In 1931 a devastating earthquake of 7.8 magnitude flattened Napier, destroying nearly every building in the town. Shortly afterwards, fire ravaged the town. 256 people died in the earthquake and it remains New Zealand’s worst natural disaster. In the museum the story of the earthquake and its aftermath is vividly recounted in filmed interviews with people who were there. One is the story of a survivor who, immediately afterwards, stole a camera and some film from a destroyed shop and took lots of pictures. It was his daughter telling the story and it is because of him, and his quick thinking, that there are so many vivid images of Napier.

It was important that Napier picked itself up and began to function as a town again, so a Napier Reconstruction Committee was formed and it was they who decided that the Art Deco style was the quickest and easiest to construct, as well as being the cheapest. This also included a street widening project. Within a year of the quake, Art Deco buildings sprang up all over the city. Today, their distinctive style has caused Napier to be known as the Art Deco capital of the world.

In line with the building style, Napier is also home to a great many vintage cars and, on the morning after our arrival, two turned up to our house to take us on a tour of the city and its surroundings. I’m not entirely a fan of Art Deco. I suspect it is because, most of the time, we only see the occasional building built in that style   To see a whole Art Deco town, I concede that the style has a certain charm, geometric patterns, symmetry and clean lines. To be escorted in a vintage car also makes it so much more appealing.

The tour took us to various sites and our two drivers, Lesley and Bob, were full of stories told in a very characterful, down to earth way. The girls all went with Lesley in a mustard coloured 1928 Ford Model A called Buttercup and John and I travelled with Bob in a 1931 Chevrolet Independence called Millie. They looked superb but, without power steering  and slick gear change, they were not the easiest cars to drive. When pulling out on to a main road, extra care had to be taken because they did not respond quickly. They were not that comfortable, and certainly not very easy to get in and out of. I felt that I was lacking the elegance that the architecture and car design deserved!

Although it was not on our tour itinerary, we persuaded Lesley and Bob to take us to the Mission Estate vineyards for a tasting session. At the side of the drive, leading up to the house, a stage was being erected in preparation for an Elton John concert. It was a great venue with a sloping, grassy, open air auditorium, unless it rained, of course.  With the settled weather we were experiencing, that was unlikely.

For a fee of $10 each we tasted six wines; really good value. The wine wasn’t bad either and John came away with a couple of cases to keep us lubricated for the rest of the trip.

At this time news was filtering through that there had been devastating storms in Fiordland on the southern end of South Island. Reports were suggesting serious flooding and infrastructure damage. We heard that the road to Milford Sound had been swept away, preventing any form of public access for some time. Several hundred people were stranded there, unable to get out. We would not be able to do our cruise on Milford Sound. The southern section of the Routeburn Track had been hit by a number of landslides and it would be closed for the rest of the season. This meant that part of our itinerary was unachievable and the accommodation that went with it. I would have to come up with some alternative activities.

With a list of people to contact for refunds and alternatives buzzing around in my head, we set off, the next day, on the drive to Wellington.

The drive from the Coromandel to Rotorua took us along the coast, encountering some really beautiful scenery. From Tauranga we headed inland and directly towards Rotorua. The landscape had changed from closely packed mountains to a much wider, more open landscape. There were fewer trees and more parched grasslands with volcanic cones rising out of the plains.

Our first destination in Rotorua was the Skyline Park for a bit of boyish fun. The girls were free to follow us but they chose to watch, to drink coffee, eat ice cream and tut! A gondola took us up to a high vantage point with panoramic views over the whole of Rotorua and the lake, once part of a massive volcanic system. John and I had booked three runs on the luge, a low, four-wheeled vehicle, not dissimilar to a go-kart. A joy stick between our legs allowed us to steer and to brake. I was amazed how quiet it was. Last year the queues were quite long but there was hardly anybody on the track. We took the intermediate course for the first run, but after that we were both up for  the more technical and faster advanced route. Great fun, especially where you take off going over a sudden steep dip.

