2025 March - Coromandel, Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki and Marton

This month, we traveled through some of the North Island's most stunning regions, from the beautiful beaches of Coromandel to the lush landscapes of Taranaki. Our journey was filled with scenic drives, a few rounds of golf, a couple of unfortunate mishaps, and a poignant family gathering.

Waihi Beach to Katikati 

Our week began at Waihi Beach with a refreshing swim before we drove to Athenree for a picnic lunch. Our next stop was Katikati, known as the "Avocado Capital of NZ" and famous for its captivating murals. These murals, first painted in the 1990s to revitalise the town, helped Katikati earn the title of "Most Beautiful Small Town" in 2005. We spent some time admiring the art and even picked up some fresh avocados and eggs from a local Sunday market. Whilst Len was waiting for me outside the supermarket he was offered some weed!

We settled in for the night at MacMillan Reserve, a peaceful spot by the harbour and did an uninteresting circular walk. Unfortunately, it turned out to be anything but peaceful, with noisy overnight traffic that left us both with a poor night's sleep. Drugs are being bought and sold here, we think and in the morning we witnessed what looked like a dealer in an expensive sports car supplying an addict living in her car.

"Hang on"

"Don't look now, but I think Whakaari is erupting"

Trish catches up on the news

MacMillan Reserve

Tauranga and the Solar Upgrade

Our main mission in Tauranga was to get a solar upgrade for Heidi. Before our appointment, we tried to play golf at Omokoroa Golf Course but found it too busy, so we played a quick nine holes at Renner Park instead, then stayed at Rona Murdoch's POP - the very friendly, welcoming place with a Happy Hour at 4.00pm

The next day, Heidi was booked in for her big upgrade, which included three 200W solar panels, a 200Ah lithium battery, a Victron solar controller, and a 1200W inverter. While the technicians worked, we cycled to "the Mount" (Mount Maunganui) for coffee at "88" and later had lunch (whitebait) with Sandra. When inspecting the work, we discovered a broken shower roof vent, a casualty of parking under a tree at Ohope Golf Club.

Oops!

Our stay at MEDA's compound that night was another noisy one, this time due to a persistent compressor. The next day, we cycled back to the Mount, where a small fall left one of us with a sore wrist and a scraped ankle. After the solar installation was complete, we found a tranquil spot at a POP (Park Over Property) on Matahui Road, surrounded by avocado trees. Our satellite dish, when raised, wouldn't lower due to it hitting one of the solar panels. This meant we couldn't drive. A technician from MEDA came out the next morning to quickly fix it. 

A peaceful POP

Whangamata and the Three Sisters

I take the wheel as we head off to Whangamata - it's obviously a grim task!

Eyes focused on the road ahead!

First stop in Whangamata was the 9 Hole Williamson's Golf Course but again we struck the wrong day as a tournament on so a swim was scheduled instead. Whilst driving round a roundabout in town there was a sudden loud crash and clatter followed by people waving earnestly at us. When we found somewhere safe to stop we found that "someone" had forgotten to close the garage door properly after looking sadly at the golf clubs and our chocks had flung themselves out onto the road. Luckily everything else was still safely within and said chocks were retrieved with several willing helpers.  The water at the beach was still plenty warm enough although the waves were too tiny to body surf, my very favourite pastime.

Our stop for that night, and the following two, was at Dave & Janette Reids handy POP, out the front of their house and a close walk to the estuary. We were able to meet up again with lovely Penny (an English Rotarian who spends quite a bit of time in NZ) and her husband Mike for drinks before dinner at the RSA.

The following morning we had a big walk along the estuary and beach into town where we had lunch at Oliver's French cafe where big queues form but we were lucky enough to get a table outside. Lots of steps achieved by the time we got back to base.

Trish at the beach

Oliver's Cafe

Sunday came and we were able to play golf at the Williamsons Course which is flat and nearly all Par 3s - ideal for me with my less than ideal fairway distances. Len tried a spot of fishing at the Otahu river mouth/estuary and said hello to a couple of little kahawai who are now growing bigger. We really enjoyed another swim afterwards although the waves were by now even tinier. That night we met up again, at the RSA, with Penny and Mike and their friend, Joy - a most enjoyable evening and a yummy roast pork dinner. We had walked halfway home when Penny and Mike kindly came back to give us a lift.

RSA with P & M from UK

Tairua, Kaiaua and onwards to Auckland

Monday 10th March - time to leave lovely Whangamata for the very picturesque, character filled Tairua Golf Course where we were also able to stay the night on their 'bowling green'. 

