We found a really good camping spot on Mystery Bay, it’s pretty basic but for the location it’s ideal and set in a big forested area. We found ourselves a sheltered spot where we weren’t overlooked and set up the tent once again. The drive to the coast took around an hour and a half which made up for our long journey in the car the previous day. There didn’t appear to be anyone around to take payment so we decided we would head back later on to the old unkept caravan that parks outside the front of the campground.

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon on the beach, swimming, walking and just soaking it all up. This is quite a popular spot for the Aussie summer holidays but it’s not that busy in relation to other beaches on the coast. Its a pretty rough sea though so we found more sheltered spots for swimming in. Later on we enjoyed a good run up to the main road and back with a few hills thrown in for good measure. We enjoyed another night in the tent and when we left the next morning there was still no-one around for payment so we got ourselves another free night of camping!  This was followed by our usual breakfast where Dave decided to go on the swings and we ate looking out to sea.

We then drove onto Eden, it’s really touristy around this stretch of coastline, while Eden itself is much smaller than it’s neighbouring bays and does offer a quieter place to explore. We took in some of the look-outs, bought ourselves some groceries and had a little chat with the ladies in the Information Centre. We were warned not to take our car too far down gravel roads and so we opted for a little bit of beach time at Boydtown. We have heard that the coastal paths around there are beautiful but it is advised to have a 4-wheel drive.

So with lunch and a beach time done we continued on our road trip towards Lakes Entrance. It’s another 4 hours on from Eden and when we arrived we were really underwhelmed. Lakes Entrance is hyped to be one of the big stopping points along the coast from Sydney to Melbourne, but the central part of so commercial with around 40 holiday parks filling up space, a McDonalds and various other tacky shops and restaurants. We went into yet another tourist info office and this time we were greeted with some helpful hints (its not always the case) mainly for Wilsons Prom where we were aiming for the next day.

Instead if staying in Lakes Entrance itself we backtracked a little and went to a the Lake Tyers Holiday Retreat, it’s a holiday park. We’d been told that camping in central Lakes Entrance would cost over $50 for a non-powered sight and this we didn’t want, so we bargained a little and at the Lake Tyers Park they agreed to give us a spot for $40, always got to try and save where we can! So we found a nice grassy spot and then went for a dip in their crowded little pool on the campsite. It did the trick and we were then ready for our dinner followed by a nice walk along the coast to Lake Tyers where on our way back we had a little drink at the Tavern.

The next morning we were on our way to Wilsons Promontory National Park. By this point we’d rang ahead to find out about camping availability and had been informed that the very National Park Campground does hold back a few spots for international visitors. So armed with this information we set out on another 4 hour journey travelling along the A440 until arriving at Foster where we crossed down to Yanakie and then into the National Park. We arrived at around 1pm and after checking in both at the entrance to the park and the information office at Tidal River. We paid $24 for a site on a packed out campground, but they have really good facilities and are set up for the Aussie summer holidays. It’s a great spot for families etc. The park staff were really helpful in assisting us with communication necessary with the car hire company we had booked through. There was a problem with our passenger seat in that it wouldn’t lock into position so we managed to eventually arrange for us to drop into one of the Europcar offices on our way to the Great Ocean Road which wouldn’t take us too far out of the way.

After our set up and a plan in place for the car we went out on a hike to Squeaky Beach taking in some of the look-outs along the way. We were greeted by fantastic views looking back toward Tidal River and onwards toward Squeaky Beach. We realised just how beautiful this National Park is and were very happy to be exploring it. The rock-formations and colours are breath-taking and the colour of the ocean is mesmerising. We really were taken aback by the beauty of this place.

Down towards Squeaky Beach we photographed the waves crashing in, the rock-pools and mussels along the rocks whilst watching surfers taking in the big waves. The beach itself is beautiful and less busy than the one at Tidal River, it’s still a popular spot though for campers and day-trippers into the park. We were out for 3 hours or so before getting back to camp and cooking dinner over one stove which took ages as it was really windy. That night the tent stood up to some strong winds and it was really loud racing through the trees above.