Our accommodation for the night was the modern Rotorua YHA, not just catering for backpackers but also providing basic, but good, en-suite rooms. We just had time to get ourselves sorted and we were out again to the Mitai Maori Village cultural evening and hangi.

On arrival we were ushered into a permanent tented dining room with about 200 other people. Our host introduced himself to the assembled room and then sought to find out where people had come from. It turned out that there were well over twenty different nationalities represented and he was able to greet them all in their own language, except one; there were four chaps from Uzbekistan, the first in his experience as a host and good reason for him not to know the language. Chocolate cake, which featured a lot in his banter, is easy to understand whatever the language. Everybody saw the humour in that.

Introductions over, we ventured into the jungle and congregated by a stream. Before doing so, we had to inspect the hangi being opened up to reveal numerous cooked chickens, large joints of lamb, potatoes, kumara (NZ sweet potatoes) and vegetables etc., the basis of the meal to come. In the jungle we could hear the war cry of approaching Maori. As we gathered by the stream a waka (Maori canoe) came into view, carrying a number of Maori warriors of different shapes and sizes. As they passed they gave us the bulging eye stare and the waggling tongue.

Once they were ashore, we moved on to a theatre where the stage was the jungle with typical Maori houses built amongst the trees. We were then entertained to a historical show demonstrating Maori singing, musical instruments, weapons and the inevitable hacka. It was all very well done. Most of the audience appreciated it but we had a Korean in front of us who spent all of his time on his phone looking at websites, talking loudly with his children sitting next to him and taking no notice at all of what was happening in front of him.

Once the show was over, we returned to our dining tent and enjoyed a really good meal. There were four stations where the food was laid out for you to help yourself. The meal included a starter of seafood chowder, the main course was all of the things I have already mentioned and the dessert, believe it or not, was chocolate cake. It was interesting to see how people behaved in such a situation. Many didn’t bother with the chowder, which I think was the best part of the meal. By the time I came to get the main course, much of it had gone. People had piled their plates high with as much as they possible could. There was enough to go around but there were elements of the evening which were obscene, particularly when so many decided to leave as soon as they had eaten. I felt sorry for those who had done so much work to make the evening an enjoyable success, but the lack of respect for Maori culture, the rudeness of some at the dinner table disappointed me, making me question whether I would do it again.

Before we left Rotorua we visited the thermal park at Whakarewarewa, where the star attraction is the Pohutu Geyser that erupts every forty-five minutes or so. It was spouting forth just as we arrived and we watched it from across the park. This gave us plenty of time to see some of the other attractions, including the kiwi kept in captivity. The kiwi house is in almost total blackout and noise must be kept to a minimum. When I have been there before I have failed to see the kiwi. This time it was rooting around next to the glass and it was vaguely visible. We were then able to amble across to Pohutu and wait for its next eruption. Steam is constantly rising and small jets of water get pushed above the surface. Sometimes these small jets become bigger and everybody gets excited as they think it is about to go. Then is subsides again, so we wait some more. Eventually, as predicted, it goes off on time and it is well worth waiting for. There are two plumes of water and steam, rising about 25 metres, and they last for several minutes before it all calms down again and begins to prepare for its next eruption.

From Whakarewarewa, we went to Wai O Tapu, another thermal park en route to Taupo. Just before we went into the park we took a short detour to see some bubbling mud pools. The sound of gloopy mud and the shapes they create never cease to fascinate.

Wai O Tapu is a much larger thermal park and has many more features ranging from collapsed fumaroles, moonscapes, and fluorescent lakes of varying colours. It is part of a massive caldera that formed during a particularly active period in its history. There are clearly marked paths around the site with instruction not to deviate into anything that might be hot. The lakes are particularly impressive for their startling colours of blue with copper edges, sulphurous green and yellow. They have wonderful names like Champagne Pool, Artist’s Palette but the most bizarre is the last lake we came across, which is lurid green/yellow but has no name.

