New Zealand North Island 2023
Helen
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| Tasmania 2023 | New Zealand South Island 2024 |
We had an early morning drop off for SPD in Hobart, Sarah was great. Weirdly, we struggled to get an Uber. The first one showed up and drove away because we had “luggage” even though we indicated we had said luggage when we booked. Apparently a medium sized duffle and two small backpacks is too much for a regular SUV! The next Uber driver was great and we made it with time to head outside for some fresh air and coffee. We met a really nice couple sitting on one of the benches who were returning home to NZ after visiting their son in Tasmania. They gave us lots of suggestions for stops on the North Island.
We had also met another couple when returning the van, who happened to be on the same flight, also returning home to New Zealand. The flight wasn’t full, so he came and sat with us for a little, giving us some ideas for stops and their contact info. We had given ourselves almost a month for the North Island portion. Last time was 10 days and we didn’t feel it was enough. The flight was really good and we made it on schedule.
Got off the plane, got our duffle, went through immigration and customs, got sim cards, stored the duffle and went to catch our shuttle to the hotel. We had booked 2 nights in a hotel since getting the best deal on the van and flights left a small gap between the two. We had also decided to store the duffle since we had to come back to the airport to meet Wendekreisen for the van pickup. Plus we really didn’t need anything from it and it was one less thing to deal with. When we were putting our packs on the shuttle, I noticed Paul didn’t have his sling and asked where it was. Chaos ensued and we spent the next 2 hours at the airport filling out lost property forms, talking to staff and going back to all the places we had been. We were thinking, hoping, maybe it was just left somewhere but unfortunately we came up empty handed on all fronts. The good news was that Paul still had his Canadian passport and his phone. Bad news was all his credit cards, British passport, earbuds, kobo and chargers were in the sling. We had been keeping all our credit cards locked, thanks to the recent card hacking in Australia, which meant we didn’t have to worry about people using the cards right away.
Eventually we exhausted all possibilities in the airport, so caught the shuttle to the hotel. The Supershuttle was good and they made sure we had a spot, even though it was later than what we booked. We had to wrangle the credit cards for the security deposit but the reception at The Grand was understanding and we managed to get it done. Unfortunately when we got to our room, it hadn’t been cleaned properly. A quick call to reception had someone up to clean it and they also tossed in complementary breakfasts for our stay to make up for the room. At this point it was closer to 9 pm, we hadn’t eaten and were pretty tired from the “slingcident”. We found a good donair place a short walk away so went to get some food. It was busy and by the time we got the food and headed back it was already after 10pm. It was quite windy and chilly so we were glad we had kept our fleeces and down jackets handy instead of leaving them in the duffle.
We made a list of what was in Paul’s sling and tried to get some sleep. After breakfast we started the process of figuring out the “slingcident”, we called the numbers we were given, left messages and sent emails. The weather had cleared and it was sunny so we decided to head out and explore a little. We’d never had a chance to see Auckland before and we needed to get lunch at some point. Just as we were about to leave, we got an email that they found the sling! We got in touch with the airport right away, they confirmed everything was in the sling and they could keep it until we came back as long as it was under 24 hours. What a relief!! We headed out, feeling much better, had lunch and a walk through downtown Auckland. An afternoon nap was needed, neither of us slept well and my cold seemed to be flaring up a bit. Another walk for dinner, went back to the room to do some planning. We took a look at the map and decided we wanted to head to the northernmost point of the North Island to Cape Reinga.
The next morning, we headed back to the airport using the Supershuttle service, which we’d recommend. So much easier and cheaper than a taxi or Uber. After a stop to grab Paul’s sling from lost and found, we picked up the duffle and headed to our meet up spot. We had called Wendekreisen and were told it would be about 15 minutes. 2 phone calls and over 1.5 hours later, they finally showed up. It seemed they had forgotten about us since the rental location was only a 10 minute drive away. The lady giving us the tour of the van was nice and we quickly got over having to wait. Anyhoo, this van we called Skippy Part Three… pronounced with a heavy Cockney accent so three sounds more like free.
