Time to go home...

In my rearview mirror I see the Auckland skyline as I leave the city along the scenic, pohutukawa-lined Tamaki Drive. As I follow the waterfront hugging stretch of tarmac, I struggle to understand what it is about Auckland that the rest of NZ seems to despise.

I head westwards winding through the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park. I stretch my legs along the Kitekite Track and am rewarded with more beautiful waterfalls. I then head to the beautifully rugged Piha for a spot of lunch. The view of the coast as I drive down Piha Road is spectacular. Sitting proudly near the centre of the beach is Lion Rock. After my last supper, I retrace my route through the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park and head to the airport.

Like a boxer trying to make the fight weight, I have stripped everything down to the minimum, repacked again and again and gifted some things old to make way for the somethings new. Physically, I am finally ready to depart Auckland. Emotionally, I am not ready to leave this wonderful place yet.

After eighteen hours on a plane, I land in Dubai for a short pitstop. Airports are a weird limbo - you are neither in the place you have been, nor in the place you are going. I have been in dozens of nothing places like this. Spent probably days of my life wandering around their bland and manufactured worlds of the same shops, and the same bored people seeing the same boring things. All of this is in stark contrast to NZ.

I loved my time in New Zealand - the people were friendly and the country is beautiful. I have never heard anyone not love their time in this remote and geologically dynamic country bestowed with diverse, often unique landscapes and wildlife. It offered outdoor adventure, spliced with vibrant cultural and culinary experiences, enhanced by a welcoming attitude to visitors. This small country well deserves its reputation as one of the World’s most rewarding travel destinations. So it with sadness that I board my second plane leaving further behind Aotearoa - the 'Land of the Long White Cloud'.

Ara Niho

Best souvenir ever... :)

Auckland

Today I have mostly been taking in the sights and sounds of the city most people in NZ love to hate before a storm blew in...

Drive to Auckland

I break up the wet and grey drive to Auckland by visiting the highlight of the Northland's west coast. The superb forest sanctuary of Waipoua Forest is the largest remnant of the once extensive kauri forests of northern NZ.

The drive on SH12 winds through magnificent stands of tall kauri, rimu and northern rata, and offers extensive views in a few places. Every so often I jump out of Eric and follow one of the good walking tracks give to the most spectacular attractions of the forest: the giant trees named Tane Mahuta, Te Matua Ngahere, Four Sisters, and the Yakas Tree. 

The walk is a short loop that takes you through kauri and rimu vegetation to see the 'Four Sisters', an impressive stand of four tall and graceful kauri trees growing extremely close together. The short walk takes me under cooling shade of the forest canopy to the majestic Tane Mahuta, New Zealand's largest living kauri tree. Not far into the walk, a sweeping corner of the track suddenly brings me face to face with the ‘Lord of the Forest’. When I catch my first breath-taking view of this magnificent tree, I pause for a while to appreciate its overwhelming size that makes visitors look like ants.

Waitangi Treaty Grounds

As a Brit, I am not always proud of our history and this is one of those times.

Drive to Whangaroa

Kawakawa is just an ordinary Kiwi town, but the public toilets are anything but. The most photographed toilet in New Zealand are my first pitstop as I spend the day driving northwards. Hundertwasser's toilet block, with its ceramic columns, garden roof and curving colourful exuberance, is unique and full of charm.

A short detour from the main highway is an exceptionally scenic loop leading to awesome beaches. At the end of the loop is an excellent short hike up St. Paul's Rock which offers stunning views out over Whangaroa Harbour.

The final stop of the day is Kahoe Farms Hostel. This fabulous little place has a well-deserved great reputation. As I watch the sun go down, I enjoy a nice cold beer and some delightful home-cooked Italian food.

One of those days!

Everything I tried to do today was closed for one reason or another. Still, at least they could not turn off the waterfall during the off-season ;-)

Pinnacles in the Mist

Here's what I love about travel: strangers get a chance to touch your life. Sometimes a single day can bring moments that makes you a different person when you go to sleep - more tender, less jaded - than the one you were when you woke up.

This particular day begins by entering the hidden world of the Kauaeranga Valley, home to the majestic Pinnacles range. From the road end car park, I hike to the swing bridge to cross the Kauaeranga River and follow the track to the Webb Creek – Moss Creek junction. Here I follow the Webb Creek Track, the historic packhorse route used by Kauri Bushmen in 1920s, to Hydro Camp. I steadily climb steps that were cut into rock to make the journey easier for the packhorses during the kauri logging era.

