Cameron Highlands

My next intended stop after the Taman Negara National Park was the Cameron Highlands. I was tempted to go to the Perhentian Islands from Taman Negara, which is a great place to go for beautiful beaches and snorkeling opportunities. I decided not to in the end because it's where Jake died and people may think I'm a bad person for not going to pay my respects but I know if I went there I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself for obvious reasons. Getting anywhere on public transport from Taman Negara was a challenge, with an expensive private shuttle minibus operating once daily to KL, Perhentian Islands, and Penang via Cameron Highlands from Kuala Tahan. I however decided to attempt to take local buses to the Cameron Highlands, a far cheaper way of doing things.

As I caught the bus from Kuala Tahan to Jerantut on the Wednesday, I had a chilled out start to the day. The locals at the bus station were actually really helpful the previous day and helped me plan my journey to the Cameron Highlands. My first bus took me from Jerantut to Kuala Lipis. En route however there was an overturned truck which caused a few delays. When arriving in Kuala Lipis my next bus was to Raub. My final bus was from Raub to Tanah Rata which was my planned base to explore the Cameron Highlands. That bus was however delayed by 3 hours which meant a very long wait in some very humid weather! When the bus finally did come it was packed, but luckily it emptied out at Sungai Koyan. I didn't end up arriving into Tanah Rata until darkness.

The Cameron Highlands are located at altitude which means it's a nice area to get a bit of respite from the heat and humidity elsewhere in Malaysia. It's still hot when the sun is out, but certainly at night the temperatures are nice and cool. It's perhaps most famous for its vivid green tea plantations which cling to the sides of the hills, as well as its many strawberry farms. There are also some great hiking opportunities in the area. My base of Tanah Rata was only a small town centered around one street, but there were several pleasant cafes and outdoor eateries so it was a good base to explore the area.

After collecting a map of the walking trails and main tourist attractions in the area, I decided I would do a trek through the jungle out to the Boh Tea Estate via the 1840m summit of Gunung Berembun. The walking trails in the area were arranged in a number based system, although I was advised they were poorly maintained and notoriously hard to find. Apparently local tour guides go out twiddling with the trailheads to try and make you book tours instead of going out self guided. That was exactly the case, as when looking for trailhead 7 it was located round the back of a hotel and there was no sign to get there. Luckily the locals helped me. When actually on the trail it was easy to follow, it was just finding the actual trailhead!

The hike up to Gunung Berembun was pretty steep and muddy, and it was actually pretty disappointing at the top as the summit was just in the trees and didn't really have any views. From the summit I headed down trail 8 to Robinson Falls, the descent very steep and slippery! Once again however when arriving at the waterfall it was a little lacklustre, the waterfall itself littered in garbage. From the falls I had to follow trail 9a towards the Boh Tea Estate, and it felt as if that trail hadn't been walked for years as there was a lot of bush bashing and it was incredibly overgrown! Eventually I reached a point where I couldn't physically go any further so I dropped into this farm where the workers on the farm helped me get to the road.

When on the road it was a lot easier and I headed into the Boh Tea Estate. It was actually really pleasant, initially going through some lovely farmland, before reaching the tea plantation. There were trails everywhere through the plantation which you could freely explore, and it was a very tranquil setting with lush green tea crops clinging onto the hillsides as far as the eye could see. At the end of the road there was a tearoom and the factory where they make the tea. On the way back out I visited this small strawberry farm where they had a pick your own, and they were very yummy.

I eventually made it to the main road at Habu Village. From here I had to follow the road back towards Tanah Rata, although as I had dropped down a fair way to Boh it was a long slog back up a winding road. En route I stopped at the Cameron Bharat Tea Estate which was a more touristy tea estate, but it had a really nice tea room which overlooked the plantation. This dog decided to follow me to the tea room though! After having a walk round the plantation, the dog was sitting there waiting for me, and ended up following me all the way back to Tanah Rata!

The next morning when I went out for breakfast, the dog that followed me found me again! Luckily it only kept me company for breakfast, with my plan to head towards the Sungai Palas Tea Estate, stopping at places en route. My first stop of the day was Parit Falls, although once again it was a little lacklustre due to the garbage surrounding the falls. From here I headed to Brinchang, the next town north where I visited a couple of temples including the Sam Poh Temple. Heading north from Brinchang I followed the road where I passed several strawberry farms, garden centres, and roadside market stalls selling stuff like fruit and veg, and some very tacky souvenirs.

My first stop on the way up was Cactus Point which was a nice little garden centre selling lots of cactus plants. From there I reached Kea Farm which was a bustling little market where I grabbed some lunch, before continuing onto the Sungai Palas Tea Estate. Like the previous day it was a lovely tranquil setting, and this one allowed you to explore the factory too which was interesting. After a good look round I started beading back towards Tanah Rata, stopping en route at the Ee Feng Gu Bee Farm. I inevitably got stung although you could freely explore the farm, and there was a shop selling an array of fascinating products. On the way back to Tanah Rata I was tempted to visit this butterfly farm, although I instead checked out another strawberry farm in Brinchang which as well as doing pick your own had a strawberry desert cafe so I had to go there, before getting back to Tanah Rata a nice and reasonable time.

Taman Negara National Park

I decided to spend the weekend in Kuala Lumpur as my next intended stop was the Taman Negara National Park, and I wanted to make sure my bowels were completely under control before arriving. As I had done much of the sightseeing and exploring when I was last in Kuala Lumpur, I had a pretty relaxing time, although I did go out and watch the fountain show at Lake Symphony on the Saturday night, and the football on Sunday night. By Sunday my bowels were a lot better and I was back to eating normal food without any problems, which I very happy about because Asian food is so good.

On Monday I set off towards the Taman Negara National Park, which is apparently the world's oldest tropical rainforest. Getting there was the challenging part however as the primary way in is to go with a tour company, and I wanted to go self guided. After a bit of research I found the best way to get there self guided was by catching a bus to the town of Jerantut, before then catching another bus to the small village of Kuala Tahan which is the main gateway into the national park. Luckily when arriving at the bus station in Kuala Lumpur there were a few other backpackers there doing the same thing as me so I knew I was on the right track.

The drive to Jerantut was a nice scenic one as it went up via the Genting Highlands. This is where many Malaysians come on holiday as being at altitude the temperatures a lot cooler. There's therefore lots of entertainment complexes and high end hotel resorts up there. When arriving in Jerantut the bus to Kuala Tahan was waiting for us and was a nice and swift swap before continuing into the national park. The drive in went through these extensive palm plantations. When arriving in Kuala Tahan I soon found somewhere to stay and picked up a map of the walking trails in the area so I could plan my time there. The village itself was only small, with a busy river jetty offering boat transfers across the river into national park, accompanied by these floating restaurants and tour companies trying to sell you stuff.

I had several options of walks to do in the national park, before arriving tempted to try the challenging trek to the 2100m or so summit of Guning Tahan via the Four Step Waterfall. I opted against this in the end and decided I would stick to the trails in closer proximity to Kuala Tahan. The national park has a pretty extensive system of hides which are basically the equivalent of huts in New Zealand, but more like an actual hide so you can look out for wildlife, so I left the bulk of my kit in Kuala Tahan and went in with plenty of food and water, with the aim of staying out the night in the jungle somewhere. I had a vague idea of my route and several potential spots to stay the night.

After crossing the Tembeling River into the national park, I headed out towards the swimming hole at Lata Berkoh. En route I passed another swimming hole at Lubok Simpon, as well as my first hide at Bumbun Tabing. It was very hard work trekking though as the humidity was just crazy. I know when I left the weather forecast was quoting 38 degrees, and I least got out the direct sunlight by being in the trees, but it was still an absolute sweat box inside the trees! When arriving at Lata Berkoh it wasn't the most tempting place to swim, the water being brown, so I headed back on myself towards Bumbun Kumbang.

In a navigation sense it was actually really challenging as I got deeper into the jungle, as there weren't really any signs to help you, just these faded yellow spots on trees were all I had to follow, which disappeared constantly. I had a few occasions where I didn't see any for ages and wondered if I had gone wrong, but I was extra careful to make sure I followed the most obvious looking path. I did see a lot of humongous lumps of dung though which was obviously left by a large animal of some sort, I wasn't sure what though! Eventually I made it to the Terenggan river crossing which I had to paddle across, from here heading over to Kuala Terenggan where I rejoined the Tembeling River.

From Kuala Terenggan I wanted to do part of the Keniam Trail to explore and even possibly spend the night in these caves, but I couldn't find the path. I found some kind of small track but I wasn't confident enough to pursue it as I knew getting to Gua Kepayang, the cave I wanted to explore, was on paper 6km away and I didn't want to follow an unmarked path based on a hunch and risk getting lost. I therefore decided to base myself at the nearby hide of Bumbun Kumbang for the night. I still had a good 3 hours of daylight to play with, but I had already been out for about 8 hours so knew I probably should rest, and staying in a hide was far more appealing than camping after seeing some of insects crawling on the floor, the hide itself on stilts in the jungle canopy. I was pleased I did stay there as not long after arriving I spotted some monkeys, I think they were Gibbons, which were very fun to watch!

Overnight the jungle came alive and there was an absolute racket! There were some really unusual noises, and I was glad I pitched my mosquito net section of tent on the bunk bed and slept in that as I would have got eaten alive otherwise! It was let's say an experience sleeping in the heart of the jungle. Come morning my plan was to follow the Tembeling River back to Kuala Tahan, although when reaching the river crossing to cross the Terenggan River I couldn't see a realistic way across without physically swimming across, which wasn't the most attractive prospect as I could see eels in the river. There was this old collapsed bridge which I tried to use to decend to river level but it started giving way. As I couldn't see any alternative way both down to the river and then across, I decided to head back to where I crossed the river the previous day.

