Day 124 - CHAGGIE RETURN TO GATWICK

Chino managed to sleep for about 5 hours on this flight, a pretty damn good effort, was feeling pretty refreshed for his return back home. Chaggie had a breakfast meal and watched one last film before landing. What a moment it was landing back on home ground.

The country we hadn't seen for 4 and a half months. Had been a while but was good to be back! The weather wasn't too bad, overcast but apparently one of the best days England has seen for a couple of weeks.

We collected our baggage which didn't take too long to come out, it had been a very long 32 hours or so since we left Michael and Marie at 18:00 and arrived at Auckland Airport. Since then we've been in Airports and on planes for our trip back to Gatwick. We were home again.

We got to the exit, Chino and Staggie immediately saw Russ and Graeme, a missed sight. Soon we found Chino's Aunty and Uncle to be holding a huge banner saying 'Welcome Back Chaggie!', was very very weird to see them all again.

Chaggie x

Day 123 - Airports and Flights

It was 01:00 New Zealand time but 23:00 local time when we left Melbourne Airport to Dubai. This was the 14 hour flight we both dreaded.

Staggie took his sleeping pill after a couple of hours and hoped for as much sleep as possible. Chino set his time to England time and tried staying up for as long as possible so that he could fall asleep when it was evening in England. He managed staying up around 7 hours.

Only a few hours were needed to wake up again and watch another couple of films, was a very long flight, we couldn't wait to get back in Dubai ready for our last flight to home!

We soon got to Dubai at 05:30 local time. This was about 15:30 in New Zealand, so with only a few hours sleep we were pretty shattered. We had just over two hours to wait before take off again, we caught a few zz's before boarding.

We took off at 8:20 local time. Chino took a sleeping pill and got as much sleep as possible. Staggie stayed up with the entertainment on-screen. Fortunately on this flight, it wasn't very packed at all, we had one space in between us that wasn't being used so Chino took full advantage and got comfy.

Chaggie x

Day 122 - CHAGGIE DOWNUNDER COMES TO AN END

We had a lay in this morning getting up at 11:00 to shower and have breakfast. Chaggie went and visited Peter and Esther who had us for a couple of days at the very beginning of our stay in New Zealand. We said our goodbyes and dropped off some bits.

This afternoon we went shopping for some souvenirs and had lunch with Michael and Marie, then at 15:00 it was goodbye Newmarket. Michael and Marie travelled in their car whilst we followed in the Honda to the storage company of our choice, which was made yesterday. We dropped him off making sure he would be all secure, was weird to see him completely empty inside. Farewell Brian! An emotional time!

Michael and Marie then dropped Chaggie off at the airport, really weird to be back. We said goodbye before checking in and dropping off our luggage.

The flight wasn't until 19:00 so we had an hour and a half before boarding time. Chino spent this time watching Black Books on his laptop whilst Staggie went and got a Mcdonalds and listened to his ipod.

It was Boeing 777 the whole way back to Gatwick, our first flight was to Melbourne leaving at 19:00. Throughout this journey we stayed up and watched a couple of films, we had a meal too.

We arrived in Melbourne at 21:00 local time. At Melbourne we had an hour and a half to wait, once again memories were remembered from our last time at the airport. We sat and waited for our next flight, boarding time was around 22:00. We left around 23:00, back in New Zealand it was 01:00 so already by now we were really starting to feel tired.

Chaggie x

Day 121 - Storage Time For Brian

This morning Chaggie woke up around 10:00, Chino went to the shops and bought some bread, milk and a bottle of wine whilst Staggie chilled out at Mike and Marie's.

Today's job was to go out and check out two potential storage companies where Brian the Honda would be kept for the year. Graeme will be visitng New Zealand every so often and so will his family, the car will certainly make it easier for them to get around. We checked out 2 Storage companies in Auckland and came to a decision on what one would be best, later on this evening we told Graeme our conclusion and planned to drop the car off tomorrow, sad times.

We had lunch with Michael and Marie and this afternoon we spent packing! Was certainly weird finding things from the beginning of our trip at the bottom of our bags. We managed to finish our packing, placing what to wear on the trip home aside.

This evening we spent with Michael and Marie, another brilliant meal. Michael started up the evening meal's topic which was on sport this evening, Staggie was in his element having debates on football being a contact sport!

Today was our last full day in New Zealand, hasn't hit us yet!

Chaggie x

Day 120 - Auckland Museum and War Memorial

Today was another productive day, Chino managed to catch up on a huge amount of Chaggie downunder. Not much else was done this morning, catching up with friends who we miss a lot and can't wait to see in a few days.

