New Zealand - NORTH ISLAND

3rd November 2004 (cont.)

At 4-30pm, I leave for Johannesburg airport with the fattest, most jolly taxi driver ever. The rush hour traffic is chocker so the big man decides it’s time to hurtle down the hard shoulder, ignore red lights and undertake round police cars. The 8hr flight with Emirates to Dubai was fantastic and the best food and wine I’ve sampled in ages! I chat most of the way to a friendly SA lady who is on her way to the UK after being contacted by her son. He has spent over four years searching for her after he was put up for adoption many years ago.

4th November 2004

I spend three hours in the very snazzy Dubai airport typing my diary and reading until boarding the 20hr flight to Auckland. Unfortunately, I am seated between a grumpy dodgy looking man and a huge, red, bulbous-nosed Ozzy oil rigger. As soon as we leave the ground the rigger begins his marathon beer drinking contest, gets verbal diarrhoea and suffocates me with his breath while boring me with how he gets this flight every five weeks and how he got kidnapped last month in Yemen. He then passes out with a glass of Merlot in hand, suddenly waking up to the sound of the full glass bouncing down the aisle spraying fellow passengers with the red stuff. After having to get off the plane in Singapore and Brisbane, arriving at my destination in Auckland was like completing a Japanese torture competition.

5th November 2004

At the airport, I meet up with James Dalgleish, an old pal from home who now lives and works in the city for a car rental business. I follow him from the airport in a hire car left there by the previous customers. He heads back to work and leaves me at home to shower, shave and sleep. In the evening, we head to the waterfront and meet up with another old friend from home, Rachael Robertson, chatting and laughing until late. The evening consists of more bars, visiting Jim’s housemate’s nightclub and another house before heading home. Due to my body clock being completely reversed from the flight the night continues until midday the next day - all very strange.

6th November 2004

We wake in the evening and head back to the club to see Jim’s housemate, Hamish, before planning to grab some food and a maximum of two beers. Unfortunately, we end up staying in the club and dancing all night to Groove Armada.

7th November 2004

Sunday is spent sleeping and wondering how I have been here for two days already and seen nothing of the city apart from bars and clubs; making up for not seeing a mate for over five years must be the answer! In the evening we head into town to pick up some food and watch Once Were Warriors, a shocking film about the gang life, which is alive in New Zealand.

8th November 2004

I awake early and start typing up my diary. When ‘Dog’ goes to work I join him and borrow his van for the day. Finding a parking spot near the harbour is a mission. I have a quick bite before beginning the Coast to Coast city walk from Viaduct Harbour, a four hour, 13 km route straddling the city to Onehunga in the south. The walk incorporates excellent harbour views from the green, volcanic heights of The Domain and the summits of Mt. Eden and One Tree Hill. After stopping for a Burger King under the shade of a tree and battling with the midday heat, I finish the walk and search for a bus back to the harbour. I feel a complete tit when the No. 324 terminates short of my destination and I remain on the back of the bus whilst everyone gets off and the driver has to come to the back and explain things. I drive back to Go Rentals to wait for Dog to finish for the day. We stop at York St. for a quick beer and fish & chips before heading home for an early night.

9th November 2004

Up at sparrows to pick my sister and her boyfriend, Mozza, up from the airport after their latest flight around the world from LA. Mozza looks completely jaded from the 12 hr flight and doesn’t say a word all the way home. We drive to another family friend’s house, Rachael Robertson, where Claire & Moz will stay. I leave them to shower and sleep while I head back to Go Rentals to pick up our hire car from Dog. On the way back to Rach’s, I get to grips with the nippy 1.8l Toyota Camry. We head for the waterfront and have lunch watching the hive of activity in the harbour and the two ex-America’s Cup race yachts, NZL 40 & 41, slip their moorings. While Claire & Moz walk around town, I spend two hours wandering round my first museum in six months, the very interesting Maritime Museum. As the weather worsens we head up to The Domain to visit the superb Greco-Roman style, Auckland Museum. Unfortunately we were unable to cover all three floors in the two hours before closing at 5pm. I decide to drive them up to Mt. Eden to walk up the extinct volcano and view the almost perfect crater bowl overlooking the entire city. We meet Rach back at her house below the mount before heading to Kohimarama for dinner to experience the fantastic green-lipped mussels.

10th November 2004

We leave Auckland and head up into Northland to follow the east coast up to the Bay of Islands. En route we leave the SH1 at Warkworth and head to the cliff top village of Leigh and lose the sandals on Pakiri Beach. Further north, we stop for sandwiches at Mangawhai Heads at the mouth of the harbour before hitting the main highway north to Paihia and the Bay of Islands. Getting on the water at last was fantastic as we board the tender and motor out to The Rock, an old car ferry converted to a floating hostel. The extremely friendly owner, Pete, welcomes us aboard and shows us our six-bunk dorm on the upper deck. We crack open a few beers and shoot some interesting pool as the boat cruises out through the rough water to anchor amongst the islands. After a quick welcome speech we are all immediately fishing and having a shooting competition with a couple of air rifles and a floating Coke bottle. After a hearty dinner with the other guests we hop into the kayaks for a superb night paddle to enjoy the phosphorescence and fish jumping into your lap! The night ends at midnight.

