The Northlands
The landscape of the northern part of the north island is an unsung beauty in New Zealand, often skipped in search of the more dramatic sights. We really enjoyed our days of driving through the countryside here. The green fields and rolling hills reminded us of Wales and the beaches of Cornwall. But they were on a much grander scale- everything goes on for miles and miles and seems endless!
We visited the bay of islands with their ‘world famous’ (in New Zealand) hole in the rock. We also camped in a bay just next to Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip. Maori spirits make their way here up the ninety mile beach and it was a sacred and striking place to visit.
On our return down the west coast, we walked through kauri forests seeing the giant trees in person. We also surprised ourselves by spending several hours in a museum dedicated to them! The trees, which are now protected, required extreme machinery and techniques to cut down, transport and work with.
This part of our journey also had the novelty factor of living in a campervan… Very close quarters! So far so good, we have really enjoyed the freedom, and a hob and fridge equates to a large number of meal possibilities, and yes, we are still friends 🙂
1st random diversion in the van took us to a moody sunset
Iconic lighthouse at Cape Reinga
Cross section of the huge Kauri trees
Our Campervan
A deserted bay at the northern peak of NZ
Bay of Islands
In the forest
