The Coromandel

The final part of our 3 week tour of the North island would finish with a 3 day run around the Coromandel, an area with some key highlights and walks.

After drive round from Opotoki that morning and stopping in Mount Manganui we decided to stop at the bottom of the Coromandel peninsula at an old gold mining region - the Karangahake Gorge. We explored the local gorge that afternoon and were again amazed at yet another type of scenery and layout of the land, from beaches to gorges and wild rivers. The remnants of the once gold boom in the mid to late 1800's were still littering the gorge and it was impressive to see how much it changed the landscape. The walk took us along the old railway line that linked the gorge to Waihi, the nearby gold hub. 


The 1Km tunnel was a little scary in places, especially when the lights were not working or Kip decided to scream and scare the life out of me!


We went back to our little hostel for the night and got talking to the owners and would you believe it the man had his own personal wood work shop (or more aptly named man cave). Well it would be rude not to have a look, so after dinner I rushed down there like a school kid and did some wood turning and made a rolling pin, for the local art class !

Look at that beak !!

The next morning we were off and heading north, up the east coast of the coromandel peninsula. Our first stop was a beach at Whangamata, where we strolled on the beach and rewarded ourselves with a local pie - lush! We drove a little further on and stopped at another beach called Opoutere beach, which had a typical sandy white beach but also an inland nature reserve with a number of local birds, so we decided to see what all the fuss was about. It was an ok walk until we accidentally stumbled across a bird's (The Variable Oystercatcher's) nest, along the estuary. We thought the bird was over reacting a little when it started uncontrollably squawking at us, so i decided to walk on and avoid the birds. BIG MISTAKE. The bird decided to chase me on the ground and then when I turned round to see if I had made sufficient ground, it flew at my face - TWICE. Right, that was the end of the walk and back to the car, quick sharp! Lesson learned, don't mess with the Oystercatcher, especially considering the size of it's beak!


After this traumatic experience we headed further north to one of my favorite places so far, Tairua. This was a little village based on an coastal inlet/tidal lake. So it had the beauty of the sea, but also the nice feel of the lake. We walked round the lake and up the nearby Mount Paku to get a better view of the surroundings. Wow, what a view! Could quite easily join the various Aucklander's who buy a little summer holiday rental pad here.

After this we were pretty tired so drove on to where we would be staying that night, a little place called Hahei. Nothing much to note in the town, but it was the surrounding areas that held the sights.


The next morning we grabbed a shovel each and headed to hot water beach. Now no prizes for guessing what its attraction was. We arrived just before low tide and walked along to find what all the fuss was about. As you can guess, due to the volcanic nature of the entire place there are spots where the thermals below come close to the surface. After a little while we found out where and started to dig our feet into th sand. It was HOT, you actually needed the cool sea to wash over and provide some relief, otherwise you could get burnt feet. You can stick around and dig large pools and create your own thermal bath, but with the crowds building, we decided to leave and head on.

Our next stop was Cathedral cove, a 45 minute walk to a secluded cove with an impressive rock corridor. 














After this we headed west to Whitianga, where we took a 4 hour class on traditional carving. We both made a carving for each other and I can tell you, it is a lot harder than it looks. They use cow bones and provide you with a blank piece for you to create a design. Luckily there were some ideas for you to get your inspiration from. After a few hours I was wondering how it would turn out, but they weren't too bad! With our new jewellery made, we pushed on west to our final nights stay on the Coromandel (and in the North Island), in Coromandel Town.


This was a quiet little place with some amazing coves/bays and mini-peninsulas upon which were perched many rental homes that all had our name on them. A nice laid back feel to the place and a great place to reflect on our trip to the Coromandel region and our first 3 weeks in New Zealand. We couldn't believe that tomorrow we would be leaving for the South island - boo!


Reluctantly we got up and packed up our car of all our crap that was strewn over the back seats and boot from the last 3 weeks, no mean feat i can tell you. So a long drive to Auckland, but we had all days our flight wasn't until 3pm. We arrived back and returned the car and headed to the terminal for our flight to Christchurch.

The East Cape

This leg of our journey would see us travel round the North Island's East cape all the way round and up to the Coromandel. 


