17th May 2017

Before settling in for the night in our mobile nest, we took a stroll down to the harbour, spending a few minutes watching a pair of Asian anglers fishing from the dock. The water seemed alive with fish of all sizes, and catching them appeared as effortless as “shooting fish in a barrel.” The lights from the surrounding buildings seemed to attract the fish, which leapt from the water as if it were boiling.

While observing this lively scene, I startled a long-legged, crane-like bird that had been taking full advantage of the abundance. It squawked its displeasure at me before flying off to the beach we had just walked along. However, on our return to the RV, the bird appeared to succumb to a fit of “sea rage.” As we made our way back to the campsite, it suddenly swooped down from the darkness, screeching angrily. Landing a few metres behind us, it trailed us up the road, squawking sporadic obscenities until it was seemingly satisfied we’d been thoroughly chastised. Then, it stood defiantly in the middle of the road, daring us to confront it. We didn’t.

The next morning, we woke late and, after breakfast and showers, returned to the harbour, remaining cautious around any long-legged seabirds. We considered catching a boat to Mansion House Island, but, with the ferry departing in just 10 minutes and the island café closed for the season, we decided against it. Lacking both provisions and time to buy any, we chose to stay put.

We set off for Mahurangi Regional Park, drawn by the promise of an interesting coastal walk.

On the way, we took a detour into the Puhoi Valley and stumbled upon a historic village nestled within it. In the village centre, we visited the Bohemian Museum. As we were the only visitors, we were fortunate to receive a personal guided tour from an enthusiastic and knowledgeable curator. They provided an insightful explanation of each exhibit, highlighting the history of the village, which was settled by Bohemian emigrants in the 1840s and has preserved much of its heritage ever since. It was a truly fascinating experience.

Afterwards, we made our way to the far end of the village, where we discovered a delightful café and cheese shop. Jamie treated himself to a slice of cheesecake, while I bought some locally produced cheese.

We continued to our original destination. The park is situated on a promontory, offering a picturesque setting, but then again, I suppose all of New Zealand is! We set off on what we believed to be the route that would showcase the best sights on offer. It turned out we were correct in that assumption, but we hadn’t accounted for some of the steep elevations required to reach those views. New Zealand grades its walks, with ‘Walks’ being relatively easy and ‘Tramps’ being more demanding. Most of our route was certainly more of the latter! The beautiful subtropical bushwalking had us both sweating profusely, but in hindsight, it was highly enjoyable and completely worth it for the stunning views and the experience itself.

In preparation for our flight the next day, we decided to drive south of Auckland to the campsite in Drury where we had stayed previously, as it was conveniently close to the airport. We were fortunate to secure one of the last available powered pitches. Jamie cooked another roast dinner, similar to the one a few nights ago, while I microwaved some chicken chow mein I had bought earlier in the day, just in case we ended up at a site without food options. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the Irish bar.