During the lung-bursting climb, I meet two local fellas. Conversation easily flows between us, we talked nonstop about books, films and everything under the sun. We therefore decide to complete the rest of the hike together...

From Hydro Camp junction, we take the Pinnacles Track which climbs and sidles around a hill before following a more open ridge. Occasionally, through the mist, we snatch impressive views down a branch of the Tairua River and the rugged volcanic landforms of Tauranikau and the Pinnacles. A steady climb, steep in places, follows another well constructed stepped track.

We stop for lunch at the Pinnacles Hut staring into the mist at where the Pinnacles should be. Waiting. Hoping for the weather to clear. From the hut, the scramble to the top of the Pinnacles rock formation should have rewarded us with 360° views of the entire Coromandel Peninsula and beyond.

On the summit we meet more disappointed hikers waiting, in vain, for something, anything, to come into view. Nothing ever did, but we passed the time by chatting with an ease of friends who have known each other for years. Subsequently, for the descent our group of three became a group of seven as we are joined by two German guys and an American couple.

We descend back to the Hydro Camp and begin a steady thirty minute climb which leads to a saddle. Along the way we share stories and laughter. At the saddle, the mist lifts for a while to treat us to excellent views down the Kauaeranga Valley to the Hauraki Plains. A little further on, a knoll overlooks the Billygoat Basin. We learn from the local fellas that the first attempt to log this basin was made in the 1880s but was abandoned within a few years as driving logs down the Billygoat Falls proved too destructive. The basin was successfully logged in the 1920s after the construction of the Billygoat incline to bypass the falls, and the use of a steam hauler.

We drop down into Billygoat Basin and continue downhill to the Kauaeranga Valley Road which requires an interesting crossing of the Kauaeranga River to the Tarawaere car park. After hugs and handshakes, we jump in our vehicles and head off, not sad because the day is over, but happy for the rest of the time we spent together.

Staying ahead...

An early start is required today to avoid the worst of the hordes at the beautiful Cathedral Cove. The obligatory stop off at this famous gigantic stone arch and natural waterfall shower is brought to an abrupt end as the rain beat the long line of everyone to this charming spot.

My route around the Coromandel Peninsula joins the SH25 at the blink-and-you'll-miss-it village of Whitianga. The legendary Coroglen Tavern, the archetypal middle-of-nowhere country pub, is my next stop. It is clear that this place will rock on a weekend in summer, but today it is a waypoint on the New Zealand Rally - Stage Four starts here! It is thrilling watching the homemade vehicles tear around the gravel roads, but then comes the rain.

Continuing North on the SH25, I soon reach the turn off for the less-travelled, but legendary 309 Road, an unsealed, untamed route that cuts through the Coromandel Range. About 3km through the native bush, I reach a road closed sign. The New Zealand Rally, unsurprisingly, is using this route for Stage Six. I debate whether to stay and watch the stage and then comes the rain.

The rain continues until I reach the holiday village of Kuaotunu with its beautiful stretch of white-sand beach and the rustic surf-shack ambience of Luke's Kitchen. I decide to stop here and refuel myself.

Heading off the highway at Te Rerenga takes me to Whangapoua. There is not much here, but I wade through a river and scramble along the rocky foreshore to the remote, stunning and undeveloped New Chum's Beach. At the southern end of the beach lies a rocky headland, I climb to the top to gain a better view of the stretch of sand that is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in the country and then comes the rain.

Shortly before Coromandel Town, the SH25 narrows and then snakes along the coast past pretty little bays and rocky beaches to the dinky wooden buildings of Thames. I find a room in a character-filled 1860s heritage building and then goes the sun.

Back on the road...

As I stand, ankle deep in warm water, watching the tide roll in, images from the events of the past few days drift through my mind.

First,  the undulating green hills of Middle Earth with the hobbit holes and the wonderful Green Dragon Inn. Next, the magical Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest, home to some of the best mountain bike trails in the country (and probably the World). The highlight of the week, and maybe the whole road trip, was the adventurous Black Abyss Tour through Ruakuri Cave to see the gruesome glowworms. Quietly drifting along an underground river on a car inner tube, in a wetsuit with my headlamp turned off, under the soft turquoise light from the luminescent bumhole of the glowworm really was something special.

Back on the road, the drive between Waihi and Paeroa (the birthplace of L&P), through the Karangahake Gorge is one of the best pieces of tarmac of my road trip. All of which brings me to the justifiably famous Hot Water Beach, where I take my spade, dig a hole to produce my very own spa pool. I dunk my feet in the warm water and watch the tide roll in...

Go West!