We decided to skip a trip to the local village with the world's longest name, as we wouldn't be able to pronounce it, but here is how it is spelt. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamatateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu

The first stop was a stay in the Te Urewera Nationla Park, one of the biggest National Parks in the North island, with the intention of going on the various walks. We were not disappointed, it took us 3/4 of an hour to drive, on gravel roads, just to the start of the walking tracks, this place was massive. 


The lake that sits in the middle of the national park was so clear and still it was hard to believe it wasn't a postcard. We enjoyed only a few of the walks in the park in the afternoon, up to one of the lakes that was perched 900m above sea level. This lake was pretty cool as it had an island in the middle of it, with a lake in that (so a lake within a lake), sadly we couldn't get across to see it. We stayed the night just outside the park and then returned the next morning for a short walk before heaing back onto the main highway to continue East.


Our next brief stop was Gisborne, one of the larger towns along the north east cape. A little trivia, but this was one of the first places that Captain Cook saw 'land' and stopped in a near by cove to begin his travels of New Zealand. After a short stop and browse round the shops we pushed on up the coast to a small town called Tokomaru, a once bustling port, but now more a cosy ghost town. We based ourselves in Tokomaru for a few nights and decided to explore the local bays and coast line. We drove to Anaura in the morning and Waipiro bay in the afternoon, both just lovely, relaxed walks along the coast the beach.


This whole coast is the road less travelled and that was evident by the hostels and lack of, well signs of any life at all. The costal road was lovely and when the weather made it's mind up and stopped raining we managed to get some lovely views of the various bays and rugged coasts.


After our few nights stop in Tokomaru we set off early to the East Cape, the easterly most point in New Zealand. After a run in with the local farmer and his dogs herding his cattle down the single track gravel road we managed to get to the base of the hill on which the lighthouse stood. A short sharp 45 minute walk up the 700 steps and we were at the top.


With little en route to see apart from the rugged scenery and a nice little coffee shop on a macadamia nut farm, we pushed on toward civilisation to a place called Opotoki, where we stopped for the night. 

We decided to take a nice stroll on the beach, before it got cold/dark but were a little dumbfounded to see that the little bits of drift wood that had washed up were a lot more than we expected! The wood you see in the picture has been washed down stream, from inland, where they have lots of timber forests. The television though is a mystery....!

The final leg of our East Cape journey was to continue from Opotki round the northern part of th cape towards Mount Manganui. First though we swung through a nice beach town called Whakatane. This was coming quite a habit, but it was nicety just stop at random beaches, take a long walk, get our toes wet and then get back in the car and continue on our way.

So the end of our East Cape trip was in Mount Manganui. Definitely not a ghost town and a great surf type town with a young atmosphere. It also helped that the sun was shining! We walked on a number of the local beaches here and then took a stroll round the little town, before returning to the beach to see the surfers do there stuff, pretty impressive! 


So an interesting view into a different side to the North Island, we both really felt that this showed us a side to New Zealand that was in the past, tone which were once bustling ports and wharfs, now ghost towns with a fraction of the inhabitants left. A long but scenic drive, but well worth the detour from the main track.

Hastings & Napier

After our successful trek we were now heading East, toward the coast to Hastings and Napier. This was about a 2/3 hour drive toward Taupo and then south east to the coast. The drive was again just stunning, the first part a mass of pine forests and then into twisty, turney roads through hills, fields and farm land. I lost count at the number of cows and sheep there were along the way, needless to say there were a lot. Although there is a lot more dairy farming than sheep, which surprised me, but according to my sources (Coralie) there has been a big shift.


We arrived in Hastings mid afternoon and took a short trip to the sea, a little bay called Te Awanga. We then headed in to Hastings to meet up and stay with an amazing lady by the name of Coralie Curtis. Coralie welcomed us into her home with open arms and Kip and I felt for the first time since we left in September that we were at home. We spent the most amazing few days as guests of Coralie's and were spoilt rotten (Thank you Coralie!).


The next day we headed out for a day trip to nearby Napier, the Art Deco capital of New Zealand. What a place! After the wars and various earthquakes in the early 1900's (ish) Napier had been left in disrepair, so with the opportunity to rebuild large areas of this port town, architects set to work rebuilding in the Art Deco style. The results still remain to day and are great to see (mum and dad, you would love the place!).


