Posted by: Jonathan
Before we start on New Zealand...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BON BON!!!
We landed in Auckland at lunch time and headed straight for our prebooked accomodation at City Garden Lodge. We spent two days there planning a route that would bring us back to Auckland in one week to meet my dad and MB, who are flying in to spend two weeks with us touring the North and South Island.
Before we start on New Zealand...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BON BON!!!
We landed in Auckland at lunch time and headed straight for our prebooked accomodation at City Garden Lodge. We spent two days there planning a route that would bring us back to Auckland in one week to meet my dad and MB, who are flying in to spend two weeks with us touring the North and South Island.
The planning is a bit harder (accomodation and rental cars booked out) than it should be this time of year due to the Rugby World Cup. Evidently it is a big deal here and people come from all over the world to support their country's team during the tournament. Everything is Rugby World Cup themed, think superbowl times ten, even the arrival cards you fill in at immigration to get a visa has a box you check if you are visiting for the world cup. What you might not know is that the US has a team competing (I sure didn't) but as you might suspect we are beyond horrible.
After 20+ phone calls and some legwork we found an affordable campervan to hire for the week and decided to drive it in a loop around the northern tip of New Zealand. The van we ended up with had been around the block a few more times then Hippie....literally. And by a few more times, I mean 100,000 plus more times. Transitioning from Hippie we lost T.V., fridge, freezer, recharging battery, linens, pillows, sink, and most importantly style. The only things it had that Hippie didn't is an oven, a tent that attaches to the rear of the van, and a crazy loud squeeking noise. We decided on the name after nearly having to push it up the first hill, we coudln't force ourselves to call it Hippie 2.0 or even Hippie 0.00001, so we settled on Crappie instead.
After 20+ phone calls and some legwork we found an affordable campervan to hire for the week and decided to drive it in a loop around the northern tip of New Zealand. The van we ended up with had been around the block a few more times then Hippie....literally. And by a few more times, I mean 100,000 plus more times. Transitioning from Hippie we lost T.V., fridge, freezer, recharging battery, linens, pillows, sink, and most importantly style. The only things it had that Hippie didn't is an oven, a tent that attaches to the rear of the van, and a crazy loud squeeking noise. We decided on the name after nearly having to push it up the first hill, we coudln't force ourselves to call it Hippie 2.0 or even Hippie 0.00001, so we settled on Crappie instead.
It took us most of the day to get Crappie (the van) and supplies ready for the trip, so we only made it an hour or so north of Auckland before we watched the sunset and camped for the night.
The next day we continued north stopping at several beaches, waterfalls, and mountains throughout the day.
That night we parked Crappie next to the beach and listened to the crashing waves as we fell asleep.
After breakfast we made our way to Ninety Mile Beach and explored the expanse of sand dunes that backed the ocean. The dunes were huge (some of the biggest we have seen) and the wind created unique patterns in the sand that changed every few steps.
Our northward quest was only slowed momuntairly by a migration of cattle before we reached the end of the road, Cape Reinga (SP). This is where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean collide in a powerful display of mother nature.
We then turned back south but chose a different set of roads for a change in scenery on the way back down. We slept at a highway rest stop that night before continuing on to have breakfast at an overlook where we took a trail to several lookouts.
As we returned to the parking lot we found Crappie a bit bashful, seems he was comparing himself to some nearby friends.
Our next notable stop was in the Waipoua forest home to the giant Kauri trees. We hiked to several different ones and sat in awe of their size.
We had an extra day to kill before picking Dad and MB up at Aukland International which we spent in a small town local library. Jenn ate up the free wifi to work on the website, and I cashed in on their arsenal of travel guides for some last minute research and planning.
The budget has been updated for September. Australia was expensive...yikes!
The budget has been updated for September. Australia was expensive...yikes!