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Introduction
We began our trip on the South Island because we got our Campervan 10% cheaper
when travelling from South to North. Another aspect was that it was easier to
get used to the lefthand rule of the road on the South Island because of the
less traffic.
For detailed information refer to the New Zealand Homepage or the New Zealand
Linkpage in the City Net. As guide book we used the "Baedecker Allianz
Reiseführer" and the "Stefan Loose Travel Handbuch". The best
information we got from the "New Zealand Tourism Board" in Frankfurt,
Friedrichstrasse 10-12, Tel: 069-9712110, Fax: 069-97121113.
We booked our campervan at Kugler
Reisen and the flights at Reiseagentur Kunkel in Seligenstadt.
Arrival
Our Trip began in Frankfurt on the 9th of November 1996. Twelve hours later we
had a 90 minutes stopover in Los Angeles. Another twelve hours later we landed
in Auckland at 8:40 a.m.. Due to the date line crossing it was on the 11th of
Novmber. After one hour stop and another one hour flight we landed at 10.40 a.m.
in Christchurch where finally our journey began.
1st day, Christchurch - Mount Somers
From the airport we took a taxi to our camper rental. From there we drove to a
bank to change Traveller cheques into New Zealand dollars and to a supermarket
to by some food and other stuff.
In a shop of the New Zealand Automobile Association (AA) we bought a Road Atlas
and got other maps for free because we are in the ADAC in Germany.
Our next destination was the botanic garden of Christchurch. After the long
flights it was quite relaxing to walk through the rainy garden and breathe the
fresh air.
Since we were not as tired as we should be after 35 hours since departure of
Frankfurt, we decided to leave Christchurch and look for a nice place to sleep.
After 130 km on highway 77 we found a small campingsite in the village Mount
Somers. We arrived there between 5 and 6 p.m. and only one other camper was
there. We had supper at 7 p.m. and afterwards we fell asleep immediately.
194 km
2nd day, Mount Somers - Portobello
We woke up at 5 a.m. but till we had breackfast and cleaned the dishes it was 7
a.m. On most days we left the camping site between 7 and 8 a.m. Later on the
North island it became usually 9 a.m. We followed highway 77, switched to 79 at
Geraldine and to highway 8 at Fairlie. 40 km later we arrived at Lake Tekapo and
another 50 km later at Lake Pukaki. There we had some great views with the
mountains in the background but we found that the colour of the water looks
quite strange. We started the Mt Cook Road along Lake Pukaki but we turned back
because of the bad weather. Leaving highway 8 at Omarama we followed No. 83 to
the East coast. Interesting were the Moeraki Boulders and the endless beaches
its high waves and the wet, foggy air. The next city was Dunedin. We wanted to
do several things. But because of the bad weather (rain all the time) and
because it was a bit late (4 p.m.) we decided to look for our next camping site
on the Otago Peninsula at Portobello. We hoped that the weather would be better
the next day. 553 km (747 km)
3rd day, Portobello - Manapouri
But we were disappointed. Our third day started as the second had ended. At
the far end of the Otago Peninsula we hoped to see some Albatrosses, but we were
to early for the National Park, so we decided to leave. We left Dunedin to the
South on highway 1 an took a lonesome road near the coast at Balclutha. On the
next 150 km (and three hours) we met only three cars. We saw our first seal 35
km south of Balclutha at Nugget Point. ANd there were some nice panorama views
like the one at the Tautuku Peninsula near Papatowai. Our next big city was
Invercargill but we just crossed it and used Highway 99 to Manapouri. 450 km
(1197km)
4th day, Manapouri - Te Anau
In Manapouri our one day trip to the doubtful sound began. We started at 8 a.m.
at Lake Manapouri and it took 1 1/2 hours to reach the West Arm Power Station.
This is a Power Station which is built 600 metres deep in the mountain. The only
access to this powerstation is provided by a two kilometres long access road.