11th November 2004

Amazingly I wake still intact on the top bunk and jump down before sunrise to photograph the sea mist falling down the islands and to chuck a line out of the stern resulting in a small snapper. Pete asks the ones awake who wants to join him in the speedboat to drop a girl off on the mainland for a diving course. Moz and I oblige. As we speed over the rolling swell I spot objects in the distance before we are surrounded by over thirty bottle-nosed dolphins, jumping vertically from the water only metres from the boat. We spend the morning kayaking around Lagoon Bay on Robertson Island, climbing to the highest point for the spectacular views and passing a rugby ball around on the beach. Moz and I then paddle round the headland through the rocks and surf and through a narrow gap with huge rollers creating a thick layer of foam covering my kayak. Back on deck we have lunch in the sun while Pete skippers the boat to another secluded bay. Moz and I drop the lines over the side for a fishing comp while Claire goes off snorkelling with her new friend, Sonna from Holland. After we haul in numerous red snapper and a trigger fish, Moz wins 7-6. As we move on, a couple of annoying dolphin-spotting vessels start to head our way before we are greeted by a pod of huge dolphins playing in the bow wake and jumping off the port side. We arrive back in Paihia at 5pm, thank the crew and jump into the car immediately heading off in the rain to the west coast and the largest harbour in NZ, Hokianga Harbour. The journey comes to a brief stop after just ten minutes when Moz steams past a copper at 115mph in the 100mph limit. After getting fined the 80 dollars and having a ‘laugh’ with the policeman who tells him ‘it would be no skin off his nose if he failed to pay it’, he shakes the man by the hand and thanks him. After a quick stop to admire the view of the striking, deep blue waters beautifully set off the mountainous sand dunes of North Head, we follow the contours of the hills south into the depths of the Waipoua Kauri Forest. We stop to gaze up at New Zealand’s mightiest tree, the 1200 yr old Tane Mahuta, meaning ‘God of the Forest’. Individual trees can live up to 2000 years old, reaching 50m in height and 20m in girth. We press on south to the sleepy town of Dargaville for an ‘eat as much as you can’ Chinese buffet before heading off in the dark the wrong way out of town. Reaching the SH1 takes longer than it would, taking the correct route, but we eventually reach the bright lights of Auckland after 11pm and crash at Dog’s house for the night.

12th November 2004

After an early start we head south down the SH1, taking the SH2 through green, rolling hills towards the east, the first stop being Paeroa where we sample a bottle of ‘the world famous in NZ’ L&P, a lemon flavoured home grown soft-drink. At the Karangahake Gorge we stretch the legs with a walk along the Ohinemuri River, crossing wobbly suspension bridges and down pitch-black tunnels with only the faint green of glowworms on the walls. Claire and I continue the walk with a loop through a 1km disused train tunnel and perform great impressions of drowned rats after getting caught in a torrential downpour walking back to the car and lunch. Due to the weather we decide to give Wahia Beach a miss and head straight for some wine tasting at the Morton winery, just north of Turanga. After a humorous and informative session with the rather eccentric, Brian Farmer, we press on to the stink of rotten eggs in Rotorua on the lake. This is caused by the hydrogen sulphide drifting up from natural vents in the form of boiling pools, geysers and bubbling mud in the region’s thin crust. We chuck the bags in our four-bed dorm in the Crash Palace backpackers and head straight to the local rod & tackle shop for rods, licenses and advice. Claire takes a walk along the shores of the lake while Moz and I head straight to Blue Lake and cast in the lines. After twenty minutes I lose a small trout and also Moz, when darkness sets in. The walk back to the car through the dark, creepy wood is pretty scary. When Moz eventually finds his way back we had back to the hostel and grab some food from a horrid, sweaty grease hole of a locals’ burger café.

13th November 2004

We start the morning off with some picturesque river fishing down Trout Pool Rd. north of town. Then on to Blue Lake were we catch nothing before a similar result on the neighbouring water of Lake Okereka. After sandwiches by the water we press on without a prize to the ‘hidden treasure’ of a small lake on Waikite Valley road where Moz lands a small fish. 9 kms north of Murupara we find the farm cottage, recommended by the Rotorua tackle shop, and meet Aaron and Debs the owners. Aaron is a very keen fisherman and can’t wait to drive us to some good spots down the road. On my third cast into a small pool I hook a large trout but fail to keep the line taught and lose the blighter. We return without more fish but get Moz’s previous catch gutted and thrown in the oven for a delicious rainbow trout dinner washed down with champagne and white wine bought from the winery.

