In the morning we went to swimming lessons before going to the local cafe for a lovely scone. We then met up with H's sister and her kids to walk up to the lookout point in the regional park near the house. The kids loved our 'Bear Hunt' through the forest and were running all the along all the paths the whole way there and back. They were running past all the other walkers saying hi with me running behind them saying hello to! Everyone was laughing at the situation!
I was then driven right into the city so I could get the airport bus as Will's flight was due to land 1&1/2 hours earlier than I'd been expecting. The Auckland marathon was taking place and so there was so much traffic in the city! I ended up jumping out of the car and walking across a park to the bus stop. I'm guessing because of all the traffic and diversions the bus never showed up at it's expected time but a clever taxi driver pulled over and offer those at our bus stop a lift for a dollar cheaper than we'd paid on the bus and we had no clue when it was going to turn up. He got a full $60 fair and we got to the airport.
It seemed like forever waiting at the arrivals gate for Will to walk through, even though I was only there for about 10 minutes. I was so excited to see Will! It was so nice to finally see him again.
We decided, since we haven't seen each other in 6 months, to have a totally 'romantic' dinner at the airport. Well that wasn't exactly anywhere else to go as our hotel for the night was right by it.
Day 176: Pick up campervan and Mitai Maori Village evening
We picked up the campervan in the morning. We were meant to have a two person campervan but we'd been upgraded to a massive 4 person van! It meant though we had a lot more storage space even if parking it was going to be slightly trickier.
We drove down to Rotorua, stopping at a lovely road side flower garden/ cafe for lunch. The original plan was to go to Hobbiton on the way but we'd taken much longer than expected picking up the campervan and the pick up for the Maori evening we'd rang and booked for tonight was much earlier than we anticipated so we didn't have time.
We didn't see any of Roturua when we arrived, we just checked in at the holiday, made our first hot drinks in the campervan and then waited for our pick up for the Mitai Maoro night. Our pick up ended up being nearly an hour late. What with the hour late pick up on Christchurch, I think I'm cursed with these things!
The evening was really enjoyable. We started with an unveiling of the Hangi, a traditional Maori meal smoke cooked underground by heated stones. Next there was a 'paddle-by' by the warriors before we had over an hour song and dance performance. The food we had for dinner was amazing; I had seconds and Will had at least thirds if not more. When we got dropped back we were so full we could hardly move.
Day 177: Rotorua
In the morning we went for a lovely walk through the giant redwood trees to a spring on our way to the white water rafting centre.
The rafting was so cool. We were in a group with an all boys school. Luckily I was with the female instructor so I wasn't completely out numbered. I loved going down the rapids and the 7m waterfall. Nearly fell out at one point as I missed the handle. Luckily Will was in a bright pink jacket he'd borrow so he was pretty easy to spot as I grabbed his arm instead. At the end we climbed up this cliff and initially I looked over the edge and backed down but on the second attempt (I couldn't look bad in front of the boys) I jumped down into the water below. It was such a buzz! Potentially even more than the canyon swing as I had to jump off myself rather than having someone pull the release chord.
We ate lunch in the campervan by lake Rotorua whilst I recovered from scratching the campervan. We later (as we were handing it back) found out that I'd scratched it in the exact place a previous scratch had been so we didn't get charged for it. If only I'd known that then it would have saved a lot of worry!
Once we'd finished lunch we went for a walk around the steaming hot pools in the government gardens and then for a walk through the town finishing, most importantly, in the ice cream shop!
We then drove back around the lake to continue our adventure day by going zorb. Not sure if I actually liked it. I didn't like the feeling of bouncing against the floor. It is definitely though muh fast inside than it looks from the outside.
Tonight we stayed at a department of conservation (DoC) campsite that was right on a lake and a known bird paradise. We could totally see why with all the birds around us. We arrived there pretty early - it was still daylight which was a bit of a rarity for us. We'd bought a DoC campsite pass so we didn't fill any of the payment packs at the information point. Turns out we were supposed to and so we got a knock on the campervan door from the ranger on a quad bike explaining what we're meant to do for next time. So now we know!
