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I spent a fantastic two weeks in New Zealand once. I went there to rescue my then girlfriend from the clutches of her biological father who was being a bit overbearing.

New Zealand Sept '97

Nickjenkins
2003-11-20 12:13:09

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Auckland and the North Island

Sept 1997 12:11:46

I spent a fantastic two weeks in New Zealand once. I went there to rescue my then girlfriend from the clutches of her biological father who was being a bit overbearing. It was a fairly new romance for us and New Zealand was to be our 'honeymoon', so to speak.

In a traditional honeymoon style we chose to visit New Zealand during one of the many months of the year it spends underwater. The rain however did not dispel the magic.

We hired a car and headed north-west of Auckland with the eventual plan of rounding the top of the North Island and heading for the Bay of Islands.

Our first day's driving did not see us get very far and we ended up just short of the west coast. We stopped in a small hotel, off the beaten track, in Maungaturoto. The hotel was a converted house and the rooms were small, leaky and furnished with bed which produce an orchestral set of squeaks every time you drew breath. Mel and I tried for the full 1812 Overture but had to settle for a version of Bolero.

Later we wandered out to a local eatery to see what food we could secure. The only food available in the end was fairly inadequate fast-food but we made do and retired to our hotel room and squeaky bed early.

The second day we drove west a little and then north, pausing only for breakfast and the largest caffé latte ever seen, served in a cup that resembled a soup bowl. Mel's jealousy was unbounded when she found I had got the latte by mistake and only the promsie of further giant coffee experiences kept the peace. The scenery on the west coast was beautiful, rolling green hills down to slate grey sea. Things were getting better.

That night we stayed in Rawene about two thirds of the way up the west coast of the North Island. We had hoped to make it as far ...