0044 NZ Part 4. North Island

 0044.  NZ Part 4.    North Island.  2nd - 10th February 2023

Queen Charlotte Sound 

On 2nd February, due to the breakdown of another ferry, we departed from Picton on the S Island at about 7 pm, 5 hours late.  The voyage out through Queen Charlotte Sound was beautiful, even in overcast conditions, and we then had an uneventful trip to Wellington. As a result of our late departure, by the time we offloaded in Wellington it was past 11pm, dark, there were roadworks just outside the port, and for some reason the traffic (both vehicles and pedestrians) was crazy  - We found

Night arrival in Wellington

out later there was an Ed Sheeran concert that had just finished, and it seemed half of New Zealand had been there, and was now trying to get home.  We then had to try and drive through the traffic, in the dark, to a camp site that we knew would be closed when we arrived - Not fun.  In the end, Janet had to persuade some of the people returning to the campsite on foot from the concert to give us the code to open the boom gate so we could get into the park, and then we had to find an empty piece of grass to park on.  Stressful to say the least, but eventually we made it and got some sleep.  

Garage Project brewery

First thing in the morning Janet went down to the office and tried to explain how we had got in after arriving late, and paid for our spot.  All sorted.  We then went off on an explore around Wellington, first of all going to a Craft Brewery that Benn & Sarah had told us about - Garage Project.  They were closed when we got there, but were very friendly and told us about their set up and their beers, and even gave us a couple of cans to take with us !  We then went to check out the car park camp site that we originally planned to stay in near the harbour - And it was packed !  The vans were like sardines in a can - I think all the other people off the boat had gone there, so in the end it was probably a good job we had gone to the other one, despite the problems there.  We then set off north - All freeway with

Picnic by Manawatu River

traffic going much faster than in the S Island - They must have been doing at least 100 kmh !!!  We had a few places we wanted to see in the N Island, and only 5 days to do it, so we headed first of all to Hastings and Napier on the east coast, which we had been told were very pleasant and had lots of old 1950's Art Deco buildings.  We stopped for a picnic lunch just north of Palmerston North, beside the Manawatu River, with a big wind farm on the hill behind us.  After that, we continued on to Hastings where we decided to stop for the night.

Mural in Hastings

Next morning we headed in to Hastings to look around - Funny little town, with a large number of Art Deco buildings, but also quite a lot of empty buildings down town, which made it a bit sad.  But we found a delightful coffee shop in what appeared to an older and quite large department store (now empty) and had a good coffee and sticky bun there before heading on out of town to Napier.  Napier was a much larger and more vibrant town and after finding a parking spot in the centre we walked out to the ocean beach - small black pebbles that seemed to stretch for miles both north and south.  Clear blue skies and pleasantly warm, we wandered around the centre where there are pedestrian malls and a lot of Art Deco buildings.

Napier buildings & cars

 They are preparing for some major Art Deco Festival in a week, and there were also a number of older cars driving around taking people on tours of the city.  We found a spot selling ice cream on Marine Parade, at the same time as, on the opposite side of the road, hoards of cruise ship passengers were sheltering from the sun under identical bright red (presumably cruise ship provided) umbrellas as they waited for their tour buses.  We then found a little Craft Beer tap room called the Rogue Hop Speakeasy where we tasted a couple of their beers on tap, and chatted with the proprietor about his business and the city in general.  An interesting interlude in a pleasant town.

Waipunga Falls

We then headed NW across the scenic Hawke's Bay (wine growing) area, stopping at a lookout to view the Waipunga Falls,  passing though Taupo (we would return) and heading to a camp site just to the SE of Rotorua, on Lake Tikitapu, also known as the Blue Lake.  Unfortunately when we arrived it was

Lake Tikitapu

not so sunny, so the lake was not so blue, but it was very scenic - and very cold - nonetheless.  Our time was getting quite limited as we had to return our van in Auckland on the morning of the 7th February, now only 2 days away.  The camp site overlooked Lake Tikitapu, and could have been very pleasant, however the weather was deciding otherwise and it started raining during the evening.  We had come to see the Geothermal activity round here, of which there is plenty, although some of it is really quite touristy (and expensive), so we asked around as to which sights were best to visit. and in the morning, with the rain staying away, we set off.