From this station to the beginning of Doubtful Sound leads a 22 km long road
which was built only for the erction of the power station. This road has no
connection to other roads so the only possibility to reach it is by ship. We
spent the next for hours on a ship, discovering a lot of the Doubtful sound. But
we didn't see any dolphins or pinguins. But we saw amazing water falls and the
Fjordland that Steven Spielberg used as intro for his latest movie Lost World.
It was really great (and expensive: 150 NZ$ per person) We were back at our
Camper at 5 p.m. and drove to Te Anau. Here we met Stefan and Birgit, an old
schoolfriend of mine with his girlfriend (20.000 km away from Seligenstadt were
I live) doing nearly the same tour than we did. We were not as surprised as you
might think because I met Stefan five days before we left Germany. So we knew
that they are making nearly the same route only four days earlier. As
distinguishing mark we decided to fix a postcard of Seligenstadt at our
backwindows of our campervan. We got them in the Te Anau Motor Park, Manapouri
Road. Belive me, that was a boozy evening. 170 km (1367 km)
5th day, Te Anau - Queenstown
We were told that the Doubtful Sound is much more beautiful than the Milford
Sound. So we booked a trip to the Te Ana-Au Caves on the West coast of Lake Te
Anau. The glow worms in this cave were really amazing. After that tour we left
Te Anau to the East on highway 94, took the North direction at Lumsden and after
100 km we reached Queenstown. There we first parked our Camper at the Queenstown
Creekside Campervan Park, one of the best parks we have seen in New Zealand.
Then we visited the Kiwi and Birdlife Park. But it was not worth to pay 9 NZ$
for it. It was a bit run down and you can see the same animals free in wildlife.
Because it was near the Skyline to Bobs Peak we entered it and had a nice walk
to the summit (762m). This evening we had supper at the Cow Restaurant in the
Cow Lane. It is small and friendly and you get fantastic pizza or great portions
of any pasta you can think of! 205 km (1572 km)
6th day, Queenstown - Franz Josef Glacier
Some kilometres out of Queenstown to the North is the Kawarau Bridge were in the
80s the first man jumped in the 43m deep ravine. Bungee Jumping was born. But we
did not jump! Next we made stops at an old goldminer city and in Wanaka. There
we climed Roys Peak (1581m) and had a great panorama view over Lake Wanaka and
the mountain behind. On the scenic highway No. 6 we crossed the Haast Pass and
reached Haast 63 km later. In the afternoon we reached the Fox Glacier. But it
was to cloudy for good photos. 434 km (2006km)
7th day, Franz Josef Glacier - Motueka
At the next day we were lucky and had sunny weather at the glacier. But only for
half an hour, then the clouds came again. On our way to the North we took some
other amazing photos of the rough sea and the famous Pancake Rocks. At Cape
Foulwind, near Westport, we saw many seals and had great panorama views. We
drove a lot that day and so we finally reached Motueka near the Abel Tasman
Park. 569 km (2575km)
8th day, Motueka - Nelson
From our Camping site in Motueka we drove to Marahau, the last city before the
Abel Tasman Park begins. We took a water Taxi to the first bay (Torrent Bay).
For our surprise we were let off the boat in half a metre deep water
approximately 200m away from the beach. We were wearing long trousers and hiking
shoes. Of course we had to take them off. It was damn cold and raining. And we
had nothing to dry our feet. Further we expected only a two hour walk because
for all tracks so far we needed half the time which was stated. But for that
route we needed the full time (four hours while it was raining cats and dogs).
Back in our camper we made only 50 km to Nelson and reached the Tahuna Beach
Holiday Park, the biggest (over 1000 campingplaces) in New Zealand. Because of
the bad weather we did not explore the area North West of the Abel Tasman Park.
