Old style NZ

Now this may seem a but rushed, but I have just typed this entry once and then lost it!
So, from the smells and mud of Rotorua I headed north to Whakatane and Ohope on the coast of the Bay of Plenty. A really nice area with a chilled out feel and sandy beaches lapped by the south pacific surf. None too shabby.
Heading out along the coast, I made for the east cape - the eastern most point in NZ. This is an area mostly ignored by tourists and blissfully free of rented camper vans and such like. I pitched up my tent at a farly basic campsite where you could have a hot shower, but only if you lit the wood burner about 2 hours before you wanted the hot water! The site was right on a pebble beach between two bush covered headlands and the only other people there was a group of about 15 or so from Whakatane who were there to celebrate a 21 birthday. Kiwi hospitality being what it is, I was 'forced' to spend the evening sitting by a campfire on the beach, drinking their beer and having a good time. They were a really cool bunch and very generous with their beer . . .
The rest of the trip around the cape and down the coast was very relaxing. The whole area is ridiculously laid back. The petrol stations, of which there are not many, apparently run out and it takes and age to buy anything in a shop (if you can find one). When I stopped in a village, kids would appear out of nowhere and be amazed to find that I was from the UK. Random people wave at you as you go by, probably glad to just see someone making use of the road. It's a very unspoiled area where you can see falcons hunting right by the side of the road. I hope it doesn't get any busier.
So, now I'm in Gisbourne, which feels a tad run down. It doesn't feel quite as welcoming as most places I've been, but I've only been here for a couple of hours.
Next plan is to do a four day walk around a lake to the south of here. It'll be a few nights staying in huts and just ambling along. I'm off now to check it it out at the local DOC office.
I hope you're all surviving the cold. Take care and I'll be back in touch soon.

Smelly geysers

Kia Ora from Rotarua, the land of hot mud, geysers (not geezers) and the smell of sulphur. Sorry it's been a little while since I updated, but today is the first time I've seen a computer for a while.
So what have I been up to? Well, the last time I wrote, I was in Te Aroha. As it turned out, the campsite was full of the strangest bunch of people in New Zealand. They were all local and lived in permanent caravans on the site. Don't get me wrong, they were perfectly friendly, but the way they could talk for 10 minutes without breaking eye contact of blinking was rather unnerving! Anyway, didn;t stay there for long, but headed up the Coromandel peninsula instead.
The Coromandel is basically just a range of hills (or mountains as they would be known in the UK) with sea on both sides. The west coast is more rocky with rougher beaches and that is where I stayed on Thursday night. I camped in Coromandel town, which is just a big village really, and met up with a maori guy who was camped on the same site. We arranged to meet for a few beers at the local pub, but by the time he arrived, I had been there for about 2 hours and was busy nattering with the locals. By kicking out time, there was a group made up of backpackers, locals and myself and this maori geezer. So, of course, we went back to the backpackers and cleared up any beers they had! This means that I now have an open invitation to visit the maori village where this chap lives and experience all of the stuuf most people have to pay for, for free - nicely.
And so to the weekend. I met up with Andy, Sarah and Kate again at the bach they had rented out in Hahei. Hahei is on the east coast of the peninsula and is a gorgeous spot. It was very quiet which meant that lounging on the white sandy beach as the (cold) pacific lapped gently at the shore was quite blissful. I also got to sleep in a proper bed and got fed properly. I may well fall to bits over the next few weeks without Andy and Sarah to look after me!
We had a top weekend with a bit of sight seeing, a bit of walking and plently of lunging about. The others went sea kyacking as well, but I'm saving that for the south island in the new year.
And so to Rotorua (via coromandel town again). It's actually not as smelly here as I expected it to be, but the thermal activity is really quite bizarre. There are bubbling ponds in the park, holes with hot mud burping away and some of the storm drains in the kerbs have got steam coming out of them! All in all, it's not quite like anywhere else I have ever been. During the course of today I have seen geysers spurting boiling water all over the place, bright red and green rocks surrounding steaming holes in the ground, maori dancers and warriors and real live (and awake) kiwis. If I'm not careful I'll have done everything too soon!
So there we are, up to date. Thanks for all the comments. A particular mention to Graham - nice to hear from you and jobs aren't fun anyway.
Take good care one and all . . .

Hobbits and giant waves

Just a very quick update, since I don't have much time on this computer. When I got to Raglan (the surfing place), a huge storm hit! I kid you not, the waves were higher than a two storey house - needless to say I didn't surf. Even the surfers from Alaska described the conditions as "just too gnarly man". So I just spent some time chilling out in the laid back environment.
Went to Hobbiton - no hobbits at hokme though. Still, pretty cool to go to the place where the only remaining part of Lord of the Rings set is. Nice place, you should go.
I am now in a town called Te Aroha, which is not far from where the North Island gold rush was going on about 100 years ago. Been out walking in one of the local gorges today and will go up the local mountain tomorrow.
Sorry this is brief, but more chat soon.
By the way - Rift Zone eh Rob? Nicely new experience? Get yerself down Afan way.