The following  day was spent driving the local surrounds of Hastings. First stop was a great view point called Te Mata peak, where you can get a full 360 panorama of the area. Then to a lovely beach called Waimaramra, followed by a few wineries on the way back (well why not!).

That afternoon we spent at our new 'home from home', just pottering around in the garden, before having an awesome BBQ; and I have to say that the best sausages I have ever had (lamb & apricot).


Sadly we had to force ourselves to leave, otherwise we would have moved in and never left. So back on the road, our next port was to travel up around Hawke's Bay and the entire Eastern cape. We had heard that this route was not the road most travelled, but we were about to find out.






Oh yeah, i almost fogot, we stumbled across another Camberley and Frimley - would you believe it.

The 3 T's (Taupo, Turangi and Tongariro)

So after leaving Rotorua early, we headed south to Taupo (apparently now pronounced toe-paw). This is a lovely town situated in the middle of the North island and is perched on the northern edge of a massive lake, aptly named ....Lake Taupo.


We arrived in Taupo and stopped briefly to see the local cycle race event, a 160km relay race around lake Taupo. Then continued on to a smaller town called Turangi, found at the southern end of lake Taupo. We stayed in a lovely backpackers place and started reading up on the Tongariro crossing, our next challenge!


The Tongariro crossing is a 19.4km (7/8 hour) hike up the side, over and back down an extinct volcano with some amazing views. However the reason for arriving earlier than planned was due to the weather conditions. It is so unpredictable that you could spend days waiting to do the crossing and miss the opportunity. We planned to do it on the Sunday and are so pleased we did, because the saturday was cold and windy and the Monday it was closed!


So Sunday morning we were up early and got our transfer to the start point. We arrived at 08:15 and were very fortunate with the weather; clear, warm and dry ! The first 4-6 Km were a slow, long climb up hill, with a section called the 'devil's steps' to reach the flat section at the top. As you can imagine we were both breathing rather swiftly when we got to the top. We decided to skip the optional 3 hour climb up the side of the volcano crater.

The walk and views from the top part were amazing. Walking through the alpine desert with snow still on the ground was pretty cool. The scenery just got better the more we walked. The highest point we reached had some stunning views and you could look back toward the red crater and the extinct volcano or forward to the blue lake and emerald lakes below.

We continued on, now down steep slopes, toward the lakes to get a closer look at them. We stopped half way down the shingle slope and had our lunch and took in the scenery.


After this we then started the decent back to the pick up point. For some reason we found this the harder part of the trek, 7-8 Km down hill was a killer on the legs and feet. Anyway, we made the entire trip in glorious weather and without a blister in sight, an amazing trek and one that we are lucky to have had the opportunity to do.

Rotorua

After leaving Auckland and the comfort of a 'home', we were back on the road and heading south for Rotorua. This was a special place for 2 reasons. The first being home to a range of volcanic and geothermal hot springs; the second for seeing the Maori traditions.

We arrived after a short-ish drive and settled into a our hostel.  That night we were booked to attend a traditional Maori evening and meal (Hangi). I was a bit sceptical at first and thought it might be a tad touristy, but it was such an enjoyable evening. 

We were treated by the traditional welcome by the Maori tribe with the Haka and posturing of intimidating dance (lots of grunts, eyes and tongues). We were shown round a village, traditional song and dances and then the lifting of the Hangi from the ground. 

A Hangi is the Maori way of cooking food. Dig a big pit and line it with a fire and hot lava rocks, place food over the top in racks, cover and then bury with soil. The result is a lot of food cooked slowly in the heat. Well we both had a lot of food and that night, all of it amazing. (Kip had 2 main courses and i had 2 desserts, of course!). However the highlight of the night was the bus journey home, when a convoy of 4 coaches went round the main roundabout in town with everyone singing "she'll be coming round the mountain, when she comes...." (kinda had to be there I suppose).