But due to our guide books this region must be very beautiful. We will do it
next time but that trip is not planned yet. 65 km (2640km)
9th day, Nelson - Picton
Our last day on the South Island we drove from Nelson to Picton. First we wanted
to take the ferry to the North Island on the same day but because of the stormy
weather conditions my girlfriend decided to cross the Cook Strait on the next
day. And she was right (as every time :-). The next day we read in the newspaper,
that winds up to 186 km per hour turned busses and lifted men in the air!!! But
on the next day we had perfect weather! Our journey is to be continued on the
North Island! 231 km (2871 km)
10th day, Picton - Bulls
For the first nine days of the journey see the South Island! Even we had very
good weather there were winds up to 70 km per hour in Wellington (that is the
reason why Wellington is called the windy city). From Mount Victoria (196 m) we
had a great view on the city. Also very nice was the City Marine Drive around
the Miramar Peninsula which is in the East of Wellington. Finally we left
Wellington to the North on highway 1 till we reached Bulls. 218 km (3089 km)
11th day, Bulls - Stratford
112 km behind Bulls on highway 1 we entered the Desert Road which passed Mount
Ruapehu (2797 m) on the right. This active volcano erupted only three months ago.
So it was a strange feeling when we came closer to that hudge mountain. We
turned left in the North of Tongariro National Park and entered 36 km later the
access road to Iwikau Village (1600 m). From there it is only a three hours walk
to the summit of Mount Ruapehu. But again because of the bad weather (we could
only see 20 metres) we decided not to go. But in the visitor centre in Whakapapa
Village we got detailed information about everything concerning the vulcanic
activity in this region. Back in our Camper we left the park to the South on
highway 4 and turned West at Raetihi to Pipiriki. At Pipiriki we took the mostly
unsealed road to the South. But we should not have done this. The route was not
very interesting, the road was very bad and we lost some hours. We made a short
break in Wanganui and followed highway 3 to Stratford. 510 km (3599 km)
12th day, Stratford - Taupo
From Stratford we started to the Mount Egmont National Park and entered it from
the South to the Dawson Falls. On a short walk we saw impressing lava rivers
only one hundred years old. Back in Stratford we took the "Heritage Trail"
highway 43 to Te Kuiti. Because we already had seen a glow worm cave in Te Anau
we did not visit the famous Waitomo Caves. Instead we travelled West on highway
30 to Taupo. 400 km (3999 km)
13th day, Taupo - Rotorua
In Taupo again we met our friends Stefan and Birgit and again it was a total
coincidence (as it was when we met them first in Te Anau). Together we visited
the Craters of the Moon, where you are not allowed to leave the paths because
you could brack in hot holes that sizzle, steam and stinks of sulphur and rotten
eggs. Our next destination was the Aratiatia Dam which is to be opened several
times a day only for us (the stupid tourists!). You can see what happened in the
sequence of pictures below. Also worth a journey is Orakeikorako, the hidden
valley 30 km North of Taupo. There you see everything which is interesting in a
geothermal area like the one between Rotorua and Taupo and you can leave out all
the other "geothermal attractions" with a clear conscience because it
is always the same. In the early afternoon we arrived in Rotorua were nearly
every house has its own hot water supply only by digging a hole (in most times
not deeper than one or two metres) in the earth. Even our camping site has its
own natural hot water pool. 140 km (4139 km)
14th day, Rotorua - Ohope
We surrounded Lake Rotorua in the North and took highway 30 to Kawerau in the
West. 22 km (on a private road!) southwest of Kawerau the Tarawera River comes
out of a mountain and falls over a 60 m high rocky ledge. Its worth to do the
half hour walk after the boring private road where you can not drive fast. One
hour later we saw the sea again. We found a very nice campingsite in Ohope only
a few metres from the beautiful but windy beach. 172 km (4311 km)
15th day, Ohope - Whitianga
At the coast we drove to the "Kiwifruit Country". At this Kiwi
Plantage at the highway 33 six km east of Te Puke you can buy every product
which is made of Kiwi (wine, liquor, honey, soap and more). 20 km northwest we
drove along the Papamoa Beach Road through a vast area of weekend and holiday
houses of rich New Zealanders (that's what it looked like). We crossed Tauranga,
Waihi Beach and Whangamata on our way to Whitianga. 430 km (4741 km)
16th day, Whitianga - Thames
There are three main attractions at that part of the Coromandel Peninsula. First
we drove to the Lonely Bay and Cooks Beach where we gathered beautiful shells.