Having absorbed everything thermal, we continued our journey, stopping off at the impressive Huka Falls just before reaching Taupo. Having said they were impressive, they were not as impressive as I have seen them in the past. Much of North Island has seen little rain all summer and the water level in the falls was much lower. Hula Falls is probably a misnomer. It is principally a water shoot, where the Waikato River, recently emerged from Lake Taupo, is forced through a narrow gap punctuated by a number of small waterfalls. It is the force of the water passing through the gap that makes it so impressive.

We bypassed the town of Taupo but it took us some time to work our way around Lake Taupo. It is huge, the largest lake in New Zealand with an area of over 600sq.km.

Leaving the lake, the journey took us into the magical volcanic scenery of the Tongariro National Park, an area we were going to explore further on foot. Needless to say the views of Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom) and Mt. Ruapehu were stunning and provided us with a welcome change from all the coastal scenery we had experienced so far.

The Youth Hostel at National Park had somehow messed up our booking and only had us down for one room. Had they been full we might have had a problem but the English girl on reception managed the situation extremely well and we all managed to get what we wanted. She also managed well the fact that our plan to walk the Tongariro Crossing the next day was not possible because of high winds – the route was closed. It would be a shame to come all this way and not be able to do, what can best be described as, one of the best day walks in the world. We decided we would find something else to do on the day the route was closed and, hopefully do it the following day, which had a much more promising forecast, before driving to Napier.

That night we ate in the Schnapps Bar, a really well run bar with a good menu.

There may have been wind at higher altitudes but it was a lovely day at lower levels, which we decided to explore further. We decided to go to Whakapapa Village to walk the Taranaki Falls Loop Track, but on the way we stopped off to take a short walk to Tawhai Falls, a 13m fall on the Whakapapanui Stream.

Before walking the loop track we spent some time in the visitor centre in Whakapapa, which has really interesting displays and a captivating film on the geography/geology of the park. Whakapapa is also where you can find Chateau Tongariro, a large hotel, totally out of character with its surroundings. Nevertheless, it was the perfect place for coffee, sitting in a picture window looking out towards the mountains.

The Taranaki Falls, at the halfway point of the loop, are an impressive 20m drop over the edge of an lava flow. A good spot for a picnic and a chance to explore around the back of the falls. It was difficult to appreciate how windy it was near the summits, as the sky was cloudless, giving us nothing to gauge speed with. The little jaunt we had to make up for not doing the crossing, enabled us to stretch our legs a little while exploring the area.

The following morning, John, Chris and I were up early to catch the 6.00am bus to the start point of the Tongariro Crossing at Mangatepopo Road End. Apart from a little cloud hanging around Mt. Ngauruhoe, the skies were clear.

Soon after 6.30 we were walking the easy first section of the walk across relatively flat heathland. As we did so the few clouds that were hanging around the summits soon burnt off. There were a lot of people walking the route. It is always very popular in the summer months, but, perhaps more so because the route was closed the day before. After an hour we began the first climb. Looking back, as we took a rest, we could see Mt.Taranaki poking out above cloud, probably 120km to the west. As we reached the top of the climb and emerged into a flat, former, crater directly beneath the perfect cone of Mt. Ngauruhoe. It was really exciting to be walking among such dramatic volcanic scenery.

The second climb brought us to the edge of the Red Crater, the high point of the walk. Unbelievably, it was still quite windy with gusts in excess of 50kmph, strong enough for you to approach the edge with care.

The Red Crater is spectacular in the extreme. In the centre of the crater is the most incredible vent, that at one time spewed out masses of volcanic material. The route now descended steeply down very loose scree at the edge of the crater. Very few, only the really sure footed, can travel down this slope quickly. Most place each foot tentatively, uncertain whether the ground beneath their feet will hold or send them sprawling. This brought us to the Emerald Lake. Beyond, fumaroles gently puffed out steam.

