In December 2001, my brother Niko and I took a 3-week journey to the North Island of New Zealand. We came in search of a little adventure, a little rest and relaxation from the blinding pace of Sydney (Niko to hang out after finishing university). We certainly got plenty of all this. The photos below came out of both of our collections. Enjoy!

Auckland Central North Island Hawkes Bay East Cape Coromandel Peninsula

Auckland & Surrounds In December 2001, my brother Niko and I took a little journey to the North Island of New Zealand. We came in search of a little adventure, a little rest and relaxation from the blinding pace of Sydney (Niko to hang out after finishing university). We certainly got plenty of all this. Our journey started in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand (as large as a city can get in a country of 3 million). I was surprised at how multi-cultural it was. Our hostel was near a little Korean/Japanese section with Korean and Japanese grocery shops and restaurants.

Despite the rain, we got around downtown, out to the suburbs, and beyond to the beaches beyond the Waikatere Ranges. We saw sheep and cattle in a suburban park, giant kauri trees, and finally got to visit Kare Kare beach where the film "The Piano" was shot.

Central North Island Now here's a place that's unlike anywhere in Australia. Central North Island is dominated by all sorts of geo-thermal and volcanic activity. Tourists usually head for Rotorua, which has geysers, mud pools and craters in abundance, along with the smell of sulphur (rotten eggs really) that never quite goes away. We also got a taste of Maori culture as well.

Taupo also has plenty of geo-thermal activity but without the smell since it's all a couple of k's from town. The best of these is the Craters of the Moon area which looks absolutely surreal. Taupo's other main attraction is the Waikato River, especially Huka Falls. It's spectacular after heavy rain and is a welcoming sight after spending 2 drenching hours walking in the rain.

Turangi's main attraction is actually fishing but since Niko and I have never fished in our lives we looked outside the town to the Tongariro National Park and it's 3 active volcanoes - when they aren't shrouded by cloud. We took a walk near Whakapapa (pronounced Fa-Ka-Pa-Pa - don't ask) on the foothills of Mount Ruapehu and even ventured further up the mountain where they apparently shot the Mordor scenes for the "Lord of the Rings" movies. It certainly looked like it.

Hawkes Bay The Hawkes Bay area on the eastern shores of the North Island is everything that the central region isn't. It's warm, sunny, and has beaches and culture (at least in Napier). We stayed in Napier, the Art Deco city. The architecture makes it feel like a miniature California (complete with palm trees). One gets the feeling that it's may be one giant retirement village with the amount of pensioners in motorised buggies, however it does have good coffee and excellent Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines which compensates. A few hours north of Napier is the Mahia peninsula with its wonderful stretch of beach and aqua waters. We only stayed there for an hour or so but it was worth the side-trip.

A few hours north of Napier is the Mahia peninsula with its wonderful stretch of beach and aqua waters. We only stayed there for an hour or so but it was worth the side-trip.

East Cape Oh, for Eastland. It's one of the most isolated parts of New Zealand, where time seemed to have stopped, where you can still find people/animals wandering freely on the road, where children still wave when you drive by. It's a place where high hills border rough, windswept beaches, and where you know you are one of the first people in the world to see the sunrise each morning. It's also a place where Maori influence is very strong, even in its churches.

We started in Eastland's only city (really a large town), Gisborne. This is where Captain Cook first landed in New Zealand over 250 years ago. There were many sites commemorating this event around town.

Next we drove north through the seething rain while dodging logging trucks to the small village of Tokomaru Bay where we stayed in what was arguably the best backpackers in New Zealand at Brian's Place. It's the hospitality of the host (how you'd imagine a 'bloke from the bush' to be) that really impressed me. It felt more like a visit to a good friend than a stay at a hostel. The first night we had a barbecue and Niko and I got to jam on the guitar :) Throughout the day we lazed around in hammocks on the verandah overlooking the sea, went for a quick swim, and indulged in a $1.50 double-scoop ice cream (folks, that about $1.20 AUD - try to find that in Sydney).

"Toko" used to be a thriving place 80 years ago, with an abattoir and wharf to service the East Cape before adequate roads were cut to the town. However, when the roads did come the town declined and now it seems that there isn't much to keep the place going except catching the trade of passing backpackers. Well, if I were to go broke, I'd do it in this place.

The hostel with the most idyllic location had to be Maraehako Bay Retreat, about 3 hours drive on from Toko. It's so idyllic it's almost laughable, with the sea almost literally at your doorstep and the sounds of a waterfall lulling you to sleep. And along the Bay of Plenty there are plenty of beaches strewn with driftwood washed up from the mountains - a rugged sight!

Coromandel Peninsula After 5 days on the East Cape, Coromandel Peninsula felt like the city! This was our last stop before heading back to the city and home, and it wasn't a bad spot at all, especially the holiday town of Whitianga where we stayed.

Unfortunately, rain intervened again on the first day, so by the second day we were eager to explore. We took a walk down to Cathedral Cove with its interesting rock formations, swam at sunny Hahei beach, and tried to find hot water at Hot Water Beach (it wasn't really successful as the tide was too high). But it didn't spoil the holiday and 4 days later I'm still trying to recover from all that relaxation!