Andy's guide to car camping in NZ

It’s been about a week since we last wrote and there is much to tell….. After getting  some much needed rest at Heleen’s and Craig’s we were on our way up to the Northland in search of fruit picking/pruning jobs. Our destination was Karekare- but luckily we called before we drove too far to check in with the hostel which had the job connections. After they informed us that it would still be about 2-3 weeks before anything opened up, we checked in with a hostel in Tauranga (southeast of Auckland in Bay of Plenty) and they said there should be pruning work soon. So we switched directions and headed south (again through Auckland- feeling as though the city had some kind of magnetic pull on us, tempted to make a detour to stop for lunch at Sal’s New York Pizzeria, but we resisted the urge).

Since we had 3-4 days before we needed to hit Tauranga and put our names in for work, we decided to tour the Coramandel Peninsula. This area was highly recommended by a variety of locals and travelers. After spending $34 NZ on a campsite at a Holiday Park, we got a Department of Conservation (DOC) brochure for campsites which are considerably more primitive and therefore cheaper. We are starting to figure out the camping situation here- Basically you have a few options:

1.     Holiday Parks are full of RVs and Campers but also have cabins and tent sites- the facilities are really what you are paying for so even the tent sights are expensive- $17-20 per person each night. It is nice to have clean kitchens to cook in and hot showers, but not exactly the type of camping we had imagined we would be doing in terms of scenery or budget- even the 80’s music which is constantly being played in the kitchens and bathrooms doesn’t quite make it worth it- though I have enjoyed hearing Roxette for the first time in years.

2.     Then there are the DOC campsites which are often (maybe always?) located 5-50km down gravel roads in what I suppose would be considered NZ’s many National Forests. These are much more rustic and basic- pit toilets and cold running water typically. They cost about $9 NZ per person (though I can’t quite get used to paying for campsites on a per person basis and since they are self check in campsites we usually just pay $9 for the site- I think a lot of people don’t pay at all in the off season).

3.     The last option, which we have yet to try, is to pull off at a rest stop and sleep in the car or walk down a beach (there are SO many!) and pitch a tent. We’ve heard varying advice concerning the safety/legality of doing this. Some say it is not worth the risk as thieves often target backpackers/travelers and locals don’t appreciate random tents set up when there is usually an actual campsite just a short drive away. Others say as long as you are discrete you should be fine. It also seems that on the South Island, this is more doable. I’m sure we’ll choose this option at some point… just to make Kerouac proud!

So when in camping/traveling mode we’ve decided to use the DOC sites when we can find them, and every now and then treat ourselves to a Holiday Park for a hot shower and some tunes playing in the kitchen/bathroom.

Here is a brief overview of our first few traveling/camping adventures….

With DOC brochure in hand and a new “plan,” we drove south through Auckland , then east towards the Coramandel Peninsula. With our hearts set on a campfire (not all campsites allow them) we chose a spot in the Coramandel Forest just east of Thames. The area was beautiful- rural, hills rolling and vivid green with scattered farms and sheep everywhere. We found our campsite a ways down a gravel road and near a shallow, rocky river. The DOC campsites are simply cleared areas in the forest- with no trees in the actual campsite to provide a bit of privacy and separation from other campers. We set up camp, heated some baked beans, and roasted hot dogs over a modest little fire made from damp, gathered wood. Sounds cozy and peaceful, right? Throw in the guy camping a couple hundred feet away blaring Nirvana from his caravan and the swarm of mosquitoes surrounding our tent in the morning ready to attack and that complicates things slightly- but overall it was a successful camping outing.

The morning found us hiking a short, steep climb to a view over a valley (see photos) as the clouds opened up on another sunny day. We headed north along the rocky and rugged west coast of the Peninsula. The further north we drove the more spectacular the views became as the road wound from along the coast, up onto green hills overlooking the ocean. We were both excited to be in the midst of what we had imagined to be the classic NZ landscape. As is often the case, the pictures don’t quite capture the beauty of the land- but the scenery is more majestic than either of us had imagined.

On through Coramandel Town and up to Colville- the last sign of civilization before trading paved (or “sealed” as they call them here) roads for more gravel. We made one last attempt to find campfire wood to buy (something about buying wood in a bundle just seems wrong, but you’re actually not supposed to burn wood found in woods at campsites). A lady at a convenient store gave us directions to an old lumber mill that apparently sells wood. Driving out to the mill on “Cemetery” Road in this dusty little town in the middle of nowhere NZ seemed more than a little ominous, but we were determined. Then our car bottomed out on the rutted driveway, producing a gut-wrenching sound that had us wishing we had splurged for a vehicle with more than 3 inches of clearance. Luckily, no damage was done- but unfortunately, the mill was closed. So we turned around and headed on our way, a little apprehensive, and hoping that the gravel road ahead would show mercy on our family wagon.

