Busy busy busy

Well I am finally getting round to updating this thing. Although there is not much to update it with really. My life seems to be revolving around work of late. Ho hum. Not what I came ot New Zealand for. Oh well. Hopefully things will get better.

One thing to note is my folks are here at the moment. And they are really liking it!!! Well there's a suprise!!! It is New Zealand after all. They have been cruising the North Island in a camper and i have been meeting up with them on the weekends.

Last weekend was a trip to Rotovegas - i love that place. All that volcanoey and hot pool type stuff. Really interesting!!!

Anyway, watch this space.

Back to the Philippines

Well i nearly didn't make it. The night before i was due to fly out to Manila i had a slight mishap playing indoor football. One trip to the medical centre and a pair of crutches later i hobbled off to try and cancel my flights in 6 hours time. Thankfully i managed to change the flights and the new date was set for 18th September.

I was heading back to help out as a technical advisor to a company called Globecare - a remediation contractor based in Manila. I was tasked to help out with the clean up of a mercury impacted site, as well as cast my expert (hehe) eye over a few other sites that require some work.

Most of the time was spent in the office frantically emailing and sending off proposals and setting up meetings. I did get out to a few sites though, even though my mobility was not at its best. Hopefully all the hard work will pay off and i will be back out there fairly soon.

Manila is an interesting place. Well, i guess i should say more busy than interesting. The place hums with activity. Well i guess it would with 12 million people living in the same place. The traffic is quite frankly epic. But enough of the city stuff. I had the opportunity to escape so i took it. I spent the weekend on the island of Boracay.

Boracay is a 45 minute plane ride south of Manila. It is one of the 7,017 islands that make the Philippines the second biggest archipeligo in the world (interesting fact no.1). The Philippine islands actually have more coast line than the whole of the United States of America (interesting fact 2 - and now i am out of facts).

Anyway, Boracay is approximately 7km long and 1km wide. You can't actually get there by plane, you fly to the neighbouring island and get a boat to the island. It takes about 20 minutes. The flight over was, err, horrendous. An 18 seater prop aircraft flying in the monsoon season afternoon. Asking for trouble really. It was extremely bumpy. Baggage was rolling around the cabin, water was leaking in the door, we were thrown left and right and up and down. At one point a couple of passengers even screamed - it was that bad. Thankfully we landed safely and it was off to catch me a boat.

The first thing i noticed was how helpful the Filipinos are. Much more so than in Manila. I am used to carrying my own bag and opening my owns doors etc. But here i was not allowed too. Everything was done for me. Very odd. I mean its great and all, but i am just not used to it.

So i arrived on the beach on the western side of the island. All the accomodation and bars etc are on the east so it was a short jeepney ride across the lush green island. Thankfully the jeepneys here are far more sedate than the ones in Manila.

So all booked in to my accommodation it was time to hit the beach. Not far to walk - all of about 10m. Niiiiiice. Now it is supposed to be one of the best beaches in the world. Personally i am not convinced. Now its a really nice beach, don't get me wrong, but it is flanked by loads of bars and various forms of accomodation. Surely there are a fair number of better beaches in the Philippines let alone the world. Anyway, i hit the beach.

Met up with a guy called Wim from Holland. He was on the same transfer boat. We found a bar and started drinking. Ice cold San Miguel on a white sandy beach on a hot sunny day. Great.

After a swim in the sea the day turned to night and we hit the bars. Again, San Miguel was the drink of choice. At some time around 2.30am i managed to stagger back along the beach to hit the sack. And this was early for Filipinos!!!

Breakfast on the beach then a transfer to Daves Straw Hat Inn. I had had enough of the overpriced and underspecced hotel i was in. Daves was much cheaper ($20 a night) and every bit as good. The only difference being it was 100m from the beach not 10m. Then it was off to another bar, out for a swim, out for a short sail and a bit of a snorkel over the reef. Excellent. Then it was back to a bar for dinner and an acoustic open mic night with Boracays finest till the wee small hours. It was an awesome night. The bar was tucked in amongst the palm trees, lit by lanterns. Amazing. No idea what time i got home. All i know is the next morning i was feeling somewhat sub-optimal.

