Hell's Gate and The Coromandel Peninsula

Hell’s Gate was brilliant. We walked through a fascinating geothermal landscape admiring all the bubbling mud and sulphur pools that filled the air with steam. About hallway around we reached the steaming cliffs where we were able to pull clumps of hard mud of the walls and rub it between our hands. By doing so it transformed the mud into a gloopy liquid that magically softens and moisturises the hands (and makes a mess of cameras too!). It was very odd stuff. After learning all about the processes at work beneath the ground that create the pools, we were basically standing on a magma spike below a thin area of crust (reassuring), we went for our mud bath and spa session. For 20 minutes we sat in a warm private mud pool and coated each other in thick chocolate coloured mud, and against the advice of the people in charge completely covered each other’s faces. It was very funny. Funnier still was watching Lauren hop around under a freezing cold (mandatory) shower afterwards, that was until it was my go. Afterwards we lounged in a lovely hot mineral pool for as long as we pleased enjoying the blazing sunshine before setting off again, thoroughly relaxed and rejuvenated.

We had decided beforehand that we would return to the great campsite on the beach at Matata, we couldn’t get enough of the long white beach, the warm water and the fish and chips in the village. So we stayed for another two nights before continuing our journey towards Coromandel and Auckland, one of these nights Lauren was on a praying mantis rescue mission after witnessing a lady in the toilets trying to stamp on one, she scooped it up and released it into some bushes near our van, job well done. So after lazing on the beach for two days, both of us getting slightly sunburned despite it being the middle of autumn, we drove into Tauranga, a vibrant town full of character and surrounded by the sea on nearly all sides. The harbour was full of fancy boats and we enjoyed lunch in a café on the harbour front. We agreed that we would need some decent sized carry-on luggage when we leave the country (a little premature perhaps) so we took the chance when we saw a sale and bought a nice wheelie bag covered in butterflies, Laurens choice not mine. We really enjoyed the day in Tauranga but we had miles to cover so we headed a bit further along the coast to Waihi Beach where we found a nice holiday park and sat on the beach enjoying the afternoon sun until we were chased of the beach by the rising tide. We returned the following morning to the same spot on the beach and sat against a huge piece of driftwood, in the afternoon we drove up the coast and into the Coromandel Peninsula. The drive was scenic and passed through huge forests and twisted around the Coromandel mountain range, the journey was longer than expected and dusk was upon us as we climbed a steep gravel road outside of Whitianga to Otama Beach. The campsite there was little more than a field but was all we needed after the long drive, in the morning we were greeted with views of a sweeping sandy beach of spectacular yellow sand hemmed in by rugged rocky headlands at either end. We could have probably stayed here for a few days but an intimidating weather front loomed over us and we chose to escape over the somewhat dodgy road before we got rained on. That afternoon we set off westwards, crossing the peninsula to the town of Coromandel itself. A very quaint little town that reminded us of Arrowtown where we spent a few weekends whilst fruit picking, crammed with heritage buildings it looked like a scene out of a spaghetti western, we didn’t know whether to get a drink from the Golddiggers Liquor Store or go into The Saloon Bar. Finally we picked a campsite just out of town on the shelliest beach ever, it was called Shelly Beach unsurprisingly. The tide was out and the beach seemed to go for miles, we walked to the water’s edge and saw some locals digging for what we assumed were clams or cockles, we had a go ourselves but came up with nothing. The campsite was nice and had a great TV lounge so we treated ourselves to an evening of sky TV.

Our plan was to go and see some of the more remote parts of the peninsula, specifically the northern tip. This area is only accessible by what are shown on our map as orange lines, or unsealed roads. We have had some experience of these, the last orange road we drove on for any distance was 2 weeks into our trip to a place called Paurakanui, we got a puncture. Nevertheless we decided to brave it, half an hour of bone shattering driving later (along the scariest road topped with what looked like the sharpest gravel), we reached the end of the road and had arrived at Waikawau Bay. It was worth every mile, we pulled into a Department of Conservation campsite (the only sign of human presence around) that gave access to the beach along a nice walk through some sand dunes. The beach was golden and deserted, for four days we had the huge bay all to ourselves, it was paradise. On the first day I had a quick go at fishing and in just 2 hours had caught 5 nice sized mackerel, it was loads of fun! We collected shells and poked at sea anemones in the rock pools, before returning to our van and soaking up the last of the sun with a cold glass of gin and tonic, that we got from Golddiggers. After 3 nights and only a cold shower to wash in we began to smell a bit so we drove back along the gravelly track to Coromandel. Here we contemplated our next move and decided to head back to a section of the peninsula we missed on our drive up. Our first stop was Hot Water Beach, we checked into the nearby holiday park and rented a spade (it will become clear why), we walked along a beach to a steaming section of sand where we dug a hole and sat in it. A hot spring bubbles up from beneath the sand and fills the hole with hot water, this on its own however is far too hot at 62 degrees so the hole must be open to some of the seawater that flows in, getting a balance proved to be very difficult and there was a lot of inconspicuous syphoning of other peoples warm water from nearby pools. It was great fun and a nice atmosphere, one big wave destroyed my carefully constructed pool so we decided it was time to leave. We returned to our campsite and cooked something Lauren and I had been craving for a while, a ham and pineapple pizza. Yummy!

