Thurs 13.01.11 Taupo to Whakapapa Village Camp After another banquet breakfast we left for Lake Taupo and the Tongariro National Park where we will stay for 4 or 5 days in the National Park. Hopefully we will do a few walking routes including the Tongariro Crossing skirting crater lakes and round the summit of Mount Tongariro. Think we'll be out of touch for 4 or 5 days. Today we drove to Taupo for coffee overlooking the Lake, then on to the Hukka Falls (a bit l...

Great day today, left Shakespear National Park around 8.30am, great views of Auckland as we came through from the North. Headed south towards Hamilton on A1, lovely coffee at Rangiriri, a heritage centre with loads of pictures and info on the Maori warriers and chiefs involved in the Maori land wars against the English. Stopped again for a picnic luncheon at Karapiro, on the banks of the national rowing centre...a lovely park setting, completely empty except for ...

Mon 10th Jan Aroha to Shakespear Regional Park Said goodbye to Mavis and David, who lent us their bird book and sent us on our way with suggestions of where to go and what to see, including some conservation camp sites in other areas.We spent a leisurely day driving south.We stopped for lunch overlooking the Pacific and Kawau Island at Orewa Cove.Then we made a detour to Gulf harbour which is a marina village where the KIWI Americas Cup Boat is in dry dock.There...

Thurs 6th -Friday 7th Jan: Waipoua to Tapotupotu Bay and Cape Reinga Were on the road by 10am. En route we stopped to walk to a point where we had spectacular views of the sand dunes. Journied via Hokianga Ferry towards Cape Reinga.Stopped for coffee at Kohukohu, lovely views across the bay.Drove to Ahipara, the start of Ninety Mile Beach, stopped for a paddle of course!!!!Made a brief refreshment stop at Kaitaia before finding the most northerly camp site in NZ...

Thurs 6th -Friday 7th Jan: Waipoua to Tapotupotu Bay and Cape Reinga Were on the road by 10am. En route we stopped to walk to a point where we had spectacular views of the sand dunes. Journied via Hokianga Ferry towards Cape Reinga.Stopped for coffee at Kohukohu, lovely views across the bay.Drove to Ahipara, the start of Ninety Mile Beach, stopped for a paddle of course!!!!Made a brief refreshment stop at Kaitaia before finding the most northerly camp site in NZ...