It was monday and i was feeling quite hungover. An ideal day to go sailing then - obviously. We managed a lap of the island on a traditional outrigger called a Paraw. Basically a very narrow hull (like a canoe) and and outrigger on each side so it forms a trimeran type arrangement. It was totally wooded and help together with wire and rope. Splendid. The sail appeared to be plastic tarpauline, but it didn't half shift in the wind. It was superb fun. We even manged to stop en route for a spot of snorkelling. Feeding the fish with left over sarnies. The coulors were amazing and having them nibble straight from your hand is incredible. I could see myself getting into this diving lark!!!

Sadly my time on the beach paradise was over all too soon. But next time i am back there i have grand plans. Active volcanoes to see (i mean really active!!!) deserted beaches to explore and rice terraces galore described as one of the natural wonders of the world!!!

The hustle and bustle and the hot and sweatiness of Manila was a bit of a downer after all that open ocean and white sand. Ho hum. It was back to Auckland to prepare for the kiwi summer.

Sailing Adventures with Dr Tom

Tom bought himself a boat a while back. And we thought we would take it for a whirl round the harbour. A nice little 24ft vessel called JAFTICA (Just Another F******* Toy I Can't Afford!!!).

Anyway, we managed to pick a lovely day for a sail. It was chucking it down as per the norm on an Auckland afternoon in August. But fun was had by all. Even though we were against the tide it was nice to get out and about.

Captain Dr. Tom at the helm.

And in the words of Ratty from Wind in the Willows - 'Believe me, my young friend, there is NOTHING--absolutely nothing--half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats'.

Needless to say i have started saving for my own boat.

Pub Golf - 24th June

It was that time of year again. The annual MWH pub golf event. 9 pubs 9 drinks and penalties. Scores were kept on a T-shirt score card. The aim, as in golf, is to get round in as few shots as possible. The drinks were - a cocktail of your choice, a wine, a red headed slut (whatever that is), Submarine (lager and ammeretto - nicer than it sounds), a mixer, a margarita, a white russian (yummy), a snakebite and a pint of good old beer. The drinks were flowing nicely and everyone was in good spirits. The confident (brave or stupid - not sure which) also added a few extra drinks just for fun. Bragging rights were not permitted however.

Things moved on at a fair rate of knots - there was even time to knock off a Red Headed Slut. So to speak.

Chris and Daz double teaming the slut - and in public too!!!!

All was going to plan. I was part of a crack team that was seeing off the drinks with some ease in one. I even managed a penalty pint in one go too. However things were about to take an unfortunate turn.

Its all gone horribly wrong - Snakebite just wouldn't go down in one

It was a pint of snakebite - not my favourite tipple i have to admit. But thats ok, i am man enough to deal with a girls pint. Or so i thought. Dammit, it was too cold, halfway through i thought i was gonna black out with an ice cream headache. I cut my losses and scored two. The worst bit was i was beaten by the girls. Dammit. I shall never be allowed back to the UK again.

MeeeeeOwwwww - Ericacacacacacaaaaaa

The hat says it all really

So there we go - i did nine hole in ten shots, Not bad going. But a bit of a poor show on the snake bite. Ah well - will get in some training for next year. The night ended in Danny Doolans bopping to tunes and drinking until the wee small hours. A top top night.

Thriller in Manila

The call came on the thursday - was i busy at work? Well yes - I am always busy (just in case the bosses read this). But did i have time to fit in a trip to Manila, Philippines for a last minute remediation job. Errrrr, yes. I think so. So Sunday 4th June I was on my way.

The flight was epic. Long and boring. But the views were amazing - flying over Indonesia dodging thunder storms - wow it was impressive. I hate thunder - but there was something truely fascinating about seeing clouds totally lit up with pink and gold fork lighning. Clouds that are at 35,000ft. Wow.

I arrived in Manila. And the heat hit me. My god it was hot. Oppressive muggy heat. Horrible. Mid Thirties and very very humid. Thank the lord for air con.

So what was i doing there? Well i was offering technical advice to a company that was cleaning up a contaminated site. Easy peasy. I was hoping to get involved with some of the actual field work - sadly due to delays that was not to be so i was mainly involved in the kicking off stage.