Over the next two days we visited some more of the Coromandel’s spectacular east coast beach’s including Hahei Beach and Cathedral Cove. At Cathedral Cove we bathed in the sun surrounded on all sides by tall cliffs and enormous archways, staring out at the tropical uninhabited islands off the coasts. The water was rough but that didn’t stop us from swimming and jumping through the waves before rinsing the sea water off under a nearby waterfall.

We left Coromandel after a great week where we were treated with nice warm weather for the most part and glorious beaches.

Next stop Auckland.

Hell's Gate

Me at Hell's Gate

Me and Lauren in mud at Hell's Gate

Praying Mantis not at Hell's Gate

Fishing at Waikawau Bay

Hot Water Beach

Cathedral Cove

Lauren at Cathedral Cove

The Cove at Cathedral Cove

Hahei Beach

The Pacific Highway

The last time we blogged was in Taupo, right now we are in Rotorua a mere 50 miles away but it has taken us all this time to get here. I’ll explain how.

Instead of taking the easy option and drive up Highway 1 to get to Rotorua we opted for the much longer and much more scenic coastal route. On the night of our bungy day we drove to Hawkes Bay on the Pacific Coast and spent a couple of days in and around Napier. The region had just had a week of none stop rain but fortunately for us we brought the sunny weather from Taupo with us. On one day we wandered around the town’s Art Deco streets, where there seemed to be more cafes than shops, while on another we simply strolled along the beach and watched the rather rough waves crash on the shore. Somewhere in between we visited a honey making centre called Arataaki Honey where we watched live hives and then got to sample loads of different types of honey, by the end of it we both had eaten too much honey, felt sick and didn’t want to buy any of it.

After enjoying Napier and its surrounds we drove northwards along Hawkes Bay and stopped here and there to see some of the beaches that the region is known for. On the way we had to skirt around a boulder of astronomical size that blocked most of the road, which had become dislodged from the cliff above in all the rain, it was a very odd sight and quite unnerving. That evening we stayed in a town called Wairoa, about halfway between Napier and Gisborne. Which strangely we learned on the news that same night has over 20% of its residents on benefits, New Zealand’s highest claiming town. I think this was the only interesting thing about the town, and it’s a stretch to call that interesting. In the morning we drove to Gisborne, ready to be dazzled by the country’s most easterly town, but after spending a few hours driving and walking around we left thoroughly unimpressed. But hope was not lost as we were now about to embark upon a 400km drive around the East Cape which began with a visit to the longest wharf in NZ at Tolaga Bay, it was huge (660m to be precise) and jutted straight out into the sea. Built in the 1920’s it was in constant use for many years but in recent history had fallen into disrepair and was off limits to any traffic from 1998. In the last few years it has been made safe again and is now open to foot traffic only. We walked to the end of it, watched a few people fishing off the end, and walked back again. A little bit further along the east cape we left the main road and wound our way down to Anaura Bay, a brilliant flat golden beach, as luck would have it there was a campground right on the beachfront, although the grass area that made up the campground was completely saturated from the recent downpours and so we picked our parking spot very carefully. At the same time a Dutch couple, who we had briefly met in Napier and again seen on the wharf, were picking their spot too, when we were all settled they invited us over for a bottle of wine and we spent the rest of that afternoon and evening eating, drinking and chatting with Joyce and Edgar, who I’m quite sure had better English than most English people and we were surprised to hear the words ‘quaint’ and ‘jiffy’ pop up. It was nice to hear about other people’s travels and experiences and they agreed that Gisborne was vastly overrated which made us feel better. In the morning, after a very early but truly spectacular sunrise, we exchanged details and went on our way, we probably wouldn’t see them again on this trip as they only had 2 weeks left so were in a bit more of a rush than us.