 The next day in Rotorua was spent visiting the geothermal pools, lakes and features that are all around the town. These were quite impressive, if not very smelly. All throughout Rotorua there is the smell of sulphur and rotten eggs [cue: various farting jokes]! The thermal pools had a mix of geysers, multicoloured lakes and history on how the region and islands were formed.

Our final day was a bit different to what we had planned. We were anticipating spending one more night in Rotorua, but in the coming days we wanted to do the Tongariro Crossing (more of this later), this meant leaving for a new town sooner than we thought. Although before we left I managed to squeeze in a few hours mountain biking in the local redwood forest. Apparently a must do for biking; and I wasn't disappointed, the biking was amazing (if not knackering!).

The Northalnds

Our Budget car - masterfully turned into a little cafe

After settling in to the slower pace of travelling (quite literally with our budget car) we headed north for our first trip in to the more rural areas. This was up the east coast and would spend the next 4 days heading right to the top of NZ up to Cape Reigna. But our first stop was a place called Whangerai (pronounced Ph-onger-ay) this caused much amusement to many people, as i had no idea you pronounced 'Wh' as 'Ph'.

We stayed on the outskirts of Whangerai in a little lodge and set off for a local walk to the nearby caves. The attraction of these caves were the glow worms.

However, to get to see them, you had to descend in to the caves with a torch - BY YOURSELF. No guide, just a little head torch. We had 3 caves to see, we managed a good 2.5 caves without getting too scared. This was considering the water (very cold water) level in them could be up to your waste.

That aside, we managed to see the glow worms and braved the caves. The surrounding area and walk back to the lodge was also just great. Such a different landscape to anywhere i have been before, rolling hills, grass, trees, but all of it soo picturesque.

The next day we were again heading north and stopped at the local Whangerai Waterfalls.

After a 3 hour drive we arrived in the Bay of Islands and a small place called Paihia. Close by was the little settlement of Waitangi, the famous place where the Traeaty of Waitangi was signed (back on the 6th February 1840). A great place and a lovely museum detailing the history of how the treaty came about.

LUSH !

The afternoon was spent at a relaxed pace with the best dinner we have had in a long time...fish & chips on the seafront. Somethings are always good, no matter where you are !

The next day we headed north again to a little town called Ahipara, which is a beachside town at the bottom end of ninety mile beach. We stayed in a really lovely house/lodge that was made from a single Kauri tree (more about Kauri trees later). This was our home for the next 2 nights and a lovely place to watch the world go by.

Whilst Kip tried out the comforableness of the various loungers, hammocks and chairs, i went off for a day trip up to the top of NZ, Cape Reinga and ninety mile beach. A great day trip with a funny and informative guide, who brought the tour and region to life.

Cape Reigna was a lovely spot and a special place for the Maori people, who believe Cape Reinga is where the souls depart the land, into the sea. Also a great place to view the meeting of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

After the trip to the top, we had to head back south; before we did we stopped off to do a bit of sand dune surfing.









Head first on a body board down a very steep sand dune....good fun, but unlike the coach driver, i didn`t manage to get up enough speed to go down the dune AND cross the stream at the bottom. He passed the coaches...!
Now when the tour said about driving down ninety mile beach, i thought it might be a section of it..oh no, most of it. We rattled down the majority of the beach, stopping a few times to get out and look at the surrounding emptyness.

The final day of our trip to the Northlands was a long day of driving. We were to stay in Auckland that night, so a 6/7 hour drive. En route we stopped on the west coast at various places of interest, the most impressive were the forests of Kauri trees.

Now the Kauri trees are a native tree that are known for growing big. Actaully not big, Chuffing Massive ! We saw 2 of the biggest ones still in the country, their sizes don`t come across in the picture. They are Tane Mahuta the largest Kauri alive 51m tall, 13.8m girth and the widest Te Matua Ngahere, 30m tall and 16.4m girth ! Now that is a lot of wood.

We arrived back in Auckland and stayed with some friends, Kat & Simon, which was great. To stay in a home after being on the road for 2 months was great and we were made to feel very welcome. Thank you !

New Zealand

We have arrived..!

After a long transfer (18 hour wait in Bangkok) we finally arrived safe and sound in New Zealand. First stop the North Island and Auckland. We collected our budget hire car and set off to explore.

