continuing north

Not wanting to leave Whatuwhiwhi, we decided we had to press on to be able to complete the far north in less than a week. A quick visit to stock up in a 'Pak & save' (never again) we drove on. We were so intrigued to see the Cape that we planned to do the 60 miles there and back in one day!!! But just before we got near the top I spotted a sign for Te Paki sand dunes . We turned  and followed the gravel road to see the biggest most giantest sand dunes ever!! Definately a highlight for me. There were people hiring boards and sandboarding down the giant mounds.

It was baking hot too....
The last few miles to the Cape were quite eerie as sea mist poured in from the ocean and the road felt like it ran along the top of the point. The end was a car park and then a walk down top the lighthouse. This is the point where the Maoris believe that when they die their spirit leaves from the Cape to go off to its final place at Hawaiiki. Very moving.

The far north

Most people seem to get to the Bay of islands and then head back south, however we wanted to keep going up to the top! .... The roads became quieter and the landscape more rural and remote but also more beautiful. Poor Bea and Hugo, they were so patient, sitting in seats behind ours, hair being blown constantly by the open windows and roads winding and twisting. Regular ice cream stops seemed to help.

Our destination for this day was a place called 'Whatuwhiwhi'... a lovely little place on the karikari peninsula facing south back to the coast we had driven along. The campsite was lovely and we stayed for 2 nights. It was a hit with B and H as there was a great playground complete with trampoline.

The journey north

Our plan was to head north up the east coast of North Island as far as Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean.
Our first stop was Orewa, just north of Auckland in a Top 10 campsite. Not a great introduction to camping as the campsite was rather full of permanent caravans and the only decent site free was a small site next to an estuary which opened out on to a huge beach. Michael failed to park the van on flat ground, so we felt like we were walking up and down hill inside and the gas  bottle failed to work and worse thing of all.... we couldn't get the DVD to play!! I was starting to wonder what we had let ourselves in for!
All was sorted the following day as Michael took the camper into a recognised repair place in the town.
 29'C was recorded on the dashboard as we drove further up to winding picturesque roads to Waipu cove. We spent a night here on the beach in a privately owned site. Laundry was done and we ate out in a fab place for supper where we ordered 'hotdogs' for the children thinking of sausages in a roll and the sausages turned out on sticks, covered in batter and deep fried!
The beach ran for miles and was covered with amazing shells which Bea collected. We could see clearly the Chicken and Hen islands just off shore.
Tuesday 2nd Feb we continued up the undulating coast line to the Bay of Islands. We marvelled at the beautiful countryside as we drove with the windows wide open in the heat. We stayed at 'Beachside' campsite. NOT a beach, more a muddy, dirty water inlet, very disappointing..... couldn't wait to leave. It was quite difficult to see the islands from the coast and we were not prepared to take a boat out. So headed on via a quick visit to Waitangi, to the Karikari peninsula.

New Zealand

I'm quite proud of this photo!

Our home for the next 52 days

 We flew to Auckland on an Air New Zealand Jumbo, which was a real treat  (was supposed to be a 767, but was changed for some reason) and the seat belt sign was switched off as we took off over Sydney harbour! The cabin crew were amazing.

After a night in a hotel at Auckland airport, we picked up our campervan from Maui and our intrepid adventure began....

Sydney

 I

Luckily (planned, of course) we arrived in Sydney in time for Australia Day. Michael booked us to stay at The Holiday Inn in the Rocks, a great place to be for the celebrations.... unfortunately that morning both Hugo and Michael felt really sick and didn't even get to venture outside......so Bea and I hopped on a ferry to Manly  to soak up some atmosphere and to eat icecream!
Once all was well again, we caught up with some friends of Michaels and their daughter, Zoe, who got on very well with B and H, being the same age. I shopped at Bondi Westfield with Louise while the boys took the children to Bronte beach one day. Another day we saw 'Charlie and Lola' on stage at the Opera House! We also took the ferry to Taronga Park Zoo to catch up with all the animals who live with the best view in the world!
Finally we became acclimatised to the heat and humidity and all signs of jet lag (luckily,very short-lived) had disappeared.
On Sunday 30th January we left Sydney for Auckland .....

Melbourne continued....

Sorry, I was too tired to finish last night but wanted to get started as had signed up to some wifi connection company whilst staying at the campsite in Waipu, NZ.

Ok, whilst in Melbourne we caught up with my long time old friends Nan (80 years old) and her son, Geoff and the family. We had a BBQ with them at their home in Murrumbeena and the children played in their 'Swim spa'.
We met Nan again the following day to have lunch in Brighton, where she lives and to play on Brighton beach.... althought the weather that day was overcast.
On Tuesday 25th January, we  flew up to Sydney..........

...... What a difference 700 miles can make .... It was 29'C and humid.

I sooooo love Sydney.... Mainly because I just cannot stop looking at the marvellous design which is the Sydney Opera House.... Now I really feel as though we are in Australia, sad?

Australia!

After the most amazing flight (Bea and Hugo were sooooooooooooo well behaved, mainly due to their personal tv screens!) of 21 hours via Bangkok and Sydney, we finally arrived in a hot and sunny Melbourne.
WOW! Its so great to be back in Oz. Its been 13 years since I was last here ( 1 for Michael!)
We checked into our Hotel in Little Collins St. and then headed out for some fresh air. Bea and Hugo managed to stay awake until about 4pm ish and then faded fast.
The next couple of days were spent doing things like visiting the Melbourne Aquarium to see the 'Penguins'? Yes, penguins, and the baby Hammerhead sharks, which were featuring this month.
The next day was our visit to the Australian Open Tennis. What a hot day we had.... 33'C. We watched Federer on the big screen with a thousand others and drank very expensive Evian $4.80 per 500mls! The evening was followed by a trip to the theatre to see Mary Poppins... Such fun, Bea sang along to most of the tunes.