The further around the East Cape we got the more spectacular the beaches and scenery got and the sadder and more depressing the towns got. But we weren’t here to see the towns and before long we found another campsite on the beach where we stayed all day and swam and fished in the lukewarm sea. That night we ate dinner next to a monster of a campfire that we created until the unexpected rain forced us inside, the fire valiantly burned on in spite of the downpour but after 65mm and several hours of heavy rain it succumbed. It had stopped by morning however and we awoke to clear skies once again. We continued and had now left the East Cape and were driving along the Bay of Plenty with a great view of White Island across the water, NZ’s most active volcano, as we drove plooms of steam were rising from its centre before being dragged off by the wind to create wispy clouds. After a night in a great campsite in the seaside town of Opotiki we drove to a fantastic Department of Conservation owned beach near a pretty little town called Matata. On the way we passed through Whakatane, which isn’t at all pronounced how it should be, probably the nicest town we’ve been to yet. Instead of the uniform American style street system there was a wiggly high street, the first we’ve seen since England and a welcome change. The shops were bright and well-kept and the streets were buzzing with locals and tourists alike. Back at Matata beach we had paid to camp their the night and wandered into the town where we got a hot steak pie for lunch and bought some fish bait, half a kilo of smelly oily pilchards that should do it. It didn’t, and I didn’t get anything, except sunburnt. We loved this beach, it was long and sandy with plenty of shells to find and a nice calm sea to swim in. We decided to stay another night and spent the whole next day reading, writing and drawing on the beach, with the odd trip to get fish and chips in between. After another peaceful nights kip we made a tough decision to leave the beach and head back inland to Rotorua, and that is how we got here.

The first thing that strikes you as you near Rotorua is the smell, it reeks! A cross between rotten eggs and vinegar. A sulphuric stench that stings your nose and you can taste on your tongue. We knew that we wanted to enjoy a mud bath and some of the thermal spas while we were here so we booked at trip to Hell’s Gate at the towns visitor centre, it was an open ticket so we decided to do it the next day and go for a nice walk somewhere outside the city as the weather was fine. We drove a little way south of the city to a Redwood plantation and spent a few hours strolling around the hilly forest, marvelling at the enormous foreign trees. Later in the day we visited the Blue and Green Lakes, although to our eyes they seemed to be the same colour. As the sun began to get low in the sky we found a nice campsite outside the city but still on the lake, and most importantly away from the awful aroma. We played table hockey and watched sky tv (a first for some time) while we ate our meal and drank some wine, a few episodes of Top Gear later we retreated to our cosy little van where we, as usual, popped open the laptop and watched a film, before falling asleep safe in the knowledge that tomorrow we would be immersing ourselves in a gloopy pool of hot mud.

We’ll let you know how it goes.

x x x

Tongariro and Taupo

So after leaving the lovely little campground we worked our way towards Palmerston North, "Palmy" to the locals, spending a night in Ashurst after winding our way around an arduous diversion to avoid the Manawatu Gorge that had been partly destroyed by landslides earlier in the year. We enjoyed a coffee in a cafe where we watched the trees get blown around and dust get whipped up by the extremely strong gusts of wind. The next morning we headed into the city of Palmerston North and spent the day wandering around the nice city square, visited the very futuristic library and then kept out of the showery weather by going to the cinema. All in all "Palmy" seemed to be a very boring town, so we left. In the afternoon we drove along highway 1 towards the Tongariro National Park, hoping to find a campsite along the way before the sun set. We had no such luck and were still adjusting to the clocks going back and the sun setting before 7pm. We pulled into one site before driving straight back out again, we were the only ones there and it was in an eerie woods, no thank you. A little further down the road we came to a small town and followed the campsite signs to a much nicer camp ground, and even though we were still the only ones there it was a lot more inviting. It seems at this time of year the 'en route' campsites are deserted and people tend to stick to the main holiday parks in towns and cities. In the morning we awoke to strong winds, we were approaching the central plateau of the north island, an area of high ground dominated by several extinct and dormant volcanoes. We had planned to do the Tongariro Alpine crossing a long hike between two of the volcanoes but on entering the national park we decided against it as our van was being pushed sideways across the road by the strong easterly winds. Nevertheless the drive along the Rangipo Desert Road was very picturesque and gave us great views of the volcanoes before the clouds rolled in later that day. After deciding against the walk we chose to do a shorter and more sheltered walk around Lake Rotopounamu to stretch our legs after a few long drives. That night we drove to Turangi, a small town south of the Great Lake Taupo, we stayed in a holiday park that boasted thermal mineral pools and freshwater spa pools. The mineral pool looked like some kind of filtration tank for an aquarium, so needless to say we didn't go in, we did however go in the freshwater spa pool although the one we chose didn't have working bubbles so it was really just like sitting in a pool of hot water. Anyway the campsite was nice and there was a foal in a field next door so Lauren was very happy and stroked it for ages.

