We are now officially in Northland, the northern part of the North Island.While on the wharf in Tutukaka, a fisherman recommended that we take the longer coastal road from Whangarei to Russell. We followed his advice and the typical hour’s drive turned into a 5 hour drive. We were definitely “off the beaten track” but we did pass some scenic beaches. We stopped for a walk on Manapouri beach, a lovely area where several campervans were freedom ca...

Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve was rated by Cousteau as being one of the top ten diving spots in the world, so I knew this was a snorkel trip we couldn’t pass up. The islands are 24km off the coast near Tutukaka . We went on Dive!Tutukaka’s “Perfect Day” cruise. It was a great experience with beautiful scenery and wildlife, and we were lucky to have great weather. The boat was huge and could carry 65 passengers, but we only had 15 on ...

We had a long, difficult drive today so we set the alarm clock and were on the road by 7 AM. We stopped along the way to photograph some big Kauri trees. Kauri, which used to be plentiful, can live for 2000 years and only grow in Northland and on the Coromandel Penisula. The trees used to be harvested for timber and for the gum which is an important ingredient in varnish. We drove through Auckland at 10AM and were thankful that it wasn’t rush hour. The high...

Cathedral Cove is two coves and two beaches connected by a limestone arch. It is a must do hike from Hahei, up hills and down hills and about a million steps. The scenery along the way is very beautiful. This area is the Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve. On the way to the Cathedral Cove we detoured to the Gemstone Bay which is an area good for snorkeling , but you'd have to navigate some huge boulders to reach the water from the trail. When we arrived, we we...

We were interested to spot the active gold mine in the town of Wahei. The gold mining process is very similar to our mine in Victor; they also use cyanide leaching to extract the gold.We have now reached the Coromandel which is a mountainous peninsula fringed with sandy beaches. The road from Wahei Beach to Hahei winds through holiday towns situated on stunning Pacific coast beaches with crystal blue water and views of islands . Some say that Hahei is the best of...