Michael had to rush off this afternoon to a meeting so lunch was outside on the deck just Marie and Chaggie. This afternoon we planned to go and have a walk up to Auckland Museum and War Memorial not too far from Michael and Marie's home in Newmarket. After more blogging we got going at 15:30.

The 1st floor was on Maori culture and history with parts on school in the past etc. The 2nd floor had parts on the Volcano and Earthquake tragedies New Zealand have been victims to as well as other disasters such as the Tangiwai Train Disaster. There were parts on land creatures and sea creatures, one of our favorite parts was the weird things room with all sorts of creepy crawlies including locusts, weta and crickets.

The Finding Nemo characters were all spotted too.











The floor we had the least time on due to the Museum soon closing was unfortunately one Chaggie would have loved to have spent more time on. War history and the war memorial. Auckland Memorial has a Spitfire in it's collection on show.

We got back at around 18:00ish, Chino walked into town and posted a letter to Murray Stagg, the cousin of Phill who we stayed with in Tauranga. This letter included his garage door key on, something Chaggie have been meaning to post back for a while. Anyway luckily that finally got done, Chino bought some bread also, something we've been using a lot of at Michael and Marie's.

This evening we had a roast chicken, Chino managed to catch up on the blog to our current day, pictures all uploaded too, a major relief to be done before our trip back home. Dinner was delicious, a full roast chicken with all the trimmings, will be our Kiwi Roast for a long time now.

We chilled out this evening, Chino watched the I.T Crowd, Staggie caught up with friends and carried on with his managing for Newcastle on FM. Tomorrow is our last full day in New Zealand, it certainly crept up on us.

Chaggie  x

Day 119 - Catching up on the Blog!

This morning Chino woke up at around 8 and caught up with friends on skype. Had breakfast and went for a walk into town to get some bread for Michael and Marie around 11:30. He bought a few bits and bobs too, was another day in the hot sun. Staggie's morning didn't start till about 11:30, Chino returned about 12:15, we soon had lunch.

This afternoon was spent doing a lot of blogging, Chino worked on Chaggie-downunder whilst Staggie worked on his sports blog. Was a productive day getting used to working hard again in preparation for getting home I'm sure.

We had dinner round the table, corn, sausages, potato, peas, very nice. This evening we watched some television with Michael and Marie. Another day quickly gone, going home time is getting closer and closer.

Chaggie x

Day 118 - Brian's Big Day

Chaggie woke up at 07:00 this morning, had breakfast, showered, looked presentable and went through bits and bobs for this morning. We did a bit of research last night on other Honda CRV's in the market using 'trademe.co.nz' we found that the asking price of ours was very good, it would be a bargain even for the condition of the car.

We followed Michael to the market this morning, he was very kind to come with us and help out, he had already told us though that he would only be there to watch over, it was us that was going to be selling the car today. The Honda CRV (Brian) was down for an asking price of $6,500. We had been in contact with Graeme and whatever the sale price, $2,000 of it would be donated to the Christchurch Red Cross Appeal. For only 129,000km's and as 1996/7 model, the condition of our Honda was by far the best there and the price was very accurate. We had many people interested in the car today, most I think though were blinded by the illusion in how cheap other cars were, they wouldn't pay attention to how much better the condition was of ours. Those who could see that ours was very reasonable for its asking price, were on a strict budget and wanted it for lower than $5,500, what would be more than a bargain.

Chaggie stood by Brian from 09:00 to 12:00 today, we finished with a few contacts and numbers but no official buyer. This wasn't a bad thing though, Graeme really does enjoy driving the car and has already been thinking of how useful it could be for when he comes out each time to NZ as well as for family and friends in the same position. He already had back up plans to keep it in storage and to use it whenever he travels around his home country again.

We got back and had lunch with Michael and Marie, found out that it was actually Michael's birthday, to which we gave him our apologies in bringing him out to the car fair for us, not the best present. Some of the family came round this afternoon, Staggie got to meet them. Chino today had a very long nap from about 15:00 to 19:00, doesn't know where the tiredness came from but it struck him pretty hard.

Once he woke up, dinner was served, another fantastic meal cooked by Marie, a Thai Green Curry. We chilled out this evening in front of the television.

Chaggie x

Day 117 - Farewell Jamie!

This morning we woke up at 07:00, Jamie made sure he had everything packed and left what he didn't need behind for Chaggie to take home in their luggage. He will now go travelling for the next 30 days or so down South alone before heading back to Auckland where he will meet with his Girlfriend who will be flying out for a month. Chaggie drove him to Sky City where he had planned to catch the bus to Rotorua, was all very emotional. We said our goodbyes and wished him farewell for the rest of his trip before making our way back to Mike and Marie's. Staggie went straight back to bed whilst Chino caught up with some friends online.

