New Zealand Adventure: The End

Day #29

Pack up and bid farewell to beautiful Lake Okareka. Drive north east to Coromandel. Get lost on a detour. Accidently cause detour by misreading map. Find ourselves and drive to Catherdral Cove. Stunning views. Stop briefly in Coromandel for supplies then on to Waikawau Bay. Cook dinner and read until sunset. Sleep.

Cathedral cove and not a cathedral in sight. Liars

Day #30
Wake. Read. Maura drives to get supplies. Swim. Read. Maura returns with delicious supplies including carrot cake. Sun bathe. More swimming. More reading. Eat, relax, sleep.

Day #31

Wake and move camp to motor camp closer to Coromandel to be nearer Auckland. Go hiking. Swim, lunch, sun bathe, read, nap, swim, dinner, sleep. Lazy days are the best.

Day #32

Wake and dismantle tent for the last time. Thank the gods. Patience for outdoor living has officially run out. Drive to Auckland and check into hostel. Coincidentally arrive the same day as closing ceremony of Chinese lantern festival. Auckland Sky Tower all lit up in red. Explore the city docks by day and at night venture into city centre park to see the lanterns and the fireworks. Return to hostel and sleep.

And where, pray tell, can I get a monkey lantern???

 

Day #33

Wake and stroll through the city. Print posters to sell on our trusty Ferdia. Potter round putting them up and take in more of Auckland. Go for drinks in Fr Ted's Irish bar. Surprise! Sean has flown to Auckland to see me off. Much rejoicing. Bring people to the car in attempt to flog him for more than he's worth. Enjoy drinks outside hostel with Dutch room-mate while watching the Sky Tower flash rainbow colours in honour of gay pride. Sleep.

Auckland you beauty

Day #34

Awake and show the car to more people. C'mon Ferdia, smile for the nice people... Ferry to Devonport across the bay. After lunch go to naval museum. Then up North Head hill to see old military defensive fortifications and tunnels built into hill. Dark, echoing halls. Spooky. Big hidden guns. Cool. Return to hostel. Some poor fool -body has decided to buy Ferdia. Dolla dolla bills, y'all! Nap. Feeling revitalised head back out to climb the Sky Tower and see the night time cityscape. Eat delicious ramen and gyouza. Sleep in a hostel room that turns out to have been occupied by famished ninja-mosquitoes. 

Day #35

Wake to discover ninja-mosquitos have made a fine feast of my legs. Finally accept that I am a delicious delicacy to the blood suckers on this side of the world. Last day in New Zealand :-( Back up the Sky Tower to see Auckland under the light of day. Then mosey on over to the Auckland gallery. Finally, fill up on sushi and miso at all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. Eat a regrettable amount of sushi. Waddle out the door. Bus to the airport. Play arcade games and drink beer in airport bar. Nap on the floor. Fly to Australia.

Sky Tower, or rocket ship?

Well that was the final piece of my New Zealand adventure diary. It has been nice to relive it a little by writing it all down. Nice, and a little sad. I'll just have to go back there again some day I suppose.

The Never-Ending Saga of my New Zealand Trip

Day #22

Leave windy Wellington and drive up east coast to Porangahau beach. Gorgeous place, crappy weather. Stop at nature reserve on the way to see NZ's only white kiwi in captivity. Squeee! So cute. Bucket list item: see a kiwi. Check. Set up camp by the beach. Walk along the beach. Dinner. Sleep.

That white blob in the corner is a kiwi I swear

Day #23

Wake and weather shows no sign of being not-crappy. After beach walk during rare break from the rain and lunch, pack up and leave. Drive to Napier. Set up camp in motor lodge and return to town to look at beautiful art deco buildings. Rains so hard we have to give up and return to camp. Fuck you rain! Eat, sleep.

Day #24

More rain. Head into town anyway and start day at the farmer's market. Breakfast cupcake. Mmmm... Walk around looking at beautiful art deco architecture. Fabulous. Curse my phone for running out of battery. No pictures. Eat amazing sushi for lunch. Return to motor lodge for dinner. Cockroach in our food box. Die inside. Eat, sleep.

Day #25

Wake to further crappy weather. C'mon New Zealand! Decide to head to Gisborne to meet a friend. Camp in camp Takapouri outside town of Gisborne. Drive past second-longest place name in the world. Tent nearly blown away setting up. Not a good start. Possible repeat of Mt. Cook situation. Grab meat and beer from town and return for BBQ. BBQ out of gas. Friend has genius idea of placing BBQ grill over cooker rings. Indoor BBQ deemed a success by all involved. Bid farewell and attempt to sleep through the wind.

Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukakapiki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­kitanatahu

 

Indoor BBQ, don't judge us it was delicious...

Day #26

Wake having slept fitfully through crazy wind and zombie dreams. Dismantle tent and drive through town. Car overheating. Drop it at a garage for "one hour". Half a day and $160 later car is returned fixed. Depart Gisborne for Rotorua. Set up camp in DOC site by stunning lake Okareka. Read until I can't see. Sleep.

Day #27

Wake and lounge by the lake. Make friends with the ducklings. Drive to Kuirau Park in Rotorua city centre and walk amongst bubbling geothermal water and mud pools. Oooh... Aaaah... Do our best to ignore the smell farts. Drive to blue and green lakes to eat lunch. Return to camp for epic nap. Swim in lake. Dinner and lakeside wine. Sleep.

That tiny person in the centre of Jurrasic Park there is moi

Day #28

Wake and the sun is out for the first time in many days. Relax and enjoy it for several hours. Drive to town for picnic in fart-park. Nose around Maori village Ohinemutu with fantastic native architecture and art. Head out into the country to hot spring resort and soak in delicious thermal pools for a couple of hours. Have a look at NZ's largest geothermal pool which is on site. Boiling water at 90 degrees. Return to town for drinks in historic Pig & Whistle bar. Return to camp. Sleep.

Wharenui: a Maori meeting hall

Just one more part to this never-ending story of my New Zealand adventure. Thank you for your patience so far whoever it is reads these. It'll be over soon I promise