The main highway south from the far north looked exceedingly scenic. It's just a pity that with the rain and low cloud we didn't get to see it at its best. After we'd checked in to a motel the sun eventually came out so we set off to explore. Whangarei was much more pleasant than we'd expected. Its town centre was nicely set out, it had a lively bustle about it and the area around Town Basin along the river front was really quite attractive. But the main reason w...

Next morning we were up and away (with a box of about 15 fresh unshucked oysters, complements of John and Rongo - what lovely hosts they have been) to stay a couple of nights at their recommendation at the Mangonui Motel in Mangonui. This is where they go when they have time to take a break and told us to ask for room 6 as it has the best views over the Mangonui Inlet. And the views are indeed wonderful even if the accommodation is a bit tired. Mangonui is a gorg...

After a few uneventful days when we went about what has now become our routine, day-to-day lifestyle we packed up and headed away to Northland. The reason we had to pack was that we'd agreed we needed a full week to explore this part of the country and therefore came to a very reasonable agreement with Carl (the owner of our motel) that we would vacate the room and wouldn't have to pay rent. So, with some of our belongings in storage in the motel but still a very...

Heading back to Auckland from Whitianga we took the road down the east coast of the Coromandel which continued to be delightful. From a high point on the coast road we had a fine view of the coastal town of Tairua and its lovely setting beneath and around the extinct volcano of Mount Paku. When we eventually arrived in the town we walked to the pointy summit of Paku for some spectacular views up and down the coast and inland to the craggy pinnacles of the Coroman...

We'd liked the look of Whitianga so much that we moved there the next morning, the first icy morning we've had and the first time we've had to de-ice the car. The day, however, turned out to be just like a beautiful summer's day and the drive back to Whiti was superb. Before we left however, we took the short drive to Long Bay to admire local views. We were surprised to see so many kingfishers perched on telephone wires - just like migratory birds do back home. K...