We cooked our first meal in the campervan and then spent the evening playing board games because Will and I are cool like that.
Day 178: Taupo
In the morning we stopped and had a look at some mud pools on the way to Wai-o-Tapu geothermal wonderland. It's an area full of brightly coloured pools due to the chemicals in the rocks and all the geothermal activity around that area. We walked all the tracks and also say the Lady Knox geyser go off. It naturally had a 24-36 hour cycle but an Eco friendly washing powder is put into it to cause it to erupt at exactly 10.15 every day.
We drove to Huka falls and had a look at it. We then saw an information board about the release of the dam down stream so we decided to drive there and eat our lunch in the carpark there before walking down to the lookout to watch as the dam was emptied. The stream went from a little trickle to a rapid in 15 minutes. As the dam was then closed the water level began to drop down again. Pretty cool how much the water level changed so quickly.
We then went into Taupo to do a canyon swing, you know because I still haven't got enough of scaring myself. Even though I've already done a swing before I was still terrified. And Will was screaming as much as me as we dropped and swung.
After we had calmed down, we went to the information centre to find out about the tongariro crossing which is definitely not on for tomorrow and then it was off to the dump station. It was pretty fun trying to figuring out how it all worked and how we had to empty it.
We went to a free campsite on the river side just north of Taupo to check out where we were staying in the daylight and to have a cuppa and a change before going into town for dinner. Two German boys cornered Will into letting them use our stove. They didn't seem to get that we were trying to get out or the social rules of using someone else's kitchen and took forever, it definitely wasn't just the pasta they had said. Eventually they left and we went to a lovely Italian for dinner. It was really nice :)
We went back to campsite and chilled out watching planet earth on the tablet before bed.
Day 179: So much driving...
We woke up and had breakfast outside which was really nice. We then drove down to the hot springs in Taupo, my favourite place potentially in New Zealand as this is now the forth time I've visited it! The water level was much much lower than it had been on all my other visits which was odd to see but I was glad Will enjoyed it as much as I do :) and I won our game of running into the cold water chicken, if you can call being in the cold water winning!
We left Taupo and pulled over to the lake side to a lovely beach spot to have our lunch. Unfortunately this is when the rain started... After driving another hour further South to Whakapapa national park village it became pretty obvious that there wasn't much chance of doing the crossing so after consulting with the lady in the DoC office, multiple weather forecasts and maps on NZ we decided to drive up to Tauranga where the best of the weather appeared to be.
The drive took us over 4 hours in rain, fog and the lovely windy NZ roads. We arrived in Tauranga 2&1/2 hours after it had got dark and having rung the lady at the holiday park asking them not to close the reception until we arrived! I did the last part of the driving and pretty much collapsed into a tired and emotional wreck. I think telling Will he was cutting vegetables in the wrong order was a clear sign of my mental state. He sent me off to have a warm shower and to use the hair dryer so I felt properly clean, dry and happy whilst he made me dinner. I'm not sure whether he was being nice by sending me to shower or whether it was more because he didn't want me to shout at him if he stirred dinner wrong!
Day 180: Tauranga and Mt Monoganui
It was still absolutely tipping it down when we woke up so we had to refill the water tank and empty the waste water in the pouring rain. Not fun! We ended up just sitting in a car park reading before having a Wendy's for lunch at Will's request (actually really nice-I had a bacon and avocado chicken burger) and then we went to the cinema to watch the Grand Budapest hotel. When we came out we couldn't believe our eyes, there was blue sky. I honestly thought I would never see that again this morning! We also found out we'd parked right next to a pay machine in a 15 minute only space without paying. It had been raining that much that we hadn't seen it! Luckily we didn't get a ticket. I don't think any inspector would have wanted to be out in that weather.
We then drove around to Mount Monoganui. I didn't think I'd ever been there before but as we pulled around a corner I had complete flashbacks of being there before. I checked with the parents and I had! We climbed up the mount and admired the gorgeous views from the top.
