Auckland & the far north

Apologies for not updating the blog sooner, internet access has been a bit tricky to come by.

I left Santiago on the evening of Friday, November 12, 2010 and arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday, November 14, 2010. Although the flight was just over thirteen hours I lost a whole day due to crossing the International Date Line, so Saturday, November 13, 2010 never existed for me which for someone of my limited intelligence takes some figuring out.

Auckland is a nice, compact city which is easy enough to get around. There are lots of restaurants to choose from, especially Asian ones and so I’ve had my fair share of sushi.

The Auckland skyline as seen from the Birkenhead-Auckland City Ferry.

Christmas decorations in Auckland.

For the duration of my stay in New Zealand I’ve hired a car which I picked up at Auckland airport. Initially I was a little disappointed, it’s a Daihatsu Sirion, which looks more like a Fox’s Glacier Mint on wheels than a car but to be fair it’s quite fun to drive, especially around the winding roads of the north island’s east coast.

With only a month in which to see as much of New Zealand as possible I didn’t want to hang around and so after purchasing a road map and tent, the Astro 2 no less, I left Auckland and headed north along the Twin Coast Discovery Highway, my destination, Cape Reinga at the northern tip of the north island.

The Daihatsu Sirion and the Astro 2.

My journey north took in some amazing scenery from gorgeous beaches to native forests including a visit to the Waitangi treaty grounds, the birthplace of New Zealand, where the Waitangi treaty was first signed between Maori chiefs and the British Crown.

Te Whare Runanga (Māori Meeting House) at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

I arrived at Cape Reinga early on Saturday morning only to find it shrouded in heavy mist which was a little disappointing to say the least.

Cape Reinga Lighthouse shrouded in mist.

I made my way back south along the west coast and spent the night in Opononi before continuing on to the Waipoua Kauri Forest early on Sunday morning.

The forest houses the largest Kauri trees alive. Tane Mahutu (god of the forest) is the largest at 51m tall with a girth of 13.8m and is believed to be somewhere in the region of 2000 years old. Matua Ngahere (father of the forest) is the widest with a girth of 16.4m standing at 30m tall. They truly are awesome sights to behold and a privilege to stand in the presence of.

Tane Mahutu (god of the forest).

Matua Ngahere (father of the forest).