pick up some beautiful red mead made from the local honey and huka falls was good for a quick visit and to stretch your legs on some trails.
did our first free camping in Taupo. Reids farm was an incredibly beautiful camping area right alonside the Waikato River.
we met a few other travelers here as well as some locals. Sandra and Martin were a pair from Holland and came over to share our campfire with us. (first and only campfire we've had so far). a few of the locals were Andre, who brewed his own beer and offered to share but later turned out to be a drunken idiot who thought we stole his umbrella and was actually kind of scary by the end of the night. we think it was him who took one of our two camp chairs when we awoke to find only the one. perhaps he thought it only fair..in exchange for his umbrella (which of course we DIDN'T have) there was also Manny, iffy, didn't stay long but brought us firewood. Pete, a contrast. his appearance was gruff and shaggy and seemed a shady character but take a moment and the guy held great conversation was smart and had a quick wit. we liked pete
The evening brought many drinks, some rain, lots of laughter and some frights. Bonnie got frightened and crawled in bed with camille and i. snug fit. we won't let her live that one down. the axe was hidden and we all slept til morning.
We had Sandra and Martin as well as Pete to join us for tea in the morning before we went on our way.
-to Napier and Hastings down the north island and on to Wellington.
In Wellington we enjoyed some city life, having dinner at a pub in a great area for people watching. there was quite some people to watch. even the hari krishna were chanting and dancing down Cuba St. Visited Te Papa, an enormous free entry museum where you can spend all day roaming. somewhere along this point is where we decided to nix the south island in favor of experiencing more instead of just 'seeing'.
-soo, north it is to Mt Taranaki aka Egmont. A quick jot around the island for it's beautiful views and on to Waitomo. Waitomo offered unparalleled caving adventures. some solo hikes brought beautiful caves, gloworms, bush and on one occasion, spiders!! camille and i decided to hike up an embankment where a cave opening could be seen. as we entered, we thought 'how very cool' and stepped in further with our headlamps on. at that time i heard camille utter 'oh my god'. i looked back and followed her gaze upward. UGH!! nasty cave dwelling spiders were all over the cave ceiling above our heads. we made a QUICK exit!!
we also visited the shearing shed where we watched them strap a poor bunny up by its ankles and proceed to shave all it's fabulous fur off..kinda sad, i thought. bonnie did leave there with a beautifully expensive sweater for her grandmother. possum fur was readily available as well.
-Morrinsville, had to see my friend from long ago Aspen. Daniel-son!! Mr. Dan Bodle, his wife Annaleah and their three kids, Keelah, Hunter and newborn Olivia. What a beautiful farm with a view of rolling pasture land, forest, creeks and ponds. we stayed over and here was hatched the idea of extending our travels in new zealand.
The Coromandel!!
