Carry on Campers

We picked up our camper and eventually left Auckland after I managed to get Chris pointed in the correct direction (we were travelling for at least an hour in the wrong one!). We drove for a couple hours as far as Waipu on the north east coast and managed to find a spot near the beach and the toilets for parking. After cooking our first dinner in close confinement and working out the best position for our bed we managed set up our in-van entertainment system and watched “The Bourne Supremacy” on DVD before settling down to a decent night’s sleep.


On the Friday morning we woke up and had a stroll along the beach. There were islands off in the distance with the sun coming up behind them which was such a nice scene. The sky had started off being blue but as we walked further along it turned darker and darker. We headed back to the van but were caught as the heavens opened and soaked us.

Campervan Rule No 1: Never leave your waterproof in the van.

We then stopped off at Whangarei (Chris’s description - “A downmarket Galashiels“). After a short wander through the shops, mainly second hand and Two Dollar Shops, we made a hasty exit. We then drove further up the coast to Okara and into a campsite just off the beach. As we couldn’t find any staff we drove onto the grass towards the power points.

Campervan Rule No 2: Never park on the grass

After a couple of minutes we were completely stuck in the mud and despite the owners attempts to pull us out via his truck the van didn’t move. There had been a large amount of rainfall the previous night and this was why the ground was so bad. So we bedded down for the night with another delightful meal and a couple of bottles of beer. We fell asleep to the lulling sound of the waves on the beach.


The next morning Chris was up early and out taking pictures as the sun came up over the beach until the owner got his tractor to pull us out. We offered to pay but he insisted since we got stuck we weren’t to pay for anything - we’d had a shower and a free night’s campsite accommodation - BONUS. We stopped off just up the road at Sandy Beach for a cuppa and some photos.

Campervan Rule No 3a: Always close cupboard doors

After our cuppa we headed off until the first bend when we heard an almighty crash as everything fell out of the pantry. So we jumped in the back and made sure all the doors where closed this time. Eventually after the false start we had another scenic drive along the coastal road and a rather lazy day at Haruru Falls in Twin Pines Tourist Park. We needed a laundry stop anyway, afterwards the van looked like Mr Wong’s with clothes hanging everywhere…..we had no change left to use the drier. This place was really nice everything was clean and the showers/toilets were warm. That night we had our second night at Campervan Cineplex and gave ourselves nightmares watching “28 Days Later”, you should have seen Chris jump every time he heard a noise outside.

Campervan Rule No 3b: Always close the side door of the van before driving off

On the Sunday we stopped off to pick up some provisions at the supermarket in Pahia and realised that Chris had driven for 10 mins with the side door wide open, he couldn’t understand where the draft was coming from. We walked along the front at Pahia but made a sharp exit after realising that the place was over run by old foggies and weirdos there for the jazz festival.

We drove until we reached Cable Bay and parked facing the beach and ocean. The weather was lovely and we just chilled for a while people watching. Chris spotted an ice cream shop so we had to have one whilst we walked along the beach. The ice cream was delicious and we wandered along as far as we could go slurping away to our hearts content. This was the best ice cream we’ve had since Colonia in Uruguay! We stayed there overnight and the waves swished us away into dreamland.


We had decided on the Monday to drive to Cape Reinga the most Northern point of New Zealand. It all went well until the last 45 mins where the road turned into gravel and we had our bones shaken all the way until the end. There was a lighthouse to mark the point where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean and the water swirled underneath us.


There was only one road there and back so we drove another couple of hours back down the same road before stopping off at Opononi Beach Holiday Park Campsite. The owners here were extremely friendly taking us directly to the spot they wanted us to park in. We decided to forgo the cooking for that evening and had a chippie. Chris got fish and I got the sausage supper. To be honest it wasn’t that great and Sharpy was right when he told us that the chips would be rotten….they were frozen chips!!

The following day we had a long drive heading south and inland towards Rotorua and drove through the hills covered in shrubbery and trees. This reminded us of Scotland….it could be almost anywhere outside the cities and the rain also came on briefly just to make sure that we didn’t forget our weather back home. We stopped off just past Cambridge in a picnic area in amongst the trees for the evening

We arrived in Rotorua early the next morning and parked next to Kauru park. The geotherms were in full swing with the steam majestically rising from the various outlets, ponds and holes in the ground. The only problem was that every so often you would get a little whiff of rotten eggs and I looked at Chris but he promised me that it was the sulphur and not emanating from his rear end.


We wandered about the town - window shopping - I am getting quite good at this you know!! Before heading to the Polynesian Spa where we spent a couple of hours bathing in pools ranging from the cool 36 degrees centigrade, 38, 40 and then the roasty toasty 42 degree pool that we went into and lasted well about 3 mins maximum. The pools overlooked the lake and were described in the brochure as a serene and quiet location which was fine until a bus load of Japanese tourists arrived! We felt clean - but I am sure that the natural chemicals may have stripped some layers off of us. This was just what we both needed and that night we were both soooo relaxed that we didn’t mind sleeping in the park.


Campervan Rule No 4: Never leave your headlights on

After waking up we quickly realised that we had left the headlights on which meant that we gave ourselves a flat battery and had to get a jump start in the morning. In the afternoon we drove out to Kerosene Creek where we had a small dip in the free natural river. This was warm but there were signs everywhere warning of amoeba meningitis and telling you not to put your head under the water or get any water in your mouth. Well this took away all the fun - I couldn’t splash Chris or duck his head under the water so we left after 10 mins or so.


Next Stop Taupo