We left Auckland to drive north this morning, but it seemed a very long while until the feeling of being in a big city with lots of cars on the road gradually died away. Our first stop was at Te Hana to see the arts factory there. No photos, but we came away very impressed with the huge and wonderful carvings made by Kerry Strongman out of swamp kauri wood.
Next stop was Whangarei for the Vodafone shop, to try and find out why our last top up of the phone seemed to have failed. No good answers, so we put more money on the phone. At least it is working now.
Third stop was the public toilets at Kawakawa to see (and use) the facilities created by Hundertwasser. Great place, and a very interesting use of bottles encased in cement to form windows. Hundertwasser lived locally from 1971 until his death in 2000, and he used broken tiles and found objects, as well as bottles, in his creation.
Even better was the unexpected appearance of a steam train that came past, right down the middle of the street!! Apparently it only runs for about 5km north, but it was so nice to see, and smell, the steam!
We continued north to Paihia where we had a delicious, tho' expensive, ice cream, and a wander around the town. A cruise ship was in, and there was an interesting craft market by the main road. Lots of tourists everywhere, and several people swimming in the sea, probably the first time we had seen this since we've been in NZ.
Driving a few kms more we stopped at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, just in time for a guided tour. This was the first time I was allowed to take photos inside a Whare (Maori meeting house). It was interesting that the carvings at the sides of the hall represented all the northern tribes, and only the ceremonial chair/throne came from the southern tribes. The Treaty House (where the Waitangi treaty was devised, written and signed In 1840) was built in 1833. By the early 1900s it was deserted and being used as a cow shed, and was only saved in 1932 by being privately purchased, then given as a gift to the nation. This was also when the Whare was built.
Our tour, by a very amusing man called Solly, finished at the huge waka in the grounds. It can take up to 160 people and is used every Waitangi Day. Sadly we ran out of time, and our guide had to let us out of a side gate as the main entrance was locked.
We carried on driving around the east, then the north, coast, passing the turn off to Cape Reinga and the ninety mile beach, before turning south to reach Ahipara where we had booked a bach for the next three nights. This has to be our nicest bach yet!! We had picked up some fish and chips in the village, and arrived in time to eat them on our terrace watching the setting sun. We have a luxurious lounge, enormous terrace and a well equipped kitchen, not to mention the views, all for a very reasonable price.
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