The next day we opted for a half day hike from Darby Saddle to Darby River again adding in a few look-outs and detours as we went. It was much more sheltered along the coastal walk and we were once again very impressed with the views all the while. This has definitely gone up there with the National Parks of America, Canada and New Zealand. The path was pretty quiet from our end with only a few hikers to pass and some lonely boats out at sea. At Darby River we waited for the parks’ shuttle service and got a free ride back to our car. We then ventured back to Tidal River, enjoyed the sun (but not the sand blowing everywhere) along with a very refreshing dip into the cool sea. We then took advantage of our location and had a shower before making tracks towards a free camping spot for the night.

En-route to Frankston we stopped at a small town called Korumburra where we enjoyed a pizza and salad as well as taking the time to charge up our batteries! We then ventured onwards to a camping reserve along a busy section of highway at Koo-Wee-Rup. It was good enough for the night but with no toilets a little bit of a pain. One main problem for us was that it was still really windy and as we were setting the tent up some of the tree branches were creaking away. Dave raised the thought of moving in case a tree were to fall on the tent, after more creaks we decided to move to an open area of the resting ground and as we were doing so part of the tree behind us broke off and fell straight to the ground. We were definitely right to move!! The wind did die down over night though so it was only the traffic noise that continued.

Earlier on in our travels we did decide to pic up the Aussie campers bible, it’s called Camps Australia Wide 6 and lists all of the camping spots for freedom and budget conscious travellers. We seriously recommend this publication as the $60 you will spend on it will be paid for in all of the free camping spots you find. We picked ours up from one of the information centres along the way after we struggled to located some of the camping reserves from our main road map. We wish we’d have got it sooner but it still saved us money.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, 18mm f4, 90mm Tele-Elmarit f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

In our tightly packed Hyundai Getz we made our way to Helen’s freinds place not far from the Blue Moutains. Gael lives there with her husband Chris and 3 children Kye, Lace and Cove. Times have definitely changed since our Uni days together and it was just lovely to spend time with them all. The weather wasn’t particularly sunny so we were more than happy to chill out and have a good catch up.

Dave was taken out with the boys on a fishing trip along the Hawkesbury River with Kye coming up trumps with first catch of the day and later on Uncle Jonny brought home the bigger catch! Meanwhile Helen was laying low with Gael, Lace and Cove helping to entertain the little ones as and when was possible! Thanks to the Duffy family for making us feel so welcome! Hope to see them all again soon!

So onwards with our journey and as Gael and family don’t live too far from The Blue Mountains National Park we made our way along highway 32 eventually stopping at Wentworth Falls. It was really foggy so we couldn’t quite make out the views but it was definitely atmospheric enough to be there. Further along the drive we stopped at the more famous sights in this area including the Three Sisters.

We were there with hundreds of other tourists and made our way down part of the Giant Staircase to the Sisters before going to the Information Office to find out about camping in the area. We picked up some good advice from the friendly staff and made tracks to Katoomba. Here we re-fuelled on chai and food shopping whilst also enjoying a peek into some of the vintage and antique shops. It’s a street from another era and has a lot of charm about the place. Later that night we camped at the Old Ford Reserve Camping ground down in the Megalong Valley. It was a lovely spot for our first night of camping in Australia and it was free which is always a nice bonus.

The following morning we were up early and packed our backpacks for a hike down from Perry’s Lookdown. We’d been into the National Park office the day before in Blackburn and was informed this would be a good hike to get the hear rate pumping! It starts on a steep descent down to the Blue Gum Forest, you cover the ground pretty quickly but its tough in sections with steep steps and hand rails to help. Getting down was probably more challenging than heading back up again as it was pretty jarring on the legs, fortunately thanks to Amy and Amit who gave us some hiking poles we had something to help us get down and back up and we were really happy to have those with us. We stopped at Acai Camping ground at the bottom and then made our way back up again. In all it took us under 4 hours and we were happy to have the workout.

When we left the area we continued to drive through more National Park and bushland before stopping in Oberon where we decided to stay for the night in a holiday park. It was really good value for money at $24 for the 2 of us with good cooking and shower facilities, plus we were knackered after the walk in the heat and desperately wanted showers. It was a really lovely evening in Oberon and we drove out to a nearby reserve to watch the sun setting.