Will's first touch of the Pacific Ocean
We then drove to this beautiful campsite, right by a lake full of birds and just over the sanddunes to the beach. We arrived minutes before sunset so we parked up and ran over the dunes to watch it. Unfortunately we couldn't see it actually set but we got to see the colour changes over the mountains.
The campsite had hot showers that were coined powered. It was on a timer and so you had to get everything ready in the shower then run around and put the money in, set my stopwatch on my watch and then run back and shower!
Will and I had another cool evening playing board games. I'm pretty sure this was the night I lost my winning lead not to be regained again for the rest of the trip :(
In the middle of the night I had to walk across to the toilets but I was treated with a beautiful nights sky. I tried to wake Will up and get him to go outside and see it but at 3am he was having none of it!
Day 181: White Island
Today we woke up to the most beautiful blue sky. Finally! Today we went on a trip to visit White Island, an continually erupting volcano island.
There was a massive swell on the way out and somehow I managed to pick the bit at the back of the boat where you couldn't feel it and we weren't being splashed by the waves. The whole of the back of the boat ended up, in the words of Will, looking like a hospital ward in a disaster with everyone sitting on the floor with sick bags in hand looking rather of coloured.
When we arrived we couldn't tie up at the 'wharf' as a rock had landed in front of it last week and so the boat couldn't get close enough. Instead we got the little tender boat across and then climbed up te wharf. I think wharf is a bit of a strong term as it was more of a lopsided rusty piece of metal bolted to some rocks and concrete.
We walked slowly around the Island, with our guide pointing out and explaining all the interesting features. Luckily the wind wasn't blowing the gases into our faces but my throat was still itchy, even sucking on the sweets they have us, so I had to wear my gas mask for a bit! I really enjoyed being on the Island.
Steam coming from the crater
Once we'd all finished we got back onto the boat and were given out lunch picnic boxes and slowly driven around the Island before we headed back towards the mainland. We were absolutely treated on the way home with a massive pod of dolphins jumping and playing all around the boat. It was amazing. Was the icing on the cake!
When we got back we rechecked the weather forecast for the north island and our plans changed again! We were off to drive back again to the national park! Oh how we love doing long drives! Especially as it gets dark around 6 and it gets dark really quickly. Our campsite that we wanted to stay in was in a set of ranges down a gravel road. We ended up completely missing the first campsite and had to drive 3km further down a creepy gravel road to the next one. Wasn't a fan! (Obviously in the morning it looked beautiful not creepy)
Day 182: Tongariro Crossing
We woke up super early to do the Tongariro crossing. We were planning on parking in the 'secure' carpark at the end and meeting the shuttle bus to the start there but about 5 minutes before we were due to be picked up, having already been there 30mins, we were told this carpark wasn't operating and we were going to have to move. The driver then nearly drove off without us, luckily we waved him down and then told us off for being late. Nothing to do with ringing yesterday to book the other pick up and bit being told until the last moment that we needed to move.
The walk was 19.4km and really cool. At the start it was really hot and sunny and I was stripping off all my layers but by the time we got to the top all the clouds had drawn in and we couldn't see that far! Rather than seeing the blue lakes and emerald lakes as we walk towards them it wasn't until we wer right infront of them that we suddenly saw them.
We were told the crossing would take 6-8hours but it not took us just over 6 with all the stops! I thought I was unfit but I guess I wasn't that back. We basically ran most of the downhill part through the forest as it was much softer on our knees.
At the start of the crossing
On the walk
Volcanic area. Luckily the traffic light was green as safe to pass
When we got back to the campervan it was Will's turn to need some TLC. He was suddenly really cold so I wrapped him up in towels, blankets and hoodies and he laid down on the back seat. He was only going to rest his eyes for 5 minutes but an hour later with his coffee well and truly cold I woke him up so we could get moving to our the campground for the night.
Will napping
We had a super fun afternoon... We had showers so we weren't sweaty, did our washing so our clothes no longer smelt, watched games of thrones and ate Will's omelet/ scrambled egg dinner creation.