Lake Taupo was next and the drive along its shore was very nice, in spite of its tropical blue appearance it is supposed to be very chilly so we chose not to swim. We drove through the town and hit our first stop, Huka Falls. It was incredible, the falls are on the Waikato River that drains water from the lake. Further upstream it narrows from 100 metres wide to just 15, this forces over 200,000 litres of water each second over the falls. You would not want to fall in. From here we went on a nice walk along the river to the Aratiatia Rapids about 5 miles away here the release of water from a dam creates a spectacular section of rapids stretching hundreds of metres. Unfortunately unknown to us the dam only releases water at certain times so instead of seeing a gushing torrent we saw a small trickle of water. Never mind it was a nice walk. The next day we drove to other areas of the lake and enjoyed some great views before going to a thermal resort on the edge of town, we paid for a spot to park our van for the night and in return we got into the spa for a mere $10 instead of $40, bargain! We relaxed in proper outdoor mineral pools, up to 42 degrees, and enjoyed our own private mineral pool for most of the day. Feeling very healthy and remineralised (new word) we decided to celebrate our health with a very greasy macdonalds, which we ate and then went back for more mineralness in the dark, the pools were all lit up and the steam glowed in the cool night air.

We had procrastinated this whole trip about whether or not to do a bungy jump. In Queenstown we had used the excuse that it was too expensive and had regretted it. Here we had another chance at Taupo Bungy, a 154 foot jump over the Waikato River and NZ's highest water jump. The fact that we couldn't really afford it still applied but we decided we would at least go and have a look, so first thing in the morning we drove to the clifftop and stood on the bridge to watch a few people jump. After almost getting back in the van and driving off we turned around, went in the office and paid for a tandem jump, the big 'no refunds' sign said it was now too late to turn back. We queued on the platform and our turn came, the elastic was tied around our ankles and we were nearly ready to go. At this point Lauren announced that she didn't want to do it to but everyone knew that wouldn't change a thing. We stepped in small penguin like steps to the platform and stood there with an arm around each others waist and holding each others free hand. Suddenly I had realised that I had been so worried for Lauren that I had forgotten that I was actually quite nervous, but there was no time for that and I faked a smile at Lauren and pretended that I was brave and everything would be fine, which of course it would be. After smiling anxiously on the edge of the platform for a photo and a helping nudge from the guy at the top we were in freefall, the most unnatural thing I have ever felt but also the most exhilarating. The scenery rushed by and the water drew nearer, all the while Lauren screaming in my now deaf ear, and then the elastic tightened sending all the blood in our bodies straight to our heads, it then recoiled and pulled us back towards the platform before bouncing us around for a while. We were slowly lowered into a little yellow dingy where the blood drained back from our heads, we were so happy and I was so proud of Lauren for conquering her fear of heights. We both agreed that if we had the money we would do it again.

One more thing off the list and worth every penny.

The Marlborough Sounds and beyond...