On the 19th we had a long drive ahead of us and drove south from Oberon towards Canberra via Goulbourn. We stopped after 2 hours of driving at the Wombeyan Caves, some 25km of gravel road away from the main road. It was like driving through real bushland and arriving at some hidden haven where campers were set up on lush green lawns and a little community of holiday makers right there. The site is surrounded by huge caves most of which are by guided tour only, but the Figtree Cave offers a self-guided tour which we decided to go on for $15 each. It was a short walk through forest into the cave where we had a small token to open the door. Inside the cave is vast with several chambers to walk through, at each section motion detectors sense your presence and a little voice over happens to take us through sections of the cave. We’re not really ones for staged things or over the top attractions but this was tastefully done and we were the only ones in the cave at the time so we took our time walking along the purpose built walkways. A nice little detour.

We continued our drive to Canberra and after setting off at 9am in the morning we arrived into Canberra just at around 3pm where we had a pretty unhelpful chat with one of the ladies at the information office. We just decided we would get some food for our evening meal, and then have a walk around Parliament House. There were quite a few tourists hovering outside Parliament House which is a very contemporary piece of architecture. After a few photos and having had enough of the intensity of the sun we were unsure where to camp for the night and drove through Queenbeyan before deciding we didn’t want to spend another $25 on camping fees to be on a road side. After a spot of internet research we found there would be a free camping reserve along highway 52 just before Braidwood, so we cooked our dinner on our one burner stove and then drove for another hour and a half. It was a bit too much driving for us that day and we were relieved to be in our tent by 9.30pm watching another episode of The Killing surrounded by other happy campers!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, 18mm f4, 90mm Tele-Elmarit f2.8 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

A windy night ensured some light sleeping in the swaying van over night but waking to find a seal outside your van is a nice morning surprise. This is perhaps the most scenic spot we have camped at looking straight out toward huge waves crashing in. We were hoping to hire surf boards but as we couldn’t get any cash from anywhere we just packed up and went onwards along the Caitlins scenic route.

We ended up having quite a sightseeing day starting with a much needed coffee at the Whistling Frog Cafe on the road toward the McLean Falls which is where we were headed next. We walked up to the base of the falls which at 25 minutes return was a little quicker than the 45 minute forest walk advertised on the Southern Scenic Route info. We soon found out that they were way off on their timings after walks to the Matai Falls and the Purakaunui Falls, we also felt like we were suddenly on a tour of New Zealand’s waterfalls. They’re all lovely though with Purakaunui coming out top and also attracting the most tourists.

As we followed the route round we came across the Lost Gypsy Curios shop and gallery in Papatowai. This place is very intriguing and full of surprises and quirks. Containing old and the forgotten we spent some time playing with the gadgets, reading the funny signs and taking it all in. You can’t miss this place as there is a dummy outside holding a ‘Curios’ sign and the main gallery is housed in an old bus. Before making our way all the way round to Pounawae we decided to back track and visit Cathedral Caves, open only 2 hours either side of low tide. So we got there not long after 3pm and paid the $5 entrance fee, we were the first people on the beach which is private access only and along with a few other sight-seers we went to explore the caves.

It was only just low-tide so we had to climb onto rocks in order to get into the caves and make sure we were far in enough to avoid the tide coming in. We were able to loop round to another cave entrance where more shallow waves were splashing in but it was getting less and less. They were fairly impressive caves and the walk to and from the car-park is equally as enjoyable. We had a good chat with the warden about the caves and local birds and the like, the carpark was full so whoever is running this attraction is certainly doing okay!

When we continued along the road we stopped off in Owaka the Caitlins largest town with a sort of cash machine at the 4-square, accommodating only New Zealand account holders! We were able to pay on card though which was a good thing and so we stocked up and then made our way to the lovely Pounawae Bay where we would spend the next two nights at the Pounawae Motor Camp (lovely owners and really good facilities).

The following day we drove to Surat Bay, it’s not that far from Pounawae at all but we were heading for Jack’s Blow Hole straight after which was too far to walk. Surat Bay is a beautiful untouched bay stretching for a mile or so. Seals try to cool themselves in the sand whilst flies pester them and we also came across a dead seal and the remains of a sheep, harsh life!! Aside from this though we enjoyed a really nice walk along the full stretch of the bay as the sun came out to warm us. From now on the weather was looking to be good through to Christmas so we were happy about this.

When we left Surat Bay we drove west to Jack’s Blow Hole which includes a pleasant 30 or so minute walk to the hole. This blowhole is in the middle of a farmers field some 50 meters or so from the cliff edge. The waves come through to the hole underground and crash against the walls of the hole pretty much all the time, although high-tide is probably more impressive. It’s a pretty awesome sight though in terms of what is happening there. It’s closed off during the sheep-sheering season too which gives you an idea of its location.

