North Island trip 2018-19

Day: Weather: 23, Cloudy, Sunny Overnight: Dean and Claires at Raurimu Activities: Tongarairo bike Old Coach Road

Day: Weather: 23, Overcast, drizzle Overnight: Dean and Clairs at Raurimu Activities: Waitomo caves

Weather: 23 Overnight: Otorohanga NZMCA park Activities: Bridal Veil Falls, Raglan Surf Beach, Shops, Wharf, Woke to a warm morning. Had an early morning wake up at 7 to loud mmusic from over the fence. Millie and I went for a walk down town. Had a coffee and cake. By the time we returned the others were up. After breakfast we all ventured out to the shops, wharf and beach. Decided to go to whale bay to watch the surfers. Headed off for Waitomo stopping at Bridal veil falls on the way. Decided to stay at the NZMCA park in Otorohanga for the night. A very pleasant spot with a large grass area and gravel in the middle with a small office. Quiet, secluded by the river. It is intended that it is near to the caves for our tour tomorrow. Had another game of settlers with the girls tonight. Both are loving it. Still lots of learning around proper game etiquette though. Bed at 10.30.

Weather: 23 Overnight: Raglan RSA Activities: Hamilton Gardens, Raglan shops, beach and wharf.

Day: Weather: Drizzle, 25, Fine Overnight: Andrew and Alicia and Fin Havil Activities: Church, Swim, Birthday Party at Andrews. A drizzly morning that did not last long. Following the hot and noisy night the morning came around too quickly. Breakfast at Brian and Annas. Brian had to go to church early as he was playing the clarinet. After breakfast we all did church at the Baptist with Brian and Anna. Following the service we made a quick exit due to the need to tidy the camper van and remake beds, etc after doing the washing yesterday. We all had lunch together before heading off for a swim at the local pool. We had a short swim and started on to Opoupo where Andrew lives. It is just past Hamilton, 10km before Te Awamutu. Had a great birthday tea and parked up here for the night. Andrew started work in the morning at Fonterra at 4.00. WE went to bed around 9.30

Day: Weather: 27, Sunny Overnight: Anne and Brian Huntly Activities : Pete and Maree, Mission bay swim, French Market, Huntly A warm night and hot morning. Left Heathers at 10.00 and got to Pete and Marees around 10.30. Left at around 12.30 and stopped of at Mission bay for a quick swim. Not very appealing so decided to give it a miss. Found a French market just around the corner so made the most of it and got some lunch, Drove on to Huntly with a brief stop at the dump station at Te Kauwhata. Got to Anne and Brians around 4 and went for a walk with plans to have a swim at local pool. Got there to find pool was just closing so went for look around Huntly with Brian while others grocery shopped. Had a great tea outside in the warm evening air. Girls made brownie and served it up well. There was a birthday party next door so a bit of noise but not too loud. Bed by 10.30.

Day: Overnight Heather Parks driveway Weather: 23 overcast Activities: Maraitai, Fraser and Yan tea. Woke to an overcast day. Warm but no sun. Decided to drive out to Maratai for a swim, coffee, walk. Girls had a swim in pool first and left togs on. Drove out, had a walk, coffe, swim. Too many jellyfish in water so girls gave swim a miss. Drove home via supermarket. Fraser and Yan came for BB Q tea. Bed by 10.30

Day: Weather: 24 Overnight: Heather Parks driveway in Epsom Activities: Lunch at Little Bird restaurant, Drop Ton at airport, catchup with Heather Left Mathewson bay after an early morning swim. All a bit tired after all getting up at 1.00 to find the insect repellent... to no luck. Left at 10.30 for Auckland. We were keen to lunch at Little Bird vegetarian restaurant in Ponsonby. Amazing what they can make without gluten, milk and egg. Left to go straight to the airport. Dropped Ton off around 2.30 and headed back to Heathers. She was at home by herself with her dog. Initially talked about going and staying out for the night and having an adventure. The pool and afternoon drifted on so we ended up staying in her drive and planned to go to Miritai tomorrow. Bed around 10.30

Day: Overnight: Mathewson Bay free camping area Activities: Breakfast at Matakana, Movies, OBV winery, Leigh, Mathewson Bay Woke to a top day at Matkana Golf Club. I went to pay for the night at the golf pro shop. All golfers were a bit surprised to see me - all too posh for me!!! We decided to get out of here and have breakfast at Matkana before going to Mary Poppins returns movie at 9.30. It was a long movie so by the time we came out it was lunch time. We had  another look around the shops and headed toward Tauwheranui Reserve on the Matkana peninsula. We stopped at the Omaha Bay Winery (OBV) on the way and enjoyed a wine and chocolates in the sun. We then decided that instead of driving out to the reserve we would first check out Leigh. Found a beautiful jetty and bay so went for a swim in out undies. Great fun. On heading back we decided to check out Mathewson bay as it was supposed to be very nice..... and it was. On arriving a man came over and told us about a secret fre...

