Star RV in Ocean Road Magazine

TOURINGGod sCountryDAVID SIMONS AND THE OCEAN ROAD TRAVELTEAM FIND THEIR OWN SLICE OF HEAVENIN NEW ZEALAND’S NORTH ISLAND.PHOTOGRAPHY: BRIAN USHERBROUGHT TO YOU BYNORTHERN EXPOSURE: SCENES FROM THE ROAD IN NORTHLAND, NEW ZEALAND.038 www.oceanroadmagazine.com.auwww.oceanroadmagazine.com.au 107

The fondest memories of mychildhood are of holiday road tripswith my parents. We started withcaravans and tents and, as the familygrew, graduated to hired cottages orapartments.As I prepare to embark on a similartrip around New Zealand’s NorthIsland with my own family, I glancearound the impressive vehicles inthe Apollo Motorhomes depot inAuckland and wonder what my dadwould have given to have the Star RVwe are about to pick up.With kitchen facilities, shower andtoilet, iPod docking stations and flatscreenTV and DVD player, the StarRV makes a mockery of the term”roughing it”. It may be a road trip, butwe are going to be travelling in style!Travelling with us are Ocean Roadpublisher and resident photographer108 www.oceanroadmagazine.com.auBrian Usher and his young family, whoare kitted out with their own Star RV– an Apollo Euro Deluxe six-bertherto be exact. The weather is bleak, withdriving rain and strong winds, but oneof the beauties of the narrow NorthAuckland Peninsula is that the wind isalways blowing in the right directionsomewhere in the area. You just haveto pick which coast to head for.Applying this theory, we set off inconvoy for Ruakaka, near Whangarei,New Zealand’s northernmost city.We arrive to find a massive tidal riverbrushed clean by 50km/h offshorewinds. In the distance are the majesticvolcanic landmarks of Bream Headand the Hen and Chicken Islands.Before long the kids, Jake, Hunter andPorscha, are wading in the shallowsas the adults cook up our first meal inthe Star RV.d lRUAKAKA MAKES A PERFECT FIRST PORT OF CALL. IT IS PICTURESQUE AND A GREAT PLACEFOR FISHING AND WATER SPORTS, ESPECIALLY KITE SURFING, FOR WHICH IT IS FAMOUS.www.oceanroadmagazine.com.au 109

feeling the lavaBRIAN USHER TOOK A FLIGHT BACK IN TIME WHENHE VISITED THE ANCIENT LANDSCAPE OF THEORAKEI KORAKO THERMAL PARK BY SEAPLANE.The overwhelming smell of sulphuris the first thing that strikes youabout Rotorua. The city sits withina caldera and is alive with gushinggeysers, bubbling mud pools, thermalsprings and vents from which theomnipresent scent of sulphur seeps.The other thing we notice aboutRotorua upon arrival is that thisinland city is markedly cooler thanthe coast we have just left behind.Needless, to say, there is a battle forthe doona on our first night.I rise at dawn to photograph the lake,only to return to find that Dave, inmy absence, had been busy spruikingOcean Road to Ann Gregor, a localtourist flight operator, and hassubsequently secured me a seat on aseaplane for the morning.Before I know it, I am boarding aVolcanic Air Safaris seaplane witha pilot and some travellers fromPuerto Rico and taxiing out into themiddle of a volcanic lake, bound forthe hidden valley of Orakei Korako.The geothermal wonderland is oneof the most remarkable volcaniclandscapes in the world. Ourpilot reveals the thermal park wasowned and operated by his parents,so as a bonus we enjoy a rollingcommentary on the history of thearea as we fly over.The flight is jaw-dropping: there isno better way to see Rotorua thanfrom the air, followed by a smoothriver landing and a short boat tripacross to the caves and thermal park.Orakei Korako means ‘the placeof adoring’ in English and thelandscape has remained unchangedfor thousands of years. We aregiven an hour to check it out, beforeboarding the plane again for thereturn trip. This unexpected pleasureis the highlight of my visit toRotorua and an experience I highlyrecommend to anyone planning atrip to the area.For more information about VolcanicAir Safaris, visit www.volcanicair.co.nz or call on +64 7 348 9984.For details about Orakei Korako visitwww.orakeikorako.co.nz or call+64 7 378 31.“The longest left in NZ, bro,” I’mtold. It is a perfect set-up, with pointsand coves wrapped around a massiveheadland, but when we arrive thecampground is closed and we areforced to manoeuvre our RVs in a verytight U-turn. Thank goodness for thefantastic turning circle.We continue north and find sanctuaryfrom the westerly winds in beautifulHauhora. Having decided to go as farnorth as we can, we head for CapeReinga, the point at which the TasmanSea meets the Pacific Ocean. Theroad is sealed all the way to the capeand driving along the ridge we enjoyamazing views to the east and west.There are only a handful of touristsat the cape. The lighthouse is notoperable but is beautifully restored.Chaos reigns where the two waterscollide. Dancing waves peak andthe Tasman looks a different blue tothe Pacific.We find the sheltered little bay ofTapotupotu, which has a spartan butbeautiful National Parks campingground. The kids swim in the warmrock pools, the wives spread towelson the sand and Brian and I makefor an empty little right-handerrolling into the bay. I love the feelingof diving into freezing cold waterwearing a warm, sealed-seam wetsuit.We make the most of the perfectlittle waves, then cook up a barbecuefeast, washed down with a classic NZclassic cab sauv.MANGONUI: A BOATING PARADISE.112 www.oceanroadmagazine.com.auwww.oceanroadmagazine.com.au 113

