Top 10 camping

Our cosy van

Since leaving Auckland we have been spending the night in Top 10 holiday camps in our funky van. So far the sites have ranged from good to great and we have not had any problems with dirty bathrooms or noisy neighbours. The camp sites have been so good that we have been using the communal kitchens to cook most of our meals.

September 10th we spent our last day in the far north exploring the beaches around Doubtless Bay, even with the occasional gust of wind we had a great time peering into the rock pools and looking at the amazing shells. We also treated ourselves to a meal out at a Thai restaurant that served one of the best Thai salads I have ever eaten (the brilliantly name Pattaya.

Can you spot the duelling hermit crabs

Tropical but chilly

I guess I used all of my good luck on the Thai salad as that night we were treated to something of stormy night, the flat metal roof of our van acts as a beautiful natural amplifier for each rain drop giving us a free steel band concert (although we were warm and dry). The wet weather came and went over then next day and we were able to glimpse some of the beauty of the rugged, west coast. The weather held out just long enough for us to visit some of the largest Kauri trees in New Zealand nestled in some very dramatic fern jungle. As we passed through the small towns we both thought that it would make a nice place to spend a few more days but we had an appointment further south.

Some of the Kauri trees are huge and can be thousands of years old

Mossy stuff

North of the north way down south

Sorry for the big gap, the net is pricey here but watch out over the next few days as we should catch up to date.

Way back on September 9th we took an organised trip with Sand Safaris up 90mile beach to the far north of New Zealand's North island. The day started with a rousing Maori welcome to the north with a fun (but short) cultural display. A guy from Colorado, USA, volunteered to be our 'Chief' for the day and played his role in the ceremony well thanking the Maori Chief for the welcome (he got to wear a rather fetching cloak). Everyone in the tour then posed for pictures before we got underway to 90mile beach.

My face... enough said

That is a lot of sand

Throughout the tour the driver gave a fun commentary on the local area explaining some of the meanings behind the place names, commenting on interesting local flora and fauna and even explaining some of the local industries. 90mile beach (odd name as it is not 90miles long and New Zealand distances are given in km) was spectacular as was the drive up it as the beach is actually used as the road, swapping normal road hazards for lazy sea birds, anglers and small rivers. Apparently the dunes were made by hand in a series of phases to protect the land for the blown sand and to create land suitable for farming, that is a lot of planting. 

Aimee found a dog on the beach

After the drive up the beach I enjoyed some sand boarding while Aimee did her good turn as the group photographer. I was finding sand in my hair, shoes and pockets for days afterwards even after multiple showers and washes of the trousers. The view from the top of the dunes was surreal as all you could see was yellow sand and blue sky.

That is a big sand dune

Me zooming down it

I enjoyed it...can you tell?

A quick stop for lunch (where we got chatting to the other veggies on the trip who were from Malaysia) and it was off to Cape Reinga. The cape is not quite the northern most point of New Zealand (by about 10 km) but it is beautiful and has a very cute lighthouse. I geeked out on the Geology while Aimee enjoyed the sun, she saw some dolphins while I was marvelling at the rocks and trying to decide if they were the same as some in Cornwall.

Mmmm tea and biscuits

The lighthouse at Cape Reinga

Not any old waves, on the left is the Tasman the right the Pasific

Back on the bus we checked out some super soft white silica sand before a sleepy ride back to the local gift shop where the bus could be hosed down to remove the worst of the sand and salt (the buses generally only last 12 months due to the daily runs on the beach).

Sand so white it was like icing sugar

We are not normally partakers in organised tours as we like to take our time and avoid the crowds but this time it was well worth it, we can't take the rental van on the beach as too many people get stuck (to be fair it did look tricky) and the drivers commentary was top notch (the sand sledging was an added bonus). 

How far!