Adventures In New Zealand

We head today towards the Bay of Plenty through Whangamata to Tauranga and Mount Maunganui.  There is a good looking beach for swimming and suffing with plenty of people in the sea enjoying themselves and many others walking along the esplanade.  The beach itself is a 20km long strand and our campsite is only separated from it by a public boardwalk allowing no privacy whatsoever for anyone wishing to walk past of which there is a considerable number.  We play it safe and keep everything in the car rather than unload and set up camp in case anyone decides to have a look inside while we're away.  The one plus side of this accomodation is that we have a fantastic view over the ocean and can gear the waves crash in the distance and panoramic view of the bay which is a beautiful sight.

We rent some boogie boards from a beach-side shop and hit the surf.  The waves are huge and my first few attempts at getting out from the beach are thwarted as each wave staggers me backwards.  As I work up momentum between each wave, riding over it and kicking hard with my legs, I make it out about 40/50 feet and get caught by a huge wave that carries me more than half way back where the crest breaks and I fall into about one foot of water.  Ouch.

This temporary setback only furthered my determination to get back out there and try again depsite further successive waves battering me back landing several times on my sides and a wave hitting me squarely in the face leaving me gasping for breath.

We would have stayed out there further but the shell beach was having serious impact on our attempts to have fun and each time I was knocked onto the beach, my legs were grazed and scratched until I finally gave up after grazing enough to cause bleeding.  Next time, a sandy beach only.

It was late afternoon by this point and we decided to head into Tauranga to buy dinner and check out the cinema.  (We settled on a film called Fracture - entertaining and worth a watch on TV - 3/5).  The sea air does make you sleepy and we were in bed by 11.30pm.

        

This morning we head for Cathedral Cove on the south east corner of Mercury Bay where besides some striking geological formations, there is also supposedly fantastic snorkling in the nearby Gemstone Bay.  Unfortunately for us, despite the weather forecast for another glorious day, it is quite grey and overcast and the conditions do not make for water activities.

As we arrive at Cathedral Cove it hasn't brightened up much but it is very humid and I am sweating like a guilty man in the dock as we make our way along the stunning coastline.  As snorkling was our dashed planned activity for the afternoon we decide to take a trip to the town of Coromandel itself, an old gold town, and ride the scenic railway overlooking the northern peninsula.

Half-way there, the clouds disappear and the sun blazes down on us as we arrive just in time for lunch before jumping on the 3.15pm train.  As an alternative, this works out in our favour.  I love trains and travelling on them was one of the joys travelling around Europe and it's a shame that New Zealand doesn't have more public railways.  It has some that run between Auckland and Wellington, Christchurch to Greymouth/Picton but that's about it.  The government has recently spent quite a considerable amount of money in the train service but it will be many years before anyone sees this investment.

The Driving Creek Railway that we embark on is a labour of love, built mostly by hand and taking just over 27 years to complete.  Click here for the full stroy.

We step into a ramshackle little set of carriages that evokes a miniature toy on a grand scale and set off up a hill which covers a distance of 3km climbing up 120m for spectacular views over Coromandel.  It is a fun hour long trip and highly recommended not only for the views but to see the effort involved over many years building it.

Our final expedition of the day takes us back to Whitianga and on to Hot Water Beach where we can see and feel hot water springs bubbling beneath the sand.

The idea is to sit in and enjoy the geothermally heated water but as Lou and I begin to move the sand with our feet, we have to hastily remove it as it is near boiling temperature and cool our feet off in the sea.  I imagine this is something to be constructed withe a bucket and spade, adding sea water until a comfortable medium is reached but the shop is closed and we take a walk along the beach and leave our quickly disappearing sand marks for other straggling tourists to play with.

An interesting day all around and another one of many I wouldn't mind repeating.

Our journey to the Coromandel Peninsula takes us back through Auckland before striking east and north into the Mercury Bay and the town of Whitianga.  The scenery reminds me of much of the south island and Lou and I talk about where we will settle for the duration of our working holiday after we've finished touring.  We are undecided between Christchurch and Dunedin (the former taking first prize in the end).

The north island has been good to us so far but I feel the southern environment has more to offer in terms of outdoor pursuits on the doorstep with a greater beauty to it overall.  Wellington is nice but doesn't fit and we have no love for Auckland.  There have also been some beautiful towns that have a homely feeling to them but the job prospects would certainly not be positive and sooner or later we might regret the decision of not choosing a larger town or city.

When we arrive at the campsite in Whitianga, the owner is friendly and she is the first to walk with us and show us around where we can put up our tent and where the kitchen and amenities are rather than circling a spot on the map and sending us on our way.

We are staying here for two nights and have several things on our 'to-do- list.  One of the main attractions to our campsite is the cheap rental of kayaks and we're not disappointed.  They are only $10 for the day and as soon as we set up the tent, it's our first item on the agenda.

