Heading to Northland

Our next task was to get from Rotorua up to the Bay of Islands in Northland some 460 km (~280 miles). The charts told us it would require about 7 hours to drive which comes out to an average of 40 mph. A third of that distance is on really great road where you can mostly go from 50 to 60 mph. The rest of the way was typical of NZ--lots of curves, lots of road work, lots of small towns, and very few passing lanes.

On Monday, we drove through Auckland and beyond entering the area known as Northland. Our first stop was in Warkworth in order to go to SheepWorld. The description had been good but the real thing was a little shabby. We did, however, get to see a working sheepdog demonstration, and Mark even got to help shear a sheep. Of course, it ended with bottle feeding the lambs!

We spent the night in Whangarei. Tuesday morning we explored a little in town. First was a kauri forest canopy walk and hike to a waterfall. The kauri tree is another of NZ’s grand indigenous coniferous trees. The short canopy walk was beautiful and the hike to the waterfall was quite varied and pleasant. Next we visited a quarry garden with Butchart Gardens on our minds. Suffice it to say, the gardens have a good start but have a LONG way to go. We loaded up on groceries, ate a picnic lunch, and headed out for The Bay of Islands.

Along the way, we stopped briefly in Kawakawa to view the famous (or should I say infamous) city toilets. They were designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and were gifted to the city. Hundertwasser was a painter and architect who by the end of the 20th century was one of the best-known, although controversial, Austrian artists. Having moved to the Kawakawa area in 1975, Hundertwasser considered New Zealand his official home until his death. Anyway, the toilets are a hoot and awash with tourists!  We were relieved (pun intended) to pull into our hotel in Whaitangi--ahh, three nights in one place!!