But thats enough about work. More about the Philippines. Sadly photos are somewhat lacking, but i am hoping to go back and i will definately get some then.

I wasn't really sure what to expect of Manila. It turned out to tbe a very westernised city. A huge city - 6 cities rolled into one. High rise glass clad buildings looked like something out of New York rather than a Pacific nation. But the slums were very obvious - and very close to the city. There seemed to be no real middle ground or inner city - high rise wealth to slums pretty much straight away.

Everybody drives in Manila - and nobody gives way. Totally manic. Yet i saw suprisingly few incidents. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the trafic doesn't seem to go above 40 km/h. I thought Auckland drivers were bad but the Filipinos are totally sadistic when it comes to piloting a vehicle. Traffic lights don't seem to register and the favourite past time of a driver is to lean on the horn until it wears out. And if you get pulled over by the police, if oyu buy him his lunch then everything is sweet. Corrupt? Never. Haha.

The nightlife. Well, it was errrr, interesting. The beer was certainly cheap. And there was alot more on offer than beer. Whether it was men or women offering the extras is anyones guess. I stuck to the San Miguel - the Philippines own lager beer. And it was mighty nice too. Really refreshing served just above freezing.

The food is also interesting. A mix of Thai and Pacific flavours I guess. Personally i found it all a bit bland. But then maybe i just wasn't eating the right stuff. Don't get me wrong - it was nice, but lacked a bit of something or other. One interesting dish i tried was called Sissig. Hmmmmm, i wish i had asked what it was afetr i had finished eating it. Basically it is mashed up deep fried pig head. Like all of the head - snout, ears, tongue, the lot. Tastes like pork scratchings in mayonnaise. Yum - sort of.

Anyway, thats about it for the Philippines - i hope to go back and next time i am going to escape the city and see the countryside. It is supposed to be stunning......Watch this space.

HOUSE PARTY - Friday 19th May

We thought it was about time for a good old fashioned house party. Belated housewarming, birthdays (Johnny and Lucy), Hiedi going away and well, just for the sake of a party really. Boy oh boy, what a cracker it was too.

We started in the pub to watch the rugby then moved back to my gaff where the party was in full swing.

I think i lasted until about 5am on Saturday morning. But i am not really sure. I did however wake at about nine on the saturday to find our sofa on the front lawn with people still merrily drinking away. How the sofa got there is anybodies guess - ah well. I was off back to bed until the evening nursing the mother of all hangovers. What a night.

The MIGHTY Wairoa - 7th May 2006

It was the last flow of the season so it had to include a run on the top section of the Wairoa. A nice easy (???) grade IV/V in a stunning gorge. Nerves jangling, myself, Dodgey and Hayden put on below McClarens Falls to paddle off into the dark depths of the gorge.

A play wave (humpty dumpty) is the first stop. Although I wasn't really in a playful mood. I just wanted to run the river!!! Its then a nice bimble through some grade IV rapids named Mothers Nightmare, Devils Elbow and Double Trouble. Hmmm interesting choice in the naming. No real dramas mind - just a bit side ways on Mother Nightmare - not a good start, but hey, best to get the muppetitis out of the way on the less serious stuff.

The 'Toaster' waterfall was next. Aptly named due to the slot on river right that you really don't want to drop into. Rafts dropping into here look like a slice of bread in a toaster. And if you do drop in in a kayak there is a good chance you will be toast - nice. There is also a 'save yourself' chain bolted to the rock next the hole should you drop in too far left. Thankfully this was not required by anyone today. My line over the toaster was described by a fellow paddler as 'pretty close'. I ventured slightly to far right and got a real good view of the slot as I slid down the rock. Eyes like saucers!!! All sweet though, I made it.

Then there was the 'Rollercoaster'. Chicken chute round the 'Cauldron' by boofing into the eddy river right, then it was a matter of a nice simple ferry glide across the main flow just above 'Rollercoaster' itself. Hmmm, don't wanna mess this one up. Bus Stop eddy is the starting place, break out into the flow, big boof off the rock int he middle and see what happens - the only real instruction is to avoid the undercut at the bottom.

