We woke to gray skies and our last day with the campervan. We were due to return it to Kenrick by the end of the day. There aren’t many scenic highlights to speak of between Ragland and Auckland. We decided to explore Hamilton Botanical Gardens that were well thought of and free. It wasn’t too difficult to find the gardens and we walked around the “Paradise Collection” which were gardens designed in the style of different countries. There was a Chinese Scholar’s Garden, an English Flower Garden, an Italian Renaissance Garden, a Japanese Garden of Contemplation, an Indian Char Bagh Garden, and an American Modernist Garden. The American Modernist Garden made Fred and I chuckle a bit. It seemed very 50’s and cartoonish. I hope visitors don’t think that how gardens look in the USA, because I’ve never seen a garden like that here.

We also took a look at a couple of other “collections” that had different themes. We probably stayed for an hour and a half and didn’t see a third of the overall place – it is huge!

When we drove out of the carpark, we used the GPS to get us back on the highway towards Auckland. I don’t know what the settings of the GPS were set to, but it had us go through every sector of Hamilton before leading us on to the highway. I know there had to be a quicker way, but we blindly followed what the GPS told us to do. And I think I saw the sign to the highway immediately upon leaving the gardens.

There wasn’t much to do that day but to empty the cassette and wastewater, fill the water tank and return the van. After that, we checked into the Grand Chancellor Airport for another night before our flight out about midday the next day.

At least we had wised up about the breakfast buffet at the hotel. Right next door was a small strip mall of shops; one was a breakfast place that appeared very popular. At first Fred and I just ordered coffee and had a muffin. Then Fred decided the cooked breakfasts looked really good and he ordered one. I think we got out of there paying half the price of the horrible buffet at the hotel. Lesson learned!

When at the Auckland airport, I purchased some T-shirts for the boys with the few New Zealand dollars I had left over. Unfortunately, they were in the same bag as the journal I kept for the trip, the one that got left behind on the plane.

I guess that means I have to start planning a return trip!

Highlights for us were the warmth and hospitality of Kiwis and the ease and relaxed style of campervan travel.  Special treats were Kerosene Creek, sipping our evening glass of wine lakefront at Orakei Korako and having it all to ourselves, Tree Trunk Gorge, and Green Glow Adventures.

If we had to plan it over again, we would have attempted the Tongariro Crossing and sacrificed the full day at Raglan.  The weather was not in our favor once getting to the west coast and we had the end-of-the-trip doldrums.  I think we would have enjoyed the crossing, but really hadn’t investigated the logistics to do it ahead of time.