The flight was straight forward and included some amusing comments from the boys. Oliver, who was sitting by the window, saw the coast line of China and announced very loudly that " it was actually awesome (in a British accent) we just fell off the edge of China". On one of many trips to the loo William declared that he loves aeroplane toilets as the flush is so funny!
After landing in Auckland and clearing customs, where they checked how dirty our shoes were, we picked up our car, which seemed pretty small, but we squeezed us all in. Sam and I both quickly reaclimatised to driving although a 6.3 meter camper van next week might be a shock! Sam realised that he hadn't driven for almost two years! Luckily there are not many cars on the road here!
For our first day we had set ourselves the daunting challenge of a 5 hour drive to Opononi. However this means that the pressure is off for the rest of the week. Upon leaving Auckland we were quickly reminded of how remote parts of the country are. We stopped at a supermarket where the boys were as big as an attraction as they are in China and had lunch on a beach by the Kai Iwi lakes which we had all to ourselves. The weather was fantastic and we were caught unawares and, in true British style, managed to get sunburnt! Obviously the sun is filtered by the pollution in Shanghai more than we realised!
On route to the cabin that we had booked on a campsite, we saw a sign for a viewing area and followed it. William and Oliver were amazed by the colour of the water. Just as we were leaving a wedding party turned up for photos, it seems that wherever we go we are destined to see random wedding photo shoots!
Our cabin was basic but the rudimentary amenities were soon forgotten after seeing the view-goats included! The setting is wonderful with a fantastic feeling of being in the back of beyond! We went to the local stocks everything store only to discover that they were out of most things!
Oliver and William were running on empty after a few hours sleep so we kept them going with fish and chips and ice cream overlooking the harbour before they fell in to bed, closely followed by us. After a nice chilled glass of New Zealand wine!
The next day we were up and off later than we thought as none of us woke until 8 am! Our first stop was at The Boat Shed in Rawere, a cafe overlooking Hongonaki Harbour. We ate a delicious breakfast. This whole area has a real end of the world backwater feel about it . After breaking our fast we took the small car ferry to the opposite side of the harbour. The first village we reached was Kohukohu which has a population of 190, making it a far cry from life in Shanghai! Many of the Victorian buildings remain and as we drove through it felt like stepping back in time.
Sensibly, we stocked up at the last supermarket before heading in to the Far North and arriving at our campsite which was a stones throw from Ninety Mile Beach. With the sound of roaring surf too tempting to resist we dumped our things in our cabin and headed to the beach. Here, William and Oliver discovered the delights of throwing themselves head first down sand dunes!
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