It's great being out on the water under your own steam and a superb sense of freedom to go wherever you choose.  The harbour bay is right across the road and within five minutes we are on the water and away.

We spend a fantastic afternoon navigating the place and despite the helping of sun-cream to protect ourselves, the reflection of the water gives us a slight sunburn noticable on our return.

We take a stroll along the main street.  As it is after 5pm on a Sunday afternoon most places are closed and so we buy some chinese food, a bottle of wine and return to pass the evening back at the site, reading and when the sun goes down watching a film in the lounge area of the social building which we have to ourselves.

It has been a relaxing day and tomorrow we hit the road to several places of interest outside town.

The weather is a little dull as we left the campsite but brightens up as we make our short journey through the quaint Russell streets to the harbour.  We book ourselves onto the 'Mack Attack', a turbo charged diesel engined catamaran that reaches speeds of more than 50 knots.  We're taken on a 90 minute tour of the bay which heads out to Cape Brett where  there is a huge hole in the rock and a 'cathedral cave' which the boat manoevoures into.  The cove itself was used by Maori warriers in canoes that would lie in wait for opposing tribes who sailed in for landing and would be surprise attacked.

It was a very fast ride out to the cove and the wind turbulence made my face nearly numb with the force of it.  The sea was also pretty choppy in parts and waves crashing against rocks in places.  It was a fantastic trip and well worth taking on a day like this.

After we're back on land, we head south along the coast towards Leigh and Goat's Island.  Although it's a short distance, relatively speaking for this kind of adventure, of 200km it takes us around 5 hours because of roadworks and usealed roads slowing us down.  We stop along the way for lunch overlooking a beautiful turquise bay.

We make a few wrong turns once or twice up unsealed roads before we find Leigh but the campsite is hosting a wedding (go figure) and no staff can be found.  A little frustrated we drive 10km back to Pakiri and find an excellent campsite by a beach where, after pitching the tent, we walk along and I look for shells while Lou wets her feet.

The evening is spent chilling outside with a dinner of cheese and wine watching the sky grow dark and the moon rising directly overhead and a blanket of stars appearing.  Not a bad ending to the day really.

Last night marked the worst night of camping on our trip and would certainly make it into the top 20 worst nights of sleep ever.  Despite the campsite [Waitiki Landing Holiday park] being on the most northerly and convenient site in Northland, close to both the sand dunes and the cape itself, it is a squalid and filthy site and the 'restaurant' becomes the local bar hangout after dark.  The punters are very noisy and the music is just as loud.  Screeching tyres and breaking bottles often rise above the din and shouted conversations are audible from a considerable distance.  Needless to say we hardly slept a wink and on top of all this we were harassed by mosquitoes that must have sneaked in at some point.

Needless to say, we were up at first light and I wisely avoided the showers lest I was to become dirtier than when I used them and we hit the road.

There is nowhere to go but south and we made our way along the east coast to the Bay of Islands stopping at Paihia for kayaking.  We rent one each and after sliding into the water, spend two hours navigating the bay area.  Although the sun is behind grey clouds, it is relatively warm and the waves are gentle.  It is certainly a past-time I intend to take up when we finally settle down somewhere.

Our small journey takes us out to and around a few small islands and up and down the coastline and we are now awake and enjoying ourselves.

Once we are back on dry land, we drive through the small village of Pauo and take the ferry across to Russell which only takes 10-15 minutes and it is not long before we are setting up our tent again and ready to explore the village.

Russell could easily win a best kept small town award for the region and the sea-front is a pleasure to walk along.  We find a bar and luckily for us it is happy hour and only $7 for two handles.  The world netball championship is on and we try to figure out why it's so popular in New Zealand.  We can't.

After exploring the rest of the town, which doesn't take long, we buy some provisions and choose a pleasant harbour view restaurant to eat at where both order a steak fillet with mushroom and porcini sauce washed down by a rather tasty Hawke's Bay cabernet sauvignon.  Afterwards we buy some ice-cream and take a walk along the beach as the sun sets by the harbour pier.

All in all, an awesome day I wouldn' mind repeating. 

      

After a great nights sleep, a refreshing shower and a relaxing breakfast with just the two of us (our American housemates left early for some tramping), we set off further north to catch a ferry at Rawene.

Rawene itself is a lively village on the tip of a peninsula and runs a ferry service across Hokianga harbour to Kohukohu on the northern shores.  It only costs $16 and cuts out a good 100km of road and takes us to our next passing point of Mangamuka bridge which puts us back on highway 1 towards our lunch stop at Kaitaia.

Kaitaia, mildly put, is a bit of a dive but it's the biggest commercial centre this far north and an ideal place to stop, refuel and get amy provisions you need before heading further north where the price of petrol is akin to daylight robbery and food stores are few and far between.