Day: Weather: Rain, 16 Overnight: Matakana Golf Club Activities: Kauri Museum Woke to a cooler day. Heavy rain in the night that has stopped. Wet ground a high humidity. Rain was on and off all morning. Girls ( including Ton) cooked breakfast in camp kitchen. We had a big fry up at around 10.00. Nice. Left for Matakohe Kauri Museum at 10.30 with a plan to drop in at Kia Iwi Lakes. Got to Kia Iwi lakes and had a swim. Absolutely beautiful water - crystal clear, fresh water, white sandy bottom. Had a swim then travelled on to the Mauri Museum. Arrived at 3 and stayed until closing. Remarkable trees that had a remarkable culture based around them. More heavy rain and decided to head for Matakana. Lots of ideas thrown around - Mangawhai heads, pictures, Staying at Kauri Museum and doing a free camp. Got to Matakana Golf course with most of the driving being in the rain. Set up camp and had tea. Played a quick game of Flash then bed.

Day: Weather 18, Rain Overnight: Kauri Coast Top 10 Activities: Kataia visit, Opononi, Tane Mahuta, Top 10 Kauri Coast, Kiwi Spotting. Woke to a cool, still day. By th time we started breakfast it started to drizzle. It then turned to rain and so we left fete an empty n fill. Drove into Kataia then realised we needed to go back the way we came so drove to Rawene via Ahipara turnoff. Got to Rawene with 30 minutes before ferry so had time for a quick lunch. $40 on ferry and we were taken across the Hokianga. By the time we reached Rawene the weather had improved and the rain had turned to shine. Sated around Rawene looking at the puzzle shop where Millie brought a puzzle. We then ventured  into Clendon heritage house. Enjoyed by all the family. We drove on with the intention of staying at Opononi but the weather wasn’t great and camping ground choices were limited so we drove on to radon’s on Kauri Park. After a quick tea we went Kiwi spotting at 9.45. The park lent us a bright ...

Day: 23 Weather: 28 Overnight: Ahipara Holiday Park Activities: Cape Reinga, Te Paki Dunes Another warm, tranquil morning. Decided to tak things a bit slower so went down to the local 4 square, brought some milk, coffees, and groceries and had breakfast parked up at Coopers beach. An amazing spot with the awning out, deck chairs open and great water. Just what the doctor ordered. Following an incecream at the store we drove on to Cape Reinga. It was a big drive of 2 hours each way. Nothing flash to see during the travels but worth the journey to the cape and then dunes. The girls loved the dunes. Drove back to Ahipara Holiday Park hyped up to do a kiwi night spotting tour. Due to a slight mix up it was the wrong place but then found the correct place so will do it later. This place looks pretty tidy. Got a powered site with Tons tent beside us. Lots of palms and bamboo growing. Reminded me of Queensland.

Day: 23 Weather: 33.5 Overnight: Monganui Fire Station Activities: Waitangi Treaty House and Museum Woke up to a clear, hot morning. It was great staying at the Waitangi Holiday park although the lady at reception was a bit grumpy when we challenged her about charging Ton for power. Drove straight to the treaty house, etc and spent the first half hour before our tour looking at the museum. Needed more time but had a tour starting at 11. The tour was great and got to see the waka, told of the history, Hobson’s house and a cultural performance in the marae. While Millie, Frankie and I did the cultural performance, Clare and Tonya went to the museum for some more reading. We finished around 2, had some lunch in the camper and drove to Paihia shops. Clare was keen to get a dress so I made the most of it and filled up with gas at the same time. We finally left for Mangonui around 3.30. Our first stop was at the Fishn chip shop in Mangonui. We made the most of the infamous takeaways a...

