Week One (9th - 15th May)
Hello, this is our first instalment of four blog posts covering New Zealand! Enjoy!
Hello, this is our first instalment of four blog posts covering New Zealand! Enjoy!
DAY ONE
We were so excited for this journey....we were to be reunited with our mum and dad!!
We said goodbye to our relations and made our way to the Sydney airport. It was about 5.15am and we caught our train.
We had our last trip on the double decker trains. We had a big decision...top or bottom deck?!?! We went with top for the last journey!
We arrived and made our way to the check in desk.
We saw a rugby team checking in with us and thought 'they can't be too popular if they are just flying economy with the likes of us'! You wouldn't really see Steven Gerrard or Wayne Rooney flying economy. They provided us with some eye candy though whilst queuing so we weren't complaining!! Ha ha!
We got called over to the business class desk to be checked in and I joked saying 'does it mean we automatically get upgraded by coming to this desk' - he said no :( . It looks like our upgrade is becoming more and more unique as the flights go by!!
We were so happy though we didn't mind. We had already planned our seating arrangements and we were to be sat next to mum and dad! We were told they would be waiting in the gate already. At least meeting them this way would mean less commotion on the plane!!
We made our way to the gate and were a bit rushed as immigration queues were longer than anticipated! We made it through security and ran to our gate!
The hunt was on!
It took a while but we spotted them in the crowd and rushed over. It was hugs and happiness all round!! I had tears of happiness in my eyes!! Such a special moment!!
We boarded the plane and took our seats. Mum and Dad looked really well to say they have been on a plane for 24 hours!!!
We were travelling on an Airbus A380 and by gosh it was massive!! I have never had to go up some stairs to the toilets on a plane before and seen a staircase!! It took a bit of getting used to!
We enjoyed the flight by catching up, laughing, eating and watching a movie.
After 3 hours we arrived in Auckland!! Nice short flight for us. Mum and Dad were glad the whole journey was done! At least they had a month to get prepared to do it all again on their return journey!
We were allowed in the country and Mum and Dad were lucky in that they hadn't lost their luggage unlike when we arrived after the connecting flights to Bangkok!
We caught a shuttle bus and it dropped us off ready to collect our home for the next month!
We were given a tour of the camper van and we were nervous. It was the first time we had ever driven a camper van let alone driving it and living in it for a month!
We were ready to get going but not before they fixed the step and the fridge - hopefully that is all that needed fixing and we will be alright! We were given a bottle of wine for the time delay. We were joking saying well can we just stay here for a month?! All these questions kept popping up 'how do we empty the toilet?' 'How do we fill up the water' 'oh god can we do this?!?!'
In Britz there was a shelf where people had left items they hadn't used. Me and Rach were over like a shot! There was food and we were told some people leave all sorts like walking boots, ski equipment! It was quite good! We stocked up on some (rather a lot, all used may I say!) items we would use.
There are three big supermarkets here in New Zealand. Pak and Save which is an equivalent of Aldi in England, Countdown which would be Morrisons and New World which would be Sainsbury's.
First shop of many we were sure! We made sure we planned what meals we would be able to make easily in the conditions. Breakfast consisted of cornflakes and two pieces of toast each. Me and Rach were used to having no butter but Mum and Dad were still able to have their luxuries so we pushed the boat out and had butter AND jam!
For lunch we decided ham and wholegrain mustard sandwiches plus some crisps would be nice.
Dinner - Rach and I bought some noodles for us all to enjoy. Pasta, soups and beans. We stocked up on the bread! We needed a lot. We won't be on a no carb diet this month!!
We drove on to Takapuna, well Rach did. She did very well. It started raining and was dark but with the help from the sat-nav (named Lorraine) and passenger (me) regarding directions, she did very well and we arrived safely!
We had dinner which was bought earlier and consisted of coleslaw, ham and a bun.
We were so tired from the journey but glad we were in Takapuna - we were on the way up! Bed time!!
DAY TWO
We were in a beachfront space and we woke up for sunrise which was lovely. I was so tired I just took a picture with my eyes. It was lovely and then my head hit the pillow and I slept a bit longer!
We checked out and walked by the beach. It was so busy with people socialising and walking their dogs. It was a nice start to the day but we had to make our way north so didn't have long!
Rach kicked off the driving and we were on our way to Whangarei.
We stopped for lunch at the Dome Valley Picnic Area on our way, having ham and beetroot sandwiches. The beetroot was courtesy of the free shelf! It was so lovely thinking we could stop absolutely anywhere and prepare the food wherever we felt.
Once we arrived at Whangarei we visited our first of many I-Sites. We asked questions and they were very helpful!
They told us we could freedom camp in the car park which we were excited for. We were told that Whangarei was the most northern place in the north island that you can freedom camp. There was a 24hour toilet so at least we still didn't need to use ours!