Tairua Clubhouse with Heidi parked up for the night

Not quite a "gimmee"

Beautiful vista 

We really enjoyed the course with the plantings and water views but were pleased we had hired a cart, especially for the up and down back 9. It was a very quiet night with only one other caravan and some quail to listen to the light rain. The following morning we played another round of golf, with a cart for my benefit, at Thames where we found the greens to be very difficult - so many 4 putts! 

"Just one more"

Afterwards it was a bonus to use their shower instead of ours before setting up camp (which just means parking for the night) with about 14 other vans at the NZMCA Park at Kaiaua on the Firth of Thames estuary. It's next door to a nice big pub - the Bay View and just along the road is the iconic Pink Shop, popular for coffee. 

View across the river to NZMCA camp

A walk along the path on the coastal edge as far as the Freedom Camping site right on the seaside persuaded us to move there the following night as Len could get out the fishing rod again - not lucky but the neighbour caught 2 small snapper which proved they were there and we spotted a big fish, kingi or shark?, jumping out of the water several times.  The Bay View Hotel was the dinner venue, a decision we came to regret as it was terrible - Len had Kaiaua chicken which consisted of a small plate of burnt, dry chicken bits in batter and nothing else for $25. My fish and chips were just ok and only $25 but we wished we had just bought takeaways from next door. Len's meal was actually the worst I can remember seeing.

I woke the following morning to see the fish jumping in the shallows right outside my window, an awesome sight, but Len was still unable to catch it when he put his rod out. Likely it would have broken the line anyway. Lunch was on the waters edge at Kawakawa Bay while we enjoyed the beautiful scenery before moving on to the NZMCA Park at Ardmore Airport - quite a big area with 47 motorhome sites but there were lots of spaces which was actually surprising once we found out that the Ardmore Warbirds Airshow was scheduled for Sunday. 

View through the windscreen

We initially had just one night there before we moved to Avondale to catch up with Dave, Christine and the boys and stay on their drive for the night - it's always good to get to our destination when we're in Auckland as neither of us are a fan of the motorway, especially in a larger vehicle and when a small truck nearly had a accident in front of us. It was good to get to the Marist School Awards ceremony as my grandson, Max's touch team had won the competition for the season. Chinese takeaways were tucked into before we dashed off to watch Flynn at his basketball practice.

Saturday morning, with the boys off school it was competitive card games before we went to watch Max's Water Polo Practice and team trials at the St Cuthberts School Sports facility - we were really impressed with the amazingly good complex they have there. Later on we returned to Ardmore Airport for the night this time avoiding the motorway. Ardmore Airbirds were on display the next day with the airport being very busy with spectators. We had great free viewing of the planes in the air being even closer during our lunch in the airport cafe. 

Onward to Cambridge

We were hoping to play golf at the Wattle Downs course in the afternoon but there was no room to park in the car park and even nearby down the road so we decided it was time to leave the city and drive down to Huntly RSA where we had a drink while we watched rugby - France playing Scotland, and where we could park overnight out the back. 

It's a thumbs down for burning coal

Lake Hakanoa with the Power Station in the background was new to us and we enjoyed a good walk around it whilst looking at the gardens and watching the Chinese men fish - we're not sure just what they were catching though as their English was limited. Afterwards we had a good Thai green curry at the Thai restaurant but it was spoiled by the entree we ordered of Satay chicken arriving after the main and not being nice at all. The texture was not like chicken at all - it seemed reconstituted and I only managed a couple of mouthfuls. Len sort of persevered and wasn't ill fortunately! There were 2 other vans parked behind the RSA when we got back but they both drove off about 8 pm to who knows where. It wasn't a favourite place to stopover with noise and very loud music coming from the nearby factory from 5 am onwards. A site to avoid really although we are lucky that clubs do allow us to stay.

Our 200th NZ golf course was played the next day at Hukanui Golf Course, Taupiri after taking the wrong exit on the motorway and having to double back. The clubhouse had been broken into the night before so they were probably pleased that we were going to play and stay. It's a nice 9 hole course, mostly flat but with one big hill, the hole on this being called The Canyon. I played really well for me, beating Len on gross for the first time ever with my 47! If only I could keep it up. My asthma flared up afterwards though and I spent the night relying on ventolin until the phone appointment with my doctor the next day. A prescription for Prednisone soon had me sorted. 

