Arriving in Auckland and the beginning of our Kiwi adventure

We left Cairns as we found it - raining (good job we stayed in a motel on our last night to dry the tent out before departure) but that won't be our memory of Cairns or in fact Australia as a whole. We've spent 6 weeks in Oz and have loved every moment despite the weather sometimes being not what we'd expected.

We arrived into Auckland around 7pm so with not being able to get to the campsite and be able to pitch the tent in the light we stayed in a motel in the centre of the city. It was adequate as all we did was drop our bags, freshen up and head into town for a wander and a bite to eat. Sadly the weather had followed us but it also had a more 'refreshing' breeze!

The following day we left the city around 9am and took a westerly detour around the Waitakere Ranges and also visited a very quaint place called Devonport which had great views of the Auckland skyline. We arrived at Orewa campsite just after lunch and erected the tent to find out that one of the poles may not last the night if it became windy! Putting that behind us we got back into the routine of camping and visited the local store for supplies. With a stocked fridge we then walked for several kilometres along the beach near the tent which is along the Hibiscus Coastline of NZ. That evening we made the traditional English dish of curry and went for another walk before hitting the inflatable mattresses!

We woke several time during the night probably due to getting used to the noises again but also because it was bloody cold! Coming from the tropics of Australia to the cool climate of NZ (9 degrees) hit hard! Despite the restless night Mark woke first and let Rach sleep for a bit more before making the tea. As Rach made the packed lunch for the day Mark took down the tent and the inevitable happened - the pole broke! In fact the ropes were holding the tent up during the night! This time we needed a new pole (or a new tent) as it was beyond repair. We made our way north towards our destination of the Bay of Islands. On the way we took several of the 'Tourist Routes' which took us along the coast and we stopped off at Matapouri for lunch. We wanted to see the mermaid pools there but unfortunately the tide was in so we couldn't reach them. Luckily we found a camping shop that sold poles along the way in Whangarei so at least we would have a canvas over our heads for at least another night! We thought Australia were spoilt for beaches and stunning headlands but New Zealand are up there fighting for top spot - this place is postcard stuff. Arriving at the Bay of Island we took the five minute ferry from Opua that would take us to Russell.

We got to our campsite in the late afternoon and got the tent fixed and erected. We went for a walk around the very pretty town of Russell and bought supplies for dinner. Back at the campsite we sat outside the tent absorbing some of the early evening sun. The weather had drastically improved since leaving Auckland and it was a beatiful evening.

This morning after another chilly night we had a leisurely start and planned our day. We drove to a place called Whangamumu where we did a walk to a bay. It took about 3 hours round trip and we got to the near deserted bay around lunchtime. After a swim in our underwear we sat drying off on the beach and ate our packed lunch. It was another stunning place, NZ already seems to have a lot to offer!

Tonight we plan to make use of the BBQ's and have a feast.

Tomorrow we drive further North to Whatuwhiwhi with a few stops and detours along the way.

Love to all at home

Mark & Rach. xxx