Summer 2022

JANUARY

January saw me head up the Coromandel Peninsula with one of my best friends Shyla, to see some of the most spectacular views the north island has to offer. We stayed at Stony Bay, a lovely DOC campsite which - surprise surprise, bordered a stony bay. We secured an epic spot under a tree (shade is always a prime concern when camping). I think it ended up being about a 5 hour drive, but it was wonderful once we arrived. 

In January Shy also surprised me with a belated birthday weekend, involving delicious desserts at the beach at sunset (I highly recommend). We did think about going for a daring evening swim, but upon wading out and realising it was one of those beaches where you're at ankle depth forever, we gave that idea up. Also, it was more mud than sand - never my favourite. 

We also kayaked the Puhoi river which I highly recommend. Puhoi River kayaks are the company running it - and it's a little pricey at $55 per kayak for the trip but well worth it. The paddle takes around 1.5-2 hours and is tidal, so depending on the tides you either go Puhoi to Wenderholm, or Wenderholm to Puhoi. I strongly recommend the latter, as its the Puhoi river part rather than the Wenderhold estuary that makes it worthwhile. Think peaceful river views. 

Just don't do like one poor lady and flip her kayak in terror due to a cockroach, losing her - and her three friend's - phones in the river forever in the process. Oops.

FEBRUARY

Feb saw the fruition of my gardening, with crops of little tomatoes and even a couple of chilis! Little did I know this would be the last summer of successful tomato growing for a while due to extreme weather events. Enjoy those tomatoes whilst you can past me!

MARCH

This month saw us do many a tourist thing. We started off by visiting Kauwau island, which I hadn't been to since I was kid. It's a beautiful island, with its own microclimate, wild wallabies, and the ruins of an old copper mine. By far its most famous landmark is Sir George Gray's manor house. But we were more interested in the nature.

We were disappointed not to spot any wallabies, despite all the signs warning about them. We did however manage a lovely hike, even spotting the old copper mine from a distance. I also went for a bracing swim!

My brothers came for a visit, allowing us to indulge in moree tourist things. We checked out the Weta Workshop in Auckland (fun, but more aimed at kids). I liked the models especially.

My favourite was a life-sized figure of Lurtz, the dastardly Uruk-hai who killed Boromir in the Fellowship of the Ring (puts on nerd glasses). 

Next we decided to finally become true Kiwi's and head up the Skytower for the first time ever! Its one of those things that once you've done it, you've done it, but it's absolutely worth going once. The views across Auckland on all sides were stunning. 

We capped off our Auckland adventure day with a trip up One Tree Hill, always a classic. 

My favourite time to see Auckland is at dawn or dusk, and she obliged with a gorgeous sunset for us as we walked along the viaduct. Being tourists for a day was great fun!