On my way back to the river crossing I saw a snake, although unfortunately it slithered into the bushes before I could get a picture. I think it was some kind of Krait. As before, navigationally it was challenging, and I soon reached this stream crossing which I knew I hadn't crossed the previous day. After retracing my steps I found a less obvious path which took me to the river crossing. I think I found the Keniam Trail as it was marked with the yellow dots the path I followed to the stream. There was no indication of a path the other side of the river, but I knew I'd come from that way, so nevertheless crossed the river which was luckily just a paddle, and eventually soon found the yellow dots again.

I followed the same path all the way back to the turn off to Lata Berkoh, and although it was navigationally tough I remembered certain things I'd passed on the way the the previous day. There was just one point I struggled as the path appeared to just stop, but when retracing my steps found a less obvious path and was back on track. Eventually I reached Lubok Simpon where I finally started seeing people again, and from here went out to Bumbun Tahan and the canopy walkway. The canopy walkway was unfortunately closed which was a series of swingbridges through the canopy, something which looked really fun. I was tempted to do a walk to summit of Bukit Teresek but by that point a nice cold drink in a cafe was far more appealing than trekking through the humid jungle.

By the time I got back to Kuala Tahan it was late afternoon, and with the local bus to Jerantut leaving each day at 10am and 5pm, I had the option to leave on the 5pm bus. In terms of exploring the national park I had actually explored a fair bit, and the only other realistic hike I could do was the Tenor Trail to visit a cave and further explore the jungle, although that would have required a full days hiking. As I was kind of done with hiking in humidity, I caught the bus to Jerantut for the night, mainly so I could get WiFi to plan the next few days, something not possible staying another night in Kuala Tahan.

Singapore

On Sunday I had a later start than anticipated as I stayed out later than expected the night before watching the football. The plan for the day was essentially to get to Singapore, although once again at the bus terminal it was a nightmare knowing what I was doing as there were several bus companies with staff who were not very helpful. In the end I managed to get a bus to Johor Bahru which is the city which borders Singapore. I thought that was the safest bet as I've read about scams where people sell you tickets to somewhere in another country but only actually take you to the border as a way of ripping you off.

When arriving in Johor Bahru it was actually a pretty simple system to get into Singapore, catching a local bus that would take you across the border and into Singapore itself the other end, something that worked out massively cheaper than what some of bus companies were offering for a direct transfer from Melaka. It took ages to cross the border however, with a massive traffic jam to get into the Malaysian Customs. When finally reaching there I was faced with another long wait to get stamped out the country, before getting back on the bus which took me over the bridge to the Singapore Customs. There was once again another massive queue here, one to get stamped into the country, and then once past that a long wait to get bags scanned. Eventually I got across the border and back on the bus into Singapore, which took me right into the Downtown Core which was useful.

When arriving it was dark outside, and I didn't actually have a map downloaded on my tablet or any Singapore Dollars on me. My first job was therefore to get some WiFi to get some bearings and find a bed for the night, and to change up some money as I was pretty starving. By the time I'd done that it was pretty late so I had a well earned rest. Singapore is only a small country, but despite this is the 4th richest country in the world based on GDP per capita. As a result compared to everywhere else in South East Asia it is incredibly expensive. If you have money to spend there is an array of high end restaurants, shopping, and entertainment complexes. For the backpacker community it is a shock to the system coming from Malaysia where it so incredibly cheaper.

After taking advantage of the good WiFi in Singapore to back up my photos I headed out to explore, focusing on Marina Bay and the Gardens by the Bay. The Gardens by the Bay was a pretty place to walk round with a modern and futuristic approach to it. The highlights was perhaps these sky tree things which were very impressive. Around this were several smaller gardens based on different cultures. From the gardens I took a slow walk round Marina Bay which had a great view of the city skyline.

From Marina Bay I went and checked out Bugis Street and Little India which was home to several temples and mosques, as well as a few interesting markets selling an array of items from different Asian cultures. Come evening I went back to the Gardens by the Bay to watch this light performance produced by the sky tree things. It was really busy but the performance was amazing. After leaving the gardens I went back down to Marina Bay to see the city skyline at night. The Helix bridge and science museum were particularly impressive too, with the science museum producing this digital effects show on the exterior of the building.

Tuesday was another laid back start to the day, focusing my intentions on exploring Chinatown and Downtown Singapore. I walked round a few of the older buildings to start with before following the river to Clarke Quay. From here I went over to Chinatown, home to several temples and street markets, as well as this particularly interesting Buddhist temple. Unfortunately here I developed some pretty bad diarrhoea which cut short my exploration for the day, although I did manage to get down to the Gardens by the Bay in the evening to watch the light performance which I really enjoyed the previous night and thought was worth seeing again.

Overnight my condition deteriorated rapidly, and I went from what was normal diarrhoea to completely abnormal diarrhoea. This scuppered my plans for the day as it was pretty uncontrollable, and I was back and forth from the bathroom regularly. I just about managed to get out to the nearby shop for bottled water supplies, before crawling back into bed. Come afternoon I managed to control it enough to see a doctor who gave me some antibiotics, before heading back to relax for the evening.

The following night was even worse and I was up five times in the night. Luckily by lunchtime the next day my system was empty and I couldn't physically go to the toilet anymore. By evening things were under control and I was able to go out to Marina Bay without feeling as if I was going to shit myself in front of members of the public. Marina Bay had this light festival on I wanted to check out and it was pretty cool with lots of temporary light sculptures and around the bay, as well as a fountain and light show in the harbour. The Merlion statue was impressive too with a digital effects show on the statue.

On Friday I was a lot better in the sense that my bowel movements were under control, although not quite out of stage 7 on the poo scale. I decided to leave Singapore and head back into Malaysia as I'd already stayed 5 nights and it's not the cheapest place in the world just to sit on a toilet seat. The border crossing was a lot quicker than the one coming over, as I googled the best time to cross this time and found out Friday lunchtime was a quiet time, unlike a Sunday evening when I came over which is a busy time! When back in Johor Bahru I wasn't sure whether to stay the night or catch the bus somewhere. The city itself had an old town with a couple of mosques, but other than that not much to see, so I therefore decided to catch the bus back to Kuala Lumpur.

Melaka

On Thursday I left Kuala Lumpur, with my plan essentially being to get to Melaka by the evening, stopping off for the day in Putrajaya en route. Putrajaya is a pretty modern city by world standards only being established in the late 20th century, but it is the administrative capital of Malaysia and home of the prime minister. Getting there proved a challenge however despite it being a direct bus, as the information people at the bus station were telling me blatant incorrect information. I was on the ball enough to know where I wanted to go and what bus number I needed, I just didn't know what bus stop to get it from as it was a pretty sizable bus station. I eventually found someone who told me where to go instead of telling me to get on the bus nearest to them.

When arriving in Putrajaya I walked into the city centre, which was surrounded by modern abstract bridges and high rise buildings. The highlights included a couple of mosques including this one with a pink roof, and the prime ministers house. I had a good walk round the city, before heading back to the bus station in Putrajaya. I thought from Putrajaya they operated a service to Melaka, but when I asked they said they didn't and said I had to go to the main bus station in KL. As I didn't have WiFi I wasn't sure if that was the truth or not, so I headed to the main bus station in KL and from there managed to pretty easily get a bus to Melaka.

Come morning I went out to explore the city of Melaka itself. The city has a lot of interesting old buildings, historically linked to the Dutch colonial era, but more recently a British influence from the days of the British Empire. I downloaded a self guided walking tour map to help me get round, mainly so I knew what I was looking at. I initially followed the river, although there were a couple of massive monitor lizards which I was slightly vary of as a bite is potentially fatal of you get too close. I soon reached the city luckily and passed several old buildings and markets before reaching St Paul's Church on top of this hill. There were  great aerial views of the city up top.

I soon dropped down to Famosa Square before heading back to the river which I followed to Dutch Square. I had lunch in Little India, having this fantastic vegetable curry which came with three different daals, before exploring Jonker Walk, home to buildings such as Chinese Temples and Mosques. I once again followed the river for a bit round here too, which had a lot of interesting street art. I also went down to seafront although there wasn't much to see other than a shipping port. In the evening I returned to Jonker Walk as it had a night market on Fridays, although it was extremely busy! Good food though. What made me laugh was the taxi service on offer which was effectively these tricycles with fairy lights and stuffed toys attached playing songs like gangnam style down the street.

On Saturday I thought I'd go and check out Klebang Beach which had some pretty good reviews online for its nearby desert like landscape of Pantai Klebang. The beach itself was a little way out of Melaka City, although someone kindly gave me a lift there. The main beach itself though was a little disappointing when arriving as there was also lot of litter about and it said the sea wasn't safe to swim in due to water pollution. There was this small recreation area which had a pool with loads of fountains, so I relaxed there for the morning, before heading out to Pantai Klebang which like the main beach was covered in litter. There were loads of sand mounds which gave the illusion is was a desert though despite is being right by the sea!

Come lunchtime I went to the submarine museum, where this family insisted I try their local dish which was like a whole fish in this chilli stuff. It was interesting! I then headed back into Melaka City where I just took a slow walk round Jonker Walk and the river, eventually ending up at the shopping mall which is becoming an increasingly good place to head for the air con to get out of the humidity. Come evening I watched the football, with finally some nice kick off times, watching the Man United Liverpool game, followed by the Newcastle Southampton game. It was once again a dour affair though but it was nice to go down the pub.

