From Whatuwhiwhi we drove South out of Northland heading for Leigh and Goat Island Marine Reserve. On our way we stopped off at Brendon's place, took the 15 mins ferry to Rawene and drove along the Hokianga Harbour and then down through Waipoua Forest to see the giant Kauri trees. With a pit stop at Dargaville (Kumara capitol of NZ) for a quick bite, we cranked on to Pakiri Beach where we stayed for a couple of nights. One day we rented all the gear and went snorkelling off Goat Island. It was only my second time snorkelling but it was great just floating about and watching all the fish including snapper, blue maomao and stripy parore. Even spotted a stingray!
There was a bit of an algal bloom at first so it started a little cloudy but cleared up over the day. When we got suitably hungry we headed to the fish and chip shop in Leigh. Hmmm, it sounds like that's all we ate but the one pot pasta and rice dishes that we cook don't get a mention. They are still tasty though...
From Pakiri Beach we drove south, past Auckland and then west to Raglan in Waikato. Once you are out of Auckland and keeping west of Hamilton, you're in rolling hills which were used as the location for filming the shire scenes in Lord of the Rings. Raglan is a small surfing town so it's pretty laid back.
From there we drove a few hours south to Waitomo Caves in the King Country, which is famed for its limestone caves and karst features. There are more than 300 mapped caves in the area but the three largest and most accesible are open for public. As it was Christmas Eve we did our food shopping (lamb chops, veggies, wine, cheese and chocolate pud) which will probably be our cheapest Xmas ever. After walking around Ruakuri Reserve and the Aranui Cave we sunned ourselves by the pool, then had a dip in the hot pool that evening. On Christmas morning we packed up and got on the road early heading South to New Plymouth in Taranaki. We checked into our self-contained cabin and flicked on the tv. It had been ages ago since we'd watched tv in bed and it was certainly a first for Christmas. Well, it didn't feel much like Christmas anyway. Before getting too hypnotised we went for a walk along the black sands of Fitzroy Beach. A surprising amount of people were out, either walking, playing volleyball, football or having a paddle. We headed inland and found only one shop open where we bought an icecream for our Christmas lunch. Back at out cabin we watched The Sound of Music, the start of Mary Poppins, Polar Express and a carol concert from the Waitomo Caves and the fake doco about crufts. It's done by the same guys that did Spinal Tap, so it was pretty good. In NZ Christmas Day is the only day that there are no ads running on tv so it was a pleasure to watch so many films. At one point near the end of Polar Express I realised it was time to start chopping up the veg for roasting and thought this is the first time I've made Christmas dinner. It was tasy but not particularly Christamssy. There were no crackers, crappy hats or dire jokes. At least I remembered to buy a block of mature cheese that went down a treat with the wine. That evening when I wanted to call my family the phone card was giving me an engaged tone which led to much swearing until I called on my mobile. I couldn't help feeling a little sad being away from them of course and missing out on the traditional fry up. Mmmm, crispy bacon...
On Boxing Day we drove part the way up Mt Taranaki (Mt Egmont) for a short wakl and to look at a volcano that hasn't errupted for 350 years but is overdue for another one. Then we headed into New Plymouth where we did a self guided heritage walk around the town. I was expecting it to be busier but most of the shops and some of the cafes were still shut.
Em xx
There was a bit of an algal bloom at first so it started a little cloudy but cleared up over the day. When we got suitably hungry we headed to the fish and chip shop in Leigh. Hmmm, it sounds like that's all we ate but the one pot pasta and rice dishes that we cook don't get a mention. They are still tasty though...
From Pakiri Beach we drove south, past Auckland and then west to Raglan in Waikato. Once you are out of Auckland and keeping west of Hamilton, you're in rolling hills which were used as the location for filming the shire scenes in Lord of the Rings. Raglan is a small surfing town so it's pretty laid back.
From there we drove a few hours south to Waitomo Caves in the King Country, which is famed for its limestone caves and karst features. There are more than 300 mapped caves in the area but the three largest and most accesible are open for public. As it was Christmas Eve we did our food shopping (lamb chops, veggies, wine, cheese and chocolate pud) which will probably be our cheapest Xmas ever. After walking around Ruakuri Reserve and the Aranui Cave we sunned ourselves by the pool, then had a dip in the hot pool that evening. On Christmas morning we packed up and got on the road early heading South to New Plymouth in Taranaki. We checked into our self-contained cabin and flicked on the tv. It had been ages ago since we'd watched tv in bed and it was certainly a first for Christmas. Well, it didn't feel much like Christmas anyway. Before getting too hypnotised we went for a walk along the black sands of Fitzroy Beach. A surprising amount of people were out, either walking, playing volleyball, football or having a paddle. We headed inland and found only one shop open where we bought an icecream for our Christmas lunch. Back at out cabin we watched The Sound of Music, the start of Mary Poppins, Polar Express and a carol concert from the Waitomo Caves and the fake doco about crufts. It's done by the same guys that did Spinal Tap, so it was pretty good. In NZ Christmas Day is the only day that there are no ads running on tv so it was a pleasure to watch so many films. At one point near the end of Polar Express I realised it was time to start chopping up the veg for roasting and thought this is the first time I've made Christmas dinner. It was tasy but not particularly Christamssy. There were no crackers, crappy hats or dire jokes. At least I remembered to buy a block of mature cheese that went down a treat with the wine. That evening when I wanted to call my family the phone card was giving me an engaged tone which led to much swearing until I called on my mobile. I couldn't help feeling a little sad being away from them of course and missing out on the traditional fry up. Mmmm, crispy bacon...
On Boxing Day we drove part the way up Mt Taranaki (Mt Egmont) for a short wakl and to look at a volcano that hasn't errupted for 350 years but is overdue for another one. Then we headed into New Plymouth where we did a self guided heritage walk around the town. I was expecting it to be busier but most of the shops and some of the cafes were still shut.
Em xx
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