The warm sun takes the mist away from my breathe as I watch the sunrise from East Cape Lighthouse, the easterly tip of mainland New Zealand. With the sun now hovering above the horizon, I descend the eight hundred steps to where Eric is waiting to take me to the familiar faces, sites and smells of Rotorua.

The long and winding road from the most eastern point, and indeed around the whole East Cape, is an intrepid and captivating journey through the slow-paced, rural life of this special corner of New Zealand.

Pacific Coast Highway

Today I mostly travelled northwards along the coastal route through bucolic settlements in the shadow of Mount Hikurangi.

Great Gatsby Swagger

After a three hour, grey and stormy drive North, I grow tired of the rain and so decide to head East through "Lamb Country". The road meanders through this untouristed area until, in the middle of nowhere, I pass a nondescript hill which is worth a brief stop.

The place with the World's longest name is good for a photo opportunity. Believe it or not, Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the abbreviated form of 'The Brow of the Hill where Tamatea, the Man with the Big Knees, who slid, climbed, and swallowed Mountains, known as Land Eater, played his Flute to his Brother'.

A few more kilometres of winding North through grassy farmlands, I find sunshine on the East Coast. Hawke's Bay, New Zealand's second largest wine-producing region, is the perfect place to stop and enjoy the relaxed, rustic vibes.

At the northern end of the Bay lies the charismatic, art-deco city of Napier. I spend the rest of the day on the streets of this sunny city, looking up at the 1930s facades and streetscapes through a rosé-tinted wineglass.

Beervana

The return crossing to Wellington is a much shorter, vomit-free affair which leaves me plenty of time to reacquaint myself with the Craft Beer Capital of NZ.

Whale Watch

The race north begins with heading back to Christchurch and then across the vast, flat, agricultural Canterbury Plains. The SH1 is bounded to the west by the Southern Alps and the South Pacific Ocean to the east. Further north, I pass through the bountiful wine-growing area of Waipara Valley and across the the Hundalee Hills to the pretty peninsula town of Kaikoura. Here, in the shadow of the snowcapped Seaward Kaikoura Range, I venture out on the ocean to look for parāoa.

For the next few hours, I bounce around a tiny catamaran as it zips above the Hikurangi Trench - a popular feeding ground for whales. Few places in the World are home to such a variety of easily spottable wildlife: sperm whales, dusky dolphins, NZ fur seals, shearwaters, vomiting tourists, petrels and albatross - I saw it all :)

Is this the way to Akaroa?

Today I mostly piloted Eric along the absurdly beautiful drive around the edge of one of the original craters that formed the gorgeous Banks Peninsula about eight million years ago.

Quake City

Standing behind a wire fence, I stare at the battered and broken grand old lady of this wounded city. Its famous spire fell in ruins along with a section of the tower during the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck Christchurch in 2011.

I had no idea that, over five years after a series of earthquakes had destroyed the city, diggers would still be rattling about Christchurch's gridded streets, tearing down buildings.

That said, all around a new city is gradually emerging. A vibrant city coping creatively with project rebuild. The Transitional Cathedral, made mostly of cardboard, is a potent symbol of the renewal. The ingenious Re:Start Mall, a temporary shopping precinct made of shipping containers, is a place of enthusiasm and cheer. In the empty gravel lots and abandoned buildings left in the wake of the earthquake, interesting art projects known as Gap Fillers have sprung up. As a result, Christchurch is changing and developing fast as it is being rebuilt and reborn - making an interesting and inspiring day.

A Furry Encounter

There cannot be many people on this planet who have had a hungry lion salivate on them and lived to tell the tale... ;-)

Ted's Bottle

For the first time on this road trip, I head northwards through the sculptured Southern Alps. En-route Sandy shared the story of Ted's Bottle, another story of Kiwi compassion...

For more than 75 years this bottle of beer has remained unopened behind the bar of the Waihao Forks Hotel. The bottle was left there by Private Ted d'Auvergne when he left to fight in WWII. He told the landlord that he would drink it when he came back from war, but sadly Ted was killed in action. The bottle is a unique memorial to Ted and all the young soldiers who never came back.

One Day in Dunedin

Winter's ice coats your steep roads
with slips on ice to test our equilibrium.

Before civilisation there was fresh
grows on trees, organic. Mostly.

Mist hovers, mosaic tiled floors
glorious stained-glass, click.

Story telling of settlers and a 1000 studied
we stay inside warm, protected.

Pride of the South walks
through history, then taste.

Catholic Bishop's residence
Fascinating warren of comfortable slumber.