We chilled out for the rest of the morning, had lunch with Michael and Marie and planned the rest of our day. Our main intentions today was to get the car washed, it is going to be Brian's big day tomorrow, we will be taking him to the car fair nearby which occurs every Sunday so washing him today was our main objective. We also needed to return what Michael and Emilie had given to us, all that camping gear we used in Northland, that was a secondary objective.

At about 15:00 we set off to Beechland's, fortunately both Michael and Emilie were in so we stopped off for a drink and a chit chat. We made our way back to Auckland after saying goodbye and took Brian to a mall where we knew he could get a good wash for $90, we knew paying for a proper good wash would be best as the weather was pretty miserable and let's face it, Chaggie wouldn't have done as good a job. It took half an hour for the car to be done, inside and out, every little detail, washed, varnished, the insides were dusted and cleaned too. They did a superb job. Was an odd sight to see Brian so clean.

We got back to Michael and Marie's at 18:00, we didn't stay too long before going out to the local pub with Michael. We had a couple of pints and headed back just in time for another good meal that Marie had cooked.

This evening we went downstairs to the office where we had a full briefing on what our objectives are for tomorrow. We have kept in contact with Graeme in England and know what we need to do. Tomorrow's the big day, in case the car is not to be sold though, Graeme does have a good back up plan so don't think its all bad in the next post. Yes we have been quite far behind on our blogging so I am typing all this on a date later than tomorrow.

Chaggie x

Day 116 - Auckland..The Last Week

After a long night and a good sleep, Staggie and Jamie woke up and headed to the pool and jacuzzi included in the price, took full advantage of it all, a good way to wake up. Whilst Chino had a good lay-in, then woke to pack the car and tidy up a bit. Today we were heading back to Auckland to stay.

We left at 10:00, the couple from last night followed us to Waipoua where we had all planned to stop off and see the giant; 'Tane Mahuta', the huge Kauri Tree.

We lost them quite quickly, they caught up with us again somehow on a car ferry taking us all over the Hokianga crossing. We soon got to Waipoua, was a long drive and there it was, the King of the Forest, Tane Mahuta. We knew this would be the last icon and attraction we would see before going home, all we have left now is a week in Auckland to prepare for our long trip home. We saw this moment as ages away so many months ago and now its here. All of this to think about whilst actually being quite shocked to see how big the tree actually was. Not surprising that it inspired the film 'Avatar' to be produced.

As we were walking back to the car, the Brits from yesterday were heading in, we said our goodbyes and best wishes for the rest of the trips. We then carried on to Auckland.

We arrived at Michael and Marie's home in Newmarket at 17:00 today, they are the very kind people to be housing us till the 10th, both close friends of Graeme Stagg and will also be helping us with selling the car. Michael was out to start with, we were welcomed in by Marie and brought our bags in from the car. Michael arrived home from his choir practice (a term used in New Zealand for going up the pub with a few mates) at 19:00, just in time for the Super 16 Rugby match to start on TV between the Crusaders and the Waratahs. It was a convincing win for the Crusaders, a good all round match with the Crusaders dominating after the first 15 minutes.

This evening Marie had cooked a fantastic Lasagne, a favorite meal of Chaggie's. Was nice to be in a cosy, warm home for the first time in a week. The shower was well appreciated and we couldn't wait to have a good night sleep.

Chaggie x

Day 115 - All The Way To The Top!

Staggie's alarm went off this morning at 06:30, didn't really mind us that it was so early, was a crappy sleep anyway! We got up, brushed our teeth and had a quick wash before leaving Mitai Bay to Kaitaia. The sunrise was caught on our trip, was a pretty nice sight, one we haven't seen that much due to never waking up so early.

Kauri Staircase

At 09:00 we had a tour booked for the 3 of us with 'Harrison's Cape Runner's'. We parked at the depot and jumped on the bus. It was a full day tour, after picking up all the passengers we got going up North making certain stops on the way including 'Kauri Kingdom' where the famous staircase is shown made out of Kauri Tree. We then made a stop at Houhora Heads which was a scenic stop before moving on to Tapotupoto Bay for lunch. The guide was informative and cheerful, knew his stuff and took us all the way up to Cape Reinga, the very top of New Zealand (although its not the most Northern point which is what most people believe but the second most Northerly after Surville Cliffs).

To be at Cape Reinga was pretty weird, knowing we were right at the top of the country we have seen so much of over the last few months. We were lucky to get a few good pictures of it, right next to the point in which the Abel Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet, now thats a pretty cool sight also watching them as they collide and noticing the color difference. We were lucky though as shortly after we had got there, mist from low cloud completely covered the light house which is such an icon to this part of the country.