Kuala Lumpur

Sunday was my last day in New Zealand after spending a whole year there. I've definitely had a good year and worked in environments I never thought I would and met some great new people along the way, not to mention some of the scenery. I was up bright and early as I couldn't bear not listening to the Saints game, although it was pretty dour to listen to. As my flight wasn't until 7.15pm I had much of the day free in Auckland, so I decided instead of catching the skybus to the airport from the cbd, I would walk to the coast to coast walk to Onehunga and catch the bus from there, an incredibly cheaper option as well. It was a nice walk via Mount Eden and One Tree Hill, finishing at the southern harbour.

After having lunch in Onehunga I caught the bus to the airport, arriving a bit earlier than expected. I thought I would just be able to pass the time on the WiFi although they restrict you to 45 minutes a day which was frustrating. After checking in which took a while because so many people's bags went above the weight limit, I eased through security and into duty free. They boarded the flight early and we left on time, stopping en route to Kuala Lumpur in the Gold Coast which gave me chance to stretch my legs and get WiFi. Ironically the security screening here was more intense than New Zealand, despite simply getting off the plane and getting back on the same one. The flight itself was pretty smooth although they had no in flight entertainment or flight tracker and the meals were pretty stingy, but I at least managed to get a bit of sleep on the way.

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur early, and I obtained a 90 day visa without any problems and walked though security. With the airport a little way out of the city I had work out how to use the public transport, the easiest yet most expensive way is to catch the train. I decided to catch the coach transfer though which was a lot cheaper, although there were 15 different companies and it was difficult making sure I got on the correct one without getting ripped off. I eventually negotiated that and made it into the city, although it was still dark. Being in effectively an equatorial region means it gets 12 hour days 12 hour nights, and it seems that 12 hours of sunlight is from 7.30 to 7.30.

When finally getting to the city I was starving so I headed over to the Chinatown district where I was staying to get something to eat. It was challenging to navigate the roads though as there were roads everywhere and bridges going over bridges and subways everywhere so what I thought were intersections on the map were not. I eventually made it and grabbed some food, as well as some WiFi before checking into my hostel and dumping my stuff off. I knew I had to stay awake all day to avoid getting jet lag with my body clock 5 hours out of sync, so I went for a wander round the city, exploring Chinatown where I was staying as well as some of old colonial buildings and religious areas surrounding it.

I then headed into the city centre towards the KL sky tower and then Petronas Towers where I had lunch. Until 2003 the Petronas Towers was the highest building in the world, but they're still the tallest twin towers. I had lunch here in the shopping centre in which had every Asian cuisine you could think of in its food mall. My highlight though was getting my hands on a packet of percy pigs. From here I went to KLCC park which had a great view of some of the city's skyscrapers, before heading into the Bukit Bintang district which is where the main shopping centres, hotels, and nightlife is. There was however a massive thunderstorm when getting here and it rained massively! The drains didn't seem to be able to cope with the rain and in places brown liquid was gushing out which must of been sewage!

I eventually got back to Chinatown after completing a big loop and went back to the hostel to relax. I was planning to go out for dinner afterwards but I fell asleep early, luckily sleeping right through the night. In the morning I had a pretty relaxing start, the plan being to head out to Batu Caves for the day. Getting there was confusing however as there were engineering works on the and it wasn't very clear this was case. After finding someone who got that message across to me I found the rail replacement bus service, which took me to some other train station where I was able to catch the train to the Batu Caves.

The Batu Caves is a limestone hill housing a series a caves and cave temples and is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India. It is dominated by a statue of Murugan, which stands at the entrance to the main temple cave. When arriving I was greeted by lots of monkeys who were stealing everyone's food which was funny! There were several smaller temples before reaching the main cave, which required a steep climb of 272 steps to get into the cave, which was an impressive place to explore. There were several statues and temples inside as well as some massive stalagmites illuminated by holes in the ceiling which let the light through. When getting back down I had lunch inside this cafe to get away from the monkeys who were literally stealing whatever they could get their hands on!

After catching the train and then bus back to the city I went to the shopping mall in KL Sentral station, as there was another massive thunderstorm. When that cleared I explored Little India before heading out into the Botanic Gardens which is always a good place to explore in major cities. After getting back to the hostel I headed out in the evening for dinner, having a look round Central Market and Chinatown which was far more lively at night. I then watched this fountain show by the river, heading down for the international show which played with the star wars theme in the background!

On Wednesday I had another relaxing start to the day, heading out later in the morning to the National Mosque of Malaysia. To get in I had to wear a robe and it was very interesting walking round, as well as getting some great views of the surrounding city. From there I headed to KL Sentral again, where I headed out to Lake Titiwangsa which was a good place to view the city skyline as well as another nice green area to relax. The lake was even so still the skyline was reflecting in the water. Nearby the lake I visited the art gallery which I decided to visit because it had a more interactive approach to many of the pieces so it was more exciting than a normal art gallery.

I then headed back to the Petronas Towers, and then down to Bukit Bintang where I explored some of the shopping malls and had dinner. By the time I had finished it was dark, and it felt slightly like Times Square with all the billboards and street entertainers. I then headed back to the Petronas Towers from here to check out the light show at Lake Symphony which was another pretty fountain show. There was another thunderstorm however so I sheltered in the shopping mall while that passed over, before heading back to Chinatown via Bukit Bintang again which was extremely busy and lively.

Tauranga to Auckland

After managing to get to Tauranga, my aim was to get towards to the Coromandel Peninsula on Saturday. I didn't really stay to look round Tauranga as I'd done that before, instead leaving relatively early. This meant negotiating the complex motorway system which was actually quite confusing. Eventually I cleared the suburbs and found a good place to hitchhike and soon got a ride north to Waihi. Waihi is particularly famous for its gold mining heritage and a worthwhile walk here was to visit the Martha's Pit which until recently was an open working gold mine. Unfortunately a big landslip has now closed it, but this has left behind a big hole in the ground which you're able to walk around!

I was tempted to visit Waihi Beach as many kiwis you speak to seem to rate it, but I decided not to as it just seemed like a tourist trap, and was 11km away. I was planning to visit Karangahake Gorge at some point though and there was a 82km cycle track which runs from Waihi Beach to Thames along the old railway line which looked tempting. I decided to walk a 24km section of it from Waihi Town to Paeroa. The walk went past the old railway station in Waihi which now operates a heritage railway to Waikino, following the Ohinemuri River before reaching the Victoria Battery gold refinery complex. From here I soon reached Owharoa Falls where I had lunch and a nice swim, the area particularly busy.

From the waterfall I continued following the old railway line, including a side trip to this old quarry, eventually reaching this 1km long tunnel which brought me through to the Karangahake Gorge. Here I did a couple of side walks exploring some of the old tramlines and mines, which some great views of the river passing through the gorge in the process. From the gorge I pressed on towards Paeroa, which is particularly famous for the popular drink L&P which is everywhere in NZ, and something I will definitely miss! After a quick look round Paeroa I hitched a ride up to Thames, which is the main town in the Coromandel. It was a very long day when arriving though and I was pretty shattered, not helped by forgetting my water bottle in Tauranga hence dehydrating myself from the heat.

In the morning I had a pretty laid back start to the day, mainly so I could give my electricals a power boost before heading into the more remote parts of the Coromandel. I wanted to do a walk up into the pinnacles which are these jagged rock pinnacles which stick out above the forest giving breathtaking views over the Coromandel Peninsula. The path was however closed which was very frustrating as it was something I wanted to do way back when I was Auckland too but it was closed the whole time I was there too. It recently reopened again but apparently the path is unsafe again so that was no go. I therefore decided to head to Coromandel Town, leaving Thames just after lunch.

Getting to Coromandel Town proved to be a struggle despite it being a relatively busy road. After two rides and only covering about half the distance I eventually got a ride with a fellow backpacker which was a relief, although I'd lost most the afternoon trying to get there. The drive was pretty stunning, the road literally following the waters edge much of the way. The road went inland eventually over the hills and there were great views over the peninsula, with Auckland cbd even visible in the distance. When getting to Coromandel Town the day was gone, so I headed out to find somewhere to camp for the night. I followed the harbours edge round Mcgregor Bay and found myself a nice secluded beach on the Wyuna Peninsula. It was another nice sunset, although the highlight was seeing a few dolphins in the distance.

In the morning I followed the coast round the Wyuna Peninsula and there were some great views of the surrounding islands. It was quite a challenging walk though as it was very rocky and jagged underfoot, and when I got round into Coromandel Harbour it was really muddy as the beach was like a saltmarsh. I eventually got back to Coromandel Town where I had lunch and chilled out for a bit. From Coromandel Town I was considering heading north towards Colville and Port Jackson which are apparently gateways to some of the more remote beaches in the Coromandel, however that would have been challenging to get to and I didn't want to risk getting stranded. I instead decided to aim for Whitianga.

Whitianga is the main tourist town in the Coromandel and has all the services I needed, although like the previous day I found hitching a ride a difficult. Eventually I got a ride straight there, and when arriving I topped up my food supplies and went to the beach for a swim. From Whitianga I wanted to get to Hahei, and my two options were to try and hitch around this river, or to just catch a ferry across and walk. I went for the latter which still gave me about 18km to walk but there were things to do en route. It was fun waiting for the ferry on the wharf as there were these massive stingrays swimming around it!

After getting off the ferry I walked up to Whitianga Rock which gave me a view over the estuary and town, before continuing to head up where I got further views right over Mercury Bay. After dropping back down again I reached Flaxmill Beach where I headed up the Shakespeare Cliffs to get even further great views over Mercury Bay. When reaching the other side I dropped down into Lonely Bay which was a pretty secluded beach only accessible by foot. I decided to camp here despite still having a few hours of daylight to play with, which meant I had time to have a good swim and to simply chill out a bit.