The week ahead

Just thought I'd give you an idea of the vague plan for the week ahead. It's Friday evening now, which means that you'll still be asleep with Friday still to come. We are 13 hours ahead here at the moment (I think).
Tomorrow Andy and I are going to a show in Auckland called "big boys toys", it sounds like FHM in real life - loads of bikes, boats and such like stuff. Then tomorrow evening, I think that myself, Andy, Sarah and Kate will be meeting up with Andy's sister - Sue.
Sunday will be when I set off from Auckland again and I think I will head for Raglan. It is reputed to have one of the best and longest left hand surf breaks in the world, so I think a couple of days there and hire out a board might be a nice way to spend some time . . . .
Then I will head across country towards the Coromandel peninsula. I have been told that it is simply gorgeous and Andy and Sarah have hired a bach (holiday cabin type thing) for next weekend. Hobbiton (Matamata where the first bit of the Lord of the Rings film was made) is one the way, so I'll have to stop off there. Apparently most of the set still exists, so I'll try to get a photo of Bag End.
So there it is, fairly loose and flexible as plans go, but should work out fine I hope!
By the way, If you want to leave comments on the blog, rather than having to send a separate email to me, it's easy. Click on "comments" under the photo or piece of text and then "post a comment". You can leave a comment anonomously - so you don't have to go through the process of signing up or put your name in the comment somewhere. I'll always check the comments and may leave you a reply on the blog . . . .
Have a lovely Friday and weekend, I'll be back with more rubbish soon.

Big them Kauri trees . . . . 

Sarah, Kate and the Kai Iwi sunset 

90 mile beach at 70 mph 

Nize voo . . .  

Loaded up and ready to go 

Water and big trees . . . .

Hello my lovelies! I've been out of phone and internet land for a few days, so I thought I should give you an update.
I met up with Andy, Sarah and Kate at Kai Iwi lakes on Friday night and spent the weekend there with them. The lakes are quite bizarre really. They are natural fresh water lakes only about a kilometer (as the Parrot flies) from the west coast and the Tasman sea. The water is crystal clear and the sand around the lakes is very fine and almost white. Sitting outside the tents at night there was absolutely no background light pollution and looking up past the trees, the stars were brighter than I have ever seen them.
The local beach was gorgeous, a long stretch of wild beach going on and on with hardly a person in sight, just a few fishermen casting into the surf. Andy tried out his new surf casting rod, while Sarah, Kate and I sat back and relaxed in the sunshine or ambled slowly up the beach. All very dreadfull!
On Sunday I headed back up north about 30 Km's to stay at the Waipoua Forest for a couple of nights. For anyone who has ridden a motorbike, I have to say that the road through the forest is the best motorbike road I have ever been on. The road winds through the forest, avoiding the Kauri trees (more on those in a minute), with trees and ferns coming right up to the edge of the road. Even more importantly, you can travel right through the forest, a distance of about 18 Km's, without seeing any other traffic at all.
The forest itself is beautiful. It is one of the few remaining areas of native forest with large Kauri trees still standing. The Kauri is the second largest tree in the world, but since the trunk does not taper at all, they look simply massive. The oldest tree is around 2000 years old and I'll post pictures when I get back to Auckland. Suffice to say, you will have to see them to believe how big they are. Also, the forest is a wildlife reserve, so wandering through this ancient forest, surrounded by huge Kauri trees while watching parrots fly through the canopy is quite some experience . . .
Anyway, back in relative civilisation now and heading slowly southwards again. I will be in Auckland this weekend, but may manage an update before I get there. I hope everyone is well and happy. Take care.

The far north

Well, it's Thursday - probably - and I am all set up in a town called Rawene on the west coast of the Northland of the North Island. Yesterday was a fun and interesting one. After consulting with the locals regarding the possibility of getting off ninety mile beach with my bike intact, I decided to take a bus up there instead! However, since it is still early in the season over here, the "bus" turned out to be a Toyota Land Cruiser four wheel drive thingy, with only four of us on it. This type of tour is usually about NZ$450, but we got it for NZ$60 - nice bargain!
Well, ninety mile beach is enormous, even when you're belting up it at in excess if 70mph (these crazy Kiwi's). Stopped off a couple of times on the way up to be astounded by the general immense size of the beach, before leaving by the only route, up a quick sand river. Remember, this beach is supposed to be a highway! The driver told me that if you stopped for about 4 seconds when driving up the river, you would lose your car. Given the leftover pieces of buses which we saw on the beach, I was not inclined to doubt him.
This was followed by hurtling down huge sand dunes, head first, on boogie boards. Now that's fun - apart from hiking up the dunes first.
Then swiftly off to Cape Reinga, the most northerly point, the meeting of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea and a very sacred place to the Maori. It's quite spectacular and fortunately all protected land. Via small deserted sub tropical coves, we wended our way back to Doubtless bay, where I was camped out.
The landscape up here is ever changing and always wonderfull. At times it is flat pasture land and then 20 minutes later it feels as though you are in the foot hills of the alps, except for the sub tropical bush which covers the hills and mountains.
Tomorrow it looks as though I will be heading south to meet up with Sarah, Andy and Kate (Sarah's sister) for the weekend camping by some lakes. After that, I will come back up north a little way to visit the Kauri forests. More of that later. For now, take care one and all.
Oh yes - for the "mystery VFR800 owner" more bike details follow on from your comment . . . .

Just a quickie . . .

Internet connections don't come cheap up here in the middle of nowhere. I am at Doubtless Bay on the North East coast, not far from Cape Reinga, the top of NZ. Last night was spent at Haruru Falls, a nice little campsite in what used to be a volcano crater (so I was told in the pub). The night before was spent at a DOC campsite sandwiched between State Highway 1 and a completely deserted and quiet beach. At night I could hear the surf and in the morning I could hear the cars - a bit strange really.
Anyway, tomorrow I am heading up Ninety Mile beach to the cape. It should be a busy day and full of odd experiences. For anyone who is not aware, 90 mile beach is 64 miles long and is a designated highway! When the tide heads out, specially adapted buses blast up the hard sand to the cape and back. There is also the bonus of sand toboggoning (might have spelled that wrong) on some huge dunes. I'll let you know what happens. More photos will be on in a week or so I reckon.
By the way, further to the comment from "the Moores" I have to apologise for being so remiss in not adequately either thanking or praising my hosts in Auckland. They are highly recommended, good company, mine of information, comfy beds and lovely food. Book early and expect prices to rise in the near future . . . .