Wellington
We are really pleased to hear onboard the ferry that the forecast for Wellington is rain. Rain for the next 5 days!! After navigating our way out of the ferry terminal and towards Upper Hutt where our campsite is, we are a little overwhelmed by how populated the area is. This appears to be worlds apart from everywhere on the south island! After getting our bearings for the area, we decide to head into Wellington city centre the next day to explore. First stop – Te Papa the National Museum which is fantastic. There are many different exhibitions on show –we scout out the free ones. We learn about what has shaped and changed the landscape of NZ, changes in agricultural work, migrant settlements, the evolution of wildlife, the geology of the country – plate tectonics, earthquakes etc (Its just like being back in school...only allot more fun) We are amazed by the Colossal Squid Exhibition – which includes a preserved colossal squid on display! Absolutely ENORMOUS! Another favourite is the Scots In NZ exhibition, explaining the huge migration of Scots to NZ in the early 20th Century and their contributions to the country’s development. All in all, the museum is definitely a brilliant national treasure.

Our second stop is a tour of Parliament. We hadn’t actually intended on doing this, but when we arrived there was a tour leaving in 15 mins – so it seemed a shame to not partake. We’re so glad we decided to! We’re ashamed to say that neither of us are particularly clued up on politics.....but the tour was really interesting! We were told about the history of the building and the adjacent parliamentary library and all the events that take place there (it was even used as a wedding venue the previous weekend) The Maori Affairs Committee room is particularly stunning, as there are wood carvings along all the walls to represent all the different Maori tribes. This room offers an open forum, wherein anyone can vocalise their submission for a new law!

We finish up our day in the city centre with what can only be described as the best crepes we’ve ever had and the best coffee! (They really do know how to do good coffee over here!)

Unfortunately the break in the bad weather was only temporary, and as promised...the rain set in again. We decided to hear north in search of good weather. On leaving Upper Hutt we encounter the worst flooding yet! Outside our campsite, the road is no longer visible – it appears to have turned into a river. As we slowly drive through water that comes halfway up our tyres – we wonder if Rodney will survive? As we join the superhighway (a ridiculously steep superhighway at that) – it appears to have turned into a rapid stream...and we are going up it! We are relived to reach some flat, level ground.

Next stop - Wanganui

As we drive into Wanganui we are slightly concerned that we keep passing through “Accident Zone” areas, where no overtaking is allowed – not very reassuring. (We have come to realise that allot of people over here have strange and basically, death-wish ideas about overtaking. Somehow we’re not sure a sign is going to stop them?)
One strange sight we pass is Paparaumu railway station that appears to be just next to the road, with barely enough space between the road and platform for a train to pass through. Passenger trains are something we never encountered on the south island, so this is a bit of a novelty!

Something we have definitely tired of is the constant search for a radio station to listen to! It’s impossible to keep hold of one for any decent duration of time!

Just before we reach our campsite we pass by a primary school – and another strange site to see. So, normally a grown-up would be pit in a position of responsibility such as working as a Lollipop Lady. Not in Wanganui. They can’t have been more than 7? Based on either side of road, armed with fluorescent lollipops – they look terrified! Bizarre!

Faced with more rain, we head to the local cinema for some light entertainment in the form of “Couples Retreat”. It’s like stepping back in time in the cinema, but again quite a refreshing change from the standardised Vue cinemas back home...although we DO miss Sweet popcorn! It’s all salted over here......

Our search for better weather continued, so we decided to head further north to New Plymouth.

Unfortunately on leaving Wanganui, we were struck by a hazard which faces many campervanners - the combination of slushy mud and a heavy vehicle, this equals a recipe for disaster. All we wanted to do was fill up the water tank but the tap was in the middle of muddy grass. We would be quick. We were quick. We parked up, tap on – filled up and off we went.

“CRASH” – we had reversed into a tree. Amidst all the panic of getting off the sinking mud, we’d hit a tree (a big tree as well) We examined the damage, not too bad, a slight crack to the bumper – it could have been much worse! Phew! Off we went.....

“Stop! Stop!” – Andy and I were baffled as to why the cleaner of the nearby amenities building was shouting at us. We nervously put the window down and she continued “Stop!! Your spare tyre is hanging off” Things were going from bad to worse.

We got out and examined the situation. Tyre on floor? Check. Metal harness for spare tyre bent? Check. No way we could fix this? Correct.