In the morning the weather wasn't as good and it was really overcast. I left early as result, heading out of Lonely Bay to Cooks Bay which was a pretty beach including a small settlement. From there someone kindly gave me a ride to Hahei, which is where you go to access Cathedral Cove, one the more stunning pieces of coastline in New Zealand. From Hahei I followed the road to the car park, before walking along this tarmac path straight out to Mares Leg Cove, which is linked to Cathedral Cove by this impressive rock arch. It was a little drizzly which was a shame but there were still great views of some of the islands along the way, and the arch and sea stacks around Cathedral Cove were still pretty.

On the way back from Cathedral Cove I did a couple of side walks to check out Stingray Bay and Gemstone Bay which were another couple of stunning bays, Stingray Bay in particular. The rain got harder however at this point, although from the car park I followed the coast instead of the road back to Hahei Beach, the islands not very visible anymore! When finding shelter from the rain in Hahei I had lunch, before going out to Hereherataura Peninsula when I thought the weather was clearing. It was only a short spell however and it was soon raining again, although it was still a nice little walk. The rest of the day was a washout and I had little choice but to shelter in Hahei for the night as I would have just got soaked otherwise.

By the morning the weather had somewhat improved although it was still a little overcast. I set off relatively early and got a ride to Hot Water Beach without even trying which was nice, although when I arrived it was high tide which was a bad thing. The geothermal energy to dig your own hot pool only rises to surface at low tide. I decided not to wait until low tide because it wasn't really beach weather and there wasn't much else to do there. Soon after leaving I bumped into the farmer who gave me a ride from Coromandel Town to Whitianga again, and he kindly let me jump on the back of his quad bike to take me back out to the main road. Originally my next planned stop was Tairua, although the guy who next picked me up said it wasn't really worth stopping there, so I instead went straight down Whangamata.

Whangamata had a pretty beach with a few islands in the backdrop, although it wasn't really beach weather. A interesting attraction here is Donut Island, which is a island shaped like a donut, where you can swim through this cave to get to the middle where it's like a hidden oasis. I was tempted to swim across but I decided not to risk it, instead just taking a walk along the beach and round the river estuary. From Whangamata it was effectively aim for Auckland, with my two options being to head south to Waihi, or back track on myself to get back to Thames. I decided to head to Thames in the end as there were more facilities there and it was a good base for the night to aim for Auckland through following day.

I stayed in Thames for a bit in the morning, before walking down to Kopu to hitch a ride out to Auckland. I knew it would be near on impossible to get a ride into the cbd but I knew if I could get to any suburb on the Auckland train network I was doing well. From Kopu I managed to get a ride to the Bombay service station, and from there got a ride to Manukau City so I did really well. After lunch I caught a train into the cbd where I just chilled out for the afternoon. There was lots going on down at the harbour with some sailing event coming to Auckland next week, and it was nice to see what's changed since I last visited with all the new developments going on.

With my flight to Kuala Lumpur not until Sunday evening, I had all day Friday and Saturday and much of Sunday free. The main reason I got to Auckland a few days early though was to relax, and I did just that. The harbour had a stage with live music on throughout the daytime and evenings with beanbags so that was a nice place to chill out, and I also went to the library a couple of times to read some travel guides for inspiration. Other than that I didn't really do too much exploring, mainly to just let my legs recover a bit!

Gisborne to Tauranga

My plan for Monday was to just have a more chilled out day exploring the city of Gisborne, before spending the following few days working my way round the East Cape. Gisborne is the most eastern city in the world and was the first place Captain James Cook landed in 1769 when he discovered New Zealand. After having an awful nights sleep because of the heat, I went for a stroll round the city, checking out the main high street, beach, and river estuary. It was a really nice place to walk round. After lunch I headed up Kaiti Hill which overlooks the city, getting some great views out over Gisborne, Poverty Bay and as far as the Mahia Peninsula. The rest of the day I just chilled out which was much needed after my recent travels.

On Tuesday morning I was raring to go and I had a far better nights sleep. My plan was to follow SH35 also known as the Pacific Coast Highway from Gisborne to Opotiki. The 334km road is another off the beaten track route on my behalf, with SH2 through the Waioeka Gorge linking Gisborne and Opotiki in just 144km. The drive passes through countless bays and small predominantly Maori settlements skimming the coastline much of the way. I knew before setting off I had to be flexible and go with the flow as it would be impossible to visit everywhere en route by hitchhiking.

After having a pretty laid back start to the day, my first stop of the day was Wainui Beach just a short walk north of Gisborne. What I wanted to do here was check out Tuahine Head which is the northern tip of Poverty Bay and home to an old abandoned lighthouse. I however couldn't really get to it because the sea was too rough and it would have required rock hopping so I deemed it too risky. I got a glimpse though. From Wainui Beach I followed the beach right along to Okitu Beach and over the Makorori headland to Makorori Beach where I had lunch. They were all nice sandy beaches, particularly good beaches in terms of surfing.

From Makorori Beach I headed over to Tatapouri Beach where I hitched a ride north to Tolaga Bay, home to the longest wharf in New Zealand. I did a walk here out to Cooks Cove which went up to this headland giving great views over Tolaga Bay, before dropping down to Cooks Cove the other side, which is where Captain Cook and his crew first landed for water supplies. There was also a little side walk through the hole in the cliff to a little secluded beach which was nice. When getting back to Tolaga Bay I checked out the 660m long wharf which I walked to the end of, before heading into the town itself which was a good 30 minute walk from the wharf despite only being the other side of the river which was frustrating. I camped by the beach here.

In the morning there was a fantastic sunrise which I was able to watch without even having to get out of my tent as I was right by the beach. After a pretty chilled out start to the day where I went up to this lookout which looked over Tolaga Bay, I headed north to Tokomaru Bay. I would have visited Anaura Bay prior but it was a 7km detour each way from the main road and it was way too hot to be doing that. In Tokomaru Bay I chilled down the beach where I had a good swim in the sea, the waves absolutely massive! I also had lunch here as well as topping up my water supply which was becoming an issue getting a regular source of drinkable water as the humidity was crazy and all the taps said the water was unsafe to drink.

From Tokomaru Bay I thought I may as well just aim for the East Cape Lighthouse. I managed to get a ride to Ruatoria from there, where I was invited to local marae for afternoon tea which was nice. There were great views of Hikurangi which at 1754m I was tempted to climb, but getting there would have been a challenge and you need to get permission from Ngati Porou tribe to climb it. It is the first point of New Zealand to see the sunrise due it's prominence making it a very sacred place for the Maori, and even apparently has this circle of 9 wooden pole carvings up there. From Ruatoria I got a ride to Tikitiki.

In Tikitiki I got a ride with this couple who kindly took me out to the lighthouse. The lighthouse marks the most eastern point of mainland New Zealand, and excluding remote Pacific Islands like the Chatham Islands is as far east as you can possibly go. To access it required a 21km detour from the main road along a gravel track, and then a climb of 800 steps to reach the lighthouse, sitting 154m above sea level. I would have loved to have camped here to see the sunrise but there were signs everywhere telling you not to and there wasn't really any way of being discreet. I therefore set up camp at the permitted campground about 6km up the road from the lighthouse.

In the morning it was a great sunrise anyway, although I did find myself pretty stranded on the middle of nowhere camping somewhat off the beaten track. It was therefore inevitable I had to walk out of the lighthouse road as I had no traffic to work with, coming back out again at Te Araroa where I had lunch. Once I was back on the main road again I hitched a ride to Hicks Bay where I went out to the historic wharf, as well as checking out the beaches of Hicks Bay itself and Onepoto Bay where I just chilled and had a nice swim. I wanted to see this waterfall too but I couldn't work out how to get to it up close without trespassing. I could see it from a distance though.

From Hicks Bay I hitched a ride to Waihau Bay, which also meant I had crossed into the Bay of Plenty region. It was a very rocky coastline here, but still very pretty. I had dinner here at the local pub, before following the coastline round to Raukokore. I was hoping to get to Whanarua Bay for the night although I misjudged where exactly it was and it was further round the coastline from Waihau Bay than I realised, my map slightly misleading. I therefore found a nice spot to camp by the beach, the advantage being as I was almost facing west I got a nice sunset.

In the morning it was slightly overcast and it rained a bit in the night. I therefore decided I would just aim for Whakatane and miss out Whanarua Bay, which I wouldn't have been able to walk to anyway as I would have had to swim across a river to get there. Somehow I got a ride from where I camped straight through to Whakatane which surprised me. Whakatane is the gateway to explore White Island, the most active volcano in New Zealand. I would have loved to gone onto the island but it's only operated by expensive tour companies. I therefore did a walk out to Kohi Point where I got a good view of the island in the distance, as well as an aerial view of Whakatane itself and Whale Island.

As I had done so well getting to Whakatane, I decided to press on north towards Tauranga as I wanted to explore the Coromandel and that was a good base to aim for to get there. I knew the majority of traffic heading in that direction would either be going to Tauranga itself, or bypassing it to get to Hamilton or Auckland, so I would essentially have to stop in Tauranga the night to get myself in a better position to get towards the Coromandel the next day. I managed to get there in two rides via Matata, and when arriving I had a nice swim in the sea as well as grabbing some WiFi which was non existent on the East Cape. I found a nice spot to camp on the beach.

Te Uruwera National Park

On Friday my aim to was get to the Te Uruwera National Park to walk the Lake Waikaremoana Track, which is one New Zealands 9 great walks. The 46km walk follows the lake from Hopuruahine to Onepoto and goes through prehistoric rainforest, offering a glimpse at how New Zealand used to be before European settlement. It is also home some of the more endangered birds in New Zealand including the kiwi. Waikaremoana literally means 'sea of the rippling waters' in Maori, and is home to the Nāi Tūhoe people (the children of the mist). When the Waitangi Treaty was signed (the peace agreement between Maori and European settlers), they were the only tribe to reject it, and there is still some tension to the day.