As I was cleaning my teeth in the toilet block before bed I started stroking the cat that seemed to live in there. He seemed to take a fancy to me as when I locked the door to go to the toilet he couldn't bare to be apart from me so squeezed under the door to come and sit and stroke his body against my leg. It was most off putting!
Day 183: Hobbiton
We woke up and had Hot Cross buns in bed which does sound fancy but it was only because we were feeling too lazy to turn the bed back into a table and sofa before eating!
We had to use the dump station so guess what, it was raining! Of course! We drove in the rain through to Hobbiton but thankfully the rain stopped just before we got there.
Hobbiton was really cool. For The Lord of the rings trilogy it was just tempory buildings but for the hobbit films they decided to build a permanent set. Bits of the set took over a year to build and have so far only seen a few seconds of screen time! Crazy how much effort and attention to detail went into it.
After walking around the village, looking at the hobbit holes and naughtily (we didn't know we weren't allowed) going into Bilbo Baggins house we went to the green dragon for a pint of ale and a ginger beer to finish off the tour.
We then drove to Te Ahora to go the mineral spa there. The water comes straight off the mountain side and we had a beautiful wooden spa tub to relax in.
We then drove to the Coromandal peninsular. As we came across the mountains in the dark along a winding road it obviously started to rain and I had to drive through fog as well to get to the campsite. I'm definitely improving car skills that I don't normally at home in a city setting!
We stayed at another gorgeous Doc campsite and made a super tasty chorizo sausage pasta before playing board games and my losing tally got worse!
Day 184: The Coromandal
We had a lazy start, meandering our way towards hot water beach. We got the whole way down to the beach and found our spot before realising we forgot to bring anything down to dig with. Thankfully someone came to our rescue after seeing us digging with our hands and dug out the basic shape of our hole for us so we could finish it with our hands. It was really nice soaking in the hot water. Still find it, after all the time and places I've been in NZ, crazy that the hot water is 100% natural!
When we came off the beach I emptied an entire bucket full of sand from my shorts and after getting changed into some clean and dry clothes Will and I decided to have a massive lunch in the cafe. Definitely well earnt after all that digging!
We then visited Cathedral cove. The walk down was much further than I remember and we walked through the cove this time and sat on the beach there.
Having driven back across the Coromandal we stayed at a lovely scenic campsite on the firth of Thames. We were lucky we went across when we did as the next day the road was closed because of the bad weather.
Half way through dinner someone from the campsite knocked on our door to let us know that a lunar eclipse was happening right now. We turne off the gas and ran outside. In our desperation not to miss it Will ran out without shoes and I didn't have a jumper! Once we realised it was slow and we weren't going to miss it I went back to get warm clothes and shoes to watch it in comfort.
After dinner, I wasn't feeling that well at all so just lied down on the back seats to shut my eyes. Next thing I knew it was morning and Will had managed to make the bed around me without disturbing me at all. Not an easy feat in a campervan! What a lovely guy :)
Day 185: Auckland
We got up and drove this morning back towards Auckland. I couldn't seem to find any carparks in the city that would fit a vehicle of our size in it so we drove to Devonport, parked there and got the ferry into the city. We were meant to be going out on one of the America's cup boat but because of the bad weather it got cancelled. Instead we did other touristy things. Firstly we went up the sky tower, the tallest building in Auckland by quite some way. The views were amazing of the whole city and there were these really cool pieces of glass that you could stand on and see the city below you. They don't bother me at all but it was really funny watching Will cautiously step onto them! He climbs mountains and is happy on the scary narrow ledges but isn't a fan of this!
Having looked around both the viewing floors and having watched the sky jumpers (kind of like a controlled 200m fall to the ground) we had our lunch in the cafe on the 51st floor which was really nice.
Once we'd finished we went down to the sky city casino. Will was a time limit if when you run out of money or when I get bored, whatever is sooner, on the roulette table. We ended up walking away with $30 in profit. I think Will could have made more but I was feeling uncomfortable after a guy at one of the tables opposite us kicked off at the security guards so I wanted to leave.
So instead of spending the afternoon making our fortune we went to the maritime museum. It was really interesting. They have part that rocks so it feels like you're on a ship during the exhibition. I just thought my mind was playing tricks on me until one of the curators pointed to the join between the two floors where you can actually see it move.
