As you may know, we love it when we can share Elevation with friends from home and we've just had the opportunity to spend 10 fabulous days with our Mandurah mates Paul and Heather, both on the road and onboard. We started our little adventure by collecting them from their Auckland hotel and meandering our way down to Lake Taupo, stopping out by Hamilton Gardens for a lunch time bite to eat.

The lake, the largest freshwater body in Australasia, sits inside an ancient caldera created by what is considered to be the world's last super eruption (the Oruanui eruption) some 26500 years ago. The explosion, scientifically calculated to have been at a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 8 was so intense, it is said airborne ash was seen across the entire planet for months. With a surface area of 616km2, it provides an absolutely stunning vista as you wind down the hill through the surrounding beech and podocarp forests. The Waikato (Maori for flowing water) River, the longest in NZ, drains out of the lake to create the nearby Huka Falls and then flows northwest to empty out into the Tasman Sea. Underwater hydrothermal activity powers ten geothermal power stations along the course of the river; the same hydrothermal properties drive the bubbling craters and steaming vents of the unique "Craters of the Moon". Many accommodation sites close to the lake have been able to tap into the geothermal waters, offering travellers private thermal hot tubs - I had specifically chosen our overnight lodgings at Baycrest Lodge for that very reason! After checking in, we headed off to the town ferry dock to join the replica steam ship, the Ernest Kemp, for their twilight "Cocktail Cruise" of the lake. What a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours - a casual cruise out on the water via Acacia Bay and Hot Water Beach to view the stunning "Maori Carvings" at Mine Bay. This project, hailed as one of New Zealand's most extraordinary artworks, towers 14 metres above the deep water of the lake, and was completed over a four-year period between 1976-1980 by Marae-taught carver Matahi Whakataka Brightwell and four of his fellow Iwis as a gift to the nation. The stunning rockface carving is of Ngatoroirangi, the high priest and skilled navigator of the Tainui Iwi, who voyaged to Aotearoa over 800 years ago. Surrounding the rockface are many smaller rock sculptures, all depicting ancestors and guardians of the Iwi which include a mermaid, a crocodile, several great chiefs and a number of Maori warriors. It's an visually stunning art installation and definitely an NZ "must do". Our cruise included a free bar - wine and beer; always appealing to an Aussie or 4 - plus homemade pizza, soft drinks, tea and coffee and some very tasty desserts. Total value for money! It was then back to our apartments for a long and leisurely soak in our personal thermal pools .... Bliss!

The next day, we headed off for the Coromandel via Hobbiton, an essential place to visit for all Tolkienites. Situated on the Anderson family farm just outside of Matamata, the location was spotted by "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" director and Kiwi Sir Peter Jackson during a helicopter scouting mission in 1998. Jackson was thrilled with the undulating hills surrounding a long lake which he felt was a perfect setting for Hobbiton and The Shire. Whilst the film sets were not originally built to last, it became very clear that the site was of great interest to Tolkein fans. Accordingly, the set was upgraded to allow guided tours to commence in 2002. With permanent teams of guides, drivers, maintainence specialists and retail members Hobbiton is today a major employer for the region. It's a super way to spend a couple of hours and the large mug of cider provided at the Green Dragon is the perfect way to finish!

From Bag End, we headed to the very funky little town of Tirau for lunch. This gorgeous town is dotted with some amazing corrugated iron art - even the Information Centre is housed inside a "Giant Dog" building made from this unique ribbed sheeting. It's a popular destination for shoppers looking for antiques and collectables, and of course fascinated tourists. Whilst lunching at the very cool Poppy's Café, I received a call from Gordon, our Coromandel Airbnb host, advising that there had been some significant rainfall in the region. Our accommodation for the next three days was to be a cottage on a large native bush property in the Wentworth Valley where we were to be able to see kiwis at night. Gordon was concerned that we would be unable to cross a flooded ford on the way into the property and wanted to meet us along the way to discuss. We agreed to catch up with him at the foot of the Coromandel at Paeroa; a perfect excuse to see the giant L&P bottle (the town is the original home of NZ's much-loved Lemon and Paeroa soft drink)! After meeting Gordon, seeing a photo of the ford and discussing the situation at length, we agreed that it may be difficult to get there however we would like to go and suss out the situation for ourselves. Gordon generously refunded us and advised that if we did manage to make it to the cottage, we could simply leave the cash there for him to collect - love the Kiwi's openness! So off we went, snaking along the windy Peninsular roads in rapidly increasing rain. On arrival at the ford, it was obvious we would definitely not be able to transit the now very fast flowing brook; disappointing, but as with everything, it's safety first with us. A quick look at the map showed we were in close proximity to Whangamata, recently voted the Number 1 beach in NZ. With our Plan B hatched, we headed off to this east coast surfing mecca to find overnight accommodation; tricky as it turned out at short notice, but we eventually got the two last rooms at a motel after driving around the town and the coast. Once checked in, we headed down the main street for a massive NZ feed of "Fush and Chups". The rain persisted - as it turned out 300mm fell in 24 hours - and with no respite obvious in the local forecast, we had to abandon our plans to do the Driving Creek Railway and several other Coromandel locations. After a poor night's sleep on very lumpy beds, we headed to the quaint town of Thames for a magnificent breakfast at a lovely old café run by a group of delightful ladies. Situated on the Firth of Thames, this now quiet backwater was formed by the joining of two historic gold mining towns, Grahamstown and Shortland. The original buildings still standing, including the very sturdy Police Station and House, certainly reinforce that there was once great wealth in the region. We took a trip up to the WW1 War Memorial; perched high on the edge of the high volcanic Coromandel Ranges, it has a commanding view of the long bay which separates the Coromandel from the Hunua Ranges.