We had booked our first night at Whangateau Holiday Park. It’s a smaller town about 1.5 hours away, so not a long drive but would give Paul a chance to get the feel of handling a different van. It also got us out of the city and had easy access to shops for groceries. Somehow we had forgotten this was a manual transmission but Paul quickly adapted to driving. It was a bit harder to set up SPT(Skippy Part Three). The layout wasn’t as user friendly and had less internal storage, but it didn’t take us too long to get organized. Paul figured out how to download Organic Maps so we could use the navigation system since it was too old for Android auto. Based on years of experience, I can’t be trusted to read the directions so this was best for everyone! We used the camp kitchen and went for a walk, deciding what to do the next day. SPT might not have been our favourite van but it did what we needed it to with no problems, didn’t leak and the cushions were still good for sleeping! The driver’s seat was not so good for sitting though, we had to put towels on the seat for Paul’s skinny butt to be comfortable. We stopped counting how many times we hit our heads on the upper cupboards after day 3 and whatever you do, don’t get me started on the “camping chairs” provided with the van.
We decided to head to Russell next and booked two nights at the Russell Top 10. To be honest, we (meaning me) hadn’t looked too closely at the directions and got quite the surprise when we ended up at a small ferry. We knew the best way to Russell was from Opua and had just assumed that meant a road. The wait for the ferry was only 15 minutes, it was a short crossing and a nice drive over to the campground. It was lovely grounds, we didn’t have anyone on the one side and even had a bit of a view. The town itself was quite pretty, only a short walk down to the shore and there were lots of flowers everywhere. We decided to walk into town for a late lunch and we sat down by the pier for some oysters and fries. They had malt vinegar and everything was delicious! We walked along the waterfront for a bit, sat on one of the benches awhile before heading back. We started coming up with a plan for the North Island and looking at available ferries to the South Island. The amenities were really nice and we were able to sit out on the porch by the kitchen which was good for a lovely sunset.
New Zealand was busy last time but this time it just felt crowded and Russell being a popular stop drove this home. We had experienced people lining up in camp kitchens to cook, no spots available at campgrounds and seen many larger groups of tourists. A lot of locals were also on holiday since it was coming up to Christmas, so it was packed. Not wanting to get stuck anywhere we decided to invest the time in figuring out some things we wanted to do and see, book upcoming sites until after New Year’s and our ferry to the South Island. We had to keep in mind that driving in New Zealand, while it is beautiful with stunning scenery, the roads are twisty, narrow and always under construction so getting between places would take longer. We also had to factor in other tourists who had rented larger RV’s with no experience and were scared to go the speed limit… speaking from experience with this as well. We were able to get a table on the porch so we could sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather while planning.
It was quickly apparent that we made the right choice to do this as the first few places we contacted were booked out. In the end, it took most of the day but we had a plan and some bookings in place. We decided a celebration was in order so headed out to a highly rated restaurant for dinner. We weren’t able to get in as it was packed but we managed to find another spot nearby where Paul found a great beer and the live music was excellent. Eating out and stocking up on groceries was a real eye opener. We already knew New Zealand was expensive based on the van and park fees but $14/kg for yams… not even a special yam, just a normal old yam was excessive. Needless to say we didn’t have them often!
Our next goal was Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua, the northernmost tip of New Zealand. We stopped at Whatuwhiwhi Top 10 where we found a nice private beach that we could connect to the main beach by going over a rocky point at low tide. We ended up taking an unexpectedly long walk through the town to make it back to the campground. We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere but it was a sunny day and the area was really nice so we enjoyed it. The next day we left early for the drive to Cape Reinga. It’s beautiful, this is one of those places that you have to experience to understand the feeling of it. We walked the trail to the lighthouse, which was really neat because fog was drifting in and out, and could see the meeting of the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean. There were signs explaining the history and significance of the area and the Spirit Tree to the Maori people. From there we headed over to Ahipara Holiday Park for the night. It was more of a youth hostel and youth camp so it was very busy, but our site was fairly private which was nice. We went for a short walk over to “90 Mile” Beach and had an early night.
