Hello from Northlands
Hello again
I've made it out of Auckland, up into Northlands, and it's great!
I picked up my car last Thursday, and spent a few minutes driving around getting used to the controls, i.e. I was lost, or rather I knew where I was, I just couldn't find my way onto the (motorway) SH1 to take me out of Auckland!
Once finally on the open road, the motorway soon ended, and the roads became incredibly scenic, twisty, hilly and quiet - real Top Gear style roads, the sort where you see Clarkson thrashing some expensive bit of machinery, though without the AOR music. Great fun to drive on, but you have to concentrate on the road, not on the scenery, or else you'll end up with an extra close view of it!
I spent 1 night in Whangerei (quiet town, but some nice walks nearby), but the real fun has been further north in the Bay of Islands, where I've visited the historic Waitangi House (where the Maoris first signed the treaty to let the British take over), been on a cruise among the islands (seeing where Cook first 'discovered' NZ on the Endeavour), walked through Mangrove Swamps, and taken a bus up to 90 mile beach, and Cape Reinga. And no, I didn't boogie board down the sand dunes!
Today I've made by way down the West coast, though the ancient Waipoua Kauri forest (one of the trees there is 2000 years old and is so fat, it looks like a fort), and am staying in a sleepy B&B tonight in the middle of nowhere (Matakohe) so no hellraising today.
The scenery is lovely, with amazing vistas everywhere, but it's not a place for night owls. For example, Paihia, where I stayed in the Bay of Islands, is very much a holiday town, but most of the restaurants wil be shut by 10 or earlier, and the streets aren't exactly well lit...I might have to start taking my torch out with me.
One great thing about leaving the US is having proper sports on TV (not a non stop diet of American Football), so there's plenty of cricket and tennis to watch and British footie news. Kiwi TV shows lots of British shows too (Bad Girls is being heavily promoted!), so I never feel too far away, even if the distance is 18000km!
Mike
I've made it out of Auckland, up into Northlands, and it's great!
I picked up my car last Thursday, and spent a few minutes driving around getting used to the controls, i.e. I was lost, or rather I knew where I was, I just couldn't find my way onto the (motorway) SH1 to take me out of Auckland!
Once finally on the open road, the motorway soon ended, and the roads became incredibly scenic, twisty, hilly and quiet - real Top Gear style roads, the sort where you see Clarkson thrashing some expensive bit of machinery, though without the AOR music. Great fun to drive on, but you have to concentrate on the road, not on the scenery, or else you'll end up with an extra close view of it!
I spent 1 night in Whangerei (quiet town, but some nice walks nearby), but the real fun has been further north in the Bay of Islands, where I've visited the historic Waitangi House (where the Maoris first signed the treaty to let the British take over), been on a cruise among the islands (seeing where Cook first 'discovered' NZ on the Endeavour), walked through Mangrove Swamps, and taken a bus up to 90 mile beach, and Cape Reinga. And no, I didn't boogie board down the sand dunes!
Today I've made by way down the West coast, though the ancient Waipoua Kauri forest (one of the trees there is 2000 years old and is so fat, it looks like a fort), and am staying in a sleepy B&B tonight in the middle of nowhere (Matakohe) so no hellraising today.
The scenery is lovely, with amazing vistas everywhere, but it's not a place for night owls. For example, Paihia, where I stayed in the Bay of Islands, is very much a holiday town, but most of the restaurants wil be shut by 10 or earlier, and the streets aren't exactly well lit...I might have to start taking my torch out with me.
One great thing about leaving the US is having proper sports on TV (not a non stop diet of American Football), so there's plenty of cricket and tennis to watch and British footie news. Kiwi TV shows lots of British shows too (Bad Girls is being heavily promoted!), so I never feel too far away, even if the distance is 18000km!
Mike
posted by Michael Conway at
5:55 am
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