We were now about half way and we had done all of the climbing, apart from a small rise up to the Blue Lake. Now it really was downhill all the way. The first half of the walk had been varied with lots of interest all along the way. Now, there were few features and it became a bit of a downhill slog, with lots of steps taking their toll on our knees. John, with old injuries to his Achilles, was struggling. Chris found some of the steps down difficult, and the really excited mood of the ascent was replaced with grimaces of pain and questions about how much further. Having announced that there were fewer steps, I was proved wrong as the number of steps increased significantly. I have done this walk a couple times before, so there should be no excuses for me getting it wrong. I can only assume that selective memory has blotted out the steps and I only remember the good bits. Sorry guys!

About half a mile before the end, I got my comeuppance, stepping off a bridge, I painfully rolled my ankle. Serves me right.

At the finish, Angela and Chrissie were there to meet us. They had spent the day in Turangi, where they had learnt everything there is to know about trout fishing. We thankfully piled into the vehicle and headed off to Napier, sharing tales of our day.  While the downhill section is arduous and a strain on the knees, the Tongariro Crossing is one of the world’s great one-day walks and I would not hesitate to do it again and again.

The outcome of the Tongariro Crossing was that John and Chris felt that it might be too much to consider doing the Routeburn Track, in the light of how they felt after this walk. Without escape routes, it might prove difficult if John’s Achilles chose to play up. Little did we know then that the weather on South Island was going to intervene and make the decision for us.

Before reaching Whitianga we stopped off at Hot Water Beach. In a particular area of the beach, just beneath the surface of the sand, lies hot water percolating up from deep within the earth. People come and dig holes in the sand so that they can sit in a hot water pool. Sometimes the water is so hot that you relish it mixing with sea water. Hot Water Beach is probably one of the more crowded beaches you will come across in New Zealand, although the crowding is limited to where the hot water is.

The AirBnB in Whitianga was called ‘Beach Retreat’. Somehow I expected the beach to be the other side of the road, but we were on a crescent of houses with no view of the beach. It was quite a strange house for an AirBnB. All of the back garden was a building site as the owner, Kelvin, was building a very large garage. Shortly after we arrived Kathleen and Kelvin returned home (they lived upstairs). Kathleen immediately laid out a roll of artificial grass at the side of our vehicle! They had been to Hamilton for the day. Kathleen is a very enthusiastic ballroom dancer, regularly going to Hamilton for lessons, but we soon learned that she is setting up her own classes in Whitianga. Her favourite programme is Strictly Come Dancing. The conversation was all a little surreal.

Although they were welcoming, there were other shortcomings with the house. Where there should have been an oven there was a cavity in the unit, forcing us to use the BBQ. There was also an infestation of ants in the kitchen. Despite these shortcomings and the fact that it did not live up to expectation, the house was quite comfortable. Another saving grace for the house were the cookies that Kathleen made for us.

We didn’t have anything planned or booked until the afternoon, so on the morning of the next day I took the group to Otama Beach, a thirty minute drive north of Whitianga. The last village we passed through was Kuaotunu and the road from there over the headland is interestingly called Black Jack Road. Unfortunately, no amount of research has given me an answer as to why it is so named.

Otama Beach is one of my favourite beaches with an expanse of sand between two headlands and crystal clear, blue water. There was hardly a soul on this stunning beach. How can that be? Oyster Catchers puddled at the water’s edge and the dunes at the back of the beach are home to Dotterels, a beautiful bird that dances over the hot sand looking for food.

We, too, danced over the hot sand in our bare feet, until we reached the cooler, wet sand. It was so perfect that we could not resist going for a swim. There was a slight edge to the temperature of the water, perhaps not quite as warm as I was expecting, but it was extremely refreshing and energising, particularly when you became used to it. Chris had to get used to it rather quickly, a wave knocking her off her feet, sending her sprawling through the surf.

