Monday 25th January, we reached the Bay of Islands after a stunning drive along the coast which included a stretch called 'million dollar view road' and a quick stop at the monument to the Rainbow Warrior; a Greenpeace boat which was blown up by the French secret service in Auckland harbour in 1985.
We opted to stay in Russell, which was the first European settlement in New Zealand and was a lovely quaint little place to spend a few days. Having set up camp we grabbed our fishing rods and headed for the wharf to try and catch our dinner. The fish were virtually jumping out of the water into my lap and with some great beginner's luck I landed 5 or 6 snapper, as well as a wrasse; while Dave's hook remained well and truly empty! He was obviously saving his energy for the almighty fight between man and fish which was to follow and ended up with this monster on the jetty.
The next day we booked ourselves onto the 'Cream tour' which follows the same route as the original supplies ship for the Bay of Islands. The weather was gorgeous and we took up our positions on the bow of the boat as we sailed amongst the natural wonders and spectacular scenery.
After visiting a few of the islands with deliveries for the residents we headed out into blue water in search of elusive dolphins and to take in the sight of the 'hole in the rock'. Our captain Billy manoeuvred our rather large catamaran right through the hole and out the other side!
After a picnic lunch on the beach and a refreshing swim it was time for some 'boom netting'. This involved climbing into the boom nets on the side of the boat and then clinging on for dear life as we were dragged through the water, lots of fun but rather painful; particularly for Dave who received some 'net burns' after I lost my grip and catapulted myself into him. After a fantastic day on the water we returned to Russell and enjoyed a wonderful sunset over the harbour.
After resisting the temptation to stay another day we left the Bay of Islands behind and headed south, stopping off at Goat Island Marine reserve for some snorkelling. The Lonely Planet reliably informed us that the water would be teeming with fish, but we were disappointed with what we saw; maybe we caught it on a bad day or maybe we have been thoroughly spoilt with our previous snorkelling locations!! We stayed a night on the cape overlooking Goat Island, visiting the very posh Farmer's market in Matakana, resisting the lure of the 'boutique' vineyards but giving in to the pull of the micro brewery on the way back to the campsite.
The next day we passed back through Auckland, pausing only briefly to shop for essentials such as sunglasses and a teapot! We were soon back on the road though and heading for the Coromandel Peninsula; we camped just outside of the town of Coromandel itself and it was here that Dave finally decided to take the plunge and shave his head or rather let me shave it for him. We tested the new do that night with a trip to the Coromandel hotel bar for a pint of Tui and a crack at the Key game; we didn't take home the $500 prize which was probably a blessing in disguise as the locals were tough looking and steaming.
We left Coromandel town the next morning, twice. Having driven 40 minutes down an unsealed road into the mountains we realised that we had left our trusty fishing rods behind and had to return to collect them. Looking on the bright side, this gave us the chance to drive the alternative route across the peninsula and take in fabulous views such as the ones below.
Before Dave's fishing rod epiphany we had discovered the Waiau falls along route 309 and on seeing the icy waters before him Dave stripped off and plunged in; I stayed on dry land to fulfill the important role of photographer.
Is he, isn't he?
We eventually hit the west coast of the peninsula and made the compulsory stop at Hot water beach, where hot water springs filter up through the sands and hundreds of tourist dig themselves a hole and sit in the warm water. The tide was coming in as we arrived and the cold sea water was rushing into these holes creating hilarious screams from those wallowing around in the hot spring water. The life guard was keeping a close eye on things though, as unbelievably this beach sees one of the highest levels of drownings in New Zealands due to dozy tourists being swept out of their DIY spa pools and into the ocean!
We motored on down the coast road until we reached Whangamata and having inspected the town's two dismal campsites we headed out to the DOC site at Wentworth falls and were rewarded with a picturesque pitch alongside the river. Having picked our spot amongst the trees we set off in the evening sunshine up the track to Wentworth falls and this time it was my turn for a dip beneath the cascades. We walked to the top of the falls and then returned for dinner with Delilah.
Another day dawned and we were on the road again, heading for Rotorua; we passed through luscious green countryside on gloriously empty roads. An obvious highlight of the journey was our stop in Paeroa, the birthplace of New Zealand's national drink L&P, where several of these giant bottles could be found.
The heavens opened as we approached Stinksville but we still managed a walk around the town's Kuirau park with its crater lake, pools of boiling mud, steaming holes and mineral baths; incredible that all this volcanic activity bubbles away and life carries on around it.
We camped a fair way out of Rotorua centre to escape from the sulphur smell but returned for a visit to the Kiwi sanctuary and a Maori 'marae', which included a delicious 'hangi' and lots of dancing and singing.
