We expected this day to be very long as we left the motel at 9am and didn’t take off in aeroplane until 12 midnight!
But never say die, we set off taking the slower picturesque way north along the scenic Pacific highway.

No exageration this turned out to be one of our highlight days in NZ.

firstly we came through a very steep gorge. Karangahake Gorge. It has history for gold mining and railway bridge construction.

We found long beaches with turquoise blue sea and no one on them, just us. One beach line looked white, but the sand was actually grey. The sand was covered with millions of shells that crunched as you walked over them.

We found an area of wetlands and salt marshes. The sea birds were in abundance. I hope you like my pictures af herons. One caught a huge fish. It was so long he couldn’t swallow it and eventually dropped it in the water and a seagull grabbed it.

Nearby there was a fish cafe. We ate John Dory fish. It was so fresh, it could have been swimming that morning. I loved it, it tasted a but like haddock.

At one estuary there were hundreds of birds diving into the water and fish jumping out. There must have been a swarm of fish which attracted the oystercatchers. Wow! All this area was only 30 miles from Auckland!

We will definitely return here to stay one day, it is a photographers dream place.

As we reached Auckland we saw huge expensive brick built houses. A third of all NewZealanders live in Auckland. (Most NewZealanders live in wooden bungalows that are quickly assembled ) Auckland is built on a huge waterfront inlets and harbours surrounding it on all sides. We parked at one small bay and watched the sailing boats and a kayaker with envy. A ferry whizzed over the sea from one area into Auckland and back. People were taking a swim and having sailing lessons. It looked a lovely place to relax after work.

What a beautiful last day we spent in NewZealand. We both felt really reluctant and sad to leave this amazing country. We have been so lucky with hot pleasant weather,(except for 3 days in Haast! ). The wildness of South Island is exceptional. We have seen wildlife in abundance and so many lovely experiences; it has lived up to our dreams and surpassed them. Goodbye NZ we will be back! Xxxxxxx