To add to all the drama, a crowd of ducks had now waddled over to us and were closing in....it was like something out of a comedy. Deciding we should get off the grass to re-assess the situation, we managed to hoist the tyre into the back of Rodney and tie the harness with string...we then realised that bad things really do happen in 3’s

Yes, we were well and truly stuck in the mud. Lucky for us, the campsite owner was kind enough to tow us out (and had a bit of a laugh at us, which looked like it might turn to anger when he saw the state of his grass) we exited quickly!

Once out on the main street, we had to make the call of shame to the AA and explain our predicament. They were very understanding and within half an hour we had a lovely chap taking a rather large hammer to the tyre harness. “This is how we fix things in NZ, we hit them with a hammer” - Very reassuring.

After 20 mins or so of huffing and puffing, the tyre was on and we could finally escape! What a morning.

Oh and bad things happening in 3’s? Whilst waiting for the AA man (by the side of a river)...Andy was attacked by flies and bitten all over his legs!! (And he never gets bitten!)

Following a recommendation, we decided to head along the Surf Highway 45 to reach New Plymouth. Just as we were thinking we had seen the worst of the weather, we heard on the radio (for one of the brief moments we had been able to get a signal) that there were a number of small tornados in the area. Great. We somehow manage to drive into one – and we are yet to come up with the best word to describe this ‘rain’. Torrential downpour really doesn’t do it justice. The windscreen wipers were on max and still completely useless. We followed the lead of all the other drivers on the road and pulled over. By this point, water was coming in our air vents!! After a 5-10 minute wait we were able to head on our way – that was certainly a memorable experience!

Our first stop in New Plymouth is the Puke Ariki centre, which houses the I-site and also Taranakis knowledge centre/library. It translates as “Hill of chiefs”

We watched the “Taranaki Experience” - a short film portraying the history of the province whilst sat in glowing pod-like seats. It was interesting to see how the coast had been developed and what the future plans entailed. We also looked around a brilliant photographic exhibition that showed the development of photography through the ages, starting in 1839. Finally, we looked around another exhibition all about Taranaki Life – how living here has changed over the decades! A great centre to give a real insight into the area and what it is like to live here.

Just outside the centre is the Puke Ariki Landing, a 45m high kinetic sculpture....or rather, a giant red gobstopper on a rod? Quite random. We also walked part way up the coastal walkway which was one of the key development projects in the town.

Whilst the rain was holding off, we went to Pukekura Park, a beautiful park in the heart of new Plymouth City. Covering 128 acres it houses many different plant specimens from all over the world, formal gardens, lakes, walking trails and a stunning cricket ground, with terrace seating cut into the surrounding hills – much like an amphitheatre. We decided to enjoy the lake views from the lovely tea house on its border.

Unfortunately on the day we head out of New Plymouth, any chances of catching a glimpse of Mount Taranaki are slim to none due to the poor weather! A brief break in rain and cloud offers us a quick peak.

We now head inland to Lake Taupo.

Following a tip off from a guy we met at Wanganui (A hunter from NZ, who was once going to marry a Julie – but she died. Talk about sharing your life story with strangers?!) we decided to drive the Forgotten World Highway. A 4 hour winding road, through untouched bush country. This included 12km of off-road driving (we were glad it was only 12km) The scenery is breathtaking, and in the words of the hunter.... “True NZ”.
By this point, what had started as a bit of a sniffle a few days earlier had turned into a full blown head cold and I was feeling pretty awful. After a brief stop in Taumarunui, Andy took the executive decision to press on over the Taurangi Pass to Taupo so that I could get to a doctor!

Taupo
After a long stretch of driving for Andy we arrived in Taupo to lovely sunshine! After tracking down the I-site and being pointed in the direction of the medical practice, I was swiftly seen, diagnosed with a nasty bout of pharyngitis, given antibiotics and sent on my way! The wet and on/off cold weather had finally taken its toll.

Not feeling up to doing a great deal, we managed to fit in a game of Mini Golf – not the most exciting one we’ve ever played on, but a nice easy activity!

After spending a few days recovering, it was time to continue onwards and upwards, but not before visiting a few attractions just outside of town. First stop – the Honeyhive. Not only did this place have a glass enclosed hive for viewing, videos to tell you about the whole honey-making process – they also sold every possible honey-flavoured product! Wine, ice cream (yummy!), sauces, oil....anything you could imagine.

Next we detoured off to visit Huka Falls - on the Waikato River which is one of NZ’s longest rivers, which drains Lake Taupo. This claims to be the most visited natural attraction in NZ. The river is normally 100m wide; however the water is forced through a gorge 20m wide, over a 20m drop. Every second 220,000 litres of water gushes through the gorge. It’s pretty impressive to see! The water was a gorgeous shade of bright blue mixed with crisp white foam.

We were ready for our next big destination - Rotorua