As we push on another 100km or more towards the Cape, the north islands most northly point, it is a beautiful afternoon and our car jutters along the remaining 21km as, for whatever reason, the road is unsurfaced.  It appears that there is a 2 year project underway that intends to expand the Reinga facilities and surface the road and the roadmen (and women) are busy with their woork.

Once past the JCB's and workers, we enter the Maori spiritual place known as "the place of leaping" where dead spirits depart and the area is quiet, reflective and peaceful.  There is a lone lighthouse at the end of the headland and a directional post with jovial signs stating "London: 18,239km" etc.

The views are quite dramatic as the Tasmin and Pacific meet each other head on and there is plenty of surf.  Looking west is the tip of 90 Mile Beach (actually 64 miles long) running south into the distance.

We make our way back slowly back along the road to Te Paki Stream where huge sand dunes make for the excellent pastime of boogie boarding.  Lou and I rent some boards and make our way to the foot of the dunes which now appear tall and forboding.

It takes a significant amount of energy to climb to the top as the sand continually falls at your feet at a 45° angle and it's two steps forward and one step back.  Neverthless, sliding down is great fun and I would loved to have a gondola carry me up but there are no such luxuries.  I managed to climb up 3 full times and on my last summit climb, I reach the top, fall over, heart pounding and exhausted before making a final run down.

It was a great action packed day and tomorrow we head south and eastwards along towards the Bay of Islands.

       

Before leaving Auckland for Northland, we stopped at Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World.  It's a unique aquarium featuring a 110 metre transparent tunnel that you can walk through and marvel at the life aquatic.  A moving platform allows you to stand still and gawk at what's on offer while moving you along so you don't walk into other visitors.  Interestingly, the acrylic used refracts the light so that the fish appear to be one third smaller than they are.

I found the most interesting of the creatures to be the sharks and stingrays, a few of which have a fin-span of around 2 metres and they pass by within a few inches of your face which for want of a better description, is pretty awesome.

The other main draw of Tarlton's is the penguin colony which you can be driven through on an Antarctic Snowcat.  I reckon there are around 50 of them which can be found swimming, nesting or standing around flapping their wings.

We were soon on the road again and we had a long drive ahead of us towards the tip of the north island, most of it along vast expanses of countryside and all, unfortunately, quite boring.

We decided to stop for the day in the area of Opononi which is hard to describe as a settlement and the strip of road where our hostel is no more than a few buildings - houses, a pub and a shop.  Nevertheless, our hostel, the House of Harmony, is a charming little place which is certainly the best place we have stayed in the north.  It has beautiful views of Hokianga harbour and Lou and I sat outside for a while soaking up the atmosphere before taking a walk along the beach.

The only other occupants sharing the two-kitchen, four bedroom, two bathroom, large living room flat are two older Americans.  We spend an enjoyable evening reading books, planning our travels and sharing the occasional conversation.  The only issue was the woman requesting that she replaces Van Morrison in the CD player for an awful Spanish guitar/recorder album which would be suitable background music if we were in a museum.

If you're travelling up to Cape Reinga through Auckland, I highly recommend staying here as it is a calm, peaceful place to stay.

Our second and last day in Auckland started with a lie-in until 10am and a visit to the laundry room which means while the clothes get to being clean, we can nip across the road to buy something for lunch and read the newspapers in the back garden of the hostel and take turns checking our emails.

We have booked a harbour cruise at 3pm and are picked up shortly after 2pm.  The weather is flitting between sunshine and clouds with a fairly steady breeze.  However, it has settled somewhat as we set off from the harbour and out towards the open sea.  There is a nice view of Auckland as it fades into the distance and we circumnavigate Waitemata harbour and out towards Rangitato before looping around and heading back past Devenport and under the harbour bridge where a group of bungee jumpers were throwing themselves off touching the spray of the ocean and hanging in mid-air until getting pulled up again.

It was a semi-pleasant way to spend an afternoon although I would recommend an earlier voyage and spending the day on other activities that don't include triapsing around tourist shops looking for Maori dolls to send home to mothers with collections :P

By the time we set off for the hostel, a nasty rain has developed and I'm glad to be indoors on such an evening.  As we look back over our two days in Auckland, I feel we could have done everything we wanted in a day.  As cities go and having been to London, Tokyo and other more metropolitan places, it's not exactly exciting.  If it wasn't for the Sky Tower, I'd recommend passing on through to Northland which is our next destination.

       

Our journey to Auckland takes us along the New Zealand version of a motorway that in the rest of the world would be called a dual-carriageway.  It's our second time here although the first was a stop-over flight taking us to Christchurch when we first arrived so that doesn't really count. 

Unlike Wellington where it's feasible to camp and bus it in, Auckland's nearest campsite doesn't sounds great and it's 10km outside city limits so we hostelling it for our duration.  Unfortunately for us, both places we attempt to book into are closed for lunch for 2 hours which is plain ridiculous if you're in this business.