By the afternoon we simply decided to chill out back at the campground, we were more than happy to read, work on the blog and cook some nice food before getting ready for our next drive to the Otago Peninsula the next morning.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We drove back into Te Anau to get a weather update for the area, which was looking better as the days passed. From Te Anau we took the Milford Road north and once again took in the amazing views, from meadows and lupin lined roads, glacier formed valley’s to the mirror lake and mountains forming around us.

 We did a half day hike to Lake Marian which was a tough 3 hour return hike signposted around 7 km from Gunns Camp. We passed over a swing-bridge which led us through forest and to a pretty immense series of waterfalls. The track was steep with a few scrambles up trees and rock fall but the effort was well worth it, and chatting to a few locals they had been informed by a guide that this was perhaps the best half day hike in South Island, New Zealand. A statement!!

Lake Marian is in a hanging valley formed by glacial action, reflecting the Darran Mountains surrounding it. We waited for the low cloud to lift and a few blue spots of sky joined us too. It was pretty amazing and we worked up a good sweat along the way. Heading back was much quicker and less of an effort but we still had to be careful as parts of the path was slippery and steep.

When we left the parking area we drove down to Gunns Camp which had been recommended to us by friends Vic and Dave. It’s a quirky place with a lot of history and a free museum for guests which is well worth a peek. We learned a little about the legend of Davey Gunn aswell as taking some time to photograph the campground with it’s cabins and funny oddities lying around the place. It cost £12 each to stay in our van and they have good cooking facilities and a spacious common room. We enjoyed cooking a pretty fabulous dahl which was taken from the Wholemeal Cookbook purchased in Takaka. We know it was good because our American friends tried it and were raving on about it too! ha ha!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

It was quite a drive from Franz Josef to Wanaka so we broke up the journey with an overnight stop at the DOC campground located at the top of Lake Wanaka. We had a pretty slow start to the day with some photographs of the masses of drift wood that has collected on its shores. We took in the scenery that surrounded us and then made tracks to Wanaka town.

It was only a further hours journey from that point until we reached the town where there was a little craft market taking place on the fields opposite the lake. Not much for us to buy but it is a great market for gifts, jewellery and pottery amongst other things. We then nipped over to the I-Site to get some info on the area and to see where we would be camping for the next few nights. We were interested in a Lord of The Rings tour, but at over $150 it was far too much on our budget.

We took advantage of a discount offer for the Lake Outlet Camping Ground that we found in the I-Site, it was an offer of 12% per night so we snapped this up and drove out to the camp ground. Lake Outlet is 8km out of town on the south-west shores of the lake, they have a very Mediterranean feel about the place and we instantly liked it, for $23 it wasn’t badly priced either. We found our spot and decided to hire some bikes for the afternoon.

We took the lake trail back towards Wanaka and ended up at the Rippon Vineyards where Helen had previously enjoyed a wine tasting. This time though things had changed and the vineyard have built a big wine cellar building on the top of a hill overlooking the vineyards and lake. They are in a beautiful location and we enjoyed sampling their special Riesling and Pinot Noir. On our way back to the campground we bumped into Uta and Oliver and convinced them to stay at the same campground as us.

The bike hire cost us $15 each for 3 hours which we felt was a fair price. Back at camp we worked on the blog and enjoyed another tasty dinner with Uta and Oliver before sharing our Sky-dive video with them and still feeling nervous watching it again.

We didn’t do much the next day, and opted for a working day. Something that we hadn’t done for a while. So we continued to work on the blog at the camp ground and drove out to get some food and fuel later on before carrying on with work! A bit of a nothing day but Helen did manage to catch up with Lois which was just lovely!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

The skydive was off once again! We found this out bright and early and decided we would hang around for the morning to see if the weather would improve. With the help of the Motueka I-site staff we decided that the weather wouldn’t be getting better until the next day so armed with this information we moved our skydive once again and went north.

