Go North for Winter!

Normally we escape the freezing Rotorua winter temperatures, by escaping to a tropical island somewhere in the Pacific.  This year, we decided to go North instead, and see if it there was a "winterless north" in New Zealand.

 The day started out as wet, and wearing several layers of merino, we departed Rotorua before 9:30am.

 Travelling through Auckland was the usual driving nightmare, with roadworks along the motorway, and the damp windy weather didn't help either.

Four hours later, we stopped at Orewa for lunch.  The drive ahead stretched before me, and I knew we wouldn't make Kaeo by dark.  Orewa was wet and windy, so we sheltered behind the changing rooms for a "picnic" lunch.  Most of the time the wind howled past us, and the urchins enjoyed being blown away.

 By the time we had driven to Whangarei, I was down to one layer of merino, and the sun kept peeking through the rain clouds. If only the wind would stop.  A quick play in one of the playgrounds enabled the urchins to stretch their legs, and gave me a break from driving.

 Just before 5pm Kawakawa came into view.  The toilets here were our first "tourist stop" of our Northland road trip.

The colourful public toilet is designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. WhenF he visisted New Zealand in the 1970s for an exhibition of his work, he decided to make NZ,  his second home and bought property on the Waikare inlet, east of Kawakawa. In 1998 with the help of the community he transformed the town’s public toilets into a work of art.

Interesting to visit, lots of colours and shapes, but it still smells like a public toilet.

The plan was to have fish and chips in Kaeo, but we discovered the shop closes at 6pm! so we had Indian Spice (which was next door) instead.  Wonderful flavours and a great way to finish the day.   Made it to Tauranga Bay just after 8pm.  It's warm up here, and it had stopped raining.