By the time we check-in, sort ourselves out and jump on a bus it is late afternoon.  Our destination is the museum and by the time it takes us to walk to it, it is 4.15pm and we are given free admission because it closes at 5pm.  This is both a blessing and a curse as the exhibits fail to rouse much interest and it's no patch on Wellington's museums which are also free.

It is a 4km round circle from the city to museum and back so we decide to call in at Father Ted's off Queen Street and take things easy before making our way to what is arguably Aucklands main draw - the Sky Tower.

Bby now it is early evening and we finally get some pay-back on our BBH cards as they allow us a student discount rate on admission.  We take the first lift to the main observation deck which is full of other tourists taking in the 360° panoramic views of the city.

For an extra $3 we climb into another lift which takes us to a higher, smaller and more intimate deck, providing slightly better views and a chance for quiet contemplation.

After taking a lot of photographs and scaring myself by standing on a see-through floor to the streets below, we take the lift down to the best part of the Sky Tower - the revolving restaurant.

Over a fantastic meal (puddings aside!) we get to see the city at night move around us and if you're on a visit here, it's well worth splashing out for the experience.

Our journey home takes longer than expected because we miss our stop and have to walk 45 minutes back to the hostel.  The bus driver actually kicked us off the bus and wasn't overly concerned if we knew where we were.  [This moment can be contrasted to a Saturday night in Christchurch 6 months later when we do the same but as we are the last people on the bus, the driver takes us home in the bus like a taxi - right to our door!]

       

Today marks our first month in New Zealand and it seems much longer because of the travelling but it has been a blast and we are looking forward to what lies ahead.  Our next destination is the Waitomo caves - famous for its limestone caves and glow-worms and are believed to be over two million years old.

After setting up on a nearby campsite, we book ourselves onto a two cave trip taking in the Arunui and Waitomo Caves.  The Arunui Caves are only a few kilometres drive away and it is well worth passing through and checking out as there is a fine display of stalagmites and stalactites and displays of limestone erosion.

The Waitomo Caves are somewhat less impressive in terms of geological sights but there is a river running through it where there lives thousands of glow worms.  Indeed, the word Waitomo comes from the Maori wai meaning water and tomo meaning sinkhole which translates as water passing through a hole.

After a guided tour of the cave itself, we step into a boat and are directed along in near pitch black where by glancing up you can the creatures emitting light as if looking up at the night sky on a clear night and seeing a blanket of stars.

To mark our monthly anniversary we decide to have a BBQ and buy steaks as a treat.  It is a glorious evening spent relaxing in the quiet environment and as the sun settles, it casts the most beautiful sunset of glorious oranges and reds.

       

After a relaxing sleep, we decide to put our new swim shoes to use and rent an open canoe for two hours and explore the coastline of Taupo.

It's another glorious afternoon as we slide the boat gently into the water before taking our positions to trek out across the clear blue waters.  However, a sudden call from the shore informs us that we are sitting in the wrong place - oops!

A quick and precarious position change that threatens to send us both into the water, we navigate out of the shoreline and head towards a buoy.  We quickly gain the ability to harmonise our strokes and make the experience fun and enjoyable.  My mind wanders ahead to potentially having our own canoes or kayaks and journeying down an unexplored river.

A trip of the area from north to south and back to the buoy with resting time to enjoy the scenery and talk quickly takes up the hours and we make our way back to the beach hut and (quite adeptly I think) bring the boat onto the shore in a straight line.  It's certainly picqued my interest in this pursuit of outdoor life and we readily agree to do more watersports in the near future.

Our thirst for water-based activities takes us to the A.C. Arena to have a leisurely dip in one of their private thermal pools but unfortunately they are closed and we opt for a swim in the main public pool.

We have a fun time there making most of the two slides which takes me back to childhood days and wish adults could get away with more of this behaviour without it being frowned upon.

With all our energy-expending activities it was time to take things down a notch so we made our way to Huka Falls, a fast flowing river section of the Waikato river that is channelled down a narrow chasm, plunges over a ten-metre drop and crashes into a series of whirhpools before continuing in a more serene fashion.

As we stepped out of the car, who did we see, but none other than Michael Palin.  It wasn't another Pole to Pole but a private sight-seeing tour which is a break from his stage shows in Wellington.  However, I failed to get the camera out of the car in time and didn't want to chase after him looking like a rabid fan so you'll have to take my words he was there.

Further on up the road is the 'Craters of the Moon' - a geothermal area created in the 1950's from the establishment of the geothermal powerstation near by.

It's not as impressive as the much smaller thermal area in Tkaanu but it is a nice hour long walk through steaming pits and a large mud pool.

As it was another beautiful evening we had dinner on a nearby picnic table with a nice bottle of wine and a selection of cheeses and pate before retiring for the night as the sun disappeared from view.

