Eastland
Saturday: After writing the Blog for last week we drove out of Masterton, through a countryside of rolling green hills to the Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre. Nestled in a large area of native forest the centre houses many of New Zealand's rare, native birds such as Kiwi, Stitchbirds and Kokako.

They are heavily involved in the conservation of these species running breeding programmes as well as giving the public a chance to view them up close.
The Kiwi house was great, Lee loved the eels and we both really enjoyed watching the Kaka swooping in over our heads to take an afternoon snack of fruit.

Once we had wandered around the centre for a while we drove on northwards and camped in a remote spot near Woodville, nestled between high wooded slopes.

Sunday: High cloud covered our secluded campsite this morning. On leaving the camp we drove north then veering off the main state highway headed along twisting narrow roads, along green valleys towards the coast. On reaching a small obscure village called Wimbledon we turned northwards once more and drove along yet another winding road along the bottom of a valley, the trees on either side were golden and russet coloured with the touch of autumn.

As the valley opened we pulled up to the side of the road. To our left lay a row of rounded hill tops, although they looked like any other hills any where in the world one in particular held a special claim to fame. Its name is the longest place name in the world (yep longer than that place in Wales!) Its name is:

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu! and breathe!....

The name basically translates to "The Hill on which Taumata, the chief of great physical statue and renown, played a lament on his flute to the memory of his brother"

We left the longest place name in the world and continued our journey northwards to Napier on the east coast. We had arrived in the area of Hawkes Bay, the landscape was flat and filled with paddocks of livestock and fields of various fruit and veg, plus grapes.

In Napier we took time to explore the National Aquarium of New Zealand set overlooking the bay. It was well set out and we both particularly liked the walk through Oceanarium, as we walked through a tunnel various fish and sharks swam over our heads.

Lee was like a kid in a candy store beaming at all the fish, sea horses, geckos and so on...

We camped in a holiday park just up the road from Napier that looked out over Hawkes Bay.

Monday: A bright, crisp morning saw us winding our way around Hawkes Bay northwards. The steep hillsides were covered in areas of grass and green or russet pine forests, trees along the road side were yellow, red or orange, their leaves littering the verges. Harriers swooped low over the fields, Kingfishers sat on overhead wires enjoying the autumn sunshine.

We drove through a steep gorge before returning to green pastures above. We ate lunch at the edge of the Mahia Peninsula overlooking a deep blue ocean that rolled onto a dark sandy beach in white, wispy breakers.

On through Morere with one of the last stands of native lowland rain forest on the North Island and then back into the paddocks and fields around Gisborne. The road dropped into the plains of the Wherowhero Estuary over which we could see Young Nick's Head, a peninsula named after the surgeons boy aboard Captains Cooks The Endeavour, that was the first to spot land back in 1769.

In Gisborne, over looking the bay and the landing spot of Captain Cook, stood two statues one of Captain Cook himself and the other of Nick Young.

The sun was low in the cloudy sky, tinting the undersides of the clouds pink, when we finally drove down a gravel road to Waihau Beach where we camped for the night.

Tuesday: We watched the sun rise above the ocean, turning the sky hazy pink to orange and then yellow. White thundering waves crashed onto the sandy beach from a silvery ocean beyond as we watched the world come into light.

A little later we took a stroll along the beach, the coastline, purpley blue against the hazy morning spread before us as we watched Pied Stilts and a Kingfisher flitting from driftwood to driftwood.

Back to the main highway we continued north along the east coast. A similar country of rolling green hills, a patch work of grass and green pine forests. Intermixed were large fields of dry corn and maize, and a couple of times we came across herds of cattle being driven down the road. We were in the Eastland, an area not too much visited by most tourists and steeped in Maori culture. We passed numerous marae, maori meeting houses with their beautifully carved archways.

We continued around the east coast, the road hugging the coastline and soon arrived in Te Araroa where we ate lunch beneath the branches of the oldest and largest Pohutukawa tree in New Zealand.

We were tired from the long hours driving and so stopped at a nearby holiday park, here we spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the warm sunshine. Set by the beach on the broad flat plain between two hills sides, the camp was quiet and peaceful.

Wednesday: We woke while it was still dark, hundreds of stars twinkled above us in the clear night sky, and drove along a gravel road to the East Cape Lighthouse, the most easterly lighthouse in the world.

As the sky lightened in the east we made our way around the headland and park at the bottom of a very steep hill, at the top of which sat the lighthouse. Low mist hung over the fields behind as we started up the 756 steps to the lighthouse.
Huffing and puffing we finally arrived at the top, the lighthouse appeared before us looking silently eastwards over a calm and silvery ocean. We plopped down at its base and watched as the clouds that hung low over the horizon turned bright, fiery red. The horizon began to glow orangey yellow, and then slowly the sun appeared above the bluish ocean, a pinkish glow spread across the lighthouse and the small island just offshore. We were among the first people in the world to watch the sunrise this morning...