We drove over Takaka Hill which is and steep windy and took quite a while in “Po”, on the other side we stopped off to get a few bits for dinner and then drove on toward Totaranui a DOC campground located partway along the Abel Tasman coastal track. This was a further hour and a half with a scenic lunch break at a quiet bay along the way. The weather was improving at last. When we finally reached the campground we found a spot amongst the vast spaces on offer, this campground is huge and it does get full during the Christmas holidays. Thankfully for us we didn’t have to worry about having too many close neighbours and they have good shelters for cooking under too. We noticed straight away how many sand-flies were around to start feeding on us, so we quickly changed and went on a walk along the coastal route.

It’s not a particularly tasking path the Abel Tasman track but it does reward with great ocean views, with clear skies perhaps we could have appreciated it more. We made it to Awaroa Inlet where we couldn’t go any further along the track as it was high tide which makes it impassible. We watched and photographed the tide coming in quickly, turned around and took the path back to the campground passing back through the beautiful white sand beaches. We enjoyed the rest of the evening back at the campsite which was a quiet event with a spot of ‘Peep Show’ on the agenda after a solid camp meal.

When we woke up the next day we realised that the skydive wouldn’t be happening…AGAIN!! It was absolutely chucking it down and we’d now come to the conclusion that the weather forecast is a little unpredictable over here! After a quick chat with Abel Tasman Skydive we decided to cancel with them completely and hope there would be another opportunity later in our travels. We had spent enough time moving around our agenda trying to fit this in and we were both ready to move on.

But not until we explored Takaka a little more. Helen had been here a few years earlier and was left with fond memories and wanted to share this with Dave. Although it was damp and grey we started with a drive to Te Waikoropupu Springs (also known as the Pupu Springs), one of the largest natural springs in the world. Neither of us have seen a natural spring on this scale before and it was really interesting. This is a cold spring which bubbles out of the ground and the water is crystal clear.

We then drove into Takaka and walked around the little town streets taking in the museum and art gallery; very twee would be our description. We also found the Wholemeal Cafe who’s cookbook Helen had been reading when we were staying with Vic and Dave. We enjoyed a lovely lunchtime dinner at the Cafe and found time to do a little work on the blog. The food at the Wholemeal Cafe is really good, Dave had a vegetarian jungle curry and Helen the salmon and pesto pasta. We were happy to be enjoying another cooked meal as this was supposed to be Helen’s birthday treat in the first place. We also bought cookbook number 2 which at $40 is expensive but their approach to cooking is very realistic and achievable and we also thought we would start using the recipes as we travel to spice up our cooking adventures.

On our way out of Takaka we popped into the I-site to get a few more ideas as to what to see in the area. We were strongly recommended to go to The Grove. We clambered amongst its limestone formations under tropical leaf coverage and as we were leaving we spotted a sign for Anahata; the yoga retreat where Helen had stayed when she was here in 2009.

For the rest of the day it rained as were driving out of the area and into the West Coast region. We made it as far as a DOC campground located at the Lyell township historical site. The town is no longer there and the campground marks the entrance to this area. We read into the history of the gold mining place and then trekked out toward old mining equipment remains along the river gorge. The sandflies were upon us once again so we hid away in the van for the rest of the night.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We struggled to find a place to camp the night before on our way over to the Nelson region from Blenheim, so we opted for a roadside freedom spot where another van was parked up. It’s tricky knowing what is possible on the freedom camping side of things but we definitely felt reassured by the fact that another van was already parked for the night.

The reason we were heading over this way was because we were due to skydive at 11am on the 3rd in Motueka with Skydive Abel Tasman. Unfortunately it was a thick, cloudy start to the day so we went straight to the Motueka airfield to have a chat with the skydive company. They wanted to push us back to 1.30pm, we were okay with this but the outlook wasn’t so good. We opted to work on the blog and editing at an internet/sushi cafe on the main street in Motueka and by noon we figured the weather wasn’t going to change and decided to postpone the skydive until Monday and go back to Nelson to take advantage of being in a town and some finer weather for Helen’s birthday night out!

We backtracked and drove to Nelson whilst stopping en-route for lunch at the Ruby coastal scenic drive where we found a handy little campsite that would become useful to us over the next few days. We were in Nelson by the afternoon and checked into the Nelson Holiday Park which at $36 would be our most expensive night camping in NZ yet. However on the plus side we could walk into town, there were free showers and a decent kitchen too.

On our way into central Nelson we passed by an eclectic vintage and antiques shop supplying everything from bone china teapots to retro posters, old picnic sets to mannequins, and clothes to furniture. We love these kind of places as they give us ideas for our future home! The owner was more than happy for us to take some photos as we explored her vast collection.

