Takapuna Beach
We left Tongariro with the clouds covering the mountains
and, as predicted, a strong wind blowing. It was not a day to complete
the Crossing. By the time we got to Turangi on Lake Taupo the skies were blue!
Taupo was positively sunny and warm. Go figure!
Today was a driving day; our destination was to get north
of Auckland. We headed up Highway 1 stopping along the way at Tirau, a small
town filled with a dozen antique shops and quirky sculptures (a half car built
into the outside of a store; their visitors center buildings are the largest
corrugated iron sheep and sheepdog in the world); Cambridge, an English
style village whose lovely historic church was converted into a retail outlet and internet
cafe; and Hamilton, the
country's fifth largest city whose popular and outstanding Hamilton Gardens
showcase Chinese, Japanese, English, "modern" American, and Italian Renaissance
gardens. We crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge with the rest of the rush
hour traffic and found a campsite at scenic Takapuna Beach
on the north shore next to Devonport.
Two notable events: (1) Judy, who had recovered from
the cold that she took with her on the Milford Track, has continued to be
plagued by intense itching from the bites she got on the Abel Tasman Track.
(2) We called the Maui campervan folks to report that the microwave that
we tried for the first time this evening didn't work. They promised delivery
of another van (that would be our 4th!) in the morning. Judy said, "No way!"
We didn't want to spend additional time moving our gear from one van to another
again. So, they sent a local fellow out with a new microwave the following
morning (Sunday). We figured the money they've spent switching vans and making
repairs on the road have cut deeply into their profits.