On the way back to Kaitaia we stopped off at the huge Sand Dunes on the West Coast, we stopped off just before getting onto the 90 Mile Beach and received a toboggan! We did indeed go Sand Tobogganing down the dunes a few times.


The bus then travelled down the 90 Mile Beach until we got to Kaitaia.


This evening we had dinner at a park in Awanui, we had already checked out some camping grounds and couldn't find any decent spots to stay the night for free that is. We were going to stay at the park close to the main road, in the end we paid for a spot by a Motel where we knew a couple from England were staying who we had met on the trip. They were from Bristol University and were a good laugh, we parked up next to their campervan and seeing as we had paid, had full use to the facilities which was good, all private too which meant safe for Chino to sleep later also.

This evening we all had a good laugh, got a table, got out the drinks, got told to quiet down once, soon passed out on the table...well...Chino did.....this ended up with quite a lot of Mosquito bites on both his feet. Seriously...tonnes.

Chaggie x

Day 114 - Mitai Bay

Woke up at 08:00 this morning, Chino was woken by Jamie coming to make sure he was still alive, it was surprisingly a really good sleep for all. Not as nice a day as we had recently been used to today, overcast all day.

We had breakfast, fried toast and beans cooked by Jamie who has become our trips chef, Chaggie say its because he's getting a lift everywhere. We always make sure we're parked near a public toilet so once we took use of the ones nearby this morning which aren't always in as dirty condition as one may think, we drove to Mitai Bay which is at the top of the Kari Kari Peninsula. Mitai Bay is right next to Kari Kari Bay, both on a good day would be stunning beaches. Unfortunately with the weather we had, they weren't the best we had seen but most certainly were a good place to stop for the day.

We played cricket all day today, played 10 overs each innings and with three of us and only two fielders each time, it would take quite a while to get someone out. We swam around Kari Kari Bay this afternoon and sunbathed, we had to take the opportunity in getting a tan this week ready to be setting off home next week!

Later on we made sure the car was parked in a good position ready to sleep in this evening making sure it was on a flat surface. We chilled out with a few beers, soon started cooking dinner. This evening we had steak and potato in a tomato sauce, was really good. We parked next to the bays where boats can access them, we were just down the road from a camping ground too. The showers and toilets we took advantage of, using the sinks to wash up our dishes also.

Tonight Chino made use of the alcohol, it was going to be a cold and drizzly night, he found a patch of grass, chucked his stuff on there and tucked in. It was at 03:00 that he woke up to rain, starting to pour quite heavily, he got up and picked up his sleeping bag and mozzy net, knocked on the car, to which startled Staggie. The rest of the night was an uncomfortable one with the 3 of us finding a tiny bit of space to each fit in the car.

Chaggie x

Day 113 - March Is Here!

Only 11 days left and Chaggie will be back in England, it struck us today how close we are to the end of the trip now being 1st March. A day we thought would take forever to come has now suddenly crept up on us. We spent it well today going further up North to see what it has to offer and New Zealand never disappoints.

Woke up at 7 this morning, was a pretty rough night for Chino, Jamie and Staggie had a good one. Chino was up bright and early to the sounds of other campers waking. He used the facilities, had a wash, woke up the others and off we went. FREE NIGHT! Yet again, always go down well.

Waitangi Treaty Grounds

We stopped off by the beach this morning where we got out the camping gear and cooked sausage and bacon sandwiches, stopping off at the shops on the way. We then made a trip to 'Waitangi Treaty Grounds', Staggie got in free with his NZ Passport and made a donation before entering and taking pictures of all the history, what hit him was the fact that without this treaty he would never have been born!

We went shopping before leaving Paihia this morning, our first checkpoint of the day was 'Tauranga Bay', we stayed there for an hour or so, played some cricket, a lot of slogging. Our second checkpoint we got to in the afternoon; 'Taupo Bay'. Tauranga Bay didn't have the nicest beach, we chose not to swim there but Taupo Bay we couldn't resist, a very nice beach looking out on a Gorilla shaped rock. We stayed at Taupo Bay all afternoon, tried using a nearby camps showers but it cost $2, far too expensive for a shower (we are backpacking properly this week don't forget).

We drove to Mangonui further up North this afternoon, to the right of the Kari Kari peninsula which will be our stop tomorrow for the day. Mangonui we heard was home to a World Famous Fish and Chips shop out on the bay, we found this place and made a stop. After getting quite a big meal, Snapper, Crab Sticks, Fish Cakes and battered sausages in Jamie's case we drove to Coopers Beach where we had found a perfect free car park area right on the beach. They were certainly amazing fish and chips, we had our own ketchup etc.