From Rainbow Mountain where I stayed for the night I left a little later than anticipated at it was a really misty morning which meant my tent was soaked. I knew I'd appreciate it later if I dried it there and then. When reaching the SH38 turn off I got a ride within minutes to Muhupara which is the last town before entering the national park. From Muhupara I got a ride to Ruatahuna with a guy guiding in this big delivery truck. It was a really slow drive as it was an unsealed gravel road which was windy and full of potholes, and a single lane in places. There were also several roadworks as the recent rainfall had caused a few landslips. From Ruatahuna I got a ride with some Americans who got me to the Hopuruahine Landing, the start of the walk. I didn't get there until gone 2 in the end, although I had covered a fair distance along what was essentially a gravel track.

From the Hopuruahine Landing, I soon got my first views of the lake and it was stunning. The weather was perfect which made it look extra clear. After passing the Whanganui Hut I headed towards the Tapuaenui campground, skimming the lake edge to get there. After climbing over the Pukehou Ridge I made it to the Waiharuru Hut. From here I continued along the lake edge for a bit before finding a nice secluded beach to set up camp for the night. I had great views across the lake towards the Panekiri Ranges which I go over later in the walk. I even went for a swim and the water was a lovely temperature, refreshing but not cold. The only thing was as soon as the sun went down the sandflys came out which were annoying little buggers.

On Saturday morning I was treated to a great sunrise with the sun rising the opposite side of the lake to where I was camping. The plan for the day was to cover the bulk of the distance to Onepoto at the finish, camping somewhere in the Panekiri Ranges. From my camping spot I continued to follow the lake edge, the path slightly undulating before eventually reaching the Marauiti Hut. The path continued to predominantly follow the lakes edge to the Korokoro campsite although it was a very hilly and muddy section of the walk.

From the Korokoro campsite there was an optional side trip to go and see the Korokoro Falls about a 30 minute walk each way. I thought I may as well so I followed the path upstream, en route crossing the stream which was challenging as it required using this rope system to rock hop, the stream particularly wide and swelled up at the crossing. It was a very slippery crossing. I soon reached the falls and it was a very pretty. On the way back however someone had twisted their ankle at the stream crossing. The girl and her two friends had all left their backpacks at the junction, but luckily I had my first aid kit and knew enough to know how to relieve the pain. Eventually another guy came along and helped me carry her out to the main path, where we were able to use the emergency radio at the campsite to get a boat out to get her. It just shows how much you need to respect wild country in New Zealand.

After my unplanned delay I pressed on towards the Waiopaoa Hut, the path continuing to follow the lake, although incredibly boggy in places. When arriving at the hut I stopped there for lunch. From the Waiopaoa Hut began the most strenuous part of the hike climbing from 600m to over 1100m into the Panekiri Ranges. The climb was an gradual incline for much of the way which made it a slog, but it did pass through some pretty native forest. The last section was really steep, but when up I just followed the ridge line, soon reaching the Panekiri Hut. From the Panekiri Hut I continued along the ridge line which was a little undulating, although the views of the lake were amazing. Eventually I started thinking about setting up camp for the night, looking for somewhere sheltered and discreet as it was incredibly windy out of the tree cover. In the end I found a great spot which was even nice and flat!

Come morning the winds had calmed down a fair bit which was a good thing as I was heading towards the Puketapu Trig, perhaps the most exposed section of the walk. I was only a couple of hours walking from the finish, but the main reason I decided to camp up on the ridge was so that when I reached the trig nearby the Panekiri Bluff, I had the sun behind me. This wouldn't have been the case if I went there the previous day. It was another perfect day and the view over the lake from the trig was absolutely stunning. I soon dropped down to lake level again after the trig to Onepoto Bay which was the end of the walk. I wanted to go for a swim once there but it was advised you didn't because it was near the hydroelectric dam which posed a risk of undercurrents so I thought I'd better not.

From Onepoto Bay I was tempted to do an additional walk to the Onepoto Caves, but I decided not to in the end because I was out of food supplies and I wasn't sure how easy hitching a ride out would be. Luckily I got a ride pretty easily down to Wairoa where I just chilled out by the riverside on the WiFi, having lunch there too. From Wairoa I headed towards Gisborne, managing to get there in one ride. I checked into a hostel there for a couple of nights just to relax a bit after my hike, but also to have a free day to have a good look round the city too which is meant to be a really nice place.

New Plymouth to Taupo

On Monday I was originally planning to head north up SH3 from New Plymouth. The weather was however horrendous so I opted against that and decided to stay an extra night in New Plymouth. This gave me a free day to essentially relax after all the hiking I've done recently, and I was hoping to go to the local hot pools to do just that. When arriving at the hot pools however it said they were closed on Mondays so that put that plan out of the window. I did manage to have a look round Puke Ariki though which was like a small version of Te Papa. It was a very interesting and interactive museum. I also managed to somewhat dry out some of my stuff from the weekend, as by the afternoon it was nice and sunny outside.

The following day I did head north up SH3, and it was a brilliant day. The plan was to go up as far as the Waitomo area before starting to head East, with several stops planned for along the way. Getting out of New Plymouth was fun however as it is actually quite a large city and I had to walk a good couple of hours before I was actually out of the suburbs. Eventually I managed to find somewhere realistic to hitchhike and I made it up to Mimi, which was the turn off to do the Whitecliffs Walkway. I was hoping to get a ride to the start of the walk 11km down the road although the road was dead so I ended up having to walk it the whole way. En route I stopped at Waiiti Beach.

By the time I reached the start of the Whitecliffs Walkway it was lunchtime. They recommend you only walk on the beach two hours either side of low tide, and I set off about two hours before low tide so had plenty of time to do the walk. The walk went beneath the impressive cliffs along the beach as far as this tunnel. The cliffs were incredibly tall and reminded me a bit of the chalk cliffs back home at times. I did pass a dead cow on the beach though which had obviously fallen off the cliff. When reaching the tunnel I went through it and the rest of the walk followed this track at the top of the cliffs through farmland. The weather turned however and it rained heavily later in the afternoon which was frustrating as I had all my stuff with me and nowhere to shelter.

Eventually I reached Tongaporutu and I was soaked right through. I found this small shelter which I went inside to dry off and get changed. Luckily most the stuff inside my backpacks stayed relatively dry, although I think my tablet is well and truly on its last legs now. At Tongaporutu I wanted to see The Three Sisters and Elephant Rock, and luckily the rain eventually stopped with enough time to go and see it before the tide came in too far. To get there you had to follow the river estuary down to the beach, before following the beach a short way to these sea stacks known as The Three Sisters. Elephant Rock used to look like an elephant although the trunk fell into the sea so it doesn't anymore. It was another pretty piece of coastline. By the time I came back it was basically dinner time so I decided I would just stay in the small shelter I found in Tongaporutu for the night. It was definitely a frustrating day in terms of hitchhiking and weather.

On Wednesday morning the weather had somewhat improved although it rained a bit in the night. I therefore pressed on towards the Waitomo area, although hitching a ride was challenging as the road was so bendy. I eventually got a ride up to Te Kuiti. I was originally going to stop in Piopio to visit the Mangaotaki Reserve and Waitanguru Falls although as I was finding hitching rides so difficult I decided against this. On the drive up to Te Kuiti the heavens just opened, and we passed several fields which were flooded by the recent weather as well as some pretty swelled up waterways.

When arriving in Te Kuiti, I had a little walk round the town which is apparently the shearing capital of the world. It even had some massive statue of a guy shearing a sheep. Other than that there wasn't much else to see, and the rain was just torrential which meant I couldn't really go very far until it passed over. I was hoping to get out to see Marakopa Falls, the Mangapohue Natural Bridge, and Piripiri Caves although the weather put me off. After several hours sheltering from the rain it eventually calmed down a bit, and I made the decision to just aim for either Taupo or Rotorua. I knew anyone going down SH30 from Te Kuiti would be likely passing through one or the other and luckily when I got picked up I got a straight ride through to Taupo.

The drive to Taupo was interesting as the road was flooded in a couple of places from the sheer amount of rain in such a short period! When arriving in Taupo the sun came out so I went for a quick walk down the lakefront before it typically started raining again. Luckily many of Taupos streets are covered in canopies so I was able to walk around the centre without getting wet. With nothing much else to do I therefore spent my evening in launderette to get out of the rain, as well as planning out my coming days, the plan being to get to Gisborne via the Te Uruwera National Park.

On Thursday morning I was up at the crack of dawn, heading out to the spa park just outside Taupo. As I got there just before sunrise there was no one there so I had the hot pools to myself. It wasn't long until they got busy though as soon as the sun came up! After a good relaxation I headed back into Taupo where it was a lovely day, with Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe even visible across the lake. After picking up my groceries for the coming days I headed towards Huka Falls, following the Waikato River to get there. All the recent rain made it a very impressive sight, the waterfall itself just 9m, made impressive by the particularly large amount of water that falls each second.

Once checking out all the viewpoints of the waterfall I hitched a ride north to Wai-O-Tapu, about 20 minutes south of Rotorua. Being in the particularly volcanic active area of New Zealand, there are several geothermal areas which several different companies have taken advantage of by building things like hot pools and tourist attractions, basically as a way of making money out of you. Wai-O-Tapu is one of these areas, and I thought I would give it a visit as it's meant to be one of the more impressive geothermal sites. I was pleasantly surprised when getting there as it was a completely surreal landscape with an array of different colours. This walkway took me round and I was there a good couple of hours in the end looking at all the different sights.