       

We were glad to leave Wanganui and looking forward to our next destination of Taupo.

Our journey took us through the beautiful scenery of Tongariro National Park that contains 3 mountains, numerous lakes and a welcome stop for lunch.  Tongariro National Park has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 25 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites and the 3 mountains are actually active volcanic mountains -  Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro  - which are located in the centre of the park.

From here we drove to Tokaanu which has its own thermal park - fantastic rich, clear blue hot pools alongside plopping mud pools and steam rising from the ground.  It was very primevil and wonderous to take in.

Tokaanu sits on the southernmost point of Lake Taupo and the drive around the eastern side towards the north-east where Taupo lies is beautiful as the lake runs into the distance where the Tongariro mountains rest that now seem far away.

Taupo  itself is a lovely little lakeside town that has outgrown its tourist shell and has a feel of its own and I'm glad we're at the tail end of the shoulder season as the hustle and bustle of the peak season probably spoils the tranquility of the place.

Our campsite is conveniently located a kilometre from town but is peaceful, clean and the most restful we have observed in our travels.

After setting up the tent, we made our way into town and took a walk along the lakeside with the aforementioned views looking south.  The beautiful water reminded us that we needed to obtain some swimming shoes so no matter what type of beach we encounter, we can go for a swim or paddle without worry of what is underfoot.

Our search took us to a handful of surf and sports shops which didn't sell any and we were advised to try a place we had seen but not been into yet called The Warehouse.  It is a huge place that reminds me of Makro or a similar (duh) Warehouse-type store that sells everything under the sun at a reasonable price.  Indeed, we would come back to this chain of stores for household goods and various other bits and pieces.  More importantly for us, it was selling water shoes for only $6.  Another thing that caught our eyes were pillows for only $4 and these were snapped up.  Our future sleep greatly benefitted from these luxuries and our (ironically more costly) inflatable pillows were consigned to history (or the back of the boot).

After working up a thirst walking around town in a pleasantly warm afternoon, we once again found solace in an Irish bar and decided to compare bite marks from sand-flies.

Altough Lou was bitten around her waist and upper thighs (she claimed they crawled up her leggings!), my feet took top prize with a dozen or more bites on each foot.  However, I am extremely pleased that I do not suffer from extreme itchiness that a lot of people do and do not exacerbate the problem by incessant scratching.

We enjoy drinking and soaking up the sun too much and stay for a dinner of what amounts to a sub-par meal of a chicken foot-long with garlic bread and chips and head inside with our Marlborough Sauvingnon Blanc and discuss the incumbent flaws in foreign Irish bars including too many Guinness signs, posters stating Murphy's Law, cliched memorabelia and more importantly - bad pints of Guinness.

We also play some pool (I won 3-1) and meander back to the campsite and rejoice in our new found head-rests.

          

Today we set off north to Wanganui on a relatively long 300km drive that would take us half-way to our next destination of Lake Taupo.  We stopped here because it's too long a drive and quite pointless to spend the entire day on the road and it seemed a more exciting place than Palmerston North.

We decided to stay at the Tamara Backpackers alongside the Whanganui River.  Here we would meet someone that was so rude, spiteful, unwelcoming and unhelpful that made the twat in Punakaiki seem like a saint.

He was the owner of the joint and after enquiring of an en-suite double room, he led us to an area above a double garage where there were two rooms to choose from.

As we entered the first room, we noticed a pile (of at least a hundred) dead ants on the pillow that had dropped from an air vent.  Lou and I exchanged disgusted looks and there was no way we were going to take the room.

He casually brushed the dead ants from the pillow and said "there you go."  Then, upon seeing the look of horror on our faces began a spiel about the widespread nesting of ants in New Zealand and that they are "a part of life".  Lou and I had not seen (and still have not seen) a single ant problem so far.

We asked if we could see the other adjacent room.  "I knew you were going to say that!" he exclaimed and went on to say  that  "he doesn't have time for people like us"  referrring to  our apparent squeamishness.

Mid-way through examing our room, he shouted from outside "Are you two still up there?!" and bade us to come down. 

Having seen no ants on our brief inspection, we followed him to the reception and stumped up $60 for the night.  Upon taking our ruck-sacks from the car up to the room and finishing our examination, we found another pile of dead ants on the bunk-bed pillows and a few live ones by the door.  This was unacceptable and we decided to ask for a refund.

As I returned to reception, there was a sign on the desk which stated "Back in 5 minutes".  Ten minutes later, after pacing te hallway and lounge, he returned in his car and I explained to him the situation and politely asked for our money back.  His face contorted and he said aloud "Are you fucking kidding me?".  i confirmed that we were not.

He stated that he would only give us back $30 if we left because (and le leaned right in up to my face and said this)  "you're wasting my fucking time".