After eating, we played some cars, set up the car into Jamie and Staggie's sleeping position and chilled out in there till dark, we had a bottle of wine and a few beers, was a good evening. Ended up on a heavy discussion on how World War I and II started with Staggie giving us some interesting facts around the times. Chino found a fantastic spot to sleep, under a bush looking out on the beach, could tell it would be a nice scene to wake up to.

Chaggie x

Day 112 - Discover Bay of Islands

We got up today and knew we couldn't leave Paihia without seeing the Bay of Islands, Chino researched into some of the cruises Chaggie could do. Jamie was always going to stay back at Paihia and keep himself occupied as he is to be visiting Paihia again later on in his travels with his girlfriend, so he wouldn't of wanted to have ruined the surprise for both of them. We packed our bags and packed the car, then chilled out in the lounge most of the morning.

Chaggie were lucky to book for two on a 'Discover Bay of Island's Cruise' which would leave at 13:30. Until then we hung out in the lounge online. Jamie got in contact with his girlfriend, he stayed in the lounge at YHA throughout the duration of our cruise also. The cruise was brilliant, we booked it with 'NZ Extreme', after picking up the remaining passengers from 'Russell', the first capital of New Zealand where Chino had to get a picture of the sign for his Dad, we continued on around the Islands.

The scenery was amazing, the Islands offer many fantastic beaches and walks, most all isolated and untouched. 1 or 2 used to be privately owned but they are now all open to the public so if you can get hold of a kayak or boat, you would find the most amazing places to spend your day on.

A Baby and Adult Bottlenose Dolphins

The favorite part of Chaggie's trip and most memorable will be seeing the dolphins, not just one species but two at different times. The Bottlenose and Common Dolphins were both seen on our cruise, we had enough time with both to take plenty of pictures and video. They would come very close to the boat, all friendly showing off their speeds and skills. They would then keep with the boat for a bit when going to the next spot.

Common Dolphins

An important part of the trip was to sight see the popular 'Hole in the Rock'. Basically one big hole...in a rock. The skipper managed to cruise through it with today's conditions which was pretty cool. We stopped off at 'Otehei Bay' on the way back to Paihia, a beautiful beach on a small, quiet Island. Was very Caribbean like!

Hole in the Rock

We got back to YHA at 17:30 to find Jamie watching 'Team America'. We thought we'd use YHA's lounge although we were no longer staying there for as long as possible, chilled out to some TV and a comfy sofa till 22:00. This evening we skipped out on dinner, took us a while to find somewhere we could sleep for the night. Again Jamie and Staggie were going to crash out in the car and Chino was fine with the hammock, just wanted a nice, safe spot to camp out, preferably close to the car.

Night Night Chino

We couldn't find a quiet, free car park anywhere so we tried a camping ground nearby. To our amazement we found one where the office had closed and no gates kept us out. It was quite a busy camping ground so we weren't scared to park in a space between many campervans. All couldn't go so smoothly though, when setting up Chino in the hammock between a tree and the car, we must have tightened it too strong, when moving about the hammock broke. The material completely tore down the middle. Not good! Chino thought about it and is a person who would do anything for a free night anyway! He took one for the team and slept on the ground next to the car, he had a sleeping bag and used the hammock as his mosquito net! Can't get much more rough than that, after the amount of spoiling though that we have received from family and friends, staying in lovely homes, to live rough for a week was needed and we were fine with it!

Chaggie x

Day 111 - Our Last Night At YHA

Cosy car for Staggie and Jamie

Handy hammock for Chino

< Good Night Sleep >

We all woke up at around 09:30 this morning, Chino rose from his Hammock as the others got out their vehicles,  was another brilliant day, the sun was shining, blue sky.

Chaggie and Parsons got their camping gear out; frying pan, stove, gas cylinder and out came the sausages. A sausage sandwich later and we were on the beach, just chilling. We spent the morning on Matapouri Beach, got out our beach ball and kicked it around with the 3 guys we met last night. The waves were strong this morning also so we made sure we rode a few of those too.

It was a hot day, around mid-day we went for a walk to 'Whale Bay', another gorgeous bay we had heard about. It took us about half an hour to get there, once we were there we realised we had forgotten our towels but the sea was far too inviting to say no. Jamie got out his camera and went on a photo taking spree.