The Rollercoaster

So off I paddled, boofed for all my might, but not really far enough right. Oh well, Everything was white. I cleared the first hole - sort of, and popped up in the third, then it was a simple paddle out to the eddy to look back up at a suprisingly meaty drop. Awesome. Job done. It was now a nice bimble down the grade III section to the car.

Easter Adventure - The Mohaka River 14th - 17th April

The long easter weekend was spent down on the East Cape around Napier. The mission was to paddle the Mohaka River. After an early start on Good Friday the team (Dodgey, Nicki, Sam, Mai, Steffan, Hayden and myself) arrived at the get in a little weary and stiff from the 5 hour drive. It was running late in the day and a 2.5 hour grade 2 paddle seemed not so appealing. I quickly volunteered for shuttle bunny with Sam, sniggering as the remaining five kitted up for an evening paddle. We were off to drink beer - err, strike camp.

Day two began with a foggy start. And out of the mist emerged a hoard of wild horses intent on taking up kayaking for themselves. Well, trying plastic kayaks as a dietary supplement anyway. Thankfully expensive multi-coloured tupperware tubs aren't that tasty and we were left in peace to much away on our breakfast.

The paddle was a nice bimble on grade III (IV) water winding its way through the isolated East Cape country side. No real epics - just nice waves, big ramp type rapids and a few large holes to contend with.

So there i was, happily following Hayden, minding my own business as we approach the top of a rapid. Hayden leads in cautiously going with the flow - we were running everything blind - no biggy, its not a hard river. Hayden suddenly nails an eddy and sits right on the eddy line. I was now the blind probe!!! And boy was there a big hole. No wonder Hayden made a sharp exit. Nothing for it but to charge it. Power on and a deep breath. The sky sure was clear and blue. An H3 vertical is apparently an impressive site!!! Hehe.

A cracking days paddle with a fish and chip (fush n chup if you kiwis don't understand english) dinner in Napier. Then back to camp for beers and sing song round the camp fire. Ok so thankfully no sing song but a good few beers were had in preparation for tackling the gorge on sunday.

Easter Sunday was another foggy day. And we were (well some of us - i was fast asleep) woken by more wild horse antics. This time it seemed they took a dislike to tents. Thankfully not mine. Anyway, today was the reason we came to do the Mohaka - the gorge (Willow Flat section).

It was going to be a cold day tucked away in the depths of the gorge. Once your in - the only way out is by chopper or by kayak. The group was down to four with only myself, Dodgey, Hayden and Mai going for it. We wrapped up in all the thermals we could find (thank the lord for my dry trousers) and off we set, waving goodbye to our comrade who we would not see for another 6 hours.
Hayden paddles off to infinity and beyond...

The run starts nicely with a picturesque grade II run before things start getting fun. A lot of the run has to be run blind due to it being in a gorge. This adds to the excitement as you never know what will be round the next boulder. The crux of the run is 'Guides Launch', a nice drop into a meaty hole. Mai discovered a chicken chute which she ran backwards - slightly concerned for her well being i followed what i thought was her line. However it turned out to be the wrong line. The skyward nose of my H3 once again signifying to the following that perhaps river left was a better option. Or so they thought.... Dodgey had an interesting moment (about 30 seconds of moment to be fair) in the whole on river left. Ah well, that'll learn him for paddling a silly small boat.

The scenery was stunning. House sized boulders and 150m high gorge walls. The deeper into the gorge we went the more stunning, and the best was saved for last. 'Hotel Rock' signified the beginning of the end of the run. It is indeed the size of a hotel. How it got there is anyones guess. It seems to be of a totally different geology to the rest of the gorge too, and too big to have come down the gorge. Ho hum the mystery continues.

The only way is up, baby, - Name that tune?!?!?

Then it was all over and a 5 hour trip back to Auckland. Awesome run. Awesome scenery, oh, and one thing of note. The shuttle for the bottom section is quite possibly the biggest shuttle known to man - must have been a good 80km!!!

U2 Postponed so it was Eden Park and the Blues

With U2 postponing their gigs in New Zealand, well the entire down under leg of their tour, Saturday night was free to enjoy a night at Eden Park and the Super 14's. The Blues were playing the ACT Brumbies - featuring none other than George Gregan. We had prime seats to watch him get a kicking!!!!