Not wanting to throw away money and observing that he would not budge an inch on this 'deal' , I asked what other double rooms he had in the house.

As he showed me to another two rooms I could choose he told me that he was aware Lou didn't like him, again how ants were a part of life here and that he doesn't have time for our type of people.  If I was a different person, he would have a bloody nose at this point..

I returned to the Room of Ants where I had left Lou and we took our stuff to the new room which, although was not ensuite, faced the river and was much bigger and more importantly, lacked ants.  It was also $10 less.

There is only one word to describe this man and it begins with a C.

Aftter taking a short break/reprieve I went in search of him again as the hostel advertsied free bike hire.  He led me out the back of the house towards a shed where we briefly stopped by the garage where he showed me the location of the ant-hill.  "I'm doing everything I can to kill the things.  What am I supposed to do? Close the en-suite rooms and loose tens of thousands of dollars every year?"

I wasn't interested in his explanations.  I selected the bikes and Lou and I left to explore the town.

There are only a handful of interesting places to see in Wanganui and if you're not here for outdoor activities, there's only enough to put in an afternoon before relaxing with a book or whatever floats your boat.

Lou and I headed along the river and across the bridge to Durie Hill Elevator.  It's an elevator dating to 1919 that takes you 66 metres to the summit .  However, since we had bikes, we pushed them to the top where a Memorial tower stands watch over the city.

The 176 steps takes a few minutes to climb and is good excercise although the staircase is littered with graffiti and smells of urine.  The view over the city itself is pleasant enough although the river running through the town is a turgid brown and quite unapealing.

Much more satisfying is spending 20 minutes in the Sarjeant Art Gallery with a decent selection of contemporary New Zealand art and photography.

The bikes afforded us a quick jaunt through the town but if you intend in taking things at a more leisurely pace, walking should be the aim of the game.

We returned to the hostel in the late afternoon and spent a relaxing evening reading and drinking a few glasses of red wine overlooking the river.

Today we were back in the car to visit the out-of-town sights of Otari-Wilton's Bush and Scorching Bay.  The latter was first on the list and after cutting through the city traffic and along Worser Bay (which is an awful name), we reached our destination.

This is one of Wellington's prime beaches despite its very small size but its beauty was spoilt by construction work taking place due to its popularity.  Nevertheless there was a great little renowned eatery called the Chocolate Fish Café and we had a fantastic lunch washed down by the best iced mocca I've ever had.

Soon after hitting the road, my directional ability must have aligned with my map reading skills (which never happens) and we made it back through the city and out to the Otari-Wilton's Bush without any wrong turns.

Otari-Wilston's Bush is New Zealand's largest botanic garden dedicated solely to native plants and the drawing power is two-fold.  The native plants are pre-colonial and there is 10km of walk-ways throughout.  Whilst the native plants are an interesting to a botanist, as a person with limited foliage knowledge, I couldn't tell the difference.  I also have a bone of contention with what could easily be called flagrant false advertising as they advertise a walkway platform at tree-top height but this was no more than a small pathway that jutted out between two hills.

By late afternoon, we were back at the campsite and as we were one of the few campers, we had a massive space to ourselves and took advantage by kicking around our newly aquired football before a relaxing evening with a bottle of wine.

        

This morning we woke up in our "cell" courtesy of screaming kids outside running around and arguing with their parents.  The joy of parenthood eh?

We don't have to move too far, only a few hundred yards, and we set up camp and pitch the tent between two trees in front of a fence giving us protection from any wind but getting all the sun that is possible on what is a slightly overcast morning.

Avoiding the nightmare and hassle of driving in Wellington (especially in rush-hour) we catch a bus ($10 for an all day pass) and within 30-45 minutes we're in the the middle of town and jump out by the cable car that takes us up to the botanical garden.  It costs $4.50 pp return but I would recommend a single ticket and making your way back into town from the other side.

The view from the top gives a good view over the city altough it is hardly breath-taking.  We walk for around an hour the gardens and by now the sun has come out and it is a relief to walk in the shade of the trees.

By this time, we are quite hungry as our breakfast these last few days has consisted of coffee to get us moving and a cereal bar that really doesn't provide the energy for walking all morning.  We make our way to Civic Square which is a pleasant public space and is bustling with tourists and workers on their lunch break.

We head to Cuba Street where there are many place offering $10 lunches and fast-food joints offering all kinds of cuisine.  Laughably, we settle for an Irish pub, pizza and a pint.

After a satisfying meal, we head to Te Papa Museum  where we spend a few hours walking around the many exhibits and features (all free!) and you could easily take an afternoon looking at everything in greater detail.

We go from one museum to another and make our way along the quay to the Wellington  Sea & City where we found a lot of interesting facts out about Wellington, her nautical past and the disaster of 1967 when the Wahine boat sank.