Unfortunately, the hot sun, the need for a coffee and an afternoon booking forced us to leave. The coffee was provided by Luke’s Place, a coffee shop on the edge of Kuaotunu that does a roaring trade, serving great coffee. Had we got more time we might have been tempted to try the food in this “Tardis” of a cafe.

At the designated time we met Ken Hindmarsh on the quay in Whitianga for our boat trip along the coast in a former coastguard light vessel. It is quite small, only taking a maximum of twelve passengers, but it moves through the water very quickly. We occupied the front of the vessel while other passengers occupied the rear. We headed out following the coast south, rounding the headland that is named Shakespeare Cliff. The early settlers named everything to remind them of home. This particular headland is thought to have looked a little like Shakespeare – the power of imagination. We continued along the coast looking at various features, blow holes, beautifully shaped stacks and the very popular Cathedral Cove, a cave separating two halves of the beach. It is accessible by a walk, and judging by the number of people on the beach, is quite popular. I always think it is better approached from the water.

Continuing, we entered a marine reserve where no fishing is allowed. Stocks in this reserve are thriving, but, as soon as they leave it they are, of course, vulnerable to being caught.  I’m not sure that the fish are intelligent enough to realise. However, when Ken threw some fish pellets in the water, it became alive with Snapper, twisting and turning to get as many pellets as they could.

Two more stacks we came across were the wine glass and champagne bottle, both rising majestically out of perfect blue waters. The final feature we came across was a cave. Ken manoeuvred the boat into the cave where we were invited to sing. “On top of spaghetti, all covered in cheese…” echoed off the walls and made my singing quite reasonable!

There was a bit of a swell, so, for the next activity, Ken sought some shelter from one of the islands. In the lea of the island, away from the strongest of the swell, we dropped anchor so that we could swim with the fish in the reserve. The water wasn’t perfectly clear, because of the turbulence caused by the swell, but we were able to swim around among the fish. The rocks closest to the island shore were covered with swaying seaweed that sheltered all sorts of colourful fish, all rather more shy than the Snapper.

On the journey back, Ken really leaned on the throttle and swerved us around for some fun.

There is much more to the Coromandel than Hot Water Beach and Whitianga, a lot more to explore, but we would have to save that for another visit. Our trip with Ken, one that I would not hesitate to repeat (I have now done it three times), brought a good conclusion to our time on the Coromandel.

It was a long but enjoyable drive up from Auckland. Initially the roads were quite busy with people heading out of the city for a Sunday at one of the many beautiful beaches along the eastern coast of the peninsula. It was noticeable how parched the ground was with fields of brown grass. At regular intervals along the roadside were notices warning of the high risk of fires, while others warned of stringent water restrictions.

As we headed further north the traffic began to thin and we stopped for the first of many excellent coffees consumed on this trip, and something tasty to eat – a pie!

By mid afternoon we reached Ahipara, a small coastal settlement at the southern end of 90 Mile Beach. It was a hot Sunday afternoon and children were jumping off the bridge, on the outskirts of the village, into the cooling deep waters of the Wairoa Stream. The confidence this gives children is immense.

Our house, Ahipara Surf Breaks was in a superbly elevated position overlooking the golden beach. Much of the house was glazed panels that led out on to a deck with a view; a good place to enjoy a glass of wine or a beer, despite the fact that we were buffeted by strong, warm winds coming off the sea. It was too windy for us to have a BBQ, so we resorted to the restaurant across the road where good food was available. We were able to sit outside on the deck, because, as soon as we made the decision to eat out, the wind dropped.

The following morning, while the ladies enjoyed a beachfront coffee, John and I hired quad bikes for an hour from Ahipara Adventure, a company that provides a wide variety of associated activities. It looked like a pretty big company on the web, but, when we went to pick up our quads, they were operating out of a shipping container. Not as grand as we imagined.