We had a great view of the rugby

Now Super 14's games seem to be a bit different to other rugby games i have been to. The emphasis is on entertainment - and with no relegation to worry about iot shoudl make for a good running game. So after the fireworks and the dancing it was down to business.

The Blues ran out winners 26 - 15. Gregan got subbed halfway through the second half and didn't get panned as hoped - ah well, always next time. Then it was off to the pub for a re-tox following St Paddys day the night before.

Bryce & Chris with their mug shots for the next recruitment for the Cheerleadering Squad.

Thankfully I think their chances are a long way less than good.

I'm an Uncle!!!

Congratulations to my sister Bethan and her hubby Pete. Cassandra Leigh Dodge was born at 00.50am on Saturday 18th February weighing in at 7lbs.

Cassandra Leigh Dodge

And to celebrate my uncledom I went to the pub to consume some alcoholic beverages in moderation. (That bits for mum) I actually got trollied!!! Haha!!! Dammit.

The Adventure Continues

With the holidays continuing until the 9th Jan there was still loads of time to explore and play. After recovering from New Year in the Bay of Islands with a New Years Day paddle round the headland for 'fush n chups'. Mental note - playboat v sea kayak - playboat will NEVER win a race - but does win on the style front. Anyway, we headed back to Auckland for re-supply before heading out to conquer the Coromandel.

So off to the Coromandel it was. The Coromandel is the peninsula of land that forms the western flank of the Bay of Plenty. On a clear day it can be seen from Auckland. At a guess its probably only a couple of hours drive out of town. First stop was Thames. The Coromandel is famous for its gold mining and Thames is basically a mining town. Well, was a mining town, built on the back of the mining in the area. So what do you do in a mining town? Go and visit a mine of course!!! It was only a brief tour mind, and the mine was no longer active. It did however confirm my suspicions - mining for gold is a rubbish job. I am too tall for one, and the gold at this location was pretty rubbish. The processing also resulted in about 50% loss of gold. Not a really impressive return. But being a geologist it was a genuinely interesting tour - and the old boy giving the demos certainly knew his stuff.

We decided to push on north whilst the light was good. Sadly we arrived in Coromandel City at closing time so it was just a quick walk round this frontier style town and then back on the road to find a camp. We decided against heading up the tip of the Coromandel (fantail bay) this time due to the time constraints. Instead we cut across to Waikawau and a DOC site for the night.

Wednesday 4th saw us head south along the eastern side of the Coromandel. First stop was Cathedral Cove. Cathedral Cove has striking white sandy beaches and vertical white cliff lines doted with blooming Pohutakawa trees. Very impressive. The beach is bisected by a headland which has had an arch eroded through it connecting the two beaches of Cathedral Cove together. Now I could go into the formation process of such a feature, but don't want to bore you good folk, so all that needs to be said really is that it is pretty impressive.

Cathedral Cove

About 10km south of Cathedral Cove is Hot Water Beach. There is pretty much naff all at Hot Water Beach besides the beach and a cafe. However the beach itself is a little different from most other beaches. In the centre of the beach rocks protrude from the headland out into the sea. This is marks the location of the hotsprings. Basically what you do is, with a spade, which you can hire from the cafe, you dig a hole in the sand and let it fill with hot water from the springs. Then you can bathe and wallow to your hearts content, and have the occasional refreshing dip in the cold sea. Sounds great. The reality is that even way before low tide (optimal digging time) crowds start gathering around the rocks, shovels cocked, marking out their terratory, not unlike ze germanz and their sunbeds. So rocking up a couple of minutes before low tide was not the best approach to digging my own natural hot pool. Ah well. After several minutes of futile excavating, it seemed the best tack was to hijack someone elses hole. However with several hundred people all trying the same thing, and with best spots taken, and being closely guarded against invasion it was a pretty unsuccessful adventure. When water was struck however it was indeed mighty hot. Scolding in fact, so be warned. Here is my tip - if you head to Hot Water Beach check the tides and go early, and out of season and stake your claim to a spot very close to the rocks. And if you can get your hands on one - a JCB would do wonders in digging a hole, with the added bonus of flattening invaders at the same time!!!

