And here I was thinking it was only Wellington that was the windy city. Didn't realise Auckland was the same! The van was buffeted by 56kmh winds from the time we picked her up at Waiuku, south of Auckland, to the time we eventually pulled into a campsite. So glad Ian was driving as even he struggled to keep her going straight. Love the van, though. She is small compact and bijou and at first, we struggled to find space to put all our stuff. The wine and beer found a secure home 'cos most important to keep that safe from spillage. We did eventually get everything stowed away and then travelled over 200km to get to a place called Whangarei Falls. Struggled to get a campsite as the Christmas holidays aren't over yet but luckily for us, we grabbed the last but one remaining at the falls. Now enjoying a glass of wine, beer for Ian, and watching the sun setting over the horizon. You can't get better than that!
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| Sky tower |
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| Auckland Harbour bridge |
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| Late lunch stop at Castor Bay |
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| Seen at Dome lookout cafe. |
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| And this motley lot inside the vehicle. |
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| As was this. |
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| The van at Whangarei Falls campsite. |
And the only wildlife so far
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| Sacred Kingfisher |
Young sparrow being fed,
4 comments:
Suggestion. Take the West and East Coast roads north and south rather than the main road up the middle. They are far more scenic!
Thanks for the suggestion. We don't think we will be doing the west coast north of Auckland and our plan is to only go as far as the Bay of Islands. So much to see and do and as we have loads of things on our 'to-do' list on this island, getting from one place to another on the quickest route has to be the priority.
Irene, the time when driving between Auckland and Wellington via Taranaki (New Plymouth) is 10 hours (with NP halfway). Driving down State Highway 1 via Taupo is 8 hours. So not a huge difference, and well worth it.
Look on google maps and consider driving down to Taupo, then around the southern edge of it to Kuratau and then to Taumaranui and on down the Forgotten World Highway through Whangmomona to Stratford.
Or go down to Taupo, then over to Eight Mile Junction south of Te Kuiti and down through Taranaki.
Cheers, Marilyn
If you visit Russell in the Bay of Islands try to find the musket ball holes in exterior walls of the wooden church.
http://www.naturespic.com/NewZealand/image.asp?id=47645.
Also, try to find the time to take the boat and do the "Hole in the Rock" trip
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