From there we did a long drive to Whangarei to situate for Waihi and Waitomo. We ended up getting a Top 10 membership at Whangarei Top 10. We saved 10% per booking and the majority of parks we ended up choosing were in the chain so it was a savings. The card could also be used at any Big4 in Australia, so in hindsight we should have gotten it sooner. When we did a grocery stop here, Paul found some pretty awesome wraps, even gluten free ones that didn’t need to be microwaved… which is good since we didn’t have one! The caravan park was crazy busy and we had loads of people wandering through our site all evening, most likely due to us being by the BBQ’s and it was raining a bit. Note: don’t BBQ when there is a teenage girl sports team hanging around, you have to explain that you are BBQ’ing potatoes not apples and it’s awkward. Since it was annoying both of us and we decided to head out for a walk to avoid any incidents of doors being flung open to confront said interlopers. It was for the best since we did just have a couple of longer driving days and it was a nice walking trail.
Waihi was a neat little stop. The campground was okay, not many people and we were able to get under the trees for shade. We were beside a small pasture and could hear the sheep in the morning when it was quiet. The owner, Rose, was nice and the amenities were dated but fine. When we looked for the link to add here, we found out it’s no longer operating which is too bad. During our time here, we found a good coffee roaster who lectured us about the perils of soy milk, drove over to Waihi Beach for a walk, spent some time with the horses while checking out the old Martha Mine site, ate an excellent lunch at a local cafe and visited with our neighbors at the campground. One night we had a Canadian couple who were bike touring around New Zealand. On the other side we had a local couple in their 60’s who were traveling around in their caravan full-time. They told us we had to have Bluff Oysters and blue cod when we got to the South Island. The travel router may have also been murdered here, but I can neither confirm nor deny who was at fault for its demise.
For Christmas we had booked a caving experience at Waitomo, just a regular cave tour this time since the adventure ones were all booked up so we headed off the next morning. Unfortunately, my cold came back with a vengeance so I wasn’t able to do the tour, but luckily Paul didn’t get it so he was still able to go. We had a nice elevated spot at Waitomo Top 10 and they were really wide so it felt quite private. I said Paul worked his charm since he was the one who had gone into the office to get our site. Since it was Christmas the campground was really busy with locals and tourists. The kitchens and amenities were operating at peak capacity but we were able to make it work and we had a good time. It was a bit drizzly and cool, but we had a nice Christmas day, called family and had a nice steak dinner.
From here we headed to New Plymouth and the Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park where we had a great spot looking over the port and the Tasman Sea. We walked into town to stretch our legs and Paul was able to get his favourite IPA and I found a really good cider. Then the next day we did the coastal walk which was nice, the weather had changed and was quite warm but manageable with shade. We had a stop in Lakelands outside of Whanganui to break up the drive to Tongariro. It wasn’t great, an old bible camp, loud music and a huge group set up right beside us but it was just one night.
The next day we drove up to Whakapapa to hike The Tongariro Crossing. We loved the hike on our last trip. Unfortunately, it rained heavily from when we arrived until we left so we didn’t get to hike and with our ferry booked, we didn’t have any extra days to wait for it to clear. It was okay though, we had a nice spot at Whakapapa Holiday Park and the amenities, while busy, were good. Aside from heading to the amenities, we stayed nice and cozy in the van with the heater running. We had a quiet New Years Eve with a Thai Curry, some tasty beverages and watched movies. On New Year’s day we headed south for the ferry, stopping at the National Army Museum in Waiouru for an hour or so. Like any of the Anzac memorials and museums, it was well done and we got to see a lot. We spent the night in Levin, where we walked over to a local store and managed to get a sunshade for the front windscreen. The van only had half a curtain in the front so we had been trying to use towels and wraps to give us some shade and privacy but it wasn’t working so well. We were glad we found a real sunshade and it made a big difference for us. In the kitchen we met an American lady who was hiking the Te Araroa and spoke to her about the trail and the challenges of it. While chatting an older fellow joined in the conversation, he was also doing the trail but in shorter segments. It was neat to hear about their experiences on the trail.
Then we stopped in Wellington for 2 nights. That gave Paul a break from driving, we got some groceries, finished some chores and did some planning for the South Island before catching the ferry.
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