90 Mile Beach is a recognised highway and cars, even buses, travel along it. You cannot take hire cars on to it, hence the need for John and me to take advantage of the quad bikes. I don’t think I have ever driven one before but it proved to be really easy and a huge amount of fun. We sped along the firm sands at about 70km/hr, although it felt faster because of the wind blowing into our faces. After about half an hour, having travelled some distance, we turned around and headed back. I would have liked to have driven through the water’s edge but we had been instructed to keep out of the water. Shame. By the time we returned the bikes we were glad we only hired them for an hour. Another hour may have proved quite uncomfortable. Great fun! I want one!

Afterwards we drove the length of 90 Mile Beach (it is actually 88km long!) on the parallel road, up to Cape Reinga, the northern most tip of New Zealand, where oceans meet. We had hoped to have a picnic lunch on the cliffs but we soon learned that we were not allowed to take food beyond the car park. Lunch consumed, we headed for the lighthouse and classic finger post on the cape. There are a number of stunning beaches on either side of the headland, all deserted. Beyond the cape the sea was turbulent as the Pacific Ocean currents met with opposing currents from the Tasman Sea. It was one of those places where you could have spent hours sitting on the clifftop soaking in the view – it was magnificent.

But we had to drag ourselves away, for a few kilometres to the south, at the northern end of 90 Mile Beach are the huge Te Paki sand dunes about 10km long, 1km wide and as high as 150m. We just wanted to see them but these dunes are a playground for sand surfers. Walking on soft sand is very tiring and difficult, particularly when the sand is very hot from the sun. The souls of your feet feel the urge to move quickly while the lungs protest and want you to slow down.

On the way back to Ahipara we did a quick supermarket sweep for dinner, while Angela went to another shop to buy a hat to give her some protection from the sun. When she returned, with a bright red hat on her head, she looked like a match!

The following morning we took to the road again for the short drive across the peninsula to Paihia, taking time to visit the Ancient Kauri Kingdom at Awanui. The Kauri tree is an ancient tree that can live for up to 2000 years. Many, when they died, collapsed into wetlands and lay hidden for hundreds of years more. When they are retrieved, and dried out, the timber is still in perfect condition and many fine pieces are made from it. The showroom has a spiral staircase going up through the inside of a trunk, while a table in the showroom was priced at $28,000 (c. £14,000). It was incredibly solid and heavy. Some retail therapy did take place but nothing as bulky or as expensive as the table.

Arriving in Paihia, we just had time to check in to the Kingsgate Hotel before going to the jetty for our “Hole in the Rock” cruise. The cruise, as well as being a scenic outing, also gives us an insight into the history of New Zealand. The Bay of Islands is where Captain Cook first set foot on New Zealand, where the first, not always pleasant, encounters with Maoris took place, where the first capital was with the small town of Russell and where the Whaitangi Treaty was signed on February 6th 1840. The treaty was the founding document for the government of New Zealand, where the Maoris agreed to share the land. In reality it favoured the white settlers at the expense of the Maori population as there were discrepancies between the English and Maori versions.

From Russell we sailed to Motuarohia Island, also known as Roberton Island. It is the island that Captain Cook chose to anchor Endeavour off and where there were skirmishes with the resident Maori. History lesson over, we sailed out to the hole in the rock, an arch feature on the outermost island of the 140 islands that make up the Bay of Islands. We edged closer and closer to the arch, gauging the swell of the sea to ensure that we got through without hitting the side of the boat.The gap on either side, between boat and solid rock was not great but we made it through unscathed.

On the way back we visited Urupukapuka Island for an hour, giving us time for a quick swim and a walk up to a high point that gave us a more expansive view of the islands dotted in a turquoise blue sea. After an hour we returned to Russell, where we decided to alight so that we could explore this quaint former capital with fine examples of colonial buildings. We took the ferry back to Paihia for our last night in Northland. Tomorrow we would hit the road again with a 420km journey round to the Coromandel.