Along the way we gathered some driftwood from the beach for a campfire and eventually settled into a nice, sheltered campsite in Fantail Bay. Thankfully we resisted that age-old urge to see what’s around the bend, and decided not to drive 15km up the road to the next campsite. Once we saw the road ahead, winding and climbing it’s way along huge cliffs rising above the sea to the tip of the peninsula, it was an easy decision to drive no further. This was the first night we slept in the back of our car, since rain was forecasted and we didn’t want to have a soaked tent for the next night of camping. The car actually proved to be quite cozy, and much warmer than the tent.  

The picture shows our camp site, but the tent was just out drying...we didn't use it

Our first Tui beer.  Pretty common round these parts and named after the also common and musical Tui bird, 

We enjoyed a steep but beautiful grassy hike overlooking the ocean in the morning, and headed southeast over a mountain pass to the east coast of the peninsula. Our destination was Hot Water Beach- a beach with hot water just below the sand which can be reached by digging 1-2 feet. Since it was a sunny Saturday afternoon, the hot pools were crowded and we decided we would visit again, sometime during a week day. We treated ourselves to a Holiday Park Campsite and some hot showers that night.

This is about half way up on our morning hike.  Sure makes you feel good to be alive!

Some scampering baby sheep we encountered on our way back down the peninsula.

 We stopped in at  beach known as Cathedral Cove the next morning.  A 30 minute hike leads you to a white sand, clear water paradise.  The white limestone rocks produce an archway seperating two small expansions of beach, one complete with a small waterfall!

Looking out onto Cathedral Cove

Cathedral Cove...like paradise

….It’s now the following Sunday and we are settled into a hostel in Tauranga waiting for the weather to clear and warm up so the kiwi-pruning season can get started. Once we start working (hopefully this week) we will probably be working non-stop for 4-6 weeks, then who knows…… 

A "Brief" History of week one in New Zealand

So we have been here for one week now and are starting to get a feel for the place and the people.  As American city folk, it has been a bit tough overcoming our immediate suspicion of Kiwis who will walk right up to you and randomly strike up a conversation.  Just yesterday we were sitting outside a small grocery store in the beach town of Piha and a Kiwi man came over and asked us if we needed a ride somewhere.  (I think this is the first time that we could honestly say we did not since we managed to score a 1997 Mitsubishi Legnum on Sunday).  The man chatted with us for 20 minutes or so about where we were from and what we should check out in New Zealand.  This doesn’t seem to be an uncommon finding around these parts.  If you ask a question of almost anyone, it seems they are happy to go out of their way to assist you.  After a 10-minute chat or so they really warm up and it seems they are about ready to invite you out to the pub and then to stay for the month!  That’s an exaggeration, but people are very welcoming and do not seem to share that American way of offering something, but secretly hoping you will refuse.  It is very refreshing, though takes some practice getting used to open conversation with strangers.  For example, we mentioned before that opening a bank account took us 2 ½ hours.  It wasn’t the process itself, but all of the conversation between.  The banker (Brittney) was very kind and we talked a long while about what to see in Auckland and where she has traveled in the states.  She even took the time to look up where a MAC store was in the area and gave us her e-mail encouraging us to use it for non-bank related questions!  Just way above and beyond what I have experienced in customer service anywhere else. Similar story when we set up our cell phone.  The guy was just so kind and it really felt like the relationship that was built was more personal than just business.

As for what we have been up to - the first week was A LOT of walking around the city center trying to orient ourselves and figure out where the cheap food was (we came to the conclusion that there is NO cheap food in Auckland).  We wandered around through a beautiful park in city center called Albert Park and then around Auckland’s University.  The campus wasn’t much, but they have the whole park right next door.  We made our way over to the Auckland museum and spent a few hours there learning about the history, native wildlife, the Maori (indigenous people) and freaking ourselves out learning about the volcanic activity in the region.  I have never had a fear of volcanoes before, but after sitting through a similation of what is expected to happen here in Auckland someday, I have gained a keen respect for those guys along with the quakes that seem to be pretty prominent round these parts.  The museum gave a nice shout out to Mt. St Helens, referencing it often….mostly just to compare how tiny it is relative to the volcanic activity here.  From my understanding the largest eruption in known history was here about 2,000 years ago!  Yikes.