From Wai-O-Tapu my next stop of the day was Keresene Creek, which I accessed by walking through the Kaingaroa Forest straight from Wai-O-Tapu. Like the spa park in Taupo, Keresene Creek was a free place to enjoy some hot pools, although this one was literally a stream. There were several places to swim including a couple of small waterfalls and it was nice to relax for a bit again! From Keresene Creek I headed into the Rainbow Mountain Scenic Reserve. I didn't summit the mountain but I did check out of a couple of viewpoints to see the crater lakes and reddish coloured cliffs of the mountain. I set up camp here nearby the car park too as by the time I arrived it had been a long day. I was also within a 5 minute walk from the SH38 turn off which is the road I needed to access the Te Uruwera National Park the following day so it was a good base for the night.

Mount Egmont National Park

It was nice to have a good nights sleep before accessing the Mount Egmont National Park, hitching a ride from New Plymouth to Egmont Village and then a ride to the visitor centre at North Egmont with ease. The national park is dominated by the majestic andesitic volcano of Mt Taranaki (2518m), the central point of the national park. Approximately 125,000 years old, it is the park’s most recent volcanic peak. Last erupting around 1755 the mountain is now considered dormant. Local Māori believe Mount Taranaki once stood with the mountains of the central North Island. After a dispute with Tongariro over who should marry Pihanga, Taranaki fled his ancestral home, carving out the bed of the Whanganui River on his journey to the coast.

My loose plan for my time in the national park was to spend 3 days incorporating the Pouakai Circuit, a summit attempt of Mount Taranaki and Dawson Falls. After leaving the visitor centre I headed through lowland forest crossing several small streams including a couple of swingbridges towards the 1220m summit of Henry Peak. There were great views of the mountain from here, as well as Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe even visible in the distance. I was astounded the weather was so good after seeing a weather forecast of rain rain rain all weekend. I instead had clear skies and sun! After leaving Henry Peak I skirted round Maude Peak to the Pouakai tarns where I had lunch. I was particularly happy I had good weather at the tarns as they act like mirrors and made some pretty cool photos!

From the tarns I reached the Pouakai Hut where I stopped briefly for water. From here I had the option to summit the 1440m peak of Pouakai, but the cloud was coming in and starting to cover Mount Taranaki so I didn't want to risk getting caught out in rain. I therefore headed down to the Ahukawakawa Swamp which led me to the Holly Hut, my bed for the night. I arrived mid afternoon and despite Mount Taranaki being shrouded in cloud the weather was holding out, so I did a short additional walk down to the 31m high Bells Falls which was a pretty waterfall about half an hour walk each way from the hut. When getting back to the hut it was nice to have a fair amount of time to relax and unwind with an attempt of the summit envisaged for the following day.

I was surprised by the fact that I was only one staying in the Holly Hut, which is a 32 bed hut and apparently one of the most popular in the national park. It was raining come evening though and was still raining come morning. I left the hut relatively early, with the plan being to reach the Maketawa Hut via the summit of Taranaki. When leaving the rain had stopped although it soon returned, all be it light rain. I had a gradual ascent from the hut, walking along the slopes of Taranaki passing the sketchy Boomerang Slip and the towering lava columns of the Dieffenbach Cliffs en route. The mountain was not visible however although I could still see New Plymouth and surrounding areas.

I eventually reached the Tahurangi Lodge at about 1500m which is where I began my serious ascent to the summit. The weather at this point was pretty good, although the mountain itself was covered in cloud. The path was sheltered initially following this valley before opening up onto the scoria slopes. Here it became more exposed and by about 1800m I was in the cloud. The next section called the lizard was the most challenging as I was walking up loose terrain with little stable material to put my feet on which made making progress slow. By about 2100m it became a bit easier though as there were large rocks to use to get more grip. Eventually I made it to a section known as the Sharks Tooth which was the most exposed part and was very cold and windy, but I made it to the crater on the top of the mountain, although I didn't reach the true 2518m summit as it was an unmarked route with high winds and little visibility so I would have risked getting lost. I would have been breaking Maori laws going there anyway as it's a sacred place to them.

I soon dropped into the crater where it was far more sheltered and had lunch. The crater itself has a permanent ice field which I walked round and explored. I didn't go too far though as visibility was poor and I didn't want to get lost! After lunch I dropped back down as it was getting cold, and the descent was as steep and challenging as the ascent. It was when I reached the loose scoria slopes after the big rocks where I had the biggest issues keeping my footing as the ground was just giving way but I made it back to the Tahurangi Lodge in one piece. From the lodge the Maketawa Hut was within an hours walk, although the cloud had set in and it was drizzling again. I made it to the hut by mid afternoon and there were 5 other people there and they already had the woodburner going which was a welcome surprise! 

Within a couple of hours of reaching the hut the rain well and truly set in and it was just persistently raining all through the night. In the morning it was a little bit better although the area was completely in the cloud. I was only an hours walk from the visitor centre where I started and was debating returning there, although I stuck with my original plan of walking towards Dawson Falls. To get there I followed the Curtis Falls track which was incredibly overgrown and had several heavily eroded sections which made progress slow. I was hoping to see Curtis Falls itself which would have required a detour walking up a stream although it wasn't signposted and the fact I crossed several streams meant I didn't know which one it was.

I eventually reached the Stratford Mountain House Inn, and when getting there was an absolute drowned rat as the overgrown path meant the bushes soaked me battling through them, and it was raining pretty heavily too. I was tempted to just bail out here and go to the pub, although I continued on towards Dawson Falls, heading through what they call the goblin forest. After a few more stream crossings including a wobbly swingbridge I made it to the Wilkies Pools. It was so cloudy I could barely see them though! From there it wasn't long until I reached the 18m high Dawson Falls.

After leaving the falls I headed to the visitor centre where I was able to dry off a bit. As the rain was pretty heavy I looked round the centre which showcased the history of Taranaki and all the walks in area, before heading to the nearby cafe. Eventually the rain cleared somewhat so I made the decision to start trying to return to New Plymouth. I had difficulties hitching a ride however as the road was very quiet, although I eventually got a ride to Midhirst. The rain well and truly set in here and I had no choice but to shelter in this garage while it passed over. It didn't, but luckily someone eventually rescued me and took me back to the front door of the hostel. It was torrential rain as you could barely see anything out of the front windscreen when driving. It was nice to get dry and clean again when back in New Plymouth!

Forgotten World and Surf Highways

On Tuesday morning it was a bit of a grotty start to the day, although I had a great nights sleep camping by the river. My plan for the day was to do the Forgotten World Highway which is another name for SH43 which links Taumaranui and Stratford. Before leaving Taumaranui I had a look round the town before hitching a ride out with surprising ease. If I had the ability to drive I would have made several stops along the way to do some bush walks and stop at lookouts, but the road was incredibly remote and not the kind of place you would want to get stranded. If had money to spend as well I would have alternatively done a tour with Forgotten World Adventures who hire out these golf buggy things which you can use to travel along the old railway line as an alternative way of exploring the area!

My one planned stop en route was Whangamomona, and after a lovely drive which included passing through gorges, forested valleys, and even a 180m long wooden tunnel, with several views of the endless hills I arrived in the Republic. I say Republic because Whangamomona declared independence from New Zealand in 1989 as a protest to the town being moved from the Taranaki region to the Manuwatu-Wanganui region. It was interesting exploring the town, and I even went to the famous Whangamomona hotel for a couple of beers where I went through passport control and met the current president. Former presidents include a goat and a poodle!

After leaving Whangamomona I hitched a ride to Stratford, passing over a few saddles en route with more brilliant views of the endless hills. Stratford has a Shakespearean influence with the town named after Stratford-upon-Avon, and all the streets named after characters in Shakespeares plays. A particularly iconic building was the glockenspiel which on the hour produced a performance of Romeo and Juliet which was fun to watch. From Stratford I headed to Hawera, making it there in two rides. Hawera just simply had all the amenities I needed, although it did have this interesting water tower. After getting everything I needed I headed to Waihi Beach on the coast near Hawera which was my camp for the night. There was a great sunset in the evening which I watched from the beach.

The following day my plan was to hitch along the Surf Highway which in other words is SH45 which links Hawera and New Plymouth along the scenic route. From Waihi Beach where I was camping I did a walk along the coast to Ohawe Beach which went along the beach beneath these sandstone cliffs. You could see how quickly they were eroding and the result of this made them pretty dramatic. From Ohawe Beach I headed back to SH45, my next stop Opunake. I got there in two rides, stopping en route in Manaia which is apparently the bread capital of New Zealand!

In Opunake I had a quick look round the town before doing a walk along the coast which had some more pretty coastline. After Opunake my next intended stop was Cape Egmont Lighthouse, which is the western most point on the North Island. I found hitching a ride like most of the day challenging as the road was pretty fast and bendy so it was hard to find places where people would stop for you. Eventually I got a ride to Rahotu where I just decided to walk to Pungarehu where the road to the lighthouse begun. When reaching the lighthouse it was pretty disappointing as it was privately owned so I couldn't go right up to it. It was still cool though.

After getting back to Pungarehu, my final stop for the day was Oakura. I was half hoping I would make it to New Plymouth in a day but it was slow day in terms of hitchhiking and SH45 didn't actually follow the coastline so accessing the coastline each time took longer than expected. I could have got there if I missed out Oakura but I decided I would camp there the night before heading to New Plymouth the following morning. In Oakura I walked along the beach which was a massive and more busy one to the SS Gairloch shipwreck. It was an interesting wreck which I explored before heading back along the beach to this creek for a swim, camping nearby.

On Thursday morning I woke up after having a great nights sleep, with the plan for the day being to get to New Plymouth and relax once there. As I was only about 15km along the coast from there in Oakura I decided to walk there by following the coastline. That was easier said than done however as the beach had several creek crossings and was very rocky in places which made progress slow. It was a nice and wild stretch of coastline though. Eventually I made it to Back Beach and the Sugar Loaf Marine Park which was a series of little islands off the coast, dominated by the Paritutu Rock. I climbed the rock and the views from the top were great with an aerial view of the islands and New Plymouth. Mount Taranaki was still shrouded in cloud however.