On our way to Novus Glass in Cambridge to get our broken shower roof vent replaced, we stopped to have a wander through the beautiful Woodlands Gardens and the Historic Homestead which is a popular wedding venue. 

Homestead through the trees

It was lunchtime and very busy but we were able to secure a table and enjoy lunch and a coffee before driving on to Cambridge. We met up with Madi at a cafe down the road from Novus Glass for a drink and a naughty but nice slice of Banoffee Pie but we hadn't been there long before we got a call from Novus to say that they had removed the damaged vent but unfortunately the replacement they had ordered didn't fit. It could be some time before a new one arrived and we would be well moved on so we knew we would need to have it done somewhere else. We contacted Wilderness Motor homes who ordered a genuine one from Germany which would take 3 months to arrive in NZ.

We stayed the night, and the next, at the Cambridge Race Course which has a large parking area for motorhomes joining Madi and Amelia for games of SkipBo & RummiKub at Jamie's before settling in for the night.

The next day was rainy and not so pleasant but in the afternoon I had a haircut from Zinnia at The Sample Room which I was happy with and afterwards we picked the girls up for more games in Heidi and dinner at Pony's Tapas Bar. It was really really yummy with my fish dish with purple carrots and broccolini one of the best I had ever had and so well presented. The others also liked their Tapas and hamburgers.

Onward to the fateful Manukorihi Golf Tournament

The following morning we moved to the Otorohanga NZMCA Park via Te Awamutu to do all the normal regular things you need to do when you live in a motorhome - dumping the grey and black waste, filling up with water, visiting the laundromat, topping up the groceries and exploring the town. Once in the campground we had a good walk along the river just beyond Countdown and then returned via the streets before cooking dinner. We had a friendly couple from Golden Bay with their 2 children aged 10 & 13 in the caravan next door to us who are having an interesting life. The mother works remotely and they home school the children whilst enjoying life on the road.

Relaxing at Mokau

The Mokau River POP was our next excellent home for 2 nights. It was a real bonus for me, not so for Len, to stop at The Whitebait Cafe for lunch on the way - Yum!!! It was an easy walk to the river from the POP and Len did a spot of fishing towards the river mouth but only managed to feed the fish - never mind, it had been a lovely sunny day and we enjoyed drinks before dinner with fellow campers, Margaret & Barry from Kerikeri.

Here's hoping

The following day after many bites and a couple of little fish to throw back Len was rewarded with a very nice Kahawai which he brown-sugared and salted overnight and put in the smoker the next morning - another yum! That evening we joined up with Margaret and Barry again for drinks before dinner.

We had organised some weeks ago to play in a 4 day Vets Golf Tournament at Manukorihi, just out of New Plymouth, it being a popular tournament amongst motor-homers as it is a nice course and you can stay on-site for a minimal amount. So that was our next destination after stopping for a walk alongside the river to The 3 Sisters and Elephant Rock, near Tongaporutu, en-route. Luckily it was close to low tide when we got there otherwise it's not accessible. The first part of the walk was very muddy and slippery and we saw more than one person slip over - young people too as they are not as careful as us oldies! It's a spectacular place to visit with millions of years of history in the sea stacks, rock formations, caves, tunnels, and arches.

Three Sisters

We're so pleased that we stopped to see this amazing place as last time we just drove on by completely unaware it was there. We had lunch at the freedom camping spot down the road which overlooks the sea and after a paddle and another walk down the beach we continued on to the golf course where we walked around about 3/4 of it to become a little familiar before the big event. And guess what was for dinner? Smoked fish pie of course!

Monday 15th was the first day of the  Pairs Tournament with Len and I playing together, of course, and we managed to win on the 19th playing Lynn & Keith from Omahau. It's a really nice course with Par 3's that really suited me, meaning that I found it possible to reach the green with my drive.

The following day I was woken to a phone call that my eldest 90 year old brother, Robin to me, Bob to others, had died at 4 am. This being very sad but not unexpected as he had been on palliative care but I was hoping that we were going to reach his home town of Marton before this happened. It was a hard decision to make as to whether we would drive straight down or finish the tournament and continue on there as previously planned. My sister-in-law, Judy, assured me that there was nothing I could do over the next few days and we would be best to continue playing which is what we did.

That day we actually managed to have another win, against Helen & Mike, this time on the 18th.

