Summer holiday 2006

SUMMER HOLIDAY
27 December 2005 - 8 January 2006

Part 1 - To Tauranga & Auckland

Our aim was to base ourselves in the Bay of Islands for a good portion of our 12-day holiday, a part of New Zealand which we hadn't visited as a family. However we were never going to travel most of the length of the North Island - almost 900 kilometres from Wellington to Paihia - in peak holiday time in just one day. En route we enjoyed a few days in both Tauranga and Auckland, and one night near Morrinsville on the return leg. [See the map above]. The pictures and accompanying descriptions below tell the rest of the story.

	Tuesday 27th December ... Travelling along the Desert Road past Mt Ngauruhoe. A steady stream of traffic made this one of our slowest trips yet to Tauranga.		North of Lake Taupo is this pleasant roadside scene, Lake Whakamaru.
	Not too far to Tauranga now. That's the Kaimai Range in the background.		Wednesday 28th - Thursday 29th December ... Out for a paddle on the high tide.
	Breakfast-time for the females of the species.		View northeastwards from Raewyn & Graham's waterfront cottage.
	The jacaranda in bloom out on the street.		A lot of effort goes in to a worthwhile barbecue!
	For Nicola one of the highlights of our time in Tauranga was emptying the dirty water out of the goldfish pond and refilling it with clean water and three new goldfish.		Late afternoon swim with the tide in. At low tide there would simply be mudflats at this point.
	Friday 30th December ... Off for a mid-morning round on the jetski with Uncle Graham - while the water surface is still relatively calm.		About to demonstrate how it's done.
	Off to Auckland. Travelling through the Karangahape Gorge in a steady steam of traffic - not too heavy, not too light.		It's not often we travel through Paeroa. When we do, there's a certain 'attraction' that warrants a photo - the world-famous (in NZ) L & P bottle.
	Auckland. One Tree Hill from Cornwall Park, close to the centre of the city.		The obelisk on the top of One Tree Hill.
	Looking northwards from the top of One Tree Hill towards downtown Auckland including the Sky Tower.		From the same spot, looking in a more easterly/northeasterly direction with Rangitoto Island in the background.
	Enjoying the pleasant and expansive grounds that make up Cornwall Park in the heart of Auckland.		More Cornwall Park.
	Crawling along the motorway through central Auckland in the direction of the North Shore.		Saturday 31st December ... We travelled across the harbour on the ferry from Devonport to downtown Auckland.
	On board the ferry.		Auckland city skyline.
	A visit to Victoria Park Market.		Perusing the wares (checking out the goods for sale) at Victoria Park Market.
	The Sky Tower which dominates the city skyline.		Closeup of the 328m tower (1076ft) which was opened in March 1997.
	New Year's Eve - the walkway between Mairangi Bay and Murrays Bay on the North Shore.		Visitors to Auckland at Murrays Bay beach with Rangitoto Island in the background.
	Sunday 1st January ... Feeding the wildlife while we lunched at Albany.		Enjoying one of several waterslides at Waiwera Thermal Resort which boasts 26 thermal pools (although we struggled to count anything like that number).

See Summer holiday 2006 - part 2
See Summer holiday 2006 - part 3

Page compiled by Malcolm Sparrow - mid-January 2006