Day: 22 Weather 33.5 Overnight: Waitangi Holiday Park Activities: Russell, Pompellier House and tannery, Museum, Christ Church, Hone Hika Flagstaff A very hot night. I went on a walk this morning and found Tonya on the grass sleeping. Understandable after a hot night. It only took me 5 minutes to get to the shops. By 8.00 the locals were already setting up the craft market and the town was starting to buzz. On getting back to the van, Tonya and Millie were about to walk in to town. I walked back with them then on arriving in town was rung by Clare who was keen to walk in to town also but did not want to leave Frankie. Third time lucky and I ended up staying at the van. Frankie and I had a game of battleships while we had a breakfast. Once all the girls had arrived back we made a plan to head for Russell. Tonya went by herself and we followed 15 minutes behind. Once we got the ferry we started at the museum then did a tour of Pompellier House. By this time it was about 28. On o...

Day: 21 Weather 30 Overnight: Paihia RSA Activities: Hunterwassers toilets, relax and walk around Paihia. A quiet night with a foggy morning. A couple of other campers theta turned up. I went for a walk down to the shops for my morning coffee and muffin. Spent an hour on cafe wifi updating a few blogs. Made my way back to van. All still quiet. After breaks we did a quick walk down to check out hops, etc. Not much happening. I brought a Hawaiian shirt, Frankie found a skink, train drove down the Main Street. Quite a sedate place really. We drove on to Paihia without any stops on the way. Another hot day at Paihia and drove straight to the RSA. Parked up on the tarseal car park. Nothing flash but very functional. Once we were sorted we got out the camp chairs etc and set ourselves up. On walking down to get and ice cream, etc, buying a 2 litre pack, the ice cream wafers and making ice cream sandwiches the girls then decided to go for a swim. I ended up walking back to the van to pu...

Date: 20 Weather; 26 Overnight: Kawakawa Bowling Club Activities: Poor Knight Island Dive, snorkelling, paddleboarding, swimming. Stayed at a reserve in Wellington bay last night. Clarecontacted the Whangarei council re staying there as there were 5 parks available but campers ahead parked unevenly so we were going to park up as the fifth. They told us not go so we moved at 10.30 to a reserve at the other end of the beach. Much nicer nd quieter. Woke to a beautiful day. Had a quick swim in the surf that was a bit dodgy. Tonya lost her specs and we spent a bit of time looking for them with no luck. Clare give me a birthday present and it was diving t the Poor Nights islands with Dove Tutukaka. Amazing. We had to check in at 11.00, travelling out on a smaller catamaran called Diversity. It was great. There were only 15 of us plus the three crew. It was very intimate and just amazing. The skipper was tops and gave us all the history of the place. The crew were great and came to the ...

Day: 19 Weather 33.5 Overnight: Wellington Bay reserve ( near tutukaka) Activities: Museum, Kiwi house, Anne frank exhibition, Whangarei Falls, Woke up at Whangarei cruising club to another top morning. Jumped off the wharf. Amazingly warm again. Walked down to Pairua Bay tavern for chips and a beer. All enjoyed a sit in the sun. Packed up and headed for town - filled up with gas, emptied greywater and dump station. Headed up to museum and kiwi house. I sat int he van and relaxed over a quiet beer and book. The girls all visited the Anne Frank exhibition and Kiwihouse. On leaving for Tututkaka we dropped in at the Whangarei falls. No walk needed just a two minute stroll to the viewing platform. Drove on nd got to Tutukaka around 5. Parked in town and did washing at Quality Hotel laundromat, cooked tea and went for a stroll. Ended up tripping around as we could not decide on a place to stay. Ended up at Wellington Bay Reserve. Situated over the back of Tutukaka. A bit unsure of c...

Day: 18 Weather:33 Overnight: Whangarei cruising club, pariura bay. Activities Tony’s birthday Wharf jumping Breakfast at McLeod’s bay Ocean beach Shopping Tea at Fat Camel Pick up Tonya from airport at 7.30 Bed by 10.30

Day: 15 Weather: 28 Overnight: Mangawhai golf course Activities: swim, surf, boogie board, museum Woke to another glorious day. Drove straight out to heads for breaks. Car park already full at 8.15. Breaks then swim and boogie board. Clare and Millie tried sand dune surfing. I tried out the new leash on the SUP. got all three of us up standing while surfing. Fun times. Had lunch at heads before heading to museum. Amazing place. Learnt all about Mangawhai BIG DIG, harbour and gum. A great story. Drove on to Whangarei with one stop for an ice cream. All quiet in Whangarei on Sundays. Brought watermelon on street stall. Drove to camping spot at Whangarei Sailing club. Went fishing with the girls after tea.Not much luck. Bed by 10.30