We thought as we were saving on a campsite tonight and it was the start of a fab month we would treat ourselves and had dinner out. We had a lovely second dinner at the cafe opposite the I-site. Rach and I couldn't decide over a Sausage roll or wrap so we shared. We all had a cake for afterwards which was very naughty but nice!!
We then didn't have far to go to our accommodation.... the car park just outside. It was definitely going to be an interesting night! We soon settled down after having a chat and discussing what we would do tomorrow.
There were other campers who were staying the night, this put us at ease. Our first night of Freedom camping was to begin.
DAY THREE
We woke up after a good FREE night. Today's plan was to go to Mount Manaia Walkway and Whangarei Falls.
I decided I would drive. My first time! I wanted Rach in the passenger seat so she could talk me through it! It was alright though. We had practise with an automatic car in Cairns, Australia and this was the same but on a much bigger scale! 7.2 metres to be precise!
I was happy though driving and the roads weren't too bad. There are plenty of passing lanes and if you notice a big queue behind you then you pull over when safe and let them overtake. You soon get used to it and start to enjoy it. The scenery is fantastic! You never know what is behind a bend....breathtaking view most of the time! And the odd sheep or cow!
It was turning out to be a lovely sunny day. The sun was still out when we arrived at Mount Manaia. Rach saw a sign that issued the walk as a vigorous 1 hour walk. She didn't tell us that before we set off! Off we went with half a bottle of water and excitement of seeing the view at the top.
The walk was wonderful. There was plenty of nature around. You could see all the different native trees and hear all the birds. It was lovely. We were on our own too. The great thing about visiting New Zealand in the winter is that there aren't many tourists around meaning quieter attractions and plenty of room at the campsites!!
We carried on and it was quite hard! Mum and Dad did so well to say this was their second day, especially when they still hadn't fully recovered from their flight over!
People were passing us coming down and we kept asking 'how far is the top'. All they kept saying was '10 minutes' but wow it was a long 10 minutes!!!
Just before we finally reached the top we smiled at a lady who was on her way down. We somehow ended up discussing the British programme Coronation Street for about 15 minutes! New Zealand are about 2 years behind which was interesting for her. She was asking about all the characters and what happens to them all. We filled her in which she was happy about!
Once we reached the top you forgot about the hard work it was getting there!! The views were stunning!!
It was such a clear day which meant we could see for miles! Or kilometres seen as we were in New Zealand! Ha ha.
We made our way back down after having a lovely chat with a man at the top who told us what we were looking at and some must sees on the North Island. Our first impressions of the kiwis are they are so friendly!
We made our way down and our legs started shaking due to the hard work! There was another lookout we nearly missed so we had a look.
We got down and noticed on the information board someone had written 1113 steps. I could quite believe it!!
We stopped at the bottom and enjoyed a well deserved lunch! We could see people stood where we were and they were like ants!
Next stop, Whangarei Falls! I drove us there and got us parked.
We were at the top of the waterfall and on the way down we could cross over some stepping stones. We are big kids at heart really!
Time was ticking on so we headed back to the campervan and drove to Bay of Islands!
We got checked in but needed food so we headed 5 minutes down the road towards a countdown.
Time to put the gas on, plug in power and settle down for the night. We had food now so made dinner.
Sleep!
DAY FOUR
We really liked that camp ground! We did the normal routine...got up, shower (depending on the water temperature!) breakfast comprising of cornflakes and toast. Once we were washed up and everything put away and the cupboards shut (so they didn't open whilst driving) we then set off.
We parked up and walked by the sea.
It was a sunny warm day again so the views were clear and very pretty.
We then went over a very narrow bridge. To get to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. It was a challenge!!
We decided to have lunch before our drive to Cape Reinga. A pie shop called out to us.
It was delicious!! Best pie ever...minus grandmas apple pie of course!!
We were ready for the drive up to Cape Reinga.
We made it just in time for sunset at the tip top of New Zealand. It was absolutely beautiful!!
We were so pleased about getting there in time. The drive there seemed like it was going on forever plus we could see the sun going down with every bend we did!
We enjoyed our dinner of beans on toast and got to bed. All this driving is certainly tiring! I had a shower (a blumming freezing one!) and no I did not break the hand dryer. Seriously I didn't!
We did squeeze in a game of dominoes though which was fun! But then it really was bed time!
DAY FIVE
We enjoyed breakfast with the ducks today.
The sun was shining and we thought we would try out the outside chairs. It was a lovely morning!
We wanted to go the lighthouse in the day so we headed over. Mum then felt like she fancied a go so she went for it, doing extremely well and getting us back to the peninsula.