Gradually the light became yellower and brighter, blinding almost, the landscape around us came into sharp focus the sun burning off the remaining mist. We returned to our car and drove back along the coast to the campsite for breakfast.

On finding we were low of petrol we returned to Te Araroa and found one lonesome pump with two bikers standing nearby. It was ANZAC day in New Zealand, a public holiday to remember those fallen in the war (much like our Remembrance Day). Despite this the bikers had been told the pump would open at 9.30am instead of 1pm as is usual on public holidays. There were 150 bikers coming this way all wanting petrol. We were content to wait till 1pm if necessary as we were no rush, the bikers on the other hand were in a hurry and when the guy refused to open the pump early there was a lot of discontented bikers swarming around our car which was stuck in the midst of it all!

We waited patiently watching the scene unfold, shortly a rather disgruntled owner came out and agreed to open the pump with payments of cash only. We decided to take advantage to get some fuel now also, but first let the majority of the grumpy bikers go first.

With a bit of fuel in our tank we continued on into the sunshine, following the road as it wound its way up and down forested hills, round bays of sandy or rocky beaches dotted with numerous Pohutukawa trees and lined with a deep blue ocean. We passed endless fields of corn and drove through more small Maori villages.

We continued round Ohiwa Harbour, past the 13km of Ohope beach and into Whakatane in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Out over the pale blue ocean we could see an island smoking against the horizon, White Island, New Zealand's most active marine volcano and our destination tomorrow!

Thursday: A clear sunny morning greeted us we boarded the boat that would take us the 50km offshore to White Island. Out of the river mouth and we picked up speed across a dark blue ocean, that rippled with small waves.

We sat on the rear deck scanning the ocean for birds and marine mammals, can't help ourselves! The coastline of the North Island faded into a bluish purpley, misty haze as we passed Whale Island another offshore sanctuary for New Zealand's rare bird life, and ahead White Island loomed, steaming against the blue sky.

We passed through a flock of Grey-faced Petrels and saw a Common Diving Petrel zip by, both new species of birds to us =)

The island loomed closer, grey rock with white steam billowing from its high sides, we pulled into Crater Bay where the boat was moored offshore. We were taken ashore in a small inflatable and climbed over a rusting wharf and across dark rocks coated red by the minerals in the air.

Wearing hard hats and with gas masks we stood looking over a lunar landscape. High rocky walls of the crater circled the island bar two gaps, one where Crater Bay is and another past a headland at Wilson's Bay. From the centre a massive cloud of steam billowed continuously.
Our guide Jules then gave us a short talk about safety, we were standing on a live, active volcano that is constantly changing. The last eruption in July 2000 changed it from a grey ash covered area into the mounds of large boulders and crumbly gravel that we saw before us.

We then started out tour of the crater, the island was a landscape of grey, black boulders and gravel with patches of bright yellow sulphur and brilliant white calcium deposits. These bright patched indicated where the heat beneath us was closer to the surface and the rock was thinner - no standing on these! Jules showed us one such mound that had collapsed, a pool of boiling ashy water!

Steam billowed loudly out of vents dotted all over the place, including from the main crater itself. Deep beneath us a large chamber of hot magma heated rivers of water that ran through the porous rock beneath the surface, the water evaporates into steam which rises looking for an escape route to the surface - creating these vents. Rising with the steam are various minerals including sulphur (giving that rotten egg smell we all so much enjoy!) on reaching the atmosphere this cystallizes at 94°c into the visible yellow crystals.

Jules explained that when the volcano erupts it does not have rivers of magma, but instead shoots out, horizontally at the speed of a bullet no less!, balls of magma ranging from the size of basketballs to small cars! When these hit the sides of the crater they explode spreading rock over the landscape.

We made our way up to the crater lake and for the first time needed our gas masks as the steam billowed around us. Occasionally the steam would clear giving us a brief glimpse of the rippling and bubbling lake below. With a pH of 0 there would be no swimming in this lake! I'm sure you all know already that the pH scale runs from 14 which is alkaline to 7 which is neutral to 0 which is acidic! Our lake was pure acid, and had actually been recorded at pH-0.6! The water was a lovely 64°c, having dropped from 74°c, at the same time the level of the lake was dropping having previously been just below the rim of the lake. A dynamic environment, previously there had been no lake and the crater dropped into a deep chasm.

On leaving the lake we crossed a few small streams that cut into the rock, we were able to taste (not drink though!) the water in two of them. One tasted very salty and the other like blood due to the high iron content, in fact the browns and deep reds of iron could be seen on the stones on the stream bed.

Our final stop was the old sulphur factory ruins, abandoned in 1920s the floor of the factory were now covered in 8ft of gravel and sediment, the walls were crumbling and the iron work rusted and falling apart.

