Reflections of our trip to the North Island

I thought it would be interesting to reflect on our ten week trip to the North Island.  We both think that is really important to 'see our own country' especially in light of the fact that we have had more than more major trip 'around the world.'   We have certainly managed to see much of our own country though even then, ten weeks is not nearly long enough to see everything or go everywhere. Our trip took us around the circumference of the North Island as we felt that for a winter trip the central areas would be too cold.   Our decision on this aspect was correct. We had amazing weather, while there were several storms on the Plateau, bringing snow and closing roads during our time on the road.

Facts

• We travelled over 4000 kms in the bus. The car being towed did 6000km so we must have done 2000km of side travel using it. 
• Our bus fuel bill worked out at just over $100 a week.
• Our accommodation cost us an average of $7 a day, which takes into account the variety of camping places we used - Camping grounds,  NZMCA parks, Cost Apply Camps (CAP), Park over Property (POP), Service Clubs (eg RSA)  designated freedom spots and friend

                

Positive

• We feel that we have had a really good look at our country. We think that it has been a very economical way to spend so much time travelling on the road.
• We can now say we have been to the most northern and southern spots.  We stood at Slope Point in Southland back in May and Cape Reinga in July.  
• We had great weather and only had rain during the day on three or four days.  
• There are many beautiful places in New Zealand - many of our beaches, our forests and lakes. 
• There are hundreds of short walking tracks and cycle ways  available to take advantage of - which we did though more walks than cycling.
• Having the car with us was great. It meant the bus could be parked up and we could explore into places that we just wouldn't take the bus.
• We saw a lot of smaller less travelled roads as we like to keep off the main roads that are full of traffic moving much faster than us.
• Because we travelled in the winter, we didn't have to share with the thousands of 'Aucklanders' who use these areas as their summer playground.
• Our bus performed very well for us in terms of comfort, cooking facilities and a good comfy bed. The wood burner has been indispensable for both heat and cooking. Even though temperatures have been generally much warmer than we would have had in the South Island, by sunset the added warmth of the fire was great. 
• Being part of the NZMCA especially for their Travel Directory for camping spots, and the discounts we get for our vehicles on the Cook Strait ferries. 
• Our books, Excellent Short Walks in the North Island, A Driving Guide to Scenic New Zealand, and The NZMCA Travel Directory were always close at hand when we were planning camping spots and activities. The App Campermate is another valuable tool for similar information.
• We met some very interesting people along the way as well as catching up with friends and family we haven't seen for some time.

                  

Some 'not so' positives

• We did a lot of kilometres, often staying in a place only one or two nights because we wanted to see Northland and the Coromandel.  Even for those of us not going to work on a daily basis, this can be quite tiring - choosing where to camp, the driving, the traffic.
• Being such a long rig meant that there were places that we weren't able to go or even stop at. We missed a few places because once we have gone passed them there is no turning back.
• We found many of the 'touristy' activities are expensive and way beyond the 'average' New Zealand family.  We picked carefully which ones we wanted to see. 
• Our  solar power batteries didn't perform as well as we hoped which meant by mid evening we were often out of power and would need to use the generator (often not allowed to be used after 8pm) or the engine batteries (resulting in the bus not wanting to start the next day.)
• Keeping our electronic devices charged was an on going issue.
• Rubbish disposal was another on going issue.  There are plenty of blackwater waste dump sites but not for household rubbish. The message is generally to take it home with you. Not good practice for people like us, living on the road.  Litter bins are just for that and often incur a fine if being used for household rubbish, so not always easy.
• We were just a bit early to see all the pohutuwhaka trees in flower. We did see some that were in sheltered spots in flower.
• We had hoped to see more roadside stalls selling fruit and vegs. 

Next time

• We would probably travel fewer kilometres and stay longer in each spot.
• Maybe not take the bikes (if is winter), as we only used them three times.
• Keep doing our homework about what is in the area to visit and see. Even without our constant research we still missed things we could have visited.