The Rugby World Cup (RWC) and NZ North island

A team of rugby tragics, all of whom had been to France in 2007, decided to go to NZ for the 2011 RWC. We opted for 5 campervans so that we could see the sites, get to the games and also not have to continuously pack and unpack. Helen and I arrived a few days earlier which we spent at the Bay of Islands. We struck some great weather and took the ferry to Russell.

There are some great properties along the foreshore and with the late afternoon light it was a wonderful stroll. All very calming and relaxing.However there is evidence that in bygone years life was not quite as calm.

We had a drink in a nearby pub decorated with All Black flags and quickly got into the mood of the country with some pleasant banter with the locals. It became immediately clear that the next few weeks were going to be anything but calm.

A few days later we picked up two children and three grandchildren from Auckland (the calmness was then completely dissipated) and headed for the near by caravan park. Aimee (now three) sees herself as a boarder however I was more attracted by her Brumbies shirt. We watched the first round match against Italy which was won 32-6 and then headed off for a few days at Taupo in the mountains. We headed for the hot pools and with a bit of sun you could be forgiven for thinking this was the middle of summer (however the photographer was well wrapped up).

Some found the pools very relaxing.

Despite Taupo being very cold, windy and quite wet we had a great time as there were so many places to visit. Four days later we headed back to Auckland and caught up with the rest of the Campervan team (we had 5 in total) at Western Park. Although the site was not the greatest the owner went out of his way to help allowing us to use his bus for transport, driving with us to navigate close to the ground and arranged for parking a few hundred metres from the stadium (including parking for two vans so the grandchildren could be near by with the babysitter). He wanted to ensure he did all he could to make our trip as enjoyable as possible – New Zealanders have a great culture.

We followed his recommendation for a pre-match lunch (great pies) and went back subsequently for breakfast.

The match was one of the highlights of the pool matches against Ireland. The photo below you can tell was before the match as we lost 22-10.

After this second visit to Auckland we headed to Rotorua via Taupo. The weather was clear and we had to keep stopping to take photos of the snow clad mountains. It is true that when you live in a place that the view is taken for granted – the cows seem more concerned with eating.
At Rotorua we explored Hells Gate. Some of the pool temperatures were up to 140ºC. The local Maoris, on return from battle, used to mend their wounds by sitting in the Kakahi falls.

You get a feel for how thin the earths crust is with the amount of steam being generated - mind you the ghostly face coming out on the right may be even more sinister... or maybe it is just trying to get away from the molten mud bubbling up.Towards the end of the day Helen and I opted for some quieter time at the Museum of Art and History. We were too late to see the displays but did manage a peaceful cup of tea. The building and flowers with the low light are jig saw material.

In contrast to Taupo we had some great weather in Rotorua. Here are Kate and Alan and other posers with our three vans at the site.
We decided to take the Skyline chair lift up Mt. Ngongotaha which has great views over the city

Apart from the scenery the other major attraction is a Luge ride. Kate and Alan and then Michael with Kellan and myself with Baedden just had to give this a go. Baeddan just yelled with excitement the whole way down (it was a good 5+ minute ride). Great stuff!

At Helen’s insistence we stayed in the more sedate Napier. As we arrived late afternoon Kate texted and invited us to a wine tasting centre as this is Hawke’s Bay territory. We were introduced to some excellent wine including a late harvest Merlot desert wine – need to get more of this….

Napier is on the sea and has a wonderful frontage and garden that encourages perambulation.

The town suffered severe damage due to an earthquake in 1931. It was then rebuilt in the Art Deco architecture of the time. There are many great examples however, the inside of the ABS bank welcomes visitors and is stunning.
The theme of wine and food continued with Helen and I having lunch at a small boutique vineyard called Black Barn. A great lunch, wines and view over the vines meant that we left for Wellington rather later in the day then planned – but it was worth it.

Wellington was a stopover for the match against USA which resulted in a comfortable win 67 – 5. The Americans were a great supporters many of whom had clearly spent some time and money getting kitted out with sensational outfits. The regular chant of OOO ESSS AAAY really added to the atmosphere.

The next day we took the ferry to the South Island and left a cool windy Wellington and arrived 3 hours later to a warmer sunny Picton with its spectacular views. The boys enjoyed travelling on the deck and getting blown about. Downstairs we had some great entertainment while Aimee threw an imaginary object into a brown paper bag. She and the boys found this very entertaining – many of the adjoining passengers also found this far more interesting than their books or sleeping!

After setting up the ‘vans (plugging in the power and turning on the gas) we had a picnic lunch. The grandchildren prefer to digest their food running around between mouthfuls. We now had almost 2 weeks to explore the South Island.