Diary of week in Northland by Spike

Spike is a year 5 student who recently had the opportunity to go to Northland.  He was asked to complete a daily diary.  We hope you enjoy reading it.

Tuesday 11th March 
We flew to Auckland. The biscuits weren’t bad. Hung out at Auckland airport the chips weren’t bad. Flew to Kerikeri airport - forgot one of our bags. The airport is even smaller than Gisborne's. The campground is nice but we have to watch tv in the tv room. Apart from that its great. We look across the Waitangi estuary at people doing waka practice.

 Wednesday 12th March
 Staying at Waitangi campground by the Waitangi estuary. This morning white faced herons were feeding in the low tide. Shells litter the beach and further out in the mud a person is looking for cockles. Mum and I set out in the morning along the Waitangi mangrove walk. We saw shags nesting in the pohutakawa trees and a parent feeding its chick. The Haruru Falls at the top were low, but the horseshoe shape was clear. The bed and walls of the river are columnar basalt it looks like a lava flow into the sea. dad and Rata got gold and silver medal winning ice cream in Paihia. We went to the Makana chocolate factory and champagne truffles came with us and Rata liked the macadamia crunch. Pete’s antiques and collectables delivered blue willow and a plate mum was collecting. Had great kiwiana it was superb the tobacco tin collection was awesome. We went to the $2 shop in Kerikeri which rocked on glasses - 3 pairs, and a green beard. The Kerikeri Stone Store was a moustache hit and many photos taken of it and Kemp House (the oldest in NZ). Lunch at Paihia was chips, pies and air for mum. The ferry trip to Russell saw Captain Spike and Captain Rata take the helm.Captain Rata steered us into shore. We walked up Flagstaff hill, where Hone Heke chopped down the flagpole 4 times, left Dad at the pub, while the rest of us went to Pompalier House - the first French Mission, from the road then examined bullet holes in the first church in NZ which Charles Darwin contributed funds to because he thought Russell (then Kororarika) was a godless place. Rata ate lamb rump and coleslaw which she loved and the rest of us had great beer battered chips at the Duke of Marlborough(they hadn’t actually battered it with beer) .
 The chips were rated Presentation 5/5
Crunch 5/5 the smaller ones were amazing, the centre was creamy
 Flavour 4.7/5 a little acidity would have been perfect.
The aioli was nice but not sensational Timing 5/5 excellent didn’t wait long
 The sun shone brilliantly on the ferry ride back to Paihia and the tide is in at Waitangi estuary.

  Thursday 13th March Left Waitangi and drove via Matauri bay to Te Ngaere bay. It is a beautiful cove with pinky gold sand and rocks with the Cavalli islands in the bay. Me and Mum wet our feet then mum buried me and picked up volcanic rocks and mudstones of volcanic silt. We went into Whangaroa then lunched at the Mangonui fish and chip shop.
 The chips: Presentation - 2/5 as just in paper. Not inventive
 Crunch 0/5 no crunch
 Flavour greasy and tasted normal 1.4/5
Timing. Not that good. 2.4/5.
 The American accent wasn’t good. Free wifi though. Saw dads mountain Taratara. Then drove to Kaitaia, and on to Ahipara. Rata buried me then we swam in the sea and paddled in the stream. The campground has a tropical feel with lots of plants a table tennis table and a funky lounge and a good swing playground. The weather threatens a cyclone.

 Friday 14th March
Cyclone Lusi is due to hit today but worried we might miss it we headed to Cape Reinga and the eye of the storm. At the time it was dreary but quite good. We saw the maelstrom where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman sea meet. We walked to the lighthouse and hung onto mum so we didn’t get blown off the pathway. There was a sign by the lighthouse which way to London - via the maelstrom, Tokyo, Spirits bay, Tropic of capricorn and Sydney. Cape Reinga is where spirits jump off New Zealand on their way to Hawaiki. We didn’t go to North Cape which is the northernmost point of New Zealand. We went to Houhora where Dad used to come every year for holidays when he was a kid, went past the hospital where he was born and saw the house where he lived. Kaitaia for lunch - the chips were ok but not worthy of rating. Bought an excellent sword. Back to the camping ground at Ahipara where Dad’s family used to have some land. The rain has finally arrived but not a cyclone.

 Saturday 15th March
Headed for Taipa for the farmers market but it was cancelled. Watched violent churning seas and howling winds instead. At Cable Bay there was sand and seaweed on the road from the storm. Drove down an obscure road through the bush to Mangamuka Bridge. Lunch at KFC Kaikohe - no dim sum in the dim sum shop. On to more lunch at the Boatshed Cafe - excellent pizza - then the Rawene fish and chip shop. Verdict the KFC chips were dry, the Rawene ones were good - quite salty, not that much crunch 3/5. The Hokianga Harbour was stormy too, but the wind has gone at night. A brief trip out to Opononi for bread and a look at the beach. We are staying in a cabin at Rawene - no tv, thank goodness Sherlock is on On Demand so we can watch it when we get back. Futurama was entertainment instead. Sunday 16th March A bit of a dreary morning so a drive to Waipoua Kauri forest. We had morning tea at the visitor centre then dodged showers to walk to the Four Sisters kauris then onto Tane Mahuta the biggest kauri and possibly the biggest tree in New Zealand. It is 2000 years old! Then we had lunch at a cafe just out of the forest. It had cool signs everywhere " if God didn't want us to eat animals he wouldn't have made them out of meat." Was my favourite. Then we went for walk at Omapere Signal station headland. It is the south head of the Hokianga harbour - a really beautiful assortment of windblown sand stones and plants. Looking at the Hokianga Bar I couldn't see the channel at all. There were waves crashing the whole way along the gap between the two heads and a maelstrom where the coastal waves met the outgoing flow of water from the harbour. Back at the camping ground Rata and I went for a swim in the pool while mum and dad went to see the Koutu boulder concretions. Sometimes its boring having a mum who’s a geologist.

 Monday 17th March
 A lovely sunny day, we drove to Ngawha where we looked at bubbling puddles. It smelt geothermal but with metal in it- mum said it is a spring with quite high mercury levels. We didn't swim but were all interested. Then we drove to Kawakawa and looked at the Hunderwasser Toilets. I had chips - came in newspaper, 3.5/5. Then went on to Paihia and we all had award winning icecream, looked at shops and then to Kerikeri for sushi lunch. Down to the Stone Store again, Dad, Rata and I crossed into the river - the level was much higher than before the cyclone so we couldn't cross the whole way. Disappointingly despite the fact we all wore green, Rata had a green beard and I had green glasses and looked like a leprechaun, no St Patricks day cheer was in evidence- a severe disappointment for this Irish family. Rata and mum got stung by a bumble bee at the airport - but honey cured them! Onto the plane for the flight back to Gisborne and Rose the dog.