Oh for a JCB

We headed south to Wentworth Valley and a DOC site for the night before breakfast in Tauranga at a lovely cafe bar, and then it was off to the 'Vegas!!!

The first stop in Vegas was the Whakarewarewa thermal village. This is a living Maori village set in amongst the thermal pools of the area. We took a guided tour around the village by one of the residents. It was brilliant and very insightful. Highly recommended. It is a living village inhabited by Maori. They go about their normal daily routines whilst you wonder around. Kids run free in the streets and dive for pennies off the bridge. Everything in the village is geothermal related. The houses are heated geothermally, food is cooked in central Hangi steam boxes and the baths are geothermal. A wonderful experience.

Then it was off to the Rotorua Museum. This is set in the old bath house on the shores of the lake. A magnificent structure. Several exhibitions are within, including a Kiwi display. This covered everything Kiwi from the bird to the boot polish. Perhaps the most interesting (to me anyway) was the exhibit telling the story of the devastating Tarawera eruption in 1886. To put a scale on it, the eruption was significantly larger than the 1985 Mt St Helens eruption and the mid nineties eruption of Mt Pinatubo in the Phillipines. It killed quite a few folk in the surrounding area, and also destroyed the pink and white terraces. These were considered as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. A real shame. It is also said that the eruption was foreshadowed several days earlier by the sightings of a 'ghost' waka (maori war canoe) paddling furiously away from Mt Tarawera across the lake. A lesson there for all volcanologists i think. Sod the modern gizmos and multi million dollar research - just call ghostbusters!

A quick blast down SH38 took us to the campground at the base of Mt Tarawera. It was here that we had the only rain of the trip. When it rains it pours mind - it properly hooned it down. But thankfully it was short and sweet, and nothing a good bottle of vino and curry cooked up in the back of the surf wagon couldn't fix.

It was an early start the next day as we headed to Wai-O-Tapu, a geothermal park just off SH5, south of the 'Vegas. Wai-O-Tapu are hte proud 'operators' of the Lady Knox Geyser. I say operators as the geyser is ignominiously induced to perform daily at 10.30am by pouring soap down the spout. Its a whole surface tension thing apparently, with the soap allowing the superheated water and steam to beak throught he cold water barrier holding it below the surface. The initial foaming and frothing is rather entertaining (for about 30 seconds before it gets a bit boring) and is followed by jet of steam and water that can reach up to 10 in the air accompanied by 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' from the assembled crowd (mainly Japs) gazing in wonderment from the terraced amphitheatre surrounding the geyser. It erpupts for about an hour after initiation. But after a couple of minutes and a few photos there isnlt much else to see really so it was back to the main centre to look around geothermal pools and formations such as the Devils Ink Pots and the Champagne Pool. The water from the Champagne Pool froth over and flow over The Terraces depositing minerals on the way. Come back in a thousand years time and i am assured The Terrace will rival that of the Pink and White Terraces. Hmmmmm. Now wheres my Delorean...

From here we had a quick dip in 'Secret Spot'. This is a hot stream flowing into a cold river, so basically you swim around until you find a spot where the temperature is to your liking. The higher up the stream you go the hotter it is. A fantastic little spot, and i would love to tell you where it is, but as the name suggests...haha. Not really, the irony being that pretty much everyone knows where it is, about half a click off SH5 on the road to Wai-O-Tapu itself. Park by the wooden bridge and head 25m into the bush and there you have it. The best time to go is at night, with candles adorning the river banks, a few bottles of beer and an amazing view through a gap in the canopy to the stars above. Superb.

After chilling out at Secret Spot, and leaving just as a bus load of backpackers turned up (perfect timing) we headed back to the 'Vegas for lunch and then onto the Skyline Skyrides site for a spot of luging. Superb!!!

The trip was coming to a close so we decided to head back home on the Friday evening to beat the traffic and to have a day in Auckland sorting stuff out before Jennas departure back to the UK.