After a nice day in Blenheim and a lovely night in a national park on the beach we headed north once more. A window of good weather was ahead of us and we took the opportunity to go and explore the somewhat remote Marlborough Sounds. After skirting through Picton we turned off the main highway onto the narrow and winding Queen Charlotte Drive and were greeted with spectacular views of Picton’s colourful harbour and glorious blue seas. Some stomach churning miles later we turned onto a road that was narrower and windier still that ran along one of the sounds itself, Kenepuru Sound. The driving was tiring, or at least looked it from my vantage point in the passenger’s seat. I managed to avoid getting behind the wheel by playing the “I’m the navigator” card, even though there are only about 5 roads in New Zealand so it’s pretty hard to get lost. The views from the top of some of the steeper points in the road were great and the sea was the bluest I’ve seen it. At the low points in the road we stopped and walked along pebbly beaches and dipped our toes in the surprisingly warm water. We got to one beach called Picnic Bay and were pleased to see it was a DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite, there were about 4 places to park and no one else was around so we thought it would be a nice quiet place to spend a night or two. Even better it was listed in my fishing book as a good spot. We spent the entire day in the sun on the beach, Lauren drew while I fished, and I caught one, it was a wrasse about 10 inches long but too small to eat so I put it back. Nevertheless I was happy to catch something. The next day we drove a little further along the twisting turning road and stopped at some more nice bays but decided our private little beach was better so we went back and had another lazy day sunbathing. In the afternoon we were getting hot so we had a bit of a swim, I dove in and swam out until it got dark underfoot then slowly swam back to shore, it was nice to swim in the sea without a wetsuit. By the time I got back to shore Lauren was still only knee deep so I splashed her, a lot. I think it helped because she had a quick swim as she was already wet but she didn’t thank me. After another peaceful night’s sleep we said goodbye to the little bay and drove the scenic road back to Picton. Here we booked our ferry to the North Island, it departed at 6:25 the next morning and would arrive in Wellington at about 9:30 giving us a full day to see the sights, the undesirable time meant it saved us a few dollars too. Check in was at 5:25 so we spent the night in Picton and woke up at a bit before 5am, it was pitch black and the sun wouldn’t rise for another 3 hours at least. We ate breakfast and brushed our teeth and got to the terminal at exactly 5:25, how boringly precise we are. Unfortunately the ferry operators weren’t as accurate as us and we didn’t even board the ferry until 7:15, we weren’t very impressed. Luckily the ship seemed relatively empty and we had an entire lounge area to ourselves. Our early rise was rewarded with a spectacular sunrise as we sailed through the Queen Charlotte Sound. The surprisingly gentle crossing took about 3 hours and as we neared Wellington we sat out on deck in the sunshine and thought about how we would miss the South Island.

After 4 months of bumbling around sleepy rural towns and fishing villages in the south it was a shock to be ejected from the ferry into the hustle and bustle of the capital city. For a city of a little over 100,000 people (not much more than a big town in the UK) it certainly felt a lot busier.

Our first destination, the city zoo, obviously. The zoo itself was small but fantastically laid out upon a hillside just outside the city which afforded us with great views of the capital. The enclosures were roomy and most were separated from the public by a simple moat of water, no cages. There were bears, lions and giraffes as well as the other usual suspects but the highlight for both Lauren and I was our first glimpse of a Kiwi, although we still want to see one in the wild.

Our next destination was the botanical gardens where we had lunch before heading to the next stop, Te Papa Museum of NZ. 1^st Floor Natural History, brilliant. A huge room full of whale skeletons, a pickled Colossal Squid, and loads of stuffed animals. 2^nd Floor was an exhibit on earthquakes and volcanoes which was very interesting. The next 4 floors slowly went downhill and by the end of it I was craving more whale bones. The Maori heritage exhibits were nice but there are only so many carved wooden things I can look at, and then came the contemporary art exhibit which was rubbish. One of the “painting” looked like someone had bought a £2 stationary set from Partners and gone mental with a set square and a protractor, they probably sold it for loads too, very infuriating. Lauren and mine’s criticisms no doubt upset some of the crap enthusiasts but we weren’t bothered and we carried on pointing out which ones we could probably have done ourselves.

After immersing ourselves in culture, he laughed, we drove out of the busy city and spent a night in a campsite away from the noisy motorways where we planned our foray into the North Island. Lauren had noticed a word on the map that she was very interested by “Rivendell”. For those of you that aren’t dorks it’s a location from the Lord of the Rings book/films. So the next day we aimed for there and spent a nice day in what is actually called Kaitoke Regional Park and was one of the nicest places we’ve been yet, and as luck would have it we were able to camp there to. So Lauren was very excited that we camped in Rivendell. With a bit of driving to do before we reached the next point of interest on our map, Tongariro National Park, we decided to drive and stay in a place called Eketahuna where we found a nice little spot on a river to stay. On the way we drove past a place called Mount Bruce Animal Centre where they have the only white Kiwi in captivity, we had to go, Lauren had kiwi fever. The next morning we got up and drove to the centre where we saw the white kiwi, it was incredibly cute and Lauren sat by the glass watching it for ages. In the centre we also saw Tuatara, a rare type of reptile that has been around for 90 million years; and a whole range of endemic New Zealand birds that are struggling against extinction because of mammals introduced by human settlement on the islands. Other than the white kiwi the highlight for me was a mass of huge black eels that swam around the stream that snaked through the centre, they were New Zealand Longfin Eels which grow to 1.6 metres and live for 60 years, what’s more is they were wild eels that spend the majority of their lives in rivers and streams but would soon would make their way into the Pacific Ocean to spawn. After spending the best part of a day at the centre, and visiting the white kiwi house several times, we returned to the lazy little campsite by the river to relax before more driving northwards.

Which is what we will be doing as soon as I finish this post and tonight we will probably be somewhere near Palmerston North.