From Paritutu Rock I dropped down into New Plymouth following the coastal walkway via the port and Ngamotu Beach to the city centre. From the city centre I continued along the coast past East End and Fitzroy Beaches to the Rewa Rewa Bridge over the Waiwhakaiho River. On a clear day the mountain views from here are meant to be stunning but there was no luck. On the way back to the city centre I passed Lake Rotomanu, having a look round the city when arriving. The wind wand sculpture on the beach front was particularly interesting.

After spending the previous 6 nights camping I thought it was time to get a proper bed for the night, so I checked into a hostel. My tent has been a good investment though as it completely cuts out accommodation fees meaning my only expense is therefore food. The downfall however is not getting proper showers and power facilities, something I needed as my power bank was dead and my tablet and camera were heading in that direction too. It was nice to have a more relaxing evening, although I did have to prepare myself for the following couple of days with the plan being to hike in the Mount Egmont National Park.

Tongariro National Park

On Saturday morning I caught the train up to Paraparaumu to say goodbye to Melva who I'll miss going to see, before continuing north on the train to Waikanae. My aim for the day was to get to the Tongariro National Park, and shortly after leaving Waikanae I got a ride with this local baker to Otaki. From Otaki I ended up taking a slight detour to Palmerston North, although I was soon back onto SH1 by getting a ride from Palmerston North to Bulls. I had a break in Bulls which I always enjoy for its puns everywhere and statues of random bulls in the street.

From Bulls I managed to get a ride to Ohakune which is a small ski resort town near the slopes of Ruapehu. I had a look round here as it's famous for its carrot statue being the carrot capital of New Zealand. The information centre was interesting too. After sorting out some food for Tongariro National Park the following day I had problems continuing my progress. Eventually I got a lift to National Park Village which brought me within 15km of the national park. With Sunday being the only good day in the 10 day weather forecast I had to continue my progress as the sun set, which was an good one, continuing on by foot in the darkness until I found a decent place to set up camp for the night near the entrance to the road that goes to the Mangatepopo car park.

I was glad I set up myself up nicely the night before, hitching a ride bright and early to the car park which meant I was on the move not long after sunrise. My plan was to walk the Tongariro Northern Circuit, which is one New Zealands 9 great walks, from the Mangatepopo car park to Whakapapa. This basically meant I was walking about 35km of the 43km circuit, missing out on the section linking my start and finish point. On paper the whole circuit takes 3-4 days although I was planning to attempt my slightly shorter route in about 1 and a half days because there were thunderstorms forecasted for the Monday afternoon.

From the car park, the track followed the Mangatepopo stream up the valley, climbing into an alpine environment over a succession of old lava flows from Ngauruhoe, one of the three volcanoes in the national park. En route I did a little detour to Soda Springs which was a 15m waterfall flowing down an old lava flow. Before long I reached a steep climb known as the Devil’s Staircase, at the top being rewarded with views of the valley with Mount Taranaki even visible to the west. From the saddle the track crossed South Crater, before climbing again up to Red Crater presenting me with great views of the red coloured Ngauruhoe and the yellow coloured lake in South Crater below.

The track continued past the rim of Red Crater, soon being offered splendid views of the Oturere Valley and the Kaimanawa Ranges to the east. From the Red Crater which at 1868m was the highest point of the track, its red colour coming from high temperature oxidation of iron in the rock, the path descended down a steep scree slope to the Emerald Lakes, which were a very bright bluey green colour. It was a very steep path going down with some incredibly loose terrain to reach the lakes at the bottom. There was even some pretty active geysers so the area smelt very eggy.

From the Emerald Lakes the track descended steeply into the Oturere Valley with views of the valley, the Kaimanawa Ranges and the Rangipo Desert. It was here I left the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and all the crowds behind which meant I could make some more significant progress. The path weaved through an endless variety of unusual jagged lava forms from early eruptions from Red Crater, which fill the Oturere Valley. It felt like a very alien place as it was just a barren landscape full of random rock formations. After reaching the Oturere Hut the track undulated over a number of stream valleys and open gravel fields. It was a very wild place. Eventually I descended into a valley and crossed the Waihohonu Stream, before going up and over this ridge to the Waihohonu Hut.

A short distance from the Waihohonu Hut I reached the historic Waihohonu Hut which is one of the oldest huts in New Zealand. It's just a museum now though but it was very interesting. The path then followed the Waihohonu stream and gradually climbed to the Tama Saddle. I had some great views of Ruapehu here, the biggest mountain in the North Island and one of the more active volcanoes in the country. There was even snow still on the slopes. Luckily it has been pretty calm just lately. When reaching the Tama Saddle I got great views of the Lower Tama Lake. I decided to set up camp here in the end as it was off the main track inside a crater so I could be discreet and get out of the wind, and it was a very pretty location nestled between the three volcanoes in what almost felt like a beach.

Come morning Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe weren't visible anymore as they were covered in cloud, but the cloudline wasn't low enough to affect me. I actually had a really good nights sleep despite being at 1258m according to my GPS, as I was out of the wind. From the Lower Tama Lake I headed to the Upper Tama Lake and the views were stunning from the top. It was just a shame the volcanoes were no longer visible. From here I continued towards Whakapapa through the open tussocks before reaching the Wairere Stream. This led to me to the rather impressive Taranaki Falls.

Eventually I made it to Whakapapa village which at 1150m is the highest settlement in New Zealand. I spent a couple of hours here relaxing, having a good look round the visitor centre which had lots of information abouts walks in the area as well as several stories, films, and information about previous eruptions. As the weather wasn't as bad as I anticipated I went for an additional walk from the village up to the Silica Rapids which were some rapids with a distinctive milky colour. Further downstream I reached the golden rapids which were basically enriched with high levels of iron creating a rustic golden colour to the water.

When returning to Whakapapa village I followed the Whakapaipito track towards Tawhai Falls. It started raining here however although it was only a shower which was lucky. Tawhai Falls is particularly famous for being the the filming location of the so called Gollums Pool in Lord of the Rings. It was a nice little waterfall. From the falls my next stop was a visit to the mounds, formed by historic quarrying in the area. After leaving the mounds I headed back towards National Park Village. I was tempted to stay there the night as the yha there had a climbing wall and mini golf course but I decided to continue onto the small town of Taumaranui so I could get some proper services. I spent the night camping by the Whanganui River.

Eastbourne Week 21

The weekend was Joss's weekend at home, so on Saturday morning we went to the market in Lower Hutt before going to a few shops in Petone. Eventually we got home where we had a pretty chilled out afternoon. The following day Joss went out his Dad and one of his friends to the lego wonders of the world exhibition at Te Papa. This gave me a few hours to relax although I did have to mow the lawn and walk the dog too before it got too hot. When Joss got home his friend stayed round to play so we ended up playing farmopoly with a break in the pool in the middle. 

On Monday Joss's friend came round to see him again in the morning which was nice as that doesn't happen very often. We went in the pool again as well as playing a few games. After his friend went home, some people came to modify Joss's high chair as it needed fixing in a couple of places, as well as giving him a new sling for his hoist. They were there for quite a while, so after they went we went back in the pool, although it was really hot outside. Liza bought a load of new inflatables as loads of the others had been bitten by Joss which we tried out.

Tuesday was the last day of the holidays before Joss went back to school, so we went in the pool again in the morning and had a pretty chilled out day around that. In the afternoon Joss had conductive although he had this trial there to fit these new things he has to wear on his legs to help bend his knees. It took quite a while and he refused to walk in the walker with them on which made it hard work but if he cooperates in the future they will do him good. When we got back home we went back into the pool again, before having an early night with school the next day which Joss wasn't too impressed about.

The following day was school which was nice in terms of getting back into some kind of routine. This meant I could take Max out in the morning like I used to and meet all his friends down the beach. Joss was meant to have sailing although it was cancelled due to high winds which meant instead of doing that we took Max out to be washed which as always he disliked. It needed doing though as he was still malting like crazy and washing him helps stop that. Joss went round his Dad's after school which gave me the afternoon off so I just popped into Lower Hutt to pick up a couple of things from the shopping centre and have a read of a few travel books in the library.

I was hoping Thursday would be a relaxing day, although it turned into quite a busy one. With a reasonable kick off time in the Southampton game I listened to that in the morning. After the game we went into Lower Hutt to wash some duvets which was a nightmare as we had to wash them and dry them. To pass time we did the shopping in between, as well as looking round some of the other shops and eventually got back not long before Joss got home from school. The weather was horrendous though as we had the joys of Cyclone Fehi which brought some very strong winds and a lot of rain. One of the trees collapsed in the garden and the sea was in the road so it wasn't very fun.

Friday was my last day with Joss before moving on to new things. Despite this it was still a very busy day with it being housework day. Liza also wanted me to clean the grouting on the floor tiles so I had lots of cleaning to do. I think she was just trying to make the most of me before I left. It was Joss's weekend round his Dad's so he only came home for a couple of hours after school. It was emotional when saying goodbye to him though as he started crying and left in the car in tears. I'll definitely stay in contact though but I know he's going to miss me! His new au pair is apparently French, selected from over 30 people who applied so fingers crossed he will be good. I was apparently solely picked because I was English and I am still the only English person ever to apply!

With my flight out of New Zealand on March 4th, my plan from Eastbourne was to essentially spend the next 4 weeks or so exploring the North Island. My plans are pretty flexible with more potential things to do than I have time for but that gives me to flexibility to do things depending on weather, my luck with hitchhiking, and my fitness which isn't great at the moment as my legs are playing up with cramp. After saying goodbye to Liz I got a lift into Wellington with the next door neighbour Andrew by chance and had dinner and a few beers in town before heading north the following day.