We headed off to Paihia at 14:30 this afternoon, our next stop looking out on the Bay of Islands. We went searching for the cheapest night we could get at a backpackers once we arrived, there were plenty of them. In the end YHA was our top choice. We always knew that we'd have just one night of this week spent in a backpackers, to re-organise ourselves and tidy up a bit. Due to us not getting it at Whangarei, we chose to try and stay in one at the Bay of Islands, almost half way through the week.

We did a bit of blogging, uploaded all the recent photos to Facebook and tidied ourselves up a bit with a very missed shower. Dinner was cooked this evening, we had sausages and beans with home made chips that Jamie had previously learnt to cook on his travels.

Chaggie x

Day 110 - Dive! Tutukaka

We woke up in the car today at 07:00 and got driving straight away to Tutukaka, just half an hour drive away. Chino got us there for 07:30ish, we brushed our teeth, used some public toilets for a quick poo and checked in at 08:00. 


We spent the day with Dive! Tutukaka around the Poor Knights Island just an hour from Tutukaka's coast. The Island is all reserve, marine and land. A fantastic place for snorkelling and scuba diving. The staff were brilliant today, our guide would give us the history on certain places where we stopped around the Island, our first stop was a good place for a dive, Jamie and Chino had only paid for one dive today and it was set for this afternoon so this morning, first thing they joined Staggie and all went snorkelling. 


These islands are special for several reasons. They're along the EAC (The East Australia current. The one that Nemo takes a ride on in the movie. More specifically they’re located on an offshoot of the EAC called the East Auckland Current) which picks up tropical fish, eggs, and larva from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and deposits them in the Poor Knights. This causes a unique situation where tropical and subtropical fish mix together in the same environment. Throughout the day the subtropical makeup of the Poor Knights meant a whole lot of kelp. In fact quite a bit of kelp. Kelp forests. We made our way around the bay in which our boat anchored in, we stuck as a three and saw a lot of Black Angelfish, huge Snapper, Wrasse and lots of Perch we think (whatever the fish are in Finding Nemo, the ones that would create sings and arrows showing both Dory and Marlon where to go). 


In between dives and snorkeling, our skippers would show us around the Islands, one interesting part of the trip was getting a close look at the World's Largest Sea Cave by volume, the skipper managed to fit the boat into it giving us an opportunity to shout out and stomp our feet, listening to the huge bass of the echo that follows. 


This afternoon after lunch, Jamie and Chino got their diving equipment on and met with their scuba instructor. It was just going to be the three of us that went down which was good. We got in, breezed through the instructions and briefing due to both of us doing at least one previous dive. 



We got to a maximum depth of 12 meters, Fish swam through the kelp, slugs hid behind leaves and many interesting fish were seen including the Scorpion fish. The best part of the subtropical setting is that you can touch anything. Unlike a coral reef where a misplaced fin might kill 100 years of coral growth the kelp forest is durable. Not only is it near impossible to actually rip off kelp, even if you did it would grow back in a few weeks. At one point we got down to the sand and did a hand stand, this really did make it quite surreal looking at the marine life upside down. It was a great dive, different to that done at the Great Barrier Reef too in Chino's opinion, in some ways better. 


This afternoon we returned about 17:00ish. We checked out and returned all our gear, Chino hopes to take part in a course once he's home to achieve his PADI certification. Now that he's done 3 dives altogether he might as well become a qualified diver rather than doing an introductory lesson each time and going through the steps and instructions. 


This evening we went shopping, bought food and drink for the next couple of days including a few bottles of wine to help out with tonights sleep. Set off to Matapouri, hadn't heard much about the place, just that it had a nice beach...Only turned out to be one of the most stunning beaches we have seen! A beautiful bay looking out onto Poor Knights Island with forest covering around it. We parked in an empty car park next to the beach, no signs telling us not to park there over night so a perfect spot it was. It even had a public BBQ so we cooked sausage and bacon butties! 

We chilled out after and drank on the beach, turned out we didn't end up being the only people to notice this quiet and amazing camping spot, we met three other English lads on their travels. Also staying the night in their hired campervan. Staggie and Jamie slept in the car this evening, Chino had already planned to sleep in the Hammock. With help from the three English lads, we could tie up the hammock in between both vehicles! 
A wicked idea which worked perfectly, a good sleep for all after a great day all round.


Chaggie x 

Day 109 - Northland Here We Come

We didn't get up to too much this morning, we spent time with Liz and Florence before having lunch with Laurence and his Mum too. We got going around 13:00, departed Auckland and set off up North to Whangarei.

We got there around 15:00ish, we had booked (or so we thought) to stay at the YHA backpackers for the night, this was going to be used as a night to organise and catch up on blog's, sleep, pictures etc before living a rough, backpackers week for the rest of our time around Northland. In the end we soon found that we had booked to stay at the YHA Whitianga rather than Whangarei, an easy mistake to make! Unfortunately they had no space at Whangarei so it turned out sleeping it rough was going to occur sooner than we first thought!

