New Zealand (North Island)

08/11/08

Free breakfast in Fiji, we were ready to leave the plane when we landed in Auckland but were told to retake our seats so that Biosecurity could come aboard and spray our plane for bugs. Luckily it wasn't an undercover terror operation and we finally disembarked in one piece!
Got to our hostel and our booking hadn't been confirmed so it was dorms again and this time we weren't even in the same one! Dumped our bags and headed out for a wander, bypassing the end of a music festival in a nearby park. We climbed Mount Eden to get a panoramic view of the city. Back down the hill, ending up in Wendy's burger bar for dinner - washed down with a couple of beers in an Irish bar where we were serenaded by a duet!

09/11/08

Checked into our new room before hopping on the bus into town. We then headed up the Skytower for some more views - Greg cowering in the corner of the glass lift as it ascended. (not so bad on the way down!) Wandered around the docks and parks and had a quick look around the Auckland Museum. A pint before dinner of hummous, falafel and shawarma in the Middle East Cafe, with another drink in Shakespeare's Tavern (a nice locally brewed raspberry lager). No luck in waiting for a bus home so we used our feet to great effect, although the walk finally wore a hole through the sole of Joy's shoe!

10/11/08

A better night sleep in our own room, before discovering that our campervan company had moved offices into the middle of nowhere! Good job we checked up before we left the hostel as they sorted out a free taxi for us. Met Alien, our orange people carrier and learnt how he worked and we were off! Filled up on food supplies and went to find some new trainers for Joy. Finally left Auckland at 5pm - rush hour! Through the busy city traffic North towards Waipu! At 7.30pm we found our campsite (Uretiti) in spite of the rubbish directions in the brochure! A quick wander on the beach before our first nights sleep in the van.

11/11/08

Cereal for brekkie and then hit the road - Greg at the wheel this time. Travelled North expecting to see more coastline but fields and hills provided the views. Stopped in Russell for lunch and expected the road to carry on to Paihia. But it seems the map didn't warn us about the huge stretch of water between the two towns so directions were asked for and a nice lady pointed us towards a car ferry - phew! After the ferry we stopped for a walk to Honaruru falls. The quick walk was a bit of a trek at 10km, through woods and a mangrove forest before reaching the falls. Passed the falls again about an hour later in the car as we continued North to the Karikari Peninsula for our next camp stop at Maitai Bay Reserve. Found a quiet spot to cook our pasta and sauce, making a note to stop for some pepper, parmesan and red wine before the next time!

12/11/08

Greg braved a cold shower but Joy decided to smell it out in the world of the unwashed. Continued North, stopping at Te Paki sanddunes, walking up the enormous dunes to the top for a view of the sea before sliding down - Joy on a sledge, Greg on a body board - both falling off due to the high speeds!! Arrived at Cape Reinga (the Northernmost tip) for another quick walk before venturing on to our next campsite - Taputaputa or Tapotopoto depending on which sign, map or booklet you read! A walk around the campsite, watching huge waves break in the bay before back to our orange house for some chillaxation. Followed by a chilli bean and cheese taco.

13/11/08

Learned our lesson not to park too close to trees or water due to the abundance of mossies and flies. Greg is now a black belt insect squasher! Headed South with a quick stop off at 90 mile beach (which is in fact around 70 miles long!) before catching another car ferry across Hokianga harbour . We had a lunch stop at Opononi for a good view of the sea and sanddunes. Continued South stopping at the Waipua Forest to see some giant and ancient Kauri trees - the oldest being 2000 years old. On to our campsite at Trounson Kauri Park - hot showers, a kitchen and electricity to recharge our cameras and ipods, it was practically the Ritz! Treated ourselves to spaghetti bolognese (with meat!) and a bottle of red wine. Late night walk in the woods to look for kiwis, we didn't spot any but the glowworms were impressive.

14/11/08

Headed South and didn't stop for lunch until after Auckland (about a 3 hour drive) Hit a small directional error in a town/city called Hamilton (again the map's fault) it didn't harm us in the end though and we were soon on our way, reaching our destination - Waitomo at approximately 4pm. If we thought our campsite last night was the Ritz this was the double Ritz - pool, hot tub, BBQ, Kitchen, sparkling bathrooms - amazing! Went for a trip to the nearby glowworm caves. The cave was massive with many stalegmites and stalactites, before getting in a boat to slowly float through the glowworm tunnels. There were hundred of little greeny blue lights shining above us, shame we couldn't take pictures. Back to campsite for a swift dip in the hot tub and an even swifter dip in the COLD pool. Sausage, beans and instant mash made for an interesting dinner. Marks of 3/10 we given!

15/11/08

Earlyish start for a trip to Ruakuri caves - again to see lots of different formations and glowworms then off in the car to find Bridal Veil falls, discovering that what looks close on the map actually isn't! Twisty, gravelly roads finally leading us to our destination but our long journey was rewarded with a 55m waterfall. We had views from both the top and bottom and it did indeed look like a bride's veil! Back in the car to try and make it to Mt Maunganui before dark. Our stomachs rumbling we pulled up by the beach at about 7pm - no luxury of a campsite tonight, we slummed it by the road and made some egg fried rice.