We got the ferry, once we were done, back to Devonport and then drove to a campsite in Takepuna. After showering and watching Game of Thrones we went out to dinner at a lovely Chinese to spend Will's winnings.
Day 186: Takapuna
When we woke up the campervan was swaying in the gale that was blowing. So glad we'd parked in the centre of the campsite as the ones on the shore front were being battered by waves coming over the sea wall. Obviously today was another day where we had to empty the grey water and refill the fresh water as it was raining so much.
We decided to go again to the cinema since the weather was so bad. Clearly when you haven't seen someone in a while you're more happy to see girly films so I took Will to watch 'The Other Woman'. He actually really enjoyed it and I'd highly recommend it. We also did our trick where we came out of the cinema and t had stopped raining.
We had a lot of time left on our parking ticket so we went for a walk along the beach and then we had lunch in a lovely coffee shop. After moving the campervan to a car park nearer the beach it began to get overcast again so we sat in and played Catan (again). When we'd finished the weather was much nicer so we went for another walk along the beach before driving to Shakespear regional park right near where my family lives to stay the night in the campsite there.
We had to call the park ranger as I wasn't able to open the lock on the gate. He encouraged me to try and push down on the lock harder....turns out I was just being weak. The campsite was lovely, so quiet and peaceful and the amount of stars was stunning!
Day 187: With my family
We woke up to the sound of a some crazy bird making a lots of noise outside the campervan. We packed up and headed to my family. The kids were very tired when we arrived as there had been a party in the house next door that started at 9.30pm and was still going on when we arrived. We decided to get then out and we all went along the local beach for a walk. The kids pretty quickly accepted Will instructing him which sticks to collect and where to pile them up.
For lunch we went down to Local cafe in Manly. Will almost managed to eat an entire big breakfast by himself. Unfortunately I pinched a rash of bacon so I'm not sure if we can count that he completed the challenge or not. Afterwards we walked along Big Manly Beach where all the boats were lined up ready for some junior sailing competition.
Once back we went for another walk. We decided to take a Will up the waterfall track for a bear hunt. He did a great job of running and keeping up with the kids. I think the boys liked him because at the top he lent against a fence and then sat on the ground and the buys copied him and did the exact same thing as him! Very cute!
The kids did a lot of walking today! I think all of us where feeling pretty tired and so we spent the last part of the day relaxing in the house. Will showed the kids a disappearing Lego brick magic trick. It completely stumped me too! Once Will had left C kept trying to do his magic trick!
We had a lovely roast chicken for dinner and once the kids were in bed we watched Hop.
Trying to make the bed in the campervan quietly, as we stayed in the drive, was pretty challenging! Especially as I dropped the table!
Day 188: Will's last day
After breakfast we set about cleaning the campervan. I'm sure they usually get them in a terrible state, still full of half eaten food but we cleaned all that out, got a box ready for the swop shop at the camper hire office and Will did his favourite task, sweeping the floors, one last time.
Whilst Martin took the kids to do the weekly food shop, Will and I took Benson for a walk along the beach. It was sunny and so Will instantly was burning!
Once back, we left the dogs in the house and then drove the campervan back. Obviously it decided to rain buckets as we drove along the motorway. I guess the weather wanted a chance to say goodbye to us!
I'd scratched the campervan on a post trying to reverse it on the second day we had it but luckily it was in the same place as an existing scratch was so we didn't get charged for it. Yay!
After giving the campervan back we then went back into the city to meet up with the family and go to the aquarium. There were penguins, massive sting rays and sharks. I think Will and I might have enjoyed it slightly more than the kids.
Ppppp pickup a penguin
We walked into the city from the aquarium. Helen said it would take 30-49 minutes but it took us nearly an hour. I don't think she factored in the time added by wearing flipflops. They had driven with the kids (and Will's bag) into the city so we met up with them and then got the bus to the airport.
We had our final dinner at the airport where we had our first meal before I said goodbye to Will and headed back to my family.
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