New Zealand Explorer Motorhome Tour - Days 7-8

On day 7 the group were transferred to Jucy’s depot and we were allocated our brand new, six berth motorhomes.

Our local tour leaders provided us with valuable notes for the journey, including distances, expected travel time and points of interest en route.
With our destination loaded into the provided Sat Nav system we hit the road, excited to be finally unpacking our suitcases and starting this leg of our adventure.

Jucy’s Sat Nav is a windscreen mounted tablet called Scoot which in addition to providing directions, gives an occasional commentary on points of interest as you pass them. This was a huge help on the long journey North and over the short Opua ferry crossing to our first campsite. Scoot also has built-in 4G mobile internet connectivity which it shares with up to 5 devices via Wi-fi in the motorhome; which will come in very handy!

The two night stay at the historic port of Russell in the Bay of Islands felt all too short but everyone managed to squeeze in some sightseeing before we pointed the Motorhomes South.

Marcus and I donned our hiking boots and soaked up the new sights and sounds of a couple of small nature reserves, all the while hoping for a peek of the night time feeding Kiwi bird. It proved too illusive but at Maiki Hill we were entertained by a bold, flightless Weka bird hoping for scraps from our picnic lunch.

At Tapeka Point we were treated to stunning views of some of the 144 islands and turquoise bays and to top it off we caught sight of Dolphins entertaining the passengers on a tour boat far below.

Our walk was 12km and almost all off road, but at several places of interest we saw a local tourist minibus which would suggest that there is an alternative way to see the highlights without putting in such an effort.

Our first week has passed in a blur with such a lot of travelling and jet-lag. Now that our longest driving days are behind us we are all looking forward to an easier pace with which to explore and really get a feel for this beautiful country.