Eastbourne Week 20

On Saturday morning I woke up bright and early after my night camping on the beach on the Westshore in Napier. It was a very warm night, so I didn't sleep very well but I did get a sunrise in the morning so it wasn't all bad. It wasn't long however before the sun warmed things up a notch and it got unbearably hot and humid. After packing up I walked back into Napier, following the coast through Ahuriri and past the port back into the centre. Once at the centre I had a good walk round the city, famous for its art deco buildings and it was actually a really nice place with palm trees lining the streets, and lots of murals and activity all over the place.

After exploring Napier my plan was to go over to Cape Kidnappers to do the walk to see the cliffs and gannet colony. I however had to time it right so that I went around low tide which was at about 3pm. The walk isn't accessible at high tide and they recommend you only do it 3 hours either side of low tide, so effectively a 6 hour window. I therefore decided to walk from Napier to Clive which initially followed the promenade before going through some wetlands and over the river. It was a pleasant walk although the sun was getting more and more intense! When arriving in Clive I hitched a ride over to the start of the track to Cape Kidnappers.

The path to Cape Kidnappers effectively followed the beach at the base of the cliffs, before climbing up to the top of the cliffs at the end to see the gannet colony. You could see why the walk wasn't accessible at high tide as the sea would crash against the cliffs, so mistiming the tides would be a problem. There were several quad bikes and 4wd vehicles driving along the beach as well as many walkers so it was quite busy walk. The beach was accessible the majority of the way except for a section towards the end which required some paddling to get round and over some rocks. When reaching the gannet colony it was very impressive as the chicks had recently hatched so there were a lot of gannets! The cliffs along the way were dramatic too, in particular the white cliffs at the end. It was a really nice walk and I returned without getting stranded!

From Cape Kidnappers I hitched a ride into Havelock North where I picked up some dinner and had a quick look round. It was a nice little place, with some very modern buildings. From there I headed up to Te Mata Peak to watch the sunset which was a little disappointing but still worth going up for. This local guy drove me up there who was a keen photographer who has often watched the sunrises and sunrises up top so he showed me loads of his photography which was interesting. The views up top were pretty special with the entire Hawkes Bay visible as far as the Mahia Peninsula, as well as the rolling hills inland. There was also a birds eye view of Napier, Hastings, and Havelock North, which was particularly interesting when it got dark to see the skylines lit up. I decided to camp up the top although I did had to be discreet as I wasn't meant to camp up there.

In the morning I was treated to a sunrise which was impressive with the sky being so clear. The clear sky also meant the stars and milky way were particularly visible in the night. After taking in the views one last time I headed down off the peak towards Maraetotara Falls which took me a couple of hours initially following farmland before following this quiet road to the entrance. Prior to arriving at the falls I followed this stream which before long took me to the waterfall itself. I managed to get a couple of good vantage points to see the falls before getting in the water for a swim which was much needed and refreshing!

After leaving the falls I hitched a ride into Hastings where I checked out the town which was another pretty place. When trying to hitch a ride out of Hastings however some random woman was worried about my welfare being out in the sun, which was once again very intense, and offered me food and drink. I hesitantly agreed, as with respect I was slightly sunburnt, and ended up at some baptism ceremony at this school. After watching this kid get baptised in the swimming pool and being offered countless fluids, I went for a swim in the pool. After cooling off they had this buffet which had all sorts of food and I had a really nice lunch with them.

Once this woman was satisfied I was hydrated and well fed she took me out of town to the where SH2 met the Hastings bypass, and I immediately picked up a ride with some Samoan couple right through to Woodville. I was originally going to try and visit the longest place name in the world and Waihi Falls although I decided to head straight back in the end as getting to them places would have taken me way off the beaten track. From Woodville I got a ride to Pahiatua, and from there got a ride straight back into Hutt. In the end I got from Hastings back to the Hutt in about 4 hours flat so I did well. I just chilled out when getting back, grabbing some food, and watching the as ever beautiful sunset over Wellington Harbour.

On Monday Joss didn't come home until about midday so I had a nice and chilled out morning. I was slightly sunburnt though, in particular on my nose so I looked a little silly. Liza had the day off work as it was a bank holiday to celebrate Wellington anniversary day meaning it was a day off only for Wellingtonians. We therefore all watched the Paddington Bear film together in the lounge, before going out in the pool later in the afternoon. The following day was another pretty chilled out day, staying inside until going into the pool later in the day.

Joss had to go to conductive Wednesday morning as he had a trial in his potential new walker, which has a hydraulic lift making it easier to use than his current one. I didn't go but apparently it went well and he walked in it so from what I understand they psychiatrist will now write a report and send it up to someone higher to see if he will be allowed the funding for the walker. Joss was meant to go sailing when he got back although he was out longer than expected so we didn't go in the end, instead going in the pool. His Dad came to pick him up later in the afternoon which gave me the afternoon off, so I popped into Wellington.

Joss's Dad took the day off work on Thursday again which gave me the day off. I didn't really want to go too far though because it was another really hot day, so I decided to do a walk over near Porirua Harbour, catching the train to Paremata and following the coastline via Mana and Plimmerton to Pukerua Bay before returning via these wetlands back to Plimmerton. It was a nice little walk although the coastline was a little rugged and wild, and being out in the sun probably didn't do my sunburnt face any good. When getting back to Plimmerton I caught the train into Wellington where I decided to go down to beach in Oriental Bay for a bit, before finally trying the the fish and chips at the chippery over in Mount Victoria. They were really nice. Joss didn't come home from his Dad's until about lunchtime on Friday, which meant I could get on with doing all the housework. All in all it was a pretty laid back day.

Eastbourne Week 19

Joss was home for the weekend and it was another really hot one. On Saturday morning we went to the market in Lower Hutt to pick up the groceries, although the humidity meant we didn't stay too long. As the sun was so intense we didn't take Joss in the pool until later in the afternoon, although Liza decided she would go for a walk with one her friends in the bush with her friends from Mahina Bay to Days Bay so we met them in the cafe afterwards. It was absolutely heaving down the beach though! We got in the pool when we were back and a couple of Joss's friends even came round, before having a bbq in the evening.

The following day we went to the shops in the morning to pick up a few things for the pool and garden. Whilst we were out we went for lunch out at some Asian restaurant before spending much of the afternoon in the garden, where I mowed the lawn and went in the pool when I was finished with Joss, whilst Liza did some gardening. Even Liz came in the pool which is saying something. On Monday it was another intensely hot day so couldn't take Joss in the pool until later. All in all it was a pretty laid back day though and we didn't go very far.

On Tuesday we took Joss out for a bike ride along the seafront. We even took Max with us although he was naughty because he ran inside someone's house. Luckily it was his friends Bellas house so the owner wasn't annoyed. Joss seemed to find it funny though. When we got back we just had a chilled out afternoon before going in the pool later in the afternoon. We did unfortunately have to empty it afterwards as Joss pooed in it again which was frustrating. It's difficult to know whether he is doing it by purpose or by accident because when he does it he tells us after he's done it and finds it funny which it obviously isn't, but being in the water could relax him so much he can't help it.

Wednesday was an early start as Liza was in Auckland for the day, and she needed to get everything ready. Joss was only at home until lunchtime before his Dad came and picked him up to take him to see a Hurricanes training session in Levin. With the afternoon off I took Max out for a long walk, going along the coast into Eastbourne for lunch before returning via the ridge track back into York Bay. It was very humid though and I kind of wished I had it the other way round as I was boiling when I came out the bush. Joss didn't come home until near his bedtime in the end and as Lizas flight was delayed out of Auckland his Dad put him to bed. Thursday was a real grotty day so we were stuck inside all day. As we couldn't do much we watched Harry Potter in the morning, and later on had another long game of farmopoly. It just rained all day so we couldn't do much else!

Joss's Dad came and picked Joss up on Thursday after dinner as he had the Friday off work so he arranged with Liza to have him an extra night. This gave me a bit of extra free time so after doing all the housework I decided to go away for the weekend. I was debating between doing the Tongariro National Park or Hawkes Bay and opted to visit Hawkes Bay in the end as the weather forecast was good compared to rain forecast for the Tongariro area. Due to the lack of affordable public transport in New Zealand I had to hitchhike up there, although I did catch the bus as far as I could to Te Marua, stopping for lunch at Upper Hutt.

From Te Marua I soon hitched a ride with some family who got me as far as Carterton. From here some guys picked me up and took me to Masterton. After Masterton this local farmer took me to Ekatahuna, who was an absolute nutter. He literally cracked open the beers whilst driving and was driving with a beer in his hand! My next ride from Ekatahuna was with another family who had a disabled child so it was interesting talking to them, getting dropped off in Pahiatua with them. I was then picked up by some local guys who got me to Woodville, where I then got a ride with this couple to Dannevirke. From Dannevirke I managed to get a ride all the way to Napier. All in all it took me just over 5 hours to get from Te Marua to Napier which on paper takes 4 hours so I actually did really well considering it took me 7 rides to get there!

When arriving I took a short walk along the promenade before heading into the city centre to find some dinner. In the end I found this locals pub who had a special deal on their fish and chips which was really nice. I then headed out to find somewhere to sleep for the night. As it was such a nice day I decided to camp instead of stay in a hostel so headed out to the Westshore just outside of Napier where I could camp on the beach. It was dark when I arrived though which was fun and games as I hadn't actually pitched my tent before so I didn't really know what I was doing but I worked it out! Despite it being dark it was a really nice location right by the sea and I could see Napier all lit up, as well as an incredibly clear night sky with there being no clouds.