Mangawhai Heads to Kawhia Via (Ambury, Waitomo Caves and the Piripiri Cave) 17th to 19th March

After a night in a layby just outside of Mangawhai we wasted no time in getting up to try out our new toy. Before eating breakfast we pulled around to the Mangawhai Heads Reserve to enjoy the sun climbing into the sky, while sipping on a warm cup of tea. As the day started to kick in we headed into the town to grab some bait from the local store in readiness for what would most likely be a disastrous fishing trip. We wandered into a small shop called 'Fish and Bait' where we were greeted by store owner Darrell who turned out to be probably the most helpful guy we have met on the trip so far. As we were not sure how to use the rod he invited us to bring it in and he would prepare and set it up us as well as providing us with the bait and cutting equipment at a discounted rate. We only intended stopping for a few minutes to pick up the bait but such was his manner and friendly attitude that we stopped and chatted for over an hour covering topics from the history of New Zealand to of course the best ways to fish. On departing he pointed us in the direction of the best fishing spots around the Heads and we were on our way. We headed over to Picnic Bay, climbed over some rocks and there Rachel cut up the bait and I cast in the line for the first time. Within maybe… 5 seconds we were caught on the rocks and then around 10 minutes later we were cutting the line and starting again… "I told you so" I heard in the back ground, "If you go in there we will get caught on the rocks"… hmmmm, smiling and kicking her ass we wandered around and onto the beach where we set up the deck chairs and layered on the sun cream. Rachel strolled out onto the rocks just off the beach and set her first line, although unsuccessful with catching anything she did manage to avoid the rocks. For the next 3 hours we cast lines into the sea, fighting off the seagull as they stole our squid, taking it in turns while the relaxing in the gorgeous midday sun.

As our stomachs started to rumble we left the beach and headed back to the camper. Although we had not caught anything, other than the worlds smallest crab, we had learnt a few things about what to do and what not to do and would be ready for another attempt on another day. After lunch we decided to get on the road as time was starting to get on and we still were aiming to get past Auckland. Setting off we cruised through a number of nature reserves and parks before arriving in Albany where we filled Cindy up with fuel and invested in an external hard drive as after the recent troubles we had encountered with the new laptop we wanted to make sure everything on it was backed up. As time pushed on we crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge and bypassed the city until we arrived at our planned evening stop at Ambury Reserve Park. There sitting in a field with other campers sporadically spread out we watched the sun set behind the hills before enjoying our first hot shower in almost a week, and believe me it felt good.

As the sun came up the following morning we rolled out of bed to an eerie dampness that had filled the entire area, a clear sky all night had allowed a dew to set which left thousands of spiders webs visible across the fields. With a busy day ahead we made a sharp exit and made our way down to the Waitomo Caves. As we passed through Hamilton we stopped off to pick up some milk and after lunch we started the tour of the cave, a dark damp cave full of narrow shafts. The limestone walls were spectacular with skelitites and skemitites visible all around the cave. This is only one of many of the caves in the Waitomo region, some are 14km long but this one however was only around 800 meters but was perfect growing conditions for the star of the show. As we delved deeper and further below the surface the tour guide turned out the lights and insisted we sang her a song. Not that many people jumped at the opportunity but one chap had his x factor audition sorted, although it was in no language we could understand. After his performance the tour guide insisted we sang twinkle twinkle little star. Although confused we all joined in, some sang in native languages while others just hummed. After the freaky performance we wandered down some narrow stairs where we got on a boat and floated down the river. As we looked up the entire cave roof was glistening like a nights sky as hundreds of thousand of little glow worms tried to attract food by turning on their own built in lights. As we came to the end of the cave, and the suns light broke the darkness, we made our way back up the hill to the campervan and we set off to explore the Waitomo Waterfall and Piripiri Cave.

After hiking out to the waterfall and cave we returned to the camper and started the journey across to Kawhia, through small and bendy roads. As Rachel put the pedal to the floor I had some interesting conversations with the locals (sheep), most of them ran away which is something I'm not really used to but it was still enjoyable. Rachel sat in bemusement at me wondering if I was still on this planet but when you learn to communicate with nature it is a wonderful thing. After just under two hours of driving, dizzy, we pulled into Kawhia to be hit with a true culture shock. The area itself is completely out of the way on the west coast of New Zealand and it is very much a Maori community. We passed though the small town and headed towards the Scenic Reserve where on arrival we jumped straight in to fishing mode. Following a steep climb up the black volcanic sand dune we arrived at the waters edge and found some of the water was warm due to the Te Puia hot springs but other parts were ice cold. As the sun dropped into the sea we stood at the waters edge hoping to catch our first fish although thankfully we were not relying on it for dinner, otherwise we would have gone hungry. As the light almost disappeared time seemed to almost stand still and with not a sole in sight and a beach to ourselves with the backdrop of sand dunes we stood and watched what looked like a ball of fire drop into the sea. With a red sky above we headed back to camper to cook dinner and finish the night with 'a game of cards'.