HEADING FOR NEW ZEALAND!

Another day....An other trail!

This time New Zealand

The  'Te Araroa'

3000km Top to Bottom

 

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Started in Auckland for logistical reasons

(To beat the snows of the South Island in April -

Will come back to the North Island again later)

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First section: Auckland to Waitomo - km 721 to km 898

Obligatory 'Champagne' start

(wasn't very good!)

All great journeys start with one small step...here's the first!

Nice start!....a proper trail!

With a cheering section.....

And then it all falls apart.......Richmond warehouses by the mile!

Awesome trail

Nothing in Canada compares!

An improvement.....

A trail......even better!

Didn't last long......But it's OK.....it's McDonalds!

The trail continues through open pasture lands.

With a new cheering section!

Can't figure out why the sheep are running from me!

Climbing now.....finally in the mountains

Much..Much better!

First hut of many.....brand new...really nice inside

Not so nice outside!

No hut tonight!  doesn't matter...tired....zzz

Final tramp down into Waitomo.

Time for a rest break with 'Pickup & Dropoff' in town!

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Coaches Corner

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Direct flight - Vancouver to Auckland - 14 hours

Walked enviously through First Class section to the cattle car at the back!

Ibis Airport Hotel - Our home base for several days while we sorted

things out and DA got several days of hiking out of the way.

One of the first things to sort out....
.........driving on the wrong side of the road!

Auckland is a shitty place to do this...no maps yet...no GPS yet

full on city driving with massive two lane 'round-a-bouts and more!

Not a problem though....done this lots before in Scotland and New Zealand

Campsite on the road....nice to have shade

Campsites / hostels all have these glorious stainless steel kitchens

Haven't used the van's equipment yet!

Dropped by the Hamilton Gardens.....very spectacular....gardens of all nations

and ages.  Medieval (as in the Tudor gardens above), Chinese, Ming dynasty,

Japanese, Italian, English, rose gardens, Maori gardens and more! 

Birds of paradise!

The ubiquitous New Zealand fern......they're everywhere. 

Raglan .......on the west coast.

Young surfer's mecca!..........the Tofino of New Zealand.

Surfers in action....water's even somewhat warm!

But don't screw up!

It's OK....Grim reaper's got your back!

Why swim with the dolphins when you've got horses!

Back to the world famous glow worm caves of Waitomo......utterly incredible!

Maori warrior.......ancestors of the 'All Blacks' 

Their tongues are not the only things they stick out!

My pathetic attempt to grow a Maori hairdo!

Till the next post!