We picked up this beast of a camper after an hour long “how to use a gas cylinder and refuel a vehicle” video.
And promptly wound up in the beginnings of the afternoon rush
We decided to avoid the toll, and take the more scenic route.
Which was fine until we hit a massive jam. On the upside, there was a very pretty sun shower
Everything glowed yellow
We set up camp in the dark, so had no idea we’d wake up to this lovely beach
We were a little disappointed to see most of Northland looks like this. I was expecting more native bush – similar to the south island, but warmer
At the AH Reed park in Whangarei we checked out a short walkway + boardwalk
What was in the water here?!
We found this (comparatively tiny) kauri tree. Just a baby!
The kauri bark has a lovely texture
The three of us scrambled up a steep ‘path’ to see Pukenui Falls
and then went to Whangarei falls
Luckily for us, the new bridge was quite a bit better built than the old one!
The Whangarei falls are quite impressive – and they really are just on the outskirts of Whangarei!
We wanted to check out the Tutukaka Coast – so took the gravel road to this secluded bay
After the Tutukaka Coast, we headed to Kerikeri for the night
Northland! At the end of August, Andy, Anna and I headed north to visit family. I’d never been to Northland before, so was pretty keen to check off the ‘must do’s” – Tane Mahuta, Cape Reinga, etc. The three of us quickly decided it’d be a great idea to rent a gigantic campervan (I think all three of us have since changed our mind on that – but you’ll see why later!) and drive 1200 km in just 6 days. Sounds easy, right?
Today’s post sees us taking our ‘van from Auckland to Kerikeri – around 300 km in two days. We learned a few things: “tourist drives” are sometimes not scenic, they’re just diversions to get campervans off the main highway. And driving a 7.5m long vehicle in even slightly windy conditions can be quite challenging.