By this time, most places were closing for the day.  To avoid the rush-hour traffic, we pause for a refreshing pint and catch a return bus back to the campsite.

Today we leave the south island (for now) and head north to Wellington.  It's funny how the weeks have flown in and how we have seen so much and covered a lot of distance since leaving Christchurch.  We are also greatly anticipating what the capital city and the differences the north island will offer as it contains 3/4 of the population.

The Inter-Islander ferry leaves at 1.15pm and we have a 3 hour journey across the Cook Strait.  The first 30 minutes is pleasant and amongst us, a fair few passengers take to the upper deck and photograph Picton as it fades into the distance as we leave Marlborough Sound for the open sea.

After scouting out the ship, Lou and I settle in the bar to while away the time, occasionally stepping outside where the winds are strong and there is now little to see between the islands.  New Zealand's position between 40-50S latitude means that the strait funnels westerly winds and deflects them into northerlies.

As the ferry lands in Wellington, there is little to see of the city as and we have to wait until we drive into the city itself but there is no time for sight-seeing as we attempt, in vain, to find our selected hostel in rush-hour traffic.

The city uses a system of one-way streets that are difficult to navigate for first-time users and it becomes a lesson in futility.  After 3 failed attempts to find a suitable place to park we ditch the hostel idea and drive 14km north to Hutt Valley deciding to camp and bus and leave the city driving to the seasoned nutters.

Exhausted after out effort, we rent a room for the night at the Top 10 Holiday Park which looks more like a prison cell with two bunk beds, an electirc heater attached to the wall and military green sheets.  How depressing.

After a brief rest, we drive out to find food and notice that there is a Guy Fawkes party along the entire beach front with friends and families gathering around fires made of driftwood.  As the sun settles, fireworks are launched into the sky with the lights of Wellington in the far distance across the harbour.

Our journey to Picton took us through the Marlborough wineries and it was a fine dunny day.  The road also took us along the outskirts of Blenheim where we will be stopping at on our way back to Christchurch.

Picton itself is a small but pleasant town where everyone has to pass through to get the inter-island ferry to Wellington and although fishing, kayaking and other water trips and adventures can be obtained here, the town itself is mostly lifeless and full of cafés and souvenier shops.

Our main reason for spending the night here was to have a relaxing evening, recharge our batteries before heading to the north island and get all our washing done.  Our accomodation was a 2 bedroom flat behind the hostel itself which we shared with another couple who kept themselves holed up in their room and barely said two words although that meant we had free run of the living room and TV.

A walk around the town centre only takes a quarter of an hour and before long we found ourselves in Seamus's Irish Bar which is run by a lady from Limavady and, to our pleasant surprise, serves a fine pint of Guinness and Tayto crisps.  Lou was in heaven and it was almost like being back at home in a nice bar before they were turned into abominal wine bars.

It was a relatively quiet night given the laid-back pace of the town and we were eager to see what the north island and Wellington would offer.

           

We had ourselves up at 9am and enjoyed a relaxing cup of coffee before getting onto the water taxi,  The boat itself was towed on a tractor and it was a bumpier ride to the beach than on the sea itself.  The tractor reversed to a depth in the water and we slid into the water.  The driver pulled a slow 180 degree turn before we took off across the water where we were taken in the opposite direction towards a split spherical rock which carried (of course) a Maori legend.

As I can't find anything from a google search, you'll have to rely on my awful memory to recollect the story...

It was once a round complete rock that looked as if it floated on the sea when the tide was in.  When it was out, you could walk to it.  Two Maori gods - the god of the sea and the god of the land - fought over the rock.  When the sea was in, it belonged to the one and when it was out, it belonged to the other so neither claimed it all of the time - a continual battle as it were.  To settle the battle once and for all, the land god attempted to strike his opponent with a stick (assuming this was some kind of magical stick that could kill gods) but he missed and struck the rock splitting it in two. 

The result is that the sea-facing side is the smallest segment and in fierce, windy days, the battering waves is the water god showing his anger. 

Another tale is that Captain Cook shot a cannon at a tribe on the beach but hit the rock, breaking it in two.  Whatever you believe, neither seem more likely than your day-to-day coastal erosion but as stories go the cannonball is more grounded in reality.

Our journey took us back across the sea to Bark Bay with a foreground of forested  nooks and crannies as we made our way up the coastline where the boat let us off a few feet from the beach so we had to take our shoes off and paddle the rest of the way.

As we began our trek along the path, the dull skies disipated and the sun caem out and the light filtered through the trees which is one of my favourite outdoor joyous moments as it automatically lifts your spirits and fills you with joy espeically that the glimpses between the trees  showed us a beautiful turquoise water with golden sands giving the place a tropical feel.

The walk to Torrent Bay took around 90 minutes and we crossed a very high and shaky suspension bridge which only five people could cross at any one time.