16/11/08

Survived the night on the roadside and walked to the top of Mt Maunganui. It was hot and hard work but the view from the top made it worth it. Back to the car heading East along the coast towards Ohope, arriving in time for lunch, laundry and a swim in the pool. Relaxing and sunbathing in the afternoon before a quick walk in the evening. Nice not to drive too far today.

17/11/08

Up and out by 8.30am for our trip to White Island - New Zealand's only active marine volcano. The rough seas provided a bumpy boat ride which lasted about 80 minutes, just managing not to throw up we reached the island and were transferred into an inflatable boat before stepping on to the rocky and dusty terrain. We could hear steam gushing out of holes saw clouds of smoke and the ground was stained yellow in places from the sulphur. With hard hats and gas masks we walked around the island seeing hot thermal streams, fumaroles and a crater filled with an acid lake -0.1ph (that's a minus!) We contiued to an old sulphur mine where men used to work (rather them than us as the smell here is pretty vile!) Back to the boat for a packed lunch (nice not to have to make it ourselves). Back on dryland at 4ish before making our way towards Rotorua. Another wrong turn before we found our campsite - basically a field by a lake. No running water this time, never mind a swimming pool! Soup to warm us as it was cold and drizzly, a nice change from all the sunshine we'd been having ;-)

18/11/08

Woke up freezing, wishing we had hats! Went to Hell's Gate for a mud bath a sulphur pool spa. We were expecting some Mauri activities but it wasn't to be. Smelling pretty badly from the sulphur we headed South stopping for lunch at Huka falls, a small (in height) but very powerful waterfall. We drove the length of Take Taupo, past the mountains in Tongariro National Park. Saw Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings. Camped near a small ski resort called Ohakune at the base of Mt Ruapehu. A short forest walk before dinner *hoping the van is warmer tonight*

19/11/08

BRRRRRRRRRRRRR - Freezing cold last night!! Slept fully clothed with hoods up and it was still a bit nippy! Thawed out when the sun came out though. Breakfast in the car before heading South to Wellington - taking approximately 4 hours. We booked our ferry to the South Island and had lunch at the top of Mt Victoria, this time saving our legs by driving up! A quick stroll along Oriental Bay before hopping back into the car and heading to our campsite. We headed past and on to a beach as it was still early, and here Joy climbed some rocks and Greg crashed the van while doing a 3 point turn (no damage done though!) A strange dinner of stodgy rice and mince without meat - doused in black pepper it was just about edible - 2/10 for this one!!

20/11/08

A bit warmer last night so no jeans needed in bed! Relaxing morning reading before heading for the ferry. Got there early so we sat and played cards before boarding. Ferry was 30 minutes late but the 3 hour journey went quickly and we enjoyed the views of Malborough Sound as we passed them on arrival to the South Island.

Fiji

25/10/08 - where did the 24th go??!!

Arrived in Nadi at 5.30am on Saturday morning after leaving LA on the Thursday night. Waited ages for our bags and then met an enormous queue for customs. Made it to the bus stop with about 10 mins to spare! Headed to the marina to catch our catamaran to the Yasawa Islands. Despite the smell of sick, we sat inside to protect ourselves from the blazing sun. We watched all the islands pass us by before getting off at the very last stop, Nacula, arriving at our resort, Nabua Lodge, at 1.30pm. Had a spot of lunch and a swim before a delicious dinner and meeting the other guests - all 4 of them! Four drinks of the traditional drink Kava before heading to an extremely warm beach front bure to sleep.

26/10/08

Early breakfast before a shower and a trip to church. Lulu (our guide) accompanied us, answering all our questions about life in Fiji. After a very hot and long service (2 hours) we returned to our resort for a hot dog - traditional Fijian food??. After lunch we attempted to walk to Oarsmans Bay, but the countryside didn't let us access the beach easily, so battered, bruised, burnt and boiling we headed to Safe Landing Resort for a dip in the sea in the warmest water we have ever felt! A brief encounter with a bull, a dead scorpion and some sewage followed, but we made it back to chill out before dinner.

27/10/08

A 9am trip to the caves. The weather was overcast and windy so the sea was quite choppy. It was a 30 minute trip with one dodgy moment when the engine cut out about a mile from any land!! When we got to the caves a jump into the unknown met us. The first part was a large open cave that let the daylight in before a dive down into a dark tunnel - only about 3 metres long but still a scary experience. The second cave was pitch black and Lulu lit it up for us with a torch as we followed him around shouting 'Bula' which echoed back at us! Back through the tunnel to the first cave for a bit of rock climbing and jumping before heading back to Nabua lodge, via helping a boat that had run out of petrol. 'Hammock time' for the rest of the day until dinner.

