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<\/a>\nMy top 3 highlights were the Duke\u2019s Nose (including the Wairakau Track and water taxi), Rawhiti Caves, and Wharariki Beach. A bit more detail on Duke\u2019s Nose: I enjoyed the sleepy little fishing villages of Whangaroa Harbour and Totara North. The Wairakau Stream Track was enjoyable and not too strenuous. It is steep to continue on to Duke\u2019s Nose and you have heavy chain for handholds on an almost rock-climb ascent at the last 10 meters. But the view is so worth it and you\u2019ll feel so accomplished (I\u2019m King of the World!!!) when you get there. The water taxi back can be set up in advance with BushmansFriend. They do the route routinely and I enjoyed making stops at Kingfish Lodge and dropping supplies to a houseboat, etc. It was very scenic and gave me an impression of what life there is like.<\/p>\n
NOTE: The chain has been removed from the top portion of Duke’s Nose in November of 2015. \u00a0I’m not sure \u00a0why, perhaps someone got hurt. \u00a0But I’m so glad we got to do this when we could! <\/p>\n The one thing that didn\u2019t live up to expectations: Urapukapuka Island. I think the $20 for roundtrip a fantastic value. You do need to make reservations for it, although when I last looked, you couldn\u2019t do this on the website. They request a return time to be booked, but you are allowed to change it once on the island. We booked for time on the island to be about 4-5 hours. It was hot; there was no breeze whatsoever. It\u2019s very open pastureland with lots of hills. After the first two climbs to overlooks of a rugged cove, we saw what lay ahead and decided to head back to the caf\u00e9 at Otehei Bay and have a beer. But we enjoyed watching families enjoy themselves at the beach, kids chasing seagulls, etc.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One thing I think I’ve learned about our travel style is we like a good bit of variety in our day-to-day travels. \u00a0An entire day devoted to a walk fell short of the day that we did a little bit of this, a little bit of that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So if you\u2019ve read this far, I\u2019ll bore you with links and what we brought for the trip. First, I loved this interactive packing list: http:\/\/www.independenttraveler.com \/packing<\/a><\/p>\n A good youtube channel to subscribe to is: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/soniastravels<\/a> She has a wealth of videos to address your travel packing and general travel needs. Watching them became addictive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stupid stuff that came in handy with shopping links:<\/p>\n My Maxpedition Fatty Organizer (you can also find youtube videos on what men pack in theirs, it can kill an entire afternoon) http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B005258078\/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a> What I packed in mine: Pocket knife sharpener, pen, travel toothpick, nail clippers, tweezers, hair ties, phone, phone charger, Ipad charging cord and plug, memory card for phone camera, bandaids, Kleenex, moist towelette, Tylenol, camera manual, coffee filters, extra sim card, p38 (military can opener), and my house key.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cooler Bag: we didn\u2019t use this as much this trip except for the 6 days on the North Island. You can have it in your checked luggage, full of clothing and then buy ice bricks at your first location to keep food cold. Take clothes out, put food in. If you do a more typical, one car rental, trip and cook for yourselves \u2013 it comes in handy. http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B0042LMV0U\/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pocket knife sharpener: designed for hunters and camper-type people. But when you have to rely on the knives at different kitchens, you will need this. http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B000O8OTNC\/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Daypack!: This was my \u201cpurse\u201d once we landed. It folds into itself for packing in your luggage and holds a lot when out on the tracks! You see a lot of pictures of me with my bright orange pack. \u00a0http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00DHIZ85E\/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a> I’ve also learned that the best camera is the one you have with you. \u00a0I took my “bridge” camera and it stayed in my suitcase. \u00a0I figured that Fred had a much better camera, so why bother? \u00a0But sometimes I had to egg him on to take a shot, and other times he didn’t take his camera at all. \u00a0It involves carrying a heavy pack with changeable lenses. \u00a0For instance, when we in Wellington and we headed to Cuba St. for his shave. \u00a0I would have loved to have pictures of the bucket fountain. \u00a0UPDATE: I now have a tiny compact camera. \u00a0No adjustments, just point and shoot! \u00a0http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00IOTTLZY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01<\/a> It fits in my purse or backpack with little extra weight. \u00a0I have a camera case for over-the-shoulder carry I really love! \u00a0http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00JCOF6AO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01<\/a> \u00a0Stay tuned for more immediate photos on future trips!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you were counting, we visited 7 wineries and 7 chocolate shops. We have our priorities. I can honestly say there are 6 of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2015-new-zealand-end-to-end"],"yoast_head":"\n
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\nRawhiti Caves was something we attempted in December of 2012. We were about 400 meters past the dry creek entry when we heard water crashing down and ran back in the nick of time. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7sk69xxCv34&spfreload=10<\/a> So this time we were determined! It was dry as a bone and the second half of the track is very uphill. I could hear my name being cursed by those I\u2019ve recommended this to. But the cave is one of a kind! I felt like I was in the jaws of a gigantic shark with thousands of teeth! You don\u2019t need a torch. The uphill was totally worth it and I\u2019d do it again.
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\nWharariki Beach must be done at the low half of tide. Walk the inland pasture route south and then descend onto the beach at the south end. The arches will be viewed at their archiest and the rock islands on the beach are immense! There are sea caves that beg to be peered into (no real need for a torch) and you\u2019ll feel like a kid. The downside is at the north end you have the sand dunes to ascend. You could go over the sand dunes first and walk south, but you\u2019d always be looking over your shoulder to view the ever-changing arch rocks at sea.<\/p>\n
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\nA buff (not just for Survivor fans!): Honest, really handy. Available in every print imaginable but I bought a 6-pack assortment listed here. http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00E5MHYBC\/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1<\/a> Google and find what you like. I used it mostly for a headband when we were in windy areas. A wide-brimmed hat is no good and my part will sunburn easily. Put on the buff and it keeps you hair from flying and your part from frying. ( I just made that up, pretty good, eh?)<\/p>\n