As the tide was out we were able to cross from Torrent to Anchorage cutting our journey by an hour.  However, in hindsight I would have chosen the longer route because our trek across the low tide took us through muddy patches and river streams that were up to 8" deep and soaked and stained our boots.  However, it was the kind of thing that reminded me of my childhood which was a nice feeling and I soon dismissed getting dirty and happily splashed through the remainder of my way to Anchorage where we walked barefoot along the beach and made a little clothesline of sticks to dry our socks.

Our water taxi home was just as fun as getting to Bark Bay and it was a great day out.  The late afternoon sun was fading as we jumped in our car and headed to Moeteka to see what was on offer.

Like most places near forests and inbetween larger cities, these kind of towns are small and there's usually nothing of interest for tourists to see or do.  We found a pub and had some dinner of steak and chips before finding our way to a small independant cinema which was just about to show Away From Her, a film I had wanted to see earlier in the year.

Inside was wonderfully quirky and quaint as the ticket seller was also the confectioner and projectionist.  Although the room was no bigger than a large living room, the screen was big and everyone sat on old sofas which were comfy and delightfully kitsch.

The film was excellent and well worth checking out on DVD. 

We headed back to the campsite after a wonderful day and eager to see more of New Zealand.

It was another hot and sunny day as we set off to Abel Tasmin but the curse of Nelson had not finished with us yet and would prevent us from leaving until mid-afternoon.

The car we bought in Christchurch has, up until now, been working well for us except for a minor setback in that it occasionally conks out immediately after starting the engine.  An oil sign appears on the dashboard and after waiting 30 seconds and turning the key again, the car starts with a minor rumble that disappears after a few hundred yards.

As luck would have it, just a short distance along the same road from the campsite there was a Nissan garage and we thought it best taking it to them and asking for advice, especially since the car did not come with a manual and we do not want to start fiddling with something we know next to nothing about.

We were approached by one of their mechanics, Cindy, who postulated what the problem might be and said that we could come back on Monday (5th November) for an appointment.  After explaining that we would be nowhere near Nelson at that stage and that we were headed on to Abel Tasmin today, she managed to squeeze us in at 1pm.

As it was only 11am, we had two hours to kill and decided to go shopping for an al fresco lunch.  We left the car in the garage and bought some nice cheeses and such like and found a nice park although the birds began circling us like vultures waiting for loose scraps or something to be thrown to them.

We went for a last walkabout in town and had a pint at the House of Ales where I perused the paper.  It's interesting to note how the papers are only marginally more bearable that the TV because you get a slightly more international flavour in the news.  It's times like these, that I found myself missing Channel 4 news.

By the time we got back to the garage it was ready and waiting for us.  A new oil filter, air filter, spark plugs and coolant was added totalling $160.  Apparantly all of this should have been checked 30,000km ago before we bought the car so it's a lesson learnt.  Nevertheless, it started perfectly and gave us no problems for the rest of the trip.

The drive to Abel Tasmin took a few hours and it was late afternoon as we arrived and found a nice spot in the corner of the campsite.  After checking out the activities, we booked for a second night and booked a water taxi to Bark Bay tomorow and walk back from there.

It was a beautiful evening and we took a stroll along an empty beach which was serene and picturesque.  That night we had the most enjoyable nights camping in New Zealand so far and were ready for the day ahead.

After saying our goodbyes to the Irish girls and English couple, we set off on the road to Nelson stopping on the way to visit the famous Punakaiki rocks that we drove past on the way in.

They are far more interesting than you might imagine and the sight overlooking the coastline is sublime.  I would highly recommend stopping here on a visit and staying at the Te Nikau.

By the time we reached Nelson, the sun was blazing and on our way in we passed Tahunanui beach which looked glorious and had sandy beaches on the horizon.

We decided to camp tonight at the City Holiday Park.  It was the cheapest night so far at $32 which was self-explanatory when we found the camping ground which wasn't bigger than your average lounge room and there really wasn't room for more than two tents at a squeeze.

As it was a hot day, we decided to take a quick walk around town before grabbing a beer to quench our thirst and there were three recommended in the Rough Guide: The House of Ales, Victorian Rose and the Grotty Mole.  The bars are in an area called 'Trafalgar Square' which is supposed to be 'the place' for hanging out but is actually very small and to be brutally honest Nelson is not a very hip or happening city and there appears to be very little to offer.

We had reservations about camping due to recently freezing our asses off in Arrowtown but we were nowhere near mountains nad the air was warm when we went to bed giving us all the signs for a good nights sleep.

However, next to our campsite was a house on the other side of a tiny river adjacent to the Holiday Park and in the early hours of the morning we were awoken with screaming and loud music which lasted until we left the next morning so I can only imagine whoever was making the racket was on some serious drink and most probably drugs.

Unfortunately this compounded our dislike for Nelson and it is extremely unlikely we will ever return.