Now that we are off the road, I am able to upload some more from the North Island portion before sharing the South Island journey.
Random roadside stops
From Paihia, we took a passenger ferry over to Russell, the town once known as “the hell hole of the Pacific” notorious for it’s drinking, fighting and prostitution. This was the first capital city of New Zealand. I’d say it’s turned into a rather upscale area now which houses one of New Zealand’s most expensive holiday rentals at $13,000 per night. FYI – we didn’t stay there.
On our way back to Auckland we detoured to Karekare to see the black sand beaches and a waterfall. An impromptu stop for lunch found us exploring a smaller waterfall and meeting new friends.
We even got a distant view of the city on the way and I discovered how dirty my camera actually is. There are spots everywhere on this one.
The path to the beach was long and the bushes were in full bloom. It was a very pretty and very fragrant walk.
Once we emerged in the beach, we discovered it was indeed black sand . . . and pretty much deserted.
There were more people at the waterfall but it was just off the road so it was easier access. Still I was able to take a picture with just one guy in it for size reference.
This concluded a very quick but very full circle tour of the area north of Auckland. In no way did we see it all but I believe it was a halfway decent overview.
Amazing, thanks for the tour! Love AT