When we got into central Nelson we stopped by the Art Deco Cathedral before taking the steep path up to the centre of New Zealand. There is a monument marking the spot and great views across Nelson and the mountain ranges beyond. Back in Nelson we had some good pub grub and cider at Mac’s home brewing pub ‘The Vic’, there was a good atmosphere and we liked the way Mac’s is branded. It’s also really good to see so many local brews leading the way. We ended our evening at The Free House a converted church where some live Blues was taking place. We had intended to enjoy the live music but instead we opted for a bottle of a local Sauvignon Blanc whilst enjoying the ambience.

The following day was Helen’s birthday and first thing Dave baked a lemon drizzle poppyseed cake! Woooop! Happy birthday to me happy birthday to me….

For the rest of the day it rained and rained so we didn’t take many photos. We opted for the Nelson Museum, the Sutra Gallery and popped into Mountain Designs to have a quick catch up with Brian aka Two Backpackers who we know from twitter. Small world.

Later on we drove back to Motueka to watch a film at their local artsy cinema Gecko. We opted for Submarine which we both enjoyed immensely and vowed to own it in our DVD collection soon! We ended the day with fish and chips from the Happy Chippy on the main street, although we had bought food for dinner it was raining so heavily we couldn’t cook anywhere and nothing else was open!

That night we camped at the $6 a night campground that we’d stopped at the day before on the Ruby Coast. It was pretty flooded but we found a decent spot and the rain eventually calmed down.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

After our usual breakfast, with the addition of some toast, we headed from rainy Taupo to Napier on the east coast to try and get some dryer weather. The sun was shining in Napier when we arrived but the odd shower did blow through whilst we wandered around the art deco town. We decided to have some mini golf fun whilst the sun was shining and up until hole 12 it was very close scoring with Helen in the lead. Then disaster stuck with two holes taking at least 10 shots meaning Dave eventually snuck victory.

We found the Napier Photographic Gallery which exhibited some nice work from local, national and international photographers. Neither of us were quite sure about the stage at the one end of the room partitioned off for a portrait photographer with some lack-lustre images and dodgy branding. If it’s to be a gallery with a cafe, keep it simple and keep it about the art on the walls!

Looking for somewhere cheap and cheerful can be difficult sometimes so bearing that in mind we did not want to pay the Napier prices for accommodation in a holiday park. Jason’s camping and caravan guide led us to Clive and the Clive Holiday Park at $14 each per night. They had some nice facilities and the sun was indeed shining. A 15 minute drive away is The Filter Room beer and cider tasting which offers the sampling of 6 decent sized glasses for $12! Great value and the beer garden made us feel very much at home. The 14% scrumpy was our favourite so we purchased a litre bottle to make the night fly that little bit more quickly.

After cooking our evening meal we explored the camp site and walked along the river path until sunset.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We drove from west to east but the distances are never too far in this country. Although when you’re driving Po it does take a little longer! We were heading for the Coromandel Peninsula and it took around 3 hours via Auckland which was a mistake. The road signs over here a little hit and miss! We based ourselves in the Kauaerranga Valley DOC campground at Wainora. The DOC information site there is really good in fact, it seems to be newly built and contains loads of info on the area as you’d expect with the addition of some very helpful staff! We picked up an area hiking map so that we could plan a few hikes whilst on the Peninsula and went off down another gravel dirt path to the 4th campsite on the left.

When we got to the campsite which has some nice tables and fire pits around the camp areas there was one other camper on site. He’s been there for a while already and walked passed us with a freshly killed possum in hand! He just chatted to us as if everything was fairly normal and told us that the hike up was a good one, especially as the sun was out! After settling into camp we got our boots on and hiked up the Waoimu Kauri path. It starts on a fairly easy trail over bridges and streams,  and through dense forest, then come the steps. There are a lot of steps to climb and for the most part we decided to run up them, couldn’t quite manage all of them but weren’t far off.

We reached the Kauri trees after about an hour and fifteen, again big trees that stand out as a phenomenon from the forest around them. The path then continues onwards towards Crosbies Hut, it would take a further 3 hours to reach the hut but we didn’t want to go that far. So we hiked for a further hour through muddy paths, over fallen trees following the orange signs. We then turned around and made our way back to the campground. We only passed 2 other hikers on the route and back at camp no-one else joined us so it was quiet night. Dinner was good; omelette, lentils and pitta bread! Camping meals”us! We hope to get more adventurous!