We chilled out in town, was a nice sunny day. We spent a bit of time at McDonalds trying to get online via their free wi-fi, couldn't find a hotspot though so after a big Mac we headed into town.

We went to a Pool Bar this evening, had a few games of pool which took up a bit of time, we were all looking forward to tomorrow, the last expensive thing we had planned, diving at the Poor Knights Island off Tutukaka.

Later on this evening we drove back to YHA, not to stay there though but to stay outside on the quiet road we noticed before hand. We got out our sleeping bags and got into a position we hoped we could rest in. Was certainly not a comfortable night but a couple more beers helped out a little. Chino had the steering wheel, Staggie in the passenger seat and Jamie with bent legs at the back. Was a pretty crappy nights sleep but surprisingly went fast.

Chaggie x

Day 108 - Another Stagg Seen In NZ!

Today Phill had planned to meet up with his Sister, Liz who flew in from the UK just a couple of days ago with her Daughter, Florence as well as Flo's Dad, Laurence.

First of all this morning, we re-organised ourselves once we woke up at Michael and Emilie's house. They had gone to work but left us to pack up and leave when we wanted. They were also very kind enough to lend us some of their camping gear including pots, pans, a portable camping stove, cutlery and a hammock! We really did appreciate it all and packed it all into the car. We then had to go all the way back to Thames in order to retrieve Jamie's jumper which he left behind on the 22nd at YHA. They fortunately had it and put it aside, we got there, picked it up and headed straight back to Auckland.

We were lucky enough to be staying at Laurence's Parents home this evening in Manukau. The family are Polynesians and were very warm and welcoming. The three of us met the family as well as Liz and Flo who were in Auckland for only a few days more. Was weird for Staggie to be seeing his sister and niece in another country, especially one so far away from home.

It was a really good afternoon and evening, Chaggie and Jamie were introduced to the family, Laurence's siblings and their families were all round for a BBQ. The three of us joined in a game of rugby whilst the meat got cooking. An amazing BBQ it was too, a feast of meats as well as Kumara, Sweetcorn, Potatoe, Salad and Chips. Certainly filled a spot!

This evening people soon had to leave, the home soon started to get quieter, the three of us slept in the lounge  with bedding provided by Laurence's Mother, very generous. We were spoilt once again today, a fantastic meal and a very welcoming family.

Tomorrow is the big day heading off to Northland, the last part of New Zealand to cover in our travels.

Chaggie x

Day 107 - Farewell Basil

The 4 of us woke up and checked out at 10:00 once again, the receptionist had no idea. Classic cheapaslad!

We went and got a bite to eat before going to an internet cafe. Last night we got the car out of the Sky City car park and parked over at another car park for the evening just down the road from the hotel, cost us $6 for the night, was then $4 each hour after 08:00. We planned to leave at 11:00 so before heading off, Jamie, Staggie and Chino each said there goodbye to Basil. Which wasn't much, we were in a rush so it was a quick one. Good luck to Big Baz though on his travels down South. His reason for going alone was so that he could speed up his trip and get back to Sydney for work, so that in the long run he can get home quicker too.

So from now on until the 5th it will be Chaggie and Parsons (Jamie) down-under! We had been in contact with Staggie's Dad's Partners Niece and her husband who both live in Beechlands, not far outside of Auckland. They were very kind to take the three of us up for a night so we got on the road to Beechland. 

Not long after we were greeted by Michael, a Welshman who moved to New Zealand just a few years ago. We spent the day with Michael, he showed us around and took us to some nearby beaches including one at Maratei and one at Beechlands. Once Emilie returned with their son; Yannick we all had a BBQ this evening, Chaggie and Parsons supplied some beer and meat for the meal. Was a great day, both Michael and Emilie are very good people and made us feel right at home. 

After the meal a little later on Staggie asked Michael to get out a game he once showed Staggie, a game played in India where the aim is to flick your objects into the oppositions goals at either corner of their table. We had a good laugh playing this, some very tense matches.

This evening Jamie had shotgun the Double bed, Staggie had the air bed and Chino was well up for trying out the Hammock outside on the balcony. A sleeping bag and mosquito net also, could this be the answer to our cheap week intended for next week up Northland? 

We'll just have to see. With his Ipod plugged in, tucked in and zipped up, the 3 of us soon went to sleep. 