The weather up in Opua was much better so we decided to head back to Elevation a few days early. On the north side of Gulf Harbour, we detoured off the highway to take the coastal road through Red Beach and Waiwera. Rejoining SH1 again, we continued northwards, opting to then take the signed "Tourist Route" via Marsden Point - a totally worthless deviation as other than the marina, it was simply suburbia. We stopped to check out the raging Whangerei Falls where we were entertained by a group of teenage boys leaping into the river from a tall gum tree. And of course, no visit to Northland is complete without seeing the amazing Hundertwasser Toilets in Kawakawa - this iconic tourist photo site being the brainchild and last project of the reclusive Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who lived in Kawakawa from 1975 until his death in 2000. One of only a handful of PC Art works in the world, the building is made entirely of recycled materials, including discarded wine bottles and bricks from a former Bank of New Zealand. I love how the locals have totally embraced Hundertwasser's style and have adapted and embellished shopfronts, completed colourful street art on walls throughout the town and even added a Kawakawa Hundertwasser ceramic sign to the entrance of the town's park. Being an aficionado of art, Heather was completely impressed!

Back onboard Elevation after morning tea at the Rainbow Falls Tea House, a visit to Rainbow Falls, a quick provisioning trip, and a delicious wine tasting and lunch at Marsden Estate Winery, we headed out into the Bay of Islands to enjoy a few sunny days out on the hook fishing, paddle boarding, swimming and relaxing. We spent most of our time at Otaio Bay at Urapukupuka Island, a completely delightful and calm anchorage. Our last night was at Kororareka Bay, primarily to go ashore and share the delights of Russell and the Duke of Marlborough Hotel with our guests. Once again, a great meal in a fabulous old pub.

Once back at the marina, we headed into Paihia for dinner at Charlotte's Kitchen where, after a magnificent tasting plate of Poisson cru and Poke, the guys both indulged in a slow roasted pork knuckle each whilst we girls enjoyed freshly caught local fish. On Sunday, we spent most of the day at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, some 18.5 hectares of varying landscapes from native bush, boardwalks, paths, tracks, beaches, lawns and coastal clifftop. This very scenic place is known as "The Birthplace of New Zealand" and is NZ's most important historic site. We wandered through the very well thought out and informative museum before we took a guided tour with a very knowledgeable and entertaining 20 something Maori guide who, when introducing himself, advised that he was related to the great Iwi chiefs of the Ngati Kahu. He piloted us around the Treaty Grounds, giving us great information on Maori culture and ancient ways; talking us through the building of the Ngātokimatawhaorua - the world's largest ceremonial war canoe or Waka (pronounced Wokka, like Quokka) - and the process for launching and paddling it. What a magnificent sight it would be out on the water, filled with 120 Maori warriors (80 at a time paddling to a set beat and rhythm)! He gave us his take on the Treaty, a somewhat contentious issue given that the original treaty endorsed by over 500 tribal chefs was written in Maori, whilst the English version, signed by only 39, became the "official" document. We got the impression that this younger generation of Maori are intent on reconciliation and engagement for all New Zealanders whilst working hard to protect their language and traditions and that can only be a good thing. We were then treated to a very entertaining cultural show in the Te Whare Rūnanga carved meeting house before checking out Treaty House, a traditional Maori carver, a 30-minute video on the history of the Treaty and of course the gift shop on the way out!

Paul and Heather's time with us rapidly came to an end and we farewelled them onto their Auckland bound bus in Kerikeri on 19/2. What a great, actioned packed and fun time together!

FYI: If you click on the Gallery (if using a Desktop it's to the right; if tablet or smartphone it's located in the blue bar above this post) you can check out some of the photos of our short adventure. Chur Bro!