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Kuaotunu - Paihia
A somewhat lengthy journey of 450km, we followed the Pacific Coast Highway through Coromandel Town and Thames, then left SH25 shortly thereafter and took the quieter coastal route along the flat wetland bordering the Firth of Thames. The road then went inland across the more hilly Hunua Range before passing through the strange town of Papakura, which had no road signs! After taking up the challenge to find the SH1 Motorway from the town centre we continued at a now reduced pace to the north side of the city before rejoining SH1, passing the city centre with it's magnificent looking TV tower, extensive inner city marina and wide sweeping river bridge along the way.
The rest of the journey to Whangarei along SH1 was not particularly pleasant with a higher than expected volume of traffic, possibly because of the impending public holiday. After stopping off to take some pictures of the rather unusual toilet block at Kawakawa we finally arrived at Paihia just before dusk.
Paihia
We liked the town of Paihia, it was less commercialised than many we had seen in NZ and was fairly quiet. It had most essential shops as well as some selling NZ made products, a refreshing change after seeing so many selling goods from China. There were also good facilities like banks and petrol stations.
During our first full day in Paihia we boarded a sleek yellow catamaran at the Paihia jetty for an afternoon Dolphin Watch trip out to Cape Brett. There was a good bracing breeze to be had on the top deck as we rapidly moved away from the calm bay waters to the open sea. I was pleased that unlike the experience at Kaikoura, I was not sick that day. Perhaps due in part to the light breakfast, no lunch and a low sea swell! After two hours and travelling 20 miles out to sea with no significant mammal sighting it looked like we were in for disappointment. However, our way back we came across a number of bottle nosed dolphins with their babies. For around 15 minutes we were treated to a good display as they swam along side our boat.
We stopped off at Russell on the way back, which later became a good call as the wind had subsided and made for a tranquil setting as we sat outside for our evening meal at the historical Duke of Marlborough Hotel overlooking Russell Jetty. The circa 15 minute ferry trip to Paihia that evening was so peaceful as the small wooden boat chugged it's way across the bay in total darkness and manned by one lady, with chat heard at muted levels like being in a doctors waiting room coming from other parts of the ferry.
Kerikeri
Now on our penultimate day in NZ the weather had changed with strong drizzle and mist. Undeterred we set off for Kerikeri, stopping off at the nearby Haruru Falls on the way, not the most majestic of falls we had seen in NZ but interesting due to the unusual horseshoe shape.
Moving on to Kerikeri, about 20km from Paihia, I had rather expected a quaint village, but got a rude surprise when we discovered that it was a sprawling town built over over recent years either side of the main highway. Probably because the rain by then had intensified I can't say I thought much of the town, so we visited the Stone Store and New Zealand's oldest wooden building nestling in the countryside on the outskirts of Kerikeri before calling it a day.
And Finally....
On the final day before flying back to the UK it had been my intention to journey across to the west coast from Paihia and follow the coastal route SH12 through Dargaville. However, the thick mist suggested sightseeing was likely to be restricted so we headed south to Auckland along SH1 and visited the Sky Tower in the city centre. Although initially a 'whiteout' due to the poor weather, there were breaks in the cloud that permitted brief glimpses of the surrounding area. The flight back was fairly uneventful, apart from a one hour wait on the tarmac at midnight waiting to get takeoff clearance.
Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to New Zealand. The holiday was made all the more special by the wonderful experiences we had encountered on our travels, including the wide ranging scenery, the many genuinely warm and friendly people we had met on the way, the high standards food and accommodation hosting we had enjoyed on both islands and the pleasure of driving on generally quiet open roads. Hopefully, we will get the opportunity to revisit the islands again in the coming years.
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