Chaggie x 

Day 106 - The Return To Auckland

We left Thames at 10:00 this morning and got going back to Auckland, Staggie did the driving and got us there for 12:00. We found the hotel where we would be staying quite quickly, one we booked online yesterday using a last minute, cheap bookings site. For $50 we managed to book a twin room and planned to sneak Jamie and Basil in on the floor.

Once we got to the hotel, what was going to be difficult was finding a car parking space. Very difficult to find one on a week day that won't cost and it was annoying the hotel didn't have their own parking area. We found that the Sky City parking would be cheaper if we bought admission tickets to go up Sky Tower, this was our original plan for the day anyway so that worked out quite well. Sky City was just next door to our hotel too. We got rid of our bags, were lucky to be able to check in at 12:00, we then went and got lunch and popped into an internet cafe.

Later on Jamie, Staggie and Chino headed off to Sky City leaving Basil at the internet cafe where he preferred to save money by staying online. The three of us bought our tickets and went up Sky Tower. Chaggie have been up quite a few Sky Towers now with our first being QDeck at Gold Coast. Sky Tower Auckland was in our opinion, the best. Beats Sydney's and Gold Coasts with nice views, glass panels on the floor which can always be quite a scare and being able to watch a few people jumping off it via Sky Jump was a laugh too.

We planned to meet Basil back at the car, it took us quite a while to find the car though, getting lost in the meantime around the car park. We got outside to find Basil walking up the hill which was lucky and carried on with our day. We went shopping so that Basil could buy a Harmonica, something he's wanted since the beginning of his trip. For the rest of the day we chilled out in our hotel room, crisp sandwiches for tea. This evening we went to the Imax Cinema and watched 'Unknown' with Liam Neeson. Was a brilliant film, along with 'Taken' Liam Neeson plays a great role in both.

We headed off back to the hotel and went to bed soon after, tomorrow Basil has booked his bus to take him back to Rotorua where he will then be carrying on with his trip.

Chaggie x

Day 105 - To Thames

Weather wasn't so good today, we had been really lucky with it the last few days throughout our trip around the peninsula. Now at the other side to where we started, there wasn't much else to do other than chill about at YHA Thames. We noticed that there were good facilities around the backpackers so they became very useful. A nice lounge with a huge TV, a good kitchen and a room with wi-fi.

Chino and Basil managed to get in touch with relatives through skype. Shops were just a walk away, so lunch and dinner were cooked by the 4 of us. A nice big lunch, bacon baguettes with beans and egg. Dinner was slightly vile heating up Pizza's in the micro-wave due to a lack of ovens.

Along with all this exciting stuff, we watched 'Kevin and Perry Go Large', 'Snatch' and 'A Knights Tale' as well as a few games of Pool.

Chaggie x

Day 104 - Some Sweet As Beaches

We got up to be checked out of the caravan at 10:00 today. Staggie and Basil had got up earlier this morning around 06:00 to try and get online and watch the Crawley Town vs Manchester United game. It wasn't possible unfortunately but going straight back to bed i'm sure was a good sub.

We checked out Hahei beach this morning before setting off on a walk to 'Cathedral Cove', a beach recommended to us by Murray and Kate. Was signposted as an hour and a half walk but we did it in about an hour. We had to make our own way past a fence saying that 'Cathedral Cove is unfortunately closed due to hazardous slips on the walk'. We noticed others going round it so we chose to too, had walked a good half an hour to get there and weren't prepared to turn back. It was so worth it, the walk was fine, all but the last few meters where we had to slowly climb down a slip. It was so worth it.

The beach was amazing, the Cove was pretty cool and a natural waterfall was also used. Was a wicked beach though, we found a few caves by swimming to them, chilled out on the bank inside.

We knew that today we wanted to check out the Hot Water Beach, famous for its natural hot baths that you can dig up in the sand. Best time to do it though is when the tide is in and that today wasn't until 15:30ish. So we walked back to Hahei for around 13:30, got back in the car and set off to the hot water beach not too far away. We had lunch in a cafe just off the beach, then hired a spade and got digging! You can tell where abouts the hot magma spikes are under the ground as a heap of people are all digging in the one spot. Water at temperatures of up to 70 degrees formed these hot water natural bath's in the sand, was pretty weird!

 What was even more weird was to run in to the sea after a good long chill out time in the hot water to find the sea is normal temperature and only a few meters away! We were at the hot water beach till about 18:00 this evening, the sea offered some huge waves as well so an all round quality beach.

We drove to Coromandel where we stopped off for the evening at a YHA backpackers. Dinner was bought from a local store, Jamie and Staggie then made pasta, Basil and Chino washed up. We ended up just slobbing about, what we do best. Watched a crappy film with a guy from Yorkshire and crashed out around 01:00.

Chaggie x