Christmas and New Year 2006 - A Mini Adventure

With work over for 2005 and the office officially shut down until 2006 it was time to enjoy the summer holidays. It seems very strange enjoying summer holidays over Christmas. But hey, I guess I will have to get used to it.

So what was planned for my summer (Christmas) break? Well with the arrival of Jenna a couple of weeks earlier from the UK a road trip was on the cards round the north. All started really well with a delay in departure by a day. But saying that fighting the Friday night traffic in Auckland is bad enough, but at the start of the national holiday, the lazy nature of packing and planning did us a favour. So Christmas eve was a trek up to Pihia in the Bay of Islands with a fully loaded surf wagon.

Jennas Aunt and Uncle (Helen and Graham) had kindly offered us accommodation and hospitality over the Christmas period. And wow, what accommodation. Their house is perched on the hill side over looking the bay opposite Russell (the former capital of NZ and 'Hell Hole of the Pacific') towards Opua.

And so it was Christmas. Woohoo. Ever so strange being hot and sunny. But bacon and eggs on the BBQ in the sun on the deck, with a glass of champers in hand went some way to get me in the festive spirit. Having stuffed oursleves silly and drunken far too much champagne for the time of morning it was we opened the pressies!!! Woohoo!!! Then it was off to Bernard the millionaires house on top of the hill for christmas lunch and more drink. Oh goody - i was already ready to burst, but hey, it would be rude not to stuff myself some more surely.

Master Chef at work -Christmas Breakfast!!!

The afternoon was spent cruising the bay in Grahams speedboat. What a better way to spend Christmas day than messing about in boats. Zooming across the bay and over to Russell on a beer hunt. Quest successful, more drinking. Then back to port for an evening of drinking - errr, recovering.

Boxing day was much of the same. More speed boat antics and beers in the sun. This time however, at the lunch spot on Urapukapuka island we were accompanied by dolphins, rays and a penguin of all things!!!! Amazing.

So after the festivities of christmas and boxing day the road trip began proper. The aim was to tour the northland and see the sights. I think this goal was achieved, and what follows is a brief rundown of what we got up to.

First stop was the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. It was here that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. The treaty between the Maoris and the British effectively signed over New Zealand to British Sovereignty. The grounds, just north of Pihia have the Treaty House, where the treaty was drawn up and where the British Envoy to NZ lived, a Maori Waka (a war canoe) and the Te Whare Runanga - a maori meeting house. A flagstaff has been erected at the spot on the lawn where the treaty was signed. The treaty itself guarentees equal rights for both Maoris and non-Maori citizens in Aotearoa New Zealand and is still relevant today.

Matauri Bay. Some 4 miles off shore here is the dive site for the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior. A quick walk up the hill over looking the stuuning beach takes you to the Rainbow Warrior Memorial. As memorials go it was quite a nice one, a mix of metalwork and stone in a big arch, featuring the Rainbow Warriors propellor.

Rainbow Warrior Memorial!!!

Dinner was got from Mangonui Fish and Chip shop. World famous apparently (aren't all chippys world famous?). It was nice and it was lovely view down the harbour. And the fish was certainly fresh - you chose you piece unbattered and they charge you by weight - fresh from the boat. Tasty, but i have to say, still not as nice as the mighty Knowle Fish Bar. Infact that place still remains my fave chippy to date. A night at Hihi saw us refreshed and rejuvenated for the push to the top - Cape Reinga.

We broke the drive up north up by cruising round the Karkari Peninsula. A funny place. Baron and scrub like. But at the end - Maitai Bay, it was stunning. An amzing half moon bay of white sands and crystal clear blue water. Only trouble is, it was a bit crowded - all of 12 people. Oh and the water was bloody freezing!!!

We cruised further north and toyed with crashing for the night at Rararawa - a superb DOC site on the east coast right on a perfect white sand beach - pretty good surf too. However a quick chat with the nice DOC man saw us go for a final push to the top. Well not quite the top - we headed for Spirits Bay, another DOC site. Wow what a site. After a good 25km of gravel tracks enabling a good impression of Colin McRae to be undertaken (not sure if the co-pilot had as much fun as me) we arrived in a cloud of dust at the camp gates. The site is right on the beach. And the surf was pumping. However i was a bit chicken to test it out in my boat. Big rip and a habit of slamming you into the gravel beach didn't really appeal to me. Gonna stick to small surf for a bit after my pounding at Piha (but thats another story - it was a tsunami, i swear!!!). Anyway, a stunning sunset across the bay over Cape Reinga signalled an epic battle to commence - man v mozzy. Not really sure who won (Jenna will disagree) but i was giving as good as i got.

