New Zealand, South of the North

As we headed south to the south of the North Island which is north of the north of the South Island...thats for people who have bird flu...we had to stop in at Auckland just to pick up my Ipod which broke down on the first day in Argentina and never worked again, which isn't a bad thing but it would be great to hear some Van the Man again. We needed a new car as well as the X-trail isn't up to the task which we set for it!
We headed towards Hamilton to catch up with Peter and Nikki who lived on the outskirts. Stayed in downtown Hamilton for the night, went for another double drizzled dinner and were serenaded by a the Karaoke Bar over the road.
The next morning we caught up with Nikki and Peter who live to the south of Hamilton on the way to Cambridge. Peter harks from Henley and Nikki from Winchester and we caught up with the news from both sides. Cambridge is a bit of an equine centre with many famous horses trained here for flat racing and if you were top of your game you are immortalised with a pavement brass in downtown Cambridge..much like the hand prints on Sunset.
We leave Peter and Nikki, but we are coming back on the return journey. Next stop is New Plymouth in the shadow of Mount Taranaki. We are also catching up with Emma and Petit who are coming from Wellington and the opposite way round the mountain to New Plymouth, past all the surf sites to the west of the Volcano. We meet by the wind clock in the morning - a 90m high fibreglass rod with a small bulb on the tip - and head for Mount Taranaki park which runs around the base of the volcano. Its a long an winding road to the car park half way to the top and we have a great walk through the 'Hobbit Woods' before having tea and cake from the 'bed on wheels' in the car park.
Into town for pool and beer and Emma and Petit are asked what their parents (thats us) would like to drink? Aarrggghhhh, we are not grey nomads, we are not grey nomads!!!
We say goodbye to our kids the next morning but we are meeting in Lake Taupo. We head for the Forgotten Highway 43 which runs from New Plymouth all the way west past the Matemateaonga Range, through extraordinay volcanc scenery, and leads to Lake Taupo. On the way we meet the hogs fence of all hog fences with up to 100 wild boar skins laid end to end as far as the eye can see. We stop at a crossing and there are two hog hunters and a gentlewoman from the hills chatting about butter standing in the middle of the road. She explains that the skins are sabre rattling in the hog hunters parlance and this is big skin street. we accelerate fast towards nowhere but away from toon town.
Next stop is Lake Taupo. Find a place to take our kids as well and cook a well earned meal after shopping at Woolies. We overdo the shop but ths is a rare treat ....a kitchen with white mans oven and microwave. Great spaghetti, ecoutrements, chocolate ad television.
Lake Taupo is a divine volcanic event with the lake being the water filled remnant of a super-eruption. North is the two peaks
which mark the extent of the volcano and give some good skiing and restaurants half way up the hill for the faint hearted. We charter a plane...'cos we are that wealthy...and fly over the mountains through cloud to 1500m, Pureora and Hauhungaora are both majestic and covered with permanent snow. The volcanic lakes bubble with gas and sulphur slicks cover the water surface.
Emma and Petit arrive the next morning in torrential rain. We have to face the Golf challenge on the lakeside. Its 128 yards to the green floating in te middle of the lake and you can win $5000 if you can get a hole in one...its fun having a go and remarkably its happens once every two weeks! We return to pool, six holes and a 2m total length to the table.
We set off for Rotorua early in the morning and make for the Geyser park. The Geysers run constantly while we are there.
We retire to the town for lunch and then to the hot water baths for massage and a loll in the baths which vary between warmish to hot enough to worry a haggis.
Emma and Petit get on their way in the love bug and we have a date back with Nikki and Peter in Hamilton. We get back via Hawkes Bay and Whakatane which is truly beautiful with so few people, remote rolling scenery and beaches, deserted and endless. We have also spent the time well in Taupo. Fo proof read a book that Peter is writing about running a Llama racing stud. Llama racing is big in Hamilton and to get the best out of your Llama takes a huge commitment financially and from the jockeys who generally ride side saddle. Its a book that should open the door on the msterious world which will send shock waves through the Andes. Publication should be in 2008.
For the last leg of our tour we cruise through the Coromandel, the north east tip of the island and a sanctuary of rich Auckland guys and galls. We stop in Tairua and explore the coastline including Cooks Beach, Whitianga and Hot Springs Beach. Here the springs run under the beach and Fo takes a bath whilst having a photoshoot...back, just a little, thats it...oops. A very wet bottom, new boots and.... there are beautiful houses, breathtaking scenery and Kauri forests which have survived the ravages visited on their friends in the rest of New Zealand.
Its time to leave NZ. Regrets, I had a few...didn't make it to the south island but it turns out that the North Island is big enough, beautiful and it will remain beautiful if they can recognise trees as their friends...man!

New Zealand - North, The Bay of Islands

Travelling north of Auckland takes you to Northland and the historical home of the Maori culture. There are Maori mission houses - church meeting places, all over New Zealand and every village or settlement has a Maori name within its title somewhere. Although there are not many 'pure' Maori left, the culture is very much part of everyday life with some lessons in all primary schools conducted in the Maori language and religous customs and culture given the same importance than any christian or other dinominational celebrations. And New Zealand is a very patriotic country with the All Blacks being revered every hour on the radio and the Queens birthday celebrations playing a big part in New Zealanders lives with an honorary bank holiday,knock down prices in the shops and street parties. Look to your laurels UK...
Northland is probably the most sub-tropical part of New Zealand plenty of temperate rainforest to see and again we were lucky with the weather - even though technically its winter. We based ourselves in Pahia on the eastern side of the peninsula and had excellent opportunity to take day trips to all parts over the 5 days of our stay. Till I pranged the car that is - no, there were no maltesers involved this time!
Before this minor setback the most memorable places and events in Northland involved
a) being dressed up as giant condoms for the 'Excitor' trip around the beautiful Bay of Islands - I was excited!
b)meeting a couple of wild boars skins hangin' out on a fence of the spooky, dark, unmade 53kms long short-cut we were supposedly driving along to get 'home' in pouring rain; with duelling banjos whispering in our ears we turned around and took the long road
c)the beautiful '90 Miles Beach' which turned out to be 90 kilometres and in desperate need of a cafe at the end!
d)a visit to the Waipapa chocolate factory - mmm, now this could be a serious alternative career - macademia nuts in milk choc slabs, its paradise regained!
While on the daily road trips you can't help but notice the Kiwi penchant for stating the obvious, unusual brandnames, statements or community clubs and peculiar mixtures of foodstuffs on one plate. A road sign invites us to drive down the 'Big Flat Road' or up the 'Right Turn Road' where we pass Frog Whistle Mine to arrive at Whanaroa, 'Small Town, Big Spirit' to shop in the store with 'Knock Down Prices for the Queen - its her Birthday Sale!' We stop for lunch for some exotic 'royally roasted lamb drizzled with banana, avocado oiled vegetables nestling in brandy and sultana gravy' while listening to the Complaint Choir on the radio, complaining about the level of the NZ equivalent to council tax through six part harmony of Handel's Messiah! Phew - I need a holiday!