The next morning we were off again, this time we were heading north. En-route we stopped at Coromandel town to find some wifi and pick up a few food items. Coromandel town is an idyllic seaside town, with a small harbour and old colonial buildings throughout. We found The Chai Teahouse in the centre of town next door to Umo. There is a lovely vibe to this little tea house, old sofas, home-baked delights and a big assortment of chai tea! We opted for the chai and took advantage of their cosiness and wifi offering. They offer the first 30 mins for free and thereafter it should e $6 per hour, we used it for 2.5 hours and only paid for the one, but we did have 2 chai teas and a soup. The staff are really friendly too.

After re-fuelling and getting our much needed blog posts online we set off for the most northern points of the peninsula. It’s quite a long drive although the distance isn’t that much mainly because the last 30km or so is on gravel roads. We stopped off at a few places along the way before eventually arriving at the DOC Port Jackson campsite, this and the previous night had cost $9 each. They have good facilities at this campground including sinks and a sheltered picnic area, plus the other folks camping were friendly locals asking us all sorts of questions and offering advice on where to go in NZ.

We took a round trip 3 hour hike along the coast-line along the Muriwai Coastal track (we notice repetition occurring in name places!). This was another blustery walk with more steps and steep sections, but once agin the views were pretty amazing this time looking out over to the Great Barrier Island. When we reached the metal plate illustrating the places that we were looking out to we turned around and took the road back to the campsite. On our way back we were stopped by staring cows on the hillside and back at camp after dinner the clouds began to clear and we took in the beautiful colours forming fro the sunset. Delicious!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

We left fairly early and started on our drive to to top of North Island. We had to make a few stops along the way, it’s always recommended; fuel, food and water! At Katai we found all 3 and there was even a Pak’n'Save! It’s not exactly Aldi but it is cheaper than any other super-markets around and they stock pretty much everything you need for your home – or in our instance the van!

It was a further 3 hours drive north to Cape Reinga but we didn’t go to the top, instead we went to the DOC campsite at Tapotupoto Bay. It’s off the main road and pretty much gravel all 8km’s to the bottom, always take it slow with Po! When we got to the campground it was very windy and a little wet, but it wouldn’t be Cape Reinga without blustery winds, it is after all at the top of New Zealand and there isn’t much up there to shelter you! We found a spot on the campground that was a little baron but we did have some shelter from a  tree at least. As the evening came more and more people turned up to camp. We hiked from the campground heading towards Spirits Bay, but only managed a 2 hour return hike, mainly as it was getting late and the hills were so steep!

Back down at the campsite we sat in our van and listened to the wind around us, it was a pretty quiet evening. We’re grateful to have the van to shelter in on nights like that.

The following morning we prepared for our hike to the Cape Reinga lighthouse which is predicted to be a 2.5 hour journey from Tapotupoto Bay. With pack lunches and after a cold shower (not as bad as it sounds!) we ventured up the steep hills again. It actually took us 1.45 to get there with 2 very steep sections and further steep downhill paths that we would be returning along. It’s a pleasant walk though with a dip down to Stony Bay before heading back up again. We did think about Nicky and Cooky quite a bit when we were hiking as this would have been the last part of their 5 month hike from South to North and wow was it a tough one to end on. Amazing to read their blog and to now be hiking the same paths.

The Cape Reinga lighthouse is in an area called Te Rerega-Wairua a Maouri spiritual area; a place where souls jump off for their journey to their spiritual homeland, no-one is allowed to go to that point but we looked out across to the pohukutawa tree and where the Tasman and Pacific Oceans meet. It’s a wild place with high sand-dunes behind us and arrows above pointing to distances across the world. With half an hour or so at the top followed by the gruelling hike back to the van we ended up taking just over 3 hours in total, so we were please with that and it also meant we had time to get back down the coast again.

Later on after the drive back down Northland we ended up at Raetea Forest DOC campground via a quick non-inspiring stop at the 90 mile beach! This particular campsite is one of their free basic grounds heading towards the Kauri coast. It’s actually a really nice spot in a forest area and we had a few neighbours to keep us company too. Food was a real camping affair; Dave had sausages, tinned spaghetti and mushrooms.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)