28/10/08

Greg was made Chief of the resort and Joy Spokeswoman last night so we are now in charge of guest welcomes and farewells. After brekkie we walked through the village to a nice beach. We followed it along for half an hour or so before a swim. It was quite shallow though as it was low tide. After lunch we chilled out until the sun cooled and walked towards Oarsmans Bay. This time we walked around the shoreline. It was very pretty and we passed a lagoon. A dip in the sea before heading back to chill, read and eat. (we did alot of this in Fiji!)

29/10/08

A nice relaxing morning in the hammock before catching the Catamaran to White Sandy Beach. We were welcomed whole heartedly with the Bula Song and shown to our temporary home, which was an enormous villa with a balcony overlooking the sea. Unfortunately it was only for 1 night but we made the most of it. In the afternoon we took a nice stroll along a new beach before having a long swim. Weather was still warm, but a little cloudy - which was a nice change. Spicy chicken for dinner and some traditional dancing with the music seemingly set to repeat on only one song!

30/10/08

Picnic today! Set off at 9.30am to our deserted beach where we had a nice swim. The Fijians set up a stove and eating area as another 3 of them set out fishing to catch our lunch. A couple of hours later they returned with a healthy catch. Joy even ate some only just dead, raw lobster, she was certainly braver than Greg. We returned at about 1.30 and chilled in the hammock for the rest of the afternoon. Had a late dip and saw a school of sardines leaping out of the water which was pretty. Limbo after dinner before retreating to a warm and much smaller hut.

31/10/08

Pancakes for breakfast before a spot of snorkelling. The reef was absolutely amazing and we saw a vast array of different fish in varying colours and sizes. The 2 enormous Barracudas shook Greg up a bit though. Headed to honeymoon beach in the afternoon but the diving there wasn't as good. More lobster for dinner before we sloped off to lie under the stars and avoid the Bula dancing!

01/11/08

Our first day of rain - to be honest it was quite a relief. Greg had a quick dip before a breakfast of homemade toast. After brekkie we had a walk along the beach, past the pigs and arond the corner, with rock climbing which proved to be more difficult than expected! Joy fell in once but there were no serious injuries. Luckly we could continue in a circle and we made it to Honeymoon beach to build a sandcastle.

02/11/08

Relaxing day on White Sandy Beach before hopping on the ferry to Waya Island. We were the only people to get off at Bayside Resort and we were welcomed by a shoddy looking boat with no seats! The people didn't talk to us and we had no clue where we were heading so we both felt quite helpless. Finally we landed at a beach where we were told to transfer our bags into another boat. We jumped out and it was deeper than expected so the contents of Greg's pockets got soaked - wallet, credit cards etc. The owner of Bayside eventually showed up and was suprised to have guests. We were taken to his house for fresh pineapple which was the best we've ever tasted, before being taken to our resort (if you could call it a resort) It was tiny and without electricity but the sand and water looked amazing. As the only people staying at the resort we claimed it as 'ours!' and enjoyed a spaghetti bolognaise for dinner. A nice change from the horrible sausages at White Sandy Beach.

03/11/08

Doughnuts and syrup for breakfast and a quick dip. Enjoyed a lazy day and chatted to the owner Timothy over lunch. A few games on the beach followed before some intruders arrived at 'our resort.' Noone else was due but they were tipped off about the place - damn!

04/11/08

Chill on the beach before a walk towards the village. We both found sticks to protect ourselves from any wild boar lurking in the woods! Found a nice spot for a swim before returning for lunch. At about 2pm we decided to walk around the corner towards a sand bank that joins Waya Island to the neighbouring island. We scrambled over some rocks for half an hour or so before having a well deserved swim. Luckily we managed to hitch a ride back on a boat with Timothy, who was fortunately visiting friends, which made our return a lot easier.

05/11/08

The intruders left today so it became 'our resort' again. A good chill in the hammock before a curry lunch sent us scampering for the toilet. Luckily Joy had some tissues as there was no loo roll left! Chicken for dinner - mostly bones!- before a storm hit. There was lots of rain and lightning and we stood on the beach in our waterproof jackets to watch before heading to bed to warm up.

06/11/08

Toast for breakfast and a proper chill in the hammock (again!). We tried to memorise the view as it would be the last for us on the Yasawas. After lunch we caught the ferry, resisting the temptation to buy a Crunchie. Arrived at our hotel in Nadi (Raffles Gateway) which was a 5 star hotel in comparison to where we had been staying. We whacked on the air conditioning before a wander. A beer and some peanuts later we had our itinerary sorted for the next day and we headed back to the comfort of our room.

07/11/08

After a good sleep in our huge bed we headed for breakfast - without ants for the first time, and a swim in the pool. We also tried out the gigantic water slide before another storm hit. We retreated inside for a game of pool and watched the lightning before a hot shower and getting ready for dinner. A few beers by the pool and a litre of red wine between us was just the ticket.