We opted to stay in Russell, which was the first European settlement in New Zealand and was a lovely quaint little place to spend a few days. Having set up camp we grabbed our fishing rods and headed for the wharf to try and catch our dinner. The fish were virtually jumping out of the water into my lap and with some great beginner's luck I landed 5 or 6 snapper, as well as a wrasse; while Dave's hook remained well and truly empty! He was obviously saving his energy for the almighty fight between man and fish which was to follow and ended up with this monster on the jetty.
The next day we booked ourselves onto the 'Cream tour' which follows the same route as the original supplies ship for the Bay of Islands. The weather was gorgeous and we took up our positions on the bow of the boat as we sailed amongst the natural wonders and spectacular scenery. 
After visiting a few of the islands with deliveries for the residents we headed out into blue water in search of elusive dolphins and to take in the sight of the 'hole in the rock'. Our captain Billy manoeuvred our rather large catamaran right through the hole and out the other side!
After a picnic lunch on the beach and a refreshing swim it was time for some 'boom netting'. This involved climbing into the boom nets on the side of the boat and then clinging on for dear life as we were dragged through the water, lots of fun but rather painful; particularly for Dave who received some 'net burns' after I lost my grip and catapulted myself into him. After a fantastic day on the water we returned to Russell and enjoyed a wonderful sunset over the harbour.
After resisting the temptation to stay another day we left the Bay of Islands behind and headed south, stopping off at Goat Island Marine reserve for some snorkelling. The Lonely Planet reliably informed us that the water would be teeming with fish, but we were disappointed with what we saw; maybe we caught it on a bad day or maybe we have been thoroughly spoilt with our previous snorkelling locations!! We stayed a night on the cape overlooking Goat Island, visiting the very posh Farmer's market in Matakana, resisting the lure of the 'boutique' vineyards but giving in to the pull of the micro brewery on the way back to the campsite.The next day we passed back through Auckland, pausing only briefly to shop for essentials such as sunglasses and a teapot! We were soon back on the road though and heading for the Coromandel Peninsula; we camped just outside of the town of Coromandel itself and it was here that Dave finally decided to take the plunge and shave his head or rather let me shave it for him. We tested the new do that night with a trip to the Coromandel hotel bar for a pint of Tui and a crack at the Key game; we didn't take home the $500 prize which was probably a blessing in disguise as the locals were tough looking and steaming.
We left Coromandel town the next morning, twice. Having driven 40 minutes down an unsealed road into the mountains we realised that we had left our trusty fishing rods behind and had to return to collect them. Looking on the bright side, this gave us the chance to drive the alternative route across the peninsula and take in fabulous views such as the ones below.
Before Dave's fishing rod epiphany we had discovered the Waiau falls along route 309 and on seeing the icy waters before him Dave stripped off and plunged in; I stayed on dry land to fulfill the important role of photographer.
Is he, isn't he?We eventually hit the west coast of the peninsula and made the compulsory stop at Hot water beach, where hot water springs filter up through the sands and hundreds of tourist dig themselves a hole and sit in the warm water. The tide was coming in as we arrived and the cold sea water was rushing into these holes creating hilarious screams from those wallowing around in the hot spring water. The life guard was keeping a close eye on things though, as unbelievably this beach sees one of the highest levels of drownings in New Zealands due to dozy tourists being swept out of their DIY spa pools and into the ocean!
We motored on down the coast road until we reached Whangamata and having inspected the town's two dismal campsites we headed out to the DOC site at Wentworth falls and were rewarded with a picturesque pitch alongside the river. Having picked our spot amongst the trees we set off in the evening sunshine up the track to Wentworth falls and this time it was my turn for a dip beneath the cascades. We walked to the top of the falls and then returned for dinner with Delilah.
Another day dawned and we were on the road again, heading for Rotorua; we passed through luscious green countryside on gloriously empty roads. An obvious highlight of the journey was our stop in Paeroa, the birthplace of New Zealand's national drink L&P, where several of these giant bottles could be found.
The heavens opened as we approached Stinksville but we still managed a walk around the town's Kuirau park with its crater lake, pools of boiling mud, steaming holes and mineral baths; incredible that all this volcanic activity bubbles away and life carries on around it.
We camped a fair way out of Rotorua centre to escape from the sulphur smell but returned for a visit to the Kiwi sanctuary and a Maori 'marae', which included a delicious 'hangi' and lots of dancing and singing.
1 comment:
that's a big fish, did you eat it you bald bastard?
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