Wednesday was a rest day and we were keen to get out onto our bikes  and cycle into New Plymouth on the shared cycle/walking paths. However the cycling didn't last long as about 10 minutes after setting off I had to suddenly move right off the path to avoid a lady sticking right to the middle. Her partner and 2 dogs had already passed me with no problems. Unfortunately for me my little wheel got stuck in the rut between the concrete and the grass flinging me off sideways across the path. I always think I'm actually good at falling off a bike but the most bizarre thing happened. I'm lying there on my side and know that there is something stuck into my inner thigh and so much pain with it but I can't imagine what it could be - I was pinned on top of the bike and couldn't move. Len to the rescue! He lifted me off the bike with the male passerby holding the bike down and it soon became apparent that the handlebars had twisted and the entire brake lever had penetrated my thigh. Blood spurted everywhere and I couldn't stop it with just using my hand for compression and using a bench seat to elevate my leg up so Len used the dog's leash for a tourniquet while the woman called 111. It was such a relief to hear the siren announcing the arrival of the ambulance not too much later. I certainly didn't turn down the offer of Fentanyl, Ibuprofen and Panadol to help with the pain relief as well as further Fentanyl.

Whoopsie!

Not a pretty sight!

The 2 ambulance ladies were just lovely, kind and competent. Along with a few other patients there was no room to put me anywhere at the Hospital so we were all treated in the corridor. 5-6 hours later I was taken to X ray to make sure there were no foreign bodies or clothing from my brand new punctured trousers in the wound and then I was put in a side room to get it cleaned, stitched and dressed. They used a silicon dressing which was absolutely amazing in helping the wound to heal and no discomfort when taking it off to cleanse it and remove the stitches. 

Tidied and sewn up

The next day we were in the golf semifinal and although I knew I shouldn't be playing I said to Len that I would just play the Par 3's as we already had a cart. That would be better than staying back in Heidi feeling sorry for myself.

Will the leg hold out for 18 holes?

On the first tee I decided to hit a drive to see how it felt and actually did quite a good shot with a shortened swing and there wasn't too much discomfort from the wound itself - just pain in my groin and hip flexors from the bruising. Needless to say I kept hobbling, not playing the Par 3's as well as I had previously but with Len's golf making up for my incapacity we survived to the 18th hole, against Carole & David, which was a pretty good achievement.

On Friday we were put sideways into another draw and unsurprisingly didn't play very well with Helen & Duncan beating us on the 13th hole. However it seems that everyone wins a prize in this tournament and we were very happy to each be awarded a $30 MTA voucher at prize giving.

Len decided I was in need of some R&R so after prize giving we booked in for 2 nights at the quiet New Plymouth Seaside Holiday Park, right above the sea with nice views but with no direct access to the beach. I knew it would be a while before I could swim again anyway.

Absolute beach front, nearly

They have excellent cycle and walking paths in New Plymouth but the choice for me, unsurprisingly, was to walk into town from here to a Vietnamese Restaurant where we had quite a nice dinner although it was very quiet. 

Great walking along New Plymouth pathway

The next day we walked into town again and bought a new bike helmet for me as my old one wasn't fitting very well and I have been warned! Also a new pair of 3/4 trousers to replace the ones that the ambulance nurses had cut off me. I loved our lunch at the Mexican cafe in the Food Court - tasty with lots of vegetables. Having never been to the Len Lye Centre it was a must do on this visit and we were impressed but by the time we got home I was exhausted from hobbling over 12,000 steps.

To Marton for Bob's "send-off"

We probably would have stayed longer in New Plymouth, but needed to move on towards Marton so the next stop was the NZMCA camp at Hawera where we visited the I-site to get Bee Cards to use on the buses, had lunch at "The Gathering" which is inside the lovely new building housing both the I-site and the Library. The excellent, widely acclaimed Tawhiti Museum created by the very talented artist, Nigel Ogle, is just out of Hawera and although we have been there before we hadn't experienced the Traders & Whalers Boat Trip - $20 each to learn the interesting story of Dicky Barrett and the musket wars. We were pleased we went.

Monday 31st and we have at last arrived at the family farm, where I spent my childhood, to gather together with Judy and close relations to celebrate Robin's / Bob's life and reminisce whilst at the same time enjoying a lovely shared dinner with Judy, Anne, Emma, Tim, Ali & John Jervis . If it hadn't been for Robin organising me to accompany him on a walk in the Swiss Alps, Cycling in France, exploring Scotland and the Isle of Skye I never would have met Len who was in our same cycle group. I have such a lot to thank my brother for as my life has been amazing since then. The funeral celebration is being held tomorrow.

RIP Bob