14th November 2004

Up early so Claire can help Aaron milk the cows and Moz and I can dodge the cowpats down to the river for some more fishing. The setting is superb but the fish non-existent. We spend over two hours knee deep in water getting completely drenched as the rain continues to fall. Aaron then joins us with his fly rod and after also having no bites admits the fishing is difficult at the moment. After losing a number of spinners to the riverbed and surrounding foliage, we head back to the house to relax on the sofas, reading up on the adventure ahead in front of the warmth a log fire with the rain tapping at the windows. In the early evening, Moz and I head to the slow waters downstream of a dam and toss in the lines. The rain begins to fall again soaking us to the bone but perseverance results in Moz hauling in a large trout hen. On the way home we flick the lines into the dam from a jetty and stop off at the pools for a last minute cast. I land a large male trout, known as a jack, and knock it over the head with a rock by the side of the road as speeding motorists hurtle by. Being completely ill-prepared fishermen, we have no catch bag so I am forced to hold the slippery creature off the seat covers on the drive back home, blood dripping from its mouth onto my legs. As we approach the cottage I sense a movement from the fish and when it joins its mate in the kitchen sink, it mouth opens! Oops. This is quickly resolved by bringing out the rolling pin. We enjoy another dinner of fresh rainbow trout with a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon. At 10pm Moz and I decide to head back to the jetty and try to catch a big 20 pounder in the moonlight.

15th November 2004

We drive back up to the SH5 and head south towards Lake Taupo, stopping at an informative honey shop, the spectacular Huka Falls and for a wet walk around the craters and boiling mud through the steam of the Craters of the Moon. On the shores of the country’s largest lake, we stop in unobtrusive Taupo for a separate license and some local fishing advice. Moz and I spend a couple of uneventful hours on the beautiful banks of the Waikato River whilst Claire takes a walk round town to book the ferry crossing to the South Island in a few days. On the way down to Turangi we stop for a brief, very windy cast into the white horses on the lake. We find the Bellbird Lodge in the small and characterless town of Turangi and chat with the bearded owner. We leave Claire to go for a run and drive to the stretch of water downstream from a power station just outside Tokaanu. As the rain joins us yet again and the chilling wind picks up, I lose two more fish while the fingers start to freeze up. Back at the ranch we thaw out over a cup of tea and crack open the beers for a head to head of Trivia Pursuit questions – Mozza winning 10-3 – git. We take a damp walk into town for beers, pool and an unhealthy bar meal at the Brewhaus.

16th November 2004

To make the most of the 24hr Taupo license, we drop the sister off at the local thermal baths and head back to the banks for another ‘go’. As the heavens open again we drive back up past the lakeshores and east on the SH38 towards Napier and Hawke’s Bay. As we approach the coastal town of Napier, we stop visit the Esk Valley, Crab Farm and Mission wineries for a spot of tasting and purchasing. After chucking the bags into the Stables Lodge hostel, Claire goes shopping while Moz and I head south to a river outside Clive to try our luck off the stony banks. Back at the hostel we cook a hearty pasta in the bustling, atmospheric kitchen and chat to some of the fellow travellers. We wander into town to meet up with a few of them in an Irish bar and celebrate an American girl’s 27th into the early hours until the place shuts at 3am. Due to my incapability of whispering when half cut, I wake up half the hostel, and the dorm, whilst getting on pretty well with a great girl from Nottingham.

17th November 2004

After a late and painful start we jump into the car and head south for the 350 km drive to the capital city of Wellington where we find the Worldwide backpackers, dump our kit and wander into town to complete the city walk. This stops early with a visit to The Malthouse to sample a selection of the twenty-two naturally brewed beers on tap. We head back to base to take advantage of the free wine at 7pm and cook pasta in the busy kitchen. Moz and I take on a group of extremely competitive, but useful, girls at Pictionary resulting in us getting whipped (i.e. losing) whilst Claire updates their travel website. We retire to the bunks for an early one shortly after 10pm.

18th November 2004

Up early for the complimentary breakfast and a parking ticket. We drive up to Brooklyn Hill for a superb panoramic view over the city and South Island’s Kaikora Ranges as the huge blades of a 32m high wind turbine whirr overhead. We head back into town where I drop Claire & Moz off and drive round the streets desperately trying to find some parking. At 1pm, we drive on to the ferry to cross the Cook Strait to the South Island. I find a base onboard and type away on the laptop while the happy couple stand outside on deck watching the North Island slowly disappearing and the South gradually emerging……

Distance driving since London : 42, 000 kms

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