New Zealand (mini) tour

The journey began with a long drive from Auckland to Taranaki. The campsite at Oakura, just past New Plymouth, was very good – it's right on the beach and has good facilities including free wifi (nice bonus). Rachel cooked 'chicken carbonara' while I had a surf on the 6'2. Rachel also had a wee surf on the 7' but the waves were too big and messy. Sore backs in the morning due to lack of mattress making skills. Taranaki seems like a really nice place with great coastal scenery. We couldn't see Mount Taranki for clouds, which was disappointing.
Woke up to a dying swell but some really nice sets were lining up. I took out the 7' and had an awesome session with some local surfers and a paddle-boarder from San Francisco. Caught some nice (up to head high) waves which were breaking really close in to the beach. By the time Rachel was out with the camera the waves were getting grimey. Packed up and headed East with a quick stop off at the Pouakai zoo park. Fed a zebra, that was the highlight. We wanted to stay at Kaieto cafe camp site but arrived late evening at it to see the signs 'sorry, closed' and 'for sale'. We decided to carry on along the 'forgotten world highway', which turned into a track at one point. Quite slow progress through the windy scenic roads but arrived in time to pitch the tent and do dinner before dark at an empty DoC (Department of Conservation) campsite in the middle of nowhere - Ohinepane.
With a wet tent in the car boot by 8am, we kept heading East to Taupo. Some great driving and scenery along the way, and we arrived at DeBretts campsite in Taupo and enjoyed the thermal pool. We found the place to be a bit of a rip off and touristy (as we expected), but the thermal pool at night time almost justified it. By then our mattress making skills – involving surf board bag, towels, blankets and duvet – were perfected.
Another scenic drive along the thermal highway and we passed (as we later found out) the only free geyser and thermal, expecting them all to be reasonable. I threw a strop because of the prices for entry, and my attempt to get to the thermal resort through the bushes didn't work. We stopped off at the Huka waterfalls, lava glass and a honey shop, where we sampled some nice honey related alcohol stuff. Our campsite in Rotorua – Thermal Resort – was similar to the one in Taupo – has all the facilities, but claims to be more than it is. The hot pools on site seemed old and dirty – more like a bath where you can catch a disease than something relaxing and inspiring. At $14 I shouldn't complain. The Kuirau park in Rotarua however was good, with steamy lakes and bubbling mud. At that point I decided that I generally prefer to be on the coast, and with Zorbing and Mt Manganui to look forward to the next day, all I was hoping for more sun and waves soon.
Zorbing was good fun – from the bottom the hill looks small, but once inside the inflatable ball filled with some water and spinning down the hill, it's actually awesome. After that we just headed straight for Mount Manganui for some surfing. Turns out there was a surf lifesaving championship on that weekend, so the campsite was packed and the beach was full. I had a good long surf session but the waves were crowded and getting more and more dumpy over the evening. Still had a good session, and we had dinner on our beach-front camp spot, planned our next day and talked about the storm which appeared to be coming.
A storm did come, and from 11pm till 6am the tent was pounded by strong winds and torrential rain. It was simply too noisy and wet to sleep, so at around 6.30am we decided to pack up and head off. By 7.30 the car was loaded and soaked, so by 8.30 we were on the road, window wipers on full.
We headed back to Auckland, hoping that Rachel's passport would be returned in the post before our flight in a week and to sell the car. Still waiting...
Taranki was probably the best bit – great campsite in a superb location, with surf 10 seconds walk away.