With the sky now filling with cloud we returned to the boat and enjoyed a light lunch before circling the island. We cruised past Wilson's Bay with a final view of the crater complex before it disappeared behind the encircling walls, on the far side of the island we passed a forest of Pohutukawa trees one of 22 species of plant that survive on the island, the main one being a succulent called ice grass. We passed where Grey-faced Petrels nest and headlands where Gannets nest, only a few stragglers left now.

Having circled the island we headed back to the mainland under a blanket of cloud with the sun occasionally glinting of the wavy ocean. We resumed our scanning and although we spotted no whales or dolphins we had a great view of Common Diving Petrel, spotted a large Albatross and saw numerous Grey-faced Petrels. The highlight though had to be the flying fish that would leap from the waves, fly close to the water near the boat and then splash back under the waves! =)

White Island got smaller and smaller, shrinking to the horizon still smoking, and all to soon we entered into the Whakatane River and pulled up to the wharf. Our adventure on New Zealand's most active, marine volcano was over and it had been an awesome experience.

Friday: A clear night gave way to a clear, crisp morning with high wispy clouds. We took our time exploring Whakatane and then drove back along the Ohiwa Harbour, stopping for lunch over looking the largest remaining salt marsh in the harbour.

Our next stop was Ohiwa itself where we took a walk on the long sandy beach and onto the sand spit that protrudes into the harbour mouth and is a very important habitat for migrating and breeding waders.

Not many around today but we paddled in the water and enjoyed the warm sunshine.

Leaving the harbour we headed up the Waimana Valley and into the Te Urewera National Park. Native woodland filled the valley sides, along its floor ran a broad flood plain with a silver river winding its way through the middle. Wooden slat houses were dotted along its banks with fields of cattle and horses, a bright yellow marae (meeting house) stood out against the green trees behind.

Soon the road climbed and got windier and narrower, the walls of the valley closed in, the river fell away beside us dropping into a sheer gorge. A short while later the valley opened out once more to reveal a flat green field, our campsite for the night which we shared with a few horses.


Saturday: For the first time in a while it started to rain during the night and continued on un relenting this morning. A pause allowed us to pack the dripping tent, low misty clouds hung low over the valley and then it started to rain once again.

We carefully made our way back down the valley the rain obscuring our view of the valley and creating puddles in the gravel. Out of the valley we headed north for Rotorua, not seeing much of the landscape around us as it was veiled in grey rain. Trees, hills and houses slowly loomed out of the gloom ahead as we twisted through the country with heaters on full trying to dry the tent as we went.

We soon came along the edges of the various lakes in the Rotorua area but we could not see their far shores. Evidence of the areas geothermic activity came into view as steam poured out of various vents. A distinctive rotten egg smell let on that we had finally arrived around Rotorua itself. As we pulled into the town itself the rain finally eased, we had lunch amongst the steaming pools of Kuirau Park. Everything around Rotorua was very touristy, every geothermic hotspot you had to pay to get in, this was the only free place =)

With the skies clearing and the sun finally breaking through we drove north through rolling green hills which slowly grew steeper and more rugged, coated in deep green forests. Flat fields spread to our left and the steep Kaimai Range rose on our right. We spent the night in Te Aroha.

Sunday: A cloudy but bright morning as we made our way to the Karangahake Gorge 8km south east of Paeroa, home of the drink L&P world famous in New Zealand! We stopped and took a walk through the gorge, across two swing bridges and then along the river. The sheer walls of the gorge rose up beside us as we walked through the remains of the gold mining factories. We then crossed the river and then made our way through a dark, long tunnel through the hillside. This brought us back in a loop to the river and it was then a short distance back to the car.

On leaving the gorge we made through the flatter lands of the Huaraki Plains to Miranda where we had spent our first night on our road trip over two months ago. We spent the afternoon enjoying the birds feeding and roosting on the mudflats and pools of the Firth of Thames. We even managed to spot two new birds...remember that photo back in February of all the godwits flying and we asked you to spot the Hudsonian Godwit? Well we didn't spot it back then when there were over 4000 Bar-tailed Godwits, now there were less than 400 with most flying to China to breed and there flying over us was a very dark and rather chubby Hudsonian Godwit!

Amongst the thousands of Wrybill we spotted a Terek Sandpiper, a cute wader with an up turned bill roosting with hundreds of Wrybill with bills turned to the side =)

Evening brought showers spreading across the Firth from the purply hills of the Coromandel. We spent the night at Ray's Rest, the same campsite we had stayed in two months before.

Monday: Rain continued this morning, obscuring the landscape and proving not to useful for bird watching. Once we were sorted we took the long route back to Auckland, following the coastline through the rain.

By lunch we were back at Alan and Cath's house unloading the car, the big road trip was over. We now had a week to sell the car, sort our stuff and get ready for the final chapter of this Big Travel Adventure: South Africa!