Hell's Gate

First stop was Hell's Gate, the only Maori owned geothermal facility in the area. This explains its carved gate, or Waharoa that reflects the special aspects of the area.  Once inside, we were surrounded by hissing steam vents and bubbling mud pools - And detail that explained that it was George Bernard Shaw who named it Hell's Gate during a visit in the early 1900's when it reminded him of what Hell's Gates would look like.  This entire area was something Janet really wanted to see as she had never been to NZ before, and this large area of geothermal activity was exactly what she wanted to see.  From the steam rising out of bushes and

Hell's Gate

holes in the ground, to the yellow lichen covered trees in the forest walk, and the sulphur coated rocks, combined with the excellent self-guide brochure that explained
everything, it was excellent.  Also adding to the enjoyment was the fact that apart from a couple of families, there was no one else wandering around - We had it almost to ourselves ! Perhaps the only disappointing thing was the small size of the Mud Volcano - We had seen one in Columbia where you not only had to climb a stairway to get to the top, but you could also climb down inside it to coat oneself with mud (good for the complexion, apparently.  Anyway, overall, most enjoyable.

Craters of the Moon

Following our visit to Hell's Gate, we drove down through Rotorua and went to a small public park where we understood there was more geothermal activity, but what we saw was a bit sad and overgrown, so after a walk around, we left.  However once on the road we realised that the park had continued a bit further, and maybe we had missed the main bit ?  Hmm, too late.  We were off towards Taupo and a visit to the Craters of the Moon, which we had been told was also excellent, and not too "touristy".  This one is more just a walk through the countryside where steam is coming out of bushes and holes in the ground or from

Craters of the Moon

cliffs coloured by the sulphur content of the steam.  It was very different from Hell's Gate, but equally fascinating, and once again we were almost on our own which added to the enjoyment.  One thing I found very different from my last visit in 1968 (!) when I was en route to Australia from England, and that was that the strength of the H2S (bad eggs) smell was far weaker and less pungent - I remember feeling physically ill last time, where as this time it was barely noticeable at all when you were away from the parks.  Interesting.  Anyway, an excellent day, learning about and enjoying the geothermal parks - Time to move on.

Lake Taupo

We drove through Taupo, and around the shore of the Lake - Such a shame it was overcast as it can be bright blue when the sun is out. We drove south down the eastern side of the lake, which was still very scenic even in the overcast conditions, and were intending to try to get close to Hamilton so we had less distance to reach Auckland tomorrow.  However we suddenly came across a camp site right on the shore of the Lake, and as it was already about 4.30 pm, I decided I had had enough and we pulled over.  Good choice, nice camp site and facilities.  Bit of a damp evening though.

Campsite at Lake Taupo

Next morning it was up and off to Auckland, and we really had taken the long way round Lake Taupo - I guess I was hoping the sun would come out and we would see the Lake in all its glory - Unfortunately, not to be.  We were headed to Warkworth, some distance north of Auckland where we were to have lunch with an ex flatmate of Janet's from London in the 1970's, and her husband.  Despite freeway once we got closer to Auckland, it was still 2 pm by the time we got to their house, but we then had an excellent lunch and catch up before it was time to head back to Auckland.  We had to return the van by 10 am the next morning to a depot close to the airport, so I had reserved a campsite near the depot.  Lucky we had reserved because it turned out to be an "interesting" site on a big reserve in Ambury

Last night, Auckland

Regional Park, and the entry gates were all locked with combination locks - to which we hadn't been given the code !  Luckily we had written confirmation of our booking and eventually got in and set about packing our gear away and making sure the van was reasonably clean and tidy for the morning.   All we had to do in the morning was go to a nearby Mobil station where we could not only refuel, but dump the contents of our grey and black water tanks, so the van was all clean for the return.  And it was an easy hand back - I think they realised I had actually done some repairs and maintenance to the van, so they didn't need to search too closely for any problems.   Overall, very impressed with the little Toyota van - While fairly small, it was exactly the right vehicle for our trip on the narrow roads of the S Island, and I would definitely use a similar van if I came again.  Big shout out for Freedom and Tui Campers.  

Di Howard, a long term friend from Dubai days in the 1970's, came to pick us up, and we drove back to

With Di, Tim, and dogs

her and husband Tim's house in Waiuku.  They have a lovely home there, and it was a pleasure just to be able to relax and go no where for a day or two - Just spend some time with good friends.  Their "almost poodle" Benji was gorgeous and SO like Trooper it was eerie - He even crossed his front paws like Trooper used to when lying on his bed !   After staying home on the first day, they took us exploring on the second, and we went through the forests and down to the black sand beach at Karioitahi where we went for a walk along the beach with the dogs, while paragliders played in the thermals above us.  A very pleasant day, and in the evening Di and Tim had some of their friends over for a bbq dinner, which just rounded off our stay in NZ perfectly.

End of a great Adventure

Next morning we packed up into our small travel bags for the first time a month, and Di drove us the Auckland airport in plenty of time to catch our 4 pm direct flight back to Brisbane.  We have really done and seen so much in the past 30 days, and thoroughly enjoyed New Zealand, especially the S Island.  I could easily come back here again, especially since it isn't too far away from Brisbane !!

The rest of the photos can be seen here :-  https://photos.app.goo.gl/D3se4mReSJ6GqB5H9