We departed Opua and met up with some friends of ours in Aukland. They're living aboard at Pier 21, in the heart of downtown. The mega sailing yachts were there for a regatta, and the expected complement of super expensive European luxury cars were parked nearby. Aukland downtown is like any other big city downtown, but we had a really good time visiting, and had a chance to stop at a chandlery for a Raritan head part - a small gasket seal costing $30! (It's cheaper to use a bucket...) The next day we drove to Cambridge, a small town near Hamilton, to visit some family of a dear friend of ours back in Florida. They immigrated here from South Africa, and we had some quality time with the family and some friends of theirs, and hope they visit Florida so we can reciprocate their incredible hospitality. The next morning we drove to the Waitomo Cave area, and went hiking on the Ruakuri Tunnels Bush Walk. Limestone caves, tunnels and grottos wind around a stream, and it's a beautiful walk. After, we drove to Ohakune, a small town on the way south to Wellington. The scenery of rolling hills and winding roads is beautiful, all rural, and sheep and dairy farms are everywhere. We stayed the night at the Top 10 Ohakune, which is a Holiday Park camping area which offers small motel rooms (your choice of ensuite or communal bathroom facilities, and some rooms include bedding, towels and cooking facilities also) as well as camping accomodations. It spreads out over a clean, safe few acres, and we're planning our next day's adventures towards Castlepoint to meet up with some other yachtie friends there.
To look at a map of the North Island, go to-
http://www.backpack-newzealand.com/mapofnorthisland.html
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