Lonely Beach really was a kind of paradise. The other two attractions are the
Cathedral Cave in the North of Hahei and the Hot Water Beach some kilometres
south of Hahei which looked like a big castle of sand. There you really had to
be careful not to boil your feet. But if you found the right place you could sit
in a nice warm pool. After relaxing some hours we left the east side of the
peninsula and took a narrow road to the west coast. On that very twisting road
we saw big Kauri trees and later had fantastic views over the Coromandel Harbour.
From Coromandel we followed the highway 25 south to Thames. At this campingsite
we fed a duckfamily and had much fun with them (Just try to steal a little
duckling and see what the parents will do with you!!!). 100 km (4841 km)
17th day, Thames - Auckland
Today we took the road on the coast to Papakura and then the Motorway to
Auckland. There we visited Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in Orakei at Tamaki
Drive. There we saw penguins and while walking through acrylic fibre tunnels
sharks, rays and many other more or less exotic marine animals. Next we went to
the One Tree Hill (192 m), one of the best vantage points in the city. Here you
have the best view to Rangitoto Island which is an extinct volcano, our first
destination on the next day. 164 km (5005 km)
18th day, Auckland - Whangarei
At the Ferry Building in the Quay Street we booked a tour to Rangitoto Island
and left the harbour at 10 a.m. On the Island we had four hours to reach the
summit (260 m), examine caves and take many photos. Back on the main land we
took highway 1 to the north where we reached Whangarei in the evening. 190 km
(5195 km)
19th day, Whangarei - Kaitaia
50 km north of Whangarei we reached the beautiful Bay of Islands. The Haruru
Falls near Paihia are not worth visiting it so we travelled further to the north
and came on highway 1 again. At Te Kao we left the highway on Te Ahu Road to the
west, passed Lake Wahakari, crossed the Aupouri Forest and reached the Ninety
Mile Beach (which in fact is only 103 km long) at The Bluff. After another 46 km
Cape Reinga, the North end of New Zealand where the Abel Tasman Sea meets the
Atlantic Ocean. As you can see here are always waves. This night we slept at a
camping site in the south of Kaitaia. 436 km (5631 km)
20th day, Kaitaia - Baylys Beach
Travelling South again we took highway 12 near Kaikohe to the west and reached
teh Waipoua Forest where we saw the biggest, tallest and oldest Kauri Trees of
the world. In Dargaville we visited the Northern Wairoa Museum masts of the
first Rainbow Warrior can be seen. The Greenpeace ship was sunk by French agents
in the harbour of Auckland 1985. Baylys Beach is a little village with another
fantastic beach. There we had a big campingsite for our own. 323 km (5954 km)
21st day, Baylys Beach - Auckland
On our way back to Auckland we visited a sheep farm between Wellsford and
Warkworth on highway 1. Here you can feed sheep, strike goats and by many
useless but expensive things. Back in Auckland we parked our camper in the
Avondale Motor Park, 46 Bollard Street and left for a restaurant to have lunch.
When we came back Stefan and Birgit parked with their camper next to us. So that
was the third and last time we met them (after Te Anau and Taupo). 222 km (6176
km)
22nd day, Auckland
After a fantastic breackfast in the warm morning sun, we started with our two
campers to the direct north surroundings of Auckland. We visited Muriwai Beach
on the west coast with thousands of birds and then to the Shakespear regionla
park in the east of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. There we had a good view on
Rangitoto Island from the other side as on the 18th day. In the evening we
celebrated our last evening with two dozen cans of good New Zealand beer. 180 km
(6356 km)
23rd day, Auckland
In our last few hours in New Zealnd we cleaned our camper, had one last walk
through the main street of Auckland city and finally gave back our vehicle at
Kea Campers LTD:, 53a Hillside Road, Glenfield in Auckland. 40 km (6396 km) A
big advantage could be the german speaking freephone number 0800-404-888 if you
have any questions or problems concerning the camper. We left the Auckland
airport at 3.10 p.m. on Dezember, the 3rd for our next destination Tonga.