We met a few people on our way, chatting to them, reading the many Maori historical stories. It was truly humbling to read. We spent a long while here and we could have spent 4 weeks here, it was gorgeous!
We had organised to meet up with some friends who own a farm near Cape Reinga and it was so lovely to see them. We were extremely lucky to be given a tour around the farm. He had pigs, chickens, bulls, dogs, cows, sheep etc.
We went for a ride in his truck and came close to one of the bulls. Luckily we didn't get stuck in that field! :)
We were lucky enough to be taken for a ride on the beach. It took us back to our trip on Fraser Island. It was a first for mum and dad!!
It was such a privilege being shown around the farm and having the tour. We enjoyed dinner all together and they helped us with cementing our plans for the rest of the trip.
We slept there overnight and got ready for an early set off tomorrow. We had to make good progress due to their not being too many places to stay on the west side of the North Island plus apparently the roads were very windy!! We definitely wanted somewhere to stay before dark!
DAY SIX
We said our goodbyes. We woke at 7.30am and found out a lot of the jobs on the farm had already been done. Wow I couldn't be a farmer! I like my sleep ins too much! :)
We stopped on the way at Kataia for a grocery shop and petrol. We thought we would try Pak N Save this time. We needed some breakfast so we decided to turn the gas on and have breakfast in the car park! That's the beauty of a campervan just park up (in a safe place) and you have all you need with you. You can have food or even go to bed! If freedom camping is allowed there of course!!
Once everything was washed up and put away we set off. On the way we stopped at a scenic lookout.
We then decided to head abit further due to their being a lot of possum poison traps everywhere. Not good especially if we were going to have lunch.
We made the wrong move though because when we had finished it was worse! The gloves were on, scarf out and rainproof jacket on!! It was chilly and really windy!
We walked around the little footpath and took some pictures. It was chilly but the views were worth it!!
Time was of the essence and we carried on our journey to Tane Mahuta.
We arrived just as a coach load of tourists did!! It made us laugh! Only we could time it like that!
We walked towards the tree not really knowing how big it would be....
Once we heard the tour group we knew we must be close!
When we first saw it we couldn't believe how big, MASSIVE it was!! 2000 years old. 13.7 circumference!!
When the tourists had left it was so much better appreciating it in peace! We could finally take some nice pictures too!
We drove on to the next campsite but wow it was tricky! The roads were soooo windy! Luckily it was still light. Rach took over when it was too dark plus I'd done my share for the day!
It was tricky finding a campsite and at one point we didn't really know where one was. We didn't let mum and dad know that! We finally found one though called Pahi Motor Camp. We were so happy to see it in the distance! The office was closed but as with most campsites you just park up and pay up in the morning.
We had made very good progress getting to where we were! We were very tired and couldn't wait to get to bed. Dinner was beans on toast plus noodles! Easily made! We then played spit and hit the hay! (went to bed!).
DAY SEVEN
We woke up to a lovely view outside. With arriving late at places you don't really know what your views are until morning and this one was lovely!
I read somewhere that this campground had a massive tree and wow they weren't wrong!
I went over and couldn't believe the size of the roots!!
We still had some distance to cover so we paid up and said our goodbyes to the campsite manager. And her cat!
We were on the road again!
We were on the road again!
We spotted some strange wildlife on the way...
We drove for ages and needed lunch so we stopped at a place called Hatfields beach.
We investigated the beach and noticed loads of crabs!!
We didn't mess around though and were soon packed up and and on our way once more.
With Rach having drove passed Auckland before. It was only fair that she did it again with having practice!
She did very well!
Dad took over Rach and drove us to Coromandel. We did very well!! The sat nav decided 15mins into one way of getting there that we should go the other way. NOT HELPFUL!! We sorted it out and finally decided the best route and headed off. The roads were getting windy when we were nearly there plus it was dark. When we finally arrived we gave dad a round of applause and were very pleased to be there!
We were all soo hungry and the campsite had a restaurant nearby so before they closed we called in. We were very happy they could serve us and we quickly chose our meals.
Mum, Dad and Rach decided on fish and chips and I had Caesar salad with chicken and bacon. Whilst we were waiting we had free beer and cider tasting.
The meals came and wow they looked yummy!
They were delicious and we pushed the boat out and decided to be naughty and have dessert. Me and Dad shared but Rach and Mum were doublely naughty and had a cheesecake EACH! Tut tut!
We said our thank you's for staying open for us. It was like we had hired the restaurant out!
We rolled to the campervan and went to bed ready for hot water beach tomorrow.
I'll leave you there and Rach is taking over with filling you in on week two of our campervan adventure!!
Lots of love,
Nat xxx
Enjoyed reading your Blog worth waiting for and what a surprise Mum and Dad joining you. Can't wait until the next one Lynn H xx
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