Friday night we were very lucky to have a dinner date with a Kiwi family that is longtime friends of Carel’s (a friends of Andy’s in Portland).  Heleen is originally from South Africa and her husband, Craig, is from New Zealand.  They met while on a working holiday in the UK about 16 years ago and we got to see pictures from their adventures (including Carel with his long locks) while we were visiting.  They have two very cute sons named Daniel (5 y.o.) and Joshua (3 y.o.), who kept us entertained with magic tricks and rope swings while Craig and Heleen told us all about the land, the culture and arboring competitions!  It was very lovely to get out of the city center and spend a quiet evening with a home-cooked meal.

Saturday we decided to take a day trip out to one of the islands off the East coast of Auckland.  We settled on Waiheke because it boasts beautiful white sand beaches, amazing wine and a bird sanctuary!  We spent the first hour or so on a guided bus tour that quickly took us through the island’s scenic hotspots and then dropped us off in the town of Oneroa. We then strolled along our first NZ beach collecting seashells as the sun came out to greet us.  Theresa even found a sand dollar! After a quick lunch we grabbed a local bottle of wine and took the bus to Onetangi Beach in search of  a nearby bird sanctuary. The trail through the sanctuary had the feel of an Asian jungle- exotic trees with huge leaves- and we kept expecting snakes to be dangling from the branches which draped over the trail. The birds were rather elusive, though we could hear them chirping throughout and we did see a few when we stopped walking and sipped on the wine. While we were catching the bus back to the ferry we had a chance encounter with a local celebrity- the top contender for New Zealand Idol- a singing competition among Maori people! She was in Auckland competing and according to her two friends, she was on her way to winning. The finals are next Friday and we are hoping to be able to catch it on TV.

Sunday we took a train to a car fair at the Auckland raceway and ended up purchasing a nice little Mitsubishi wagon for $2,600 NZ.  We have been pretty happy with it other than a dead battery this morning (possibly our fault since we were camping and opening the doors a lot) and some very quirky quirks (the left turn signal comes on every time the driver’s door is opened and the driver’s side door unlocks ever time the door is shut) The mechanic also highly recommend we change the timing belt on the engine since it is just now due to be changed.  That will be $500-700, which kinda sucks.  We get the sense it is variable, but we will be pushing our luck if we wait to get it fixed.  Andy has had the stress of learning to drive on the left hand side of the road with a left handed stick shift on what we have been told are among the most narrow, winding roads in the country.  And let me tell ya, they drive FAST out here.  They take those winding roads at over 70Km/hr.  We take them more at 40-50 Km, so needless to say we are the granny’s scooting along and holding up traffic.  When we are finally able to pull off and let people pass, we have actually been receiving honks of thanks!

Drove West out of town on Sunday to a nearby beach town of Piha.  It was very tiny, with one campground, one very small grocery store and a few other shops.  So beautiful though.  We camped in a valley surrounded by green, luscious hills on 3 sides and the ocean off in the distance.  It was FREEZING at night and we didn’t sleep well, but waking to the sound of beautiful birds in the morning was worth it.  We spent all of Monday just lounging around on the black sand beach and we climbed a steep, but short trail up Lion rock to have a wonderful view of the coast!  I bruised the ball of my foot climbing on rocks Saturday, so I was grateful for the day of rest, though I felt guilty not exploring the foot trails more in that area.  Seems like a shame.  We did take a hike up to KiteKite waterfall this morning.  It was beautiful and we saw some very majestic birds.  One was like a wren, but with a large fanned tail.  The others were some type of New Zealand pigeon, but they are about the size of chickens.  I will try to post some of the pictures.  LOVING this new camera with the zoom.  It takes amazing shots of wildlife…as long as they are not moving.

…… the next day- Wednesday- After taking care of some business in Auckland we decided to lighten our load a bit and drop some unneeded luggage off at Craig & Heleen’s. Heleen generously offered to have us stay the night (Craig & kids were at grandparents). Thanks Carel for the connection! It has made this transition much easier to get to know some very welcoming locals. So we enjoyed a restful evening sleeping in comfortable beds and regrouping before getting ready to head north on our way to Kerikeri in search of fruit picking jobs. Hoping to settle down for a while up there… That’s it for now- it’s getting late and we need to find a campsite tonight!