Time to leave Russell and the Bay of Islands and as ever we have resolved to return. We have had brilliant weather on this visit and seen it at its best.
Today we have an admin chore since the valve for the waste water on the camper van has broken. We have no idea how this has happened but the end result is that we can’t discharge waste water from the van. The easiest solution is to visit Maui which is only a few miles off our southward route. Having set off at about 7am we caught one of the first ferries from Okiato, near Russell to Opua which is close to Paihia. Russell is not on an island but the road from there back to the SH1 (State Highway 1) which is the main north to south road is very lengthy and tortuous.
We made the journey to Maui near Auckland airport in world record time stopping only for the mandatory flat whites and ginger slices etc. As usual reception at Maui was chaotic, they are now too successful for the good of their customers and probably in the long term for themselves. We fought our way through the teeming masses waiting for their vans and fairly quick quickly located Fernando who was apparently responsible for maintenance issues. An engineer was summoned and the van was soon in the garage being fixed. 45 minutes later we were on our way again and delighted to have escaped the turmoil at Maui.
A few miles south and we exited the SH1 and headed east to our overnight stop of Orere Point. We have not been here before and the countryside on the way was fantastic, lush green fields and forests with some of the most fertile farming land I have ever seen. The camp site is situated about 300 yards from the beach and on the banks of a river; a lovely and quiet setting.
The lady at reception who appeared to be of Japanese origin, seemed quite confused about which pitch we had been allocated and when we found pitch 109 we were confused too! The location seemed different from that on the map, the power supply numbers did not seem to coincide with the pitch numbers and to cap it all a bunch of youngsters had still not decamped (it was 2pm and they should have left by 10:00). However, the LLW was coolness personified, parked the van, perched herself on a shady bench and nonchalantly watched them pack up. We were also engaged in conversation by a very nice NZ couple who were on one of the pitches close to us and had observed the process.
Once they had gone there was some heated debate about whether the van should be parked N/S, S/N etc this being very important to ensure the best shade from our canopy. Eventually it was sorted and we sat down outside in the shade. Soon after we had sat down we were surprised when one of our new found friends appeared with a plate of freshly cooked clams which he had collected on the beach just this morning. They were absolutely delicious and we were delighted with the kindness and the friendliness. Events such as this restore your faith in human nature and is something I will always remember.
Now here is a question for our avid blog reader. Clams have featured in this blog not so long ago when was that and where?
One of our neighbours, a young chap on his own, who we believe was French had an interesting sleeping arrangement on top of his Nissan X-Trail.
After a short cycle ride it was back to the camp site and never a dull moment as an Argentinian couple asked me for help with their electrics which we managed to sort. After the usual delicious LLW supper, we chatted to the latest arrivals and near neighbours who hale from Spalding in Lincolnshire.
As we enjoy our coffee and tea after dinner the children on the camp site are still running around, making new friends and generally exhausting themselves. Whenever we camp, we are reminded what a great holiday camping is for children; they love it.
Today we have an admin chore since the valve for the waste water on the camper van has broken. We have no idea how this has happened but the end result is that we can’t discharge waste water from the van. The easiest solution is to visit Maui which is only a few miles off our southward route. Having set off at about 7am we caught one of the first ferries from Okiato, near Russell to Opua which is close to Paihia. Russell is not on an island but the road from there back to the SH1 (State Highway 1) which is the main north to south road is very lengthy and tortuous.
We made the journey to Maui near Auckland airport in world record time stopping only for the mandatory flat whites and ginger slices etc. As usual reception at Maui was chaotic, they are now too successful for the good of their customers and probably in the long term for themselves. We fought our way through the teeming masses waiting for their vans and fairly quick quickly located Fernando who was apparently responsible for maintenance issues. An engineer was summoned and the van was soon in the garage being fixed. 45 minutes later we were on our way again and delighted to have escaped the turmoil at Maui.
A few miles south and we exited the SH1 and headed east to our overnight stop of Orere Point. We have not been here before and the countryside on the way was fantastic, lush green fields and forests with some of the most fertile farming land I have ever seen. The camp site is situated about 300 yards from the beach and on the banks of a river; a lovely and quiet setting.
The lady at reception who appeared to be of Japanese origin, seemed quite confused about which pitch we had been allocated and when we found pitch 109 we were confused too! The location seemed different from that on the map, the power supply numbers did not seem to coincide with the pitch numbers and to cap it all a bunch of youngsters had still not decamped (it was 2pm and they should have left by 10:00). However, the LLW was coolness personified, parked the van, perched herself on a shady bench and nonchalantly watched them pack up. We were also engaged in conversation by a very nice NZ couple who were on one of the pitches close to us and had observed the process.
Once they had gone there was some heated debate about whether the van should be parked N/S, S/N etc this being very important to ensure the best shade from our canopy. Eventually it was sorted and we sat down outside in the shade. Soon after we had sat down we were surprised when one of our new found friends appeared with a plate of freshly cooked clams which he had collected on the beach just this morning. They were absolutely delicious and we were delighted with the kindness and the friendliness. Events such as this restore your faith in human nature and is something I will always remember.
Now here is a question for our avid blog reader. Clams have featured in this blog not so long ago when was that and where?
One of our neighbours, a young chap on his own, who we believe was French had an interesting sleeping arrangement on top of his Nissan X-Trail.
After a short cycle ride it was back to the camp site and never a dull moment as an Argentinian couple asked me for help with their electrics which we managed to sort. After the usual delicious LLW supper, we chatted to the latest arrivals and near neighbours who hale from Spalding in Lincolnshire.
As we enjoy our coffee and tea after dinner the children on the camp site are still running around, making new friends and generally exhausting themselves. Whenever we camp, we are reminded what a great holiday camping is for children; they love it.
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