The kids love this place, butunfortunately we wake to anotherweather bomb and make haste outof there. We travel south back toAuckland, en route to the geothermalwonderland of Rotorua. With moretime and better weather, we could havecovered much more of Northland,as there is so much to see and do upthere.Rotorua is full of surprises. As Briansets off on a seaplane (see storypreceding page) to capture somemagnificent aerial photographs, therest of us spend a morning enjoying awaterfront cafe meal and browsing anearby art market.Then it is time to hit Hells Gategeothermal reserve. Created 10,000years ago when an ancient lake drainedto the sea, this bubbling, hissing,spitting landscape of mud pools,geysers and steaming fumeroles wasdubbed the gateway to hell by the Irishplaywright George Bernard Shaw whenhe visited in the early 1900s.Maori royalty have long worshippedthis constantly changing landscape. Thewomen in our party decide they want toexperience the mud masks and sulphurskin treatments on offer and we thinkthe kids will love a mud fight – I meanwhat kid doesn’t love rolling in mud?Brian and I get to stand where warriorsbathed and cover our faces with the mudof a volcano – a wonderful experience.NATURAL BEAUTY: HAUHORA, MAIN PICTURE AND TOP LEFT, AND HENDERSON BAY, BOTTOM.114 www.oceanroadmagazine.com.auwww.oceanroadmagazine.com.au 115

lAfter our Rotorua adventure, wemake tracks to Raglan, the “bestleft in NZ, bro”. Raglan is a surfingmecca and when it fires, it rivals anyworld-class left-hander. We rock intotown early evening to find the barsabuzz and restaurants humming. Thebeautifully located campground has afantastic children’s playground.We bed down for the night andwake to the worst weather of ourjourney. Pelting rain confines us tothe RV for most of the day, playinggames and eating. We brave theweather to take a look aroundRaglan. Whale Bay is a mess ofwind swell, with big lumps of waterbelting down the point.OCEAN AND EARTH: CAPE REINGA, THIS PAGE, ROTORUA, TOP RIGHT, AND A PADDLE STEAMER IN THE BAY OF PLENTY, BOTTOMCHEERS TO RIPCURL.RIGHT.lRotarua’s bubbling, hissing,spitting landscape of mud pools,geysers and steaming fumeroleswas dubbed the gateway to hellby the Irish playwright GeorgeBernard Shaw.116 www.oceanroadmagazine.com.auwww.oceanroadmagazine.com.au 117

TOP GEARIt is a pretty town, similar to Byronin the 1960s. Good food, nice coffeeand a cool vibe make it worth a visit,but it’s the wave that gets this placerocking. When Raglan’s left rollsdown the point, the town eruptswith surfers and their flock.Unfortunately, the fabled wavedoesn’t make an appearanceduring our stay, but it’s a minordisappointment. As we pack up andhead back to Auckland, we reflect ona week of fantastic family experiencesenjoyed in the natural, largelyunspoiled environment of a trulybeautiful country. And, thanks to thetrusty Star RV, we did it all in comfortand with flair.The Volcom Board Lab at Airport Central, on the GoldCoast Highway at Coolangatta, jumped on board withthe Ocean Road Magazine travel team to promote itsrecently opened super store and kitted us out with allthe best gear for our New Zealand adventure.Rocky and the crew at the Board Lab made sure thatwe had everything we needed. The Firewire boardswere equipped with NanoTune Speed Coating andthe boys had the latest E3 Flashbomb wetsuits fromRip Curl to help them contend with the cold water.Creatures supplied the board bags, deck pads and legropes and Volcom kept the ladies happy with stylishluggage and the some great summer dresses.The Volcom Board Lab stocks more than 500 premiumsurfboards, top skate brands and the largest collectionof Volcom gear in the southern hemisphere. Just lookfor the giant stone out the front – or check out theirgear online at www.volcom.com.au.For information on hiring motorhomes or campervans in NZ, visit www.apollocamper.co.nz.More details on the vehicles can be found at www.StarRV.com