New Zealand (part 3)

Next stop on the world tour of New Zealand was Rotorua, where we stayed long enough to marvel at the geothermal fields, but not long enough to get suffocated by the smell of sulphur. We even made a detour to go to a local geo-thermal power station which was supposed to have a visitor’s centre. Turns out we had the wrong power station, so we must have looked a right pair of plonkers driving onto their site, having a good gawp, taking photos and driving off again!

P at 'Craters of the Moon' thermal park

After Rotorua, we headed for a tiny place called Turangi, famous only for being the start point for the Tongariro Crossing – a day hike across an amazing volcanic plateau, with unworldly landscapes, coloured lakes and towering volcanic peaks. As part of the walk, you have the option to climb Mount Ngauruhoe, the peak which cameos as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films. Despite the cloudy conditions we decided that the opportunity to climb Mount Doom was not to be missed, so we set off up the steep rocky slope. Fortunately Sauron was not in residence that day, but Mt Doom did claim another victim as I lost my balance and came sliding down the sharp scree on my shins. I would like to be able to say the view was worth it, but the cloud obstinately hugged the summit all morning, and we couldn’t see a thing! Luckily that didn’t detract from the rest of the walk, which was stunning, and deservedly described as possibly the best day walk in NZ.

Emerald Lakes, Tongariro Crossing

It seems you can’t visit NZ without throwing yourself off, out of or down something. So next up, James had an appointment with 12,000ft of fresh air on his way out of a plane above Lake Taupo (all because I had done a skydive there on my last visit and he didn’t want to be outdone, I reckon!)."Geronimo!"

New Zealand (part 2)

Having collected our trusty motor – a ’96 Nissan Sunny with nearly 200,000km on the clock – we headed north out of Auckland on one of New Zealand’s few stretches of motorway. It didn’t last long, within 30 minutes we were on a windy single carriageway road – something we were going to get used to over the coming weeks.

Our target was Russell in the beautiful Bay of Islands and one time capital of New Zealand. Much more importantly it is home to Fliss – Petra’s cousin’s wife’s aunt (got that?!) – and her partner Butch. Our plan had been to have one night in Russell before steaming on north to 90 mile beach and Cape Reina (NZ’s most northerly point) but as soon as we arrived Fliss insisted it wasn’t to be a flying visit and her great hospitality ensured we stayed on there for 3 nights instead.

Fliss is currently running a luxury lodge just outside Russell with stunning views over the bay and this is where she put us up. Initially we had to pretend to be fellow guests as we settled down to a 4 course meal but after that first night we had the place to ourselves and aside from helping clean the rooms we settled down to lounge by the pool and play with the dog (called Sea but generally known as Dog)

The Lodge

Fortuitously the Bay of Islands Sailing Week was taking place whilst we were there and I decided to get up early on Friday morning to see if I could get involved. Luckily I found Jeremy and Anne, the owners of Sea Hawk a 35’ Chico yacht, who were looking for crew. I joined them and an English guy called Robin (who bizarrely was a previous owner of the boat I did my Day Skipper course on – small world!!) to take on all comers in the cruiser class. We had a great day out on the water and came 2nd in everyone of the 3 races but nicked 1st place on handicap in the long afternoon bay race. It was a really good day and will sit up there with highlights of this trip. I was so excited I could barely sit still all evening.

Seahawk

The Race James, Jeremy, Anne & Robyn - the winning team

We left Fliss on Sunday morning having enjoyed a superb stay at the lodge to drive leisurely down towards Auckland to spend the night in a campsite with Sam and Anna and some kiwi friends of theirs. It was our first night in the tent in NZ and it was nice to pop it up again – our one piece of consistency in a frantic year! We had a good fun boozy evening and learned a great game called Kub – it’s of Swedish origin and we will be buying a set when we get home so be ready (hopefully they sell it at Ikea).

The next morning we headed for a swim on a beautiful beach before waving good bye to Sam and Anna and heading to the Coromandel – a small peninsula to the east of Auckland. It was a picturesque place and provided two lovely nights camping. We also managed a short walk to Cathedral Cove – a beautiful section of coastline where the sea is eroding through limestone cliffs to leave stacks and caves. Another highlight was Hot Water Beach - sadly the tide was in and no hot water in evidence but a great place to body surf. I also took the opportunity to finally loose my watch once and for all!!