Date. 5.1 Weather: 25 Overnight: Hibiscus coast RSA Activities; Alison and Davids, Swimming at Mangawhai heads, Woke to a quiet morning in the RSA. Millie and I went for a walk. The club is closed till the 7th January so after phoning the caretaker about staying last night I still had no luck. Drove down to Stanmore park for breakfast. The girls went for a swim with the jellyfish.. a bit unexpected and no doubt freaky. We had to leave via the RSA. again as some jandals were left behind. Decided it was best to visit the Matakana markets first thenSnells beach. Traffic intoMatakana was very slow and painful. We then headed to Snells beach to see Alison and David. Neil and Christine were also there so we spent the afternoon chatting over cheese, soft drink and coffee. David came and joined us for the time. At around 4 we headed for Mangawhai. There was still alot of traffic. Got to Mangawhai heads and went for a swim, had tea then camped up for the night at the golf club. Lots of mos...

Day: Weather: 23 Overnight: coromandel free parking Activities: Road 306 - Start and wild pigs, Waterworks. Woke to a great day. Still and very sunny. A quiet night at the free parking in Coromandel. Went for a walk to get groceries. Brought some local oranges. Yum. Heard their had been a car crash on the road and the road between Thames and coromandel was closed for 3-5 hours. We decided to do a bit more shopping then drove on to waterworks. There are about 60 different interactive displays and activities. Not all involve water but a number have water as the generating force. There was also a playground, flying fox and swimming hole in the river. Following Waterworks we drove on to Thames. The road was now open and although it was very windy there was still a lot to see. The highway followed the coast all the way to Thames where it went inland. On reaching Auckland we contacted Vicky and Andrew and met at Point Chevalier for nacho tea. After a relaxing tea we drove to whangapa...

Day: 15 Weather: 25 Overnight: hot water beach top 10 Activities: Woke to another glorious day. After a relaxed start we headed off to Cathedral cove and Hahei beach. Arrived around 9.30 and was in rime before the major rush. Caught the shuttle from th ecarpark and got dropped at the start of the track. Took about 30 minutes to walk so with the heat it was hard going for Frankie and me. Got a iced choc at the end then caught the shuttle back to van. Headed to Coramandel. Thought we might try to book the pottery and train at Railway creek. Apparently a must see. By the time we arrived we had plenty of time so checked out a couple of potential camping spots before parking up at railway. Railway started great but after 20 minutes train stopped and we had to return to base with a full refund given. Bit of a disappointment. Headed into coromandel to find park for the night. Parked up at free camping area in car park out the back of ma8n street. Played charades, pizza and chips for tea...

Day: 13 Weather: 25 Overnight: Hot Water beach Top 10 Activities: not much Left Pauanui after lunch. Had a very relaxing start to the day. It was a beautiful day. The King of the Mountain fun run started at 8 and cars started arriving around 7 so there was no sleep In. Once we were up we boogie boarded, swam and read until 1.00. A beautiful day at the beach. After meeting Keri again and a quick coffee we headed off for Hot Water beach. Traffic jams we crazy bad. We arrived at the top 10 and took up one of their last sites.it became a very relaxing afternoon with washing, showers, tidying up, etc.

Day:12 Weather: 30 Overnight: Long beach reserve Activities: Amy and Luke Geof and Keri Woke to a clear, warm morning. All very quiet in Whangamata following a noisy New Year’s Eve. Left marina at 7.45 and parked camper at Island reserve for breakfast. Had a fry up of eggs, pancakes, bacon, potato and Kumara wedges and toast. After break spend the next few hours swimming at relaxing on the beach. Had a quick sandwich for lunch then drove on to catch up with Amy and Luke. Had a coffee, chat with them for an hour. Left for pauanui with a stop at shops where Clare brought a dress. We then got a boogie board, screwdriver and ankle harness. We finally drove for pauanui at 4. Arrived after a short 30 minute drive and went to the supermarket followed by a drive out to long bay reserve where we parked up for the night,. Met Keri there and both her kids. They, along with Husband came back and joined us for BBQ tea. A very pleasant evening. Bed around 11.