The first few days were spent settling into another new time zone (another 7 hours ahead, now 13 hours ahead of the UK), currency (sadly not a millionaire anymore) and climate (brrrr!). We were both loving the fact that everyone did not honk their car horns every 2 seconds and they drive of the proper side of the road!

Our first full day was spent walking through Auckland and to Devonport, a lovely little area just north of the city centre, via a 15 minute ferry ride (don`t worry i managed to keep my breakfast down on this little jaunt!). We visited the local parks, museum and port. Within the space of about half an hour, Kip and I had alredy identified about 3 or 4 houses that we wanted to buy. The most impressive, just a stone`s throw from a lovely little beach.

We stumbled across an exact replica of the Cenotaph, which was a bit weird and reminded me of Remembrance Sunday.



We ended our first day, with a trip to the pub (and most probably our last) at 16 NZ dollars (8 quid) for 2 pints, we maybe heading to the liquor store and sitting on a park bench instead!

The next day we headed north for a short day trip to the west coast and it's infamous wild beaches. We visited Piha, Karekare and Bethell's Beach. All really nice, wild, open and rugged beaches full of black (iron) sand. A great first insight into this amazing place. However the site of a few locals in full wetsuits and surf boards didn`t inspire me to jump straight into the 'fresh' waters.

The only drama we encountered was smoke coming from our tyres as we headed down the steep, very twisty, turny roads (Paula you wouldn`t have liked them !).

So our first few days in NZ have been great, all the locals have been soo friendly and helpful, it is a refreshing change. I cannot wait to get to exploring the rest of the North island.

More photos (link to FB)

Some more photos of Vietnam, for those not on Facebook

Vietnam (Easy Rider Tour)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150454691501407.411182.563621406&type=3&l=c84b334ebc

Vietnam (Hoi An)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150454775916407.411192.563621406&type=3&l=87061e344a

Vietnam (Mai Chau)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150454779976407.411193.563621406&type=3&l=5dd9479607

New Zealand blog updates to follow soon

Ha Long Bay

We returned from our 4 day trip a little tired and in need of a proper bed. So after a night's stay back in Hanoi, we were off again; this time for a more sedate tour - Ha Long Bay.


Ha Long City is about a 4 hour drive east of Ha Noi and we arrived just after noon. We took a small boat taxi to our home for the next few days; a traditional junk boat. 
The boat held about 20 people, so a nice number. We had booked on board for a 3 day / 2 night cruise. This was to maximise the time on the boat, as had heard that with the 1 night stays, you hardly spent any time at all on the boat.

Once on board we got shown to our cabin, a cosy little room, with all the things you need. Lunch was served and then we set sail for to start cruising round the islands. The afternoon was nice and relaxing. We went kayaking round a local fishing village and caves - all very impressive.

Local School 

The local fishing village was a whole community that lived and worked out in the rocky outcrops. There was everything you need, shops, petrol station and school.


We then sailed a short distanced and moored up for the night. We knew that it would be busy on the seas, but there were a lot of other boats. No so many that you felt crowded, just noticeable that there were a lot of other people also doing the same thing. 


Day 2 we were up early for breakfast and out on to a separate day boat for our tour. It was all nice and comfortable, with a sun deck and nothing much to do but sunbathe and enjoy the view. The first stop was a jump off the boat and swim to a local stretch of beach. 

We then cruised round to a bay where we had the chance to do some more kayaking around the rocks. This was better than the day before as we could explore the caves and tunnels that lead you through to areas where the main boats could not go. 


Lunch on board the boat, followed by another good helping of sunbathing (although my tan is still lacking in any real change from white...)

The last stop of the day was to one of the islands, where you could climb to the top and admire the view. This was great as it gave you the chance to see the various islands from a better vantage point. 


After this we went back to sea level and enjoyed a beer whilst watching the sun set. 

Halong Bay was a nice trip away, but sadly we both felt that the place had been overpopulated by tourism, which did spoil some of the trip. However it was a nice relaxing time away and we were both pleased to be sleeping back in a normal bed and not on the floor of a stilt house !