Sunset at Spirits Bay - nice hat!!!

Cape Reinga was a little dissapointing. This is the place where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. And its also the place where the maori spirits descend to the final resting place in the after life. However, after another few km's of being Colin McRae we were greeted with throngs of people - Japanese mainly. Bit of a dissapointment really. THe lighthouse was pretty interesting though - solar powered, controlled from Wellington and run on a 50watt bulb that is visible for 35 miles. Pretty cool.

Next stop was 90 mile beach. Its not actually 90 miles long (its about 64 miles long). Its also part of the State Highway system - bit random - and if you drive on it your insurance is invalid. Hmmmm, a small worry. The best time to go is the window 2 hours each side of low tide. Having no idea of when the tides were the trip to Te Paki was primarily to look at the massive sand dunes (like something out of Star Wars) and perhaps to walk down to the beach. Access is via a river which has reported quicksand in it. Even more nervous about taking my beast for a spin on the beach. However my mind was made up when a coach went hooning past down the river. If a coach can do it then a 4x4 will have no problem at all. A cruise on the beach was on - stick with the coach - safety in numbers and all that. We were off, 4x4 engaged, windows shut, wipers on - off roading baby!!!

We hit the beach and cruised. The sand was hard so no issues there. Just stay with the coach. 100km/hr all the way - sorted. Its quite a strange feeling driving on the beach. Especially when the your safety (the coach) stops and you are on your own with no idea of the tide times and no way out off the beach once you're on. Fun fun fun.

After no idea how long we hit some sort of civilisation. Not really sure where it was though. Somewhere on the west coast and thats about it. We pushed on. Finally we reached what we thought was Ahipara. No signposts on the beach - how inconsiderate!!! A nervous bit of rock hopping off roading took us round to Shipwrecks Bay where we de-beached and looked for a camp for the night.

Next stop it was off to Max's batch in Opononi. Having de-salted and de-sanded my car after hooning around on 90 mile beach i was most dismayed to find myself having to park my truck at the front of the Hokianga Harbour ferry to Rawene. I may as not have bothered. I think the captain of the ferry thought he was Richard Branson on a cross atlantic challenege or something - he was booting across, covering my truck in salty goodness once more!!! Hmmmm. Another rinse down required. Having cruised the streets of Opononi for a good few minutes we eventually found Max's batch. Right at the start of our mini tour. 'Can't miss it' he said - hmmmm obviously. It was a nice pad - overlooking the water and some more mighty dunes over the harbour. It was also nice to meet the Burkitts who had joined Max for christmas and new year - it was a proper work get together. And here was me thinking i was supposed to be on holiday. Anway, beers were sunk, tales were told, and we even braved the local pub - we did stand out a mile mind - must remember to pack me stubbies and wife beater next time - oh and grow a mo and get a mullet.

The next day we went on a gay dolphin hunt. Opo the gay dolphin was perhaps Opononis most famous inhabitant. During the short spell of gayness in the 50's Opo entertained crowds and kids a plenty. Very funny video at the visitors centre - i would recommend it to anyone. If you can watch it with a straight face i will be most impressed.

Next was a Tane Mahuta. New Zealands biggest tree. The Northland is known for its Kauri forests, and Tane was a beast. A mighty girth. The photos don't really do it justice. Its not that tall, i am sure i have seen taller - but it certainly was a biggun. Another short hop in the truck took us to more forestry. This time to see the second biggest tree in New Zealand. Another Kauri but taller than Tane but not as an impressive a girth. Its not the height its the width that is important apparently. Interestingly, at this spot you can also see New Zealands 7th biggest tree. Why would you want to though? And where the hell are the third, fourth, fifth and sixth biggest trees. So after tree hugging it was off back to the Bay of Islands for New Year.