Ha Noi and Mai Chau

We arrived in Ha Noi after an easy and quick flight from Danang. With a set amount of time we were quick to start looking into the two main trips that we had left to do in Vietnam. These were a hill trek and a visit to Ha Long Bay.

After much searching, talking and crunching of figures, we discovered that the best bet for our remaining time was to head the next day to Mai Chau. This is one of a few hill regions in the north of Vietnam. The more well known (and one we were planning on going to) is Sapa. However after speaking to various people we discovered that apart from being very heavily populated by tourists, Sapa is now out of the rice season and all the lush green rice fields would actually be brown and empty. We therefore opted for a trek in Mai Chau, a similar hill region to the south west of Ha Noi. (also this was save an 18 hour overnight drive and train journey to Sapa!)


The next day we were packed and ready to go for a 4 day/3 night trek in to the hills. This was again with only what we could carry in a small rucsac. So day 1 was a short 3-4 hour drive to the SW of Hanoi. We started with a small 1 hour walk before lunch at a local restaurant. 

After lunch we had a 2-2.5 hour hike through the jungle to the first night's homestay. Our accommodation for the trek would be to stay with local families in their traditional stilt house. The hill areas are dotted with 'minority villages and people'. The minority people are groups of people who have migrated from China, Cambodia, Thailand or Laos. They have traditional dress and local dialects aswell as Vietnamese. 

(Gwed our host in our 1st homestay)

The stilthouses are a single storey building raised about 8-12 feet from the ground. The underneath is used to store rice, cattle etc. The first floor is an open plan layout space where the whole family (mum, dad, children, grand children, grand parents) live, cook, eat & sleep. our bed for the next few nights would be a mat on the bamboo floor. The pillows were pretty much a brick with a bit of cloth....


Now we were hoping that being in the middle of nowhere, the day would be started listening to subtle bird song in the distance and peace and quiet. Sadly not, we awoke to the sound of dogs, birds, chickens & cocks, buffaloes  cows, coughing and goodness knows what else. 

Day 2 was spent with a combination of hill walks through the rice fields, bike rides and walking through local villages. We were very pleased with our decision to come to Mai Chau, as so far there was only 5 of us in our group (Kip, myself, our guide and a Swiss couple) and no one else in site. We were literally the only people, apart from locals, working in the hills. Perfect !


The 2nd nights accommodation was again in a family`s stilthouse. A similar setup of arriving at the house for mid/late afternoon. Chilling out and then sharing a dinner with the family at around 7pm. The facilities were as predicted, long drop toilet and a cold shower...happy honeymoon !! (Not exactly Maynard-Stylee..!)

 The 3rd day was to be the longest walk, 15Km up and down the various hills. It would take about 6 hours. So we loaded up our rucsacs and set off through the village, along side the river and toward the rice fields. The 3rd day was a long walk, but some of the best scenery so far. The rice fields stretching out to the side and beneath us, as we climbed the hills. Despite being advised that he harvest season for the rice was over, we were fortunate to see the rice still in most of the fields. Not the 100% lush green that we were hoping for, but the scenery was great and again hard to capture on the camera. 


The last village and homestay we got to was the best so far. It was very remote and about a 2 hour walk to the nearest 'village' (even then that village was remote in itself). The surroundings of the last homestay location was kind of magical. It was about 300 people in 50 stilt houses, but the rice feilds were situated in a large basin, surrounded on nearly all sides by the typical limestone rocky outcrops. The family we stayed with were again also very nice, but the best thing of all....they had HOT WATER - Whoop !

We shared a lovely meal with the family and guide that night, the Swiss couple had parted company to a new tour that morning, so it was an even more intimate homestay. The menu was similar to the majority we have had in Vietnam so far, rice....rice and chicken. The only uneasy bit was that the chicken was "fresh" (i.e it was happily wandering around under the house only a few hours before).


The final morning we awoke (on the floor again) to the usual noises of the village. The last stretch of our trek would be a 2 hour down hill  trek to the village, where we would be collected for our transfer back to Ha Noi.


All in all a great trek and very pleased that we saw the rice fileds still in bloom, without the hoards of tourists that were in Sapa. The treks were another great way to see the real Vietnam and after the tour we really felt we had delved in to the local cultures, especially staying in homestays.