Cruising the Bay of Islands

Opua

Bay of Islands

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Photo By:

Sandy Austin Whanau

Opua, in the throat of the Bay of Islands, twenty-one days from Tonga, is a hurricane hole for an international collection of yachts. There is a small store with good ice cream where you queue up for the mini-auto ferry to Russell and not much else. Although Northland and Far North have an occasional hurricane, Opua is tucked in tight.

Rag Baggers, as those sailors who only know how to pull back on the throttle and steer, sometimes call those cruisers packed into Opua for the season, take their sailing seriously. Some are waiting for a weather window to catch the next leg of their circumnavigation, others will head north to catch the currents and winds then drop back along the Alaska/Canada west coast.

There are cruisers and day sailors proudly trimming their sails in the Bay of Islands. For lack of a better description, cruisers live aboard, poke around and anchor out or wharf-hop. Day sailors usually like to race the closest sail boat– even if that other sail boat doesn’t know it’s racing– then hang around the dock or clubhouse at the end of the day and swap rose-colored sail tales.

Sailing on Open Water

My

Pacific SeaCraft

Dana 24

New Zealand, although it’s the land of top mega yacht racers, is not a cruiser friendly country. We passed Whangarei on our way north. It’s almost impossible to find a slip in the crowded boat basin and most cruisers anchor out. A little farther south is Auckland, the City of Sails. You can anchor or dock at Tauranga, Wellington, Picton or Christchurch. But where do you go from there? Remember you’re straddling the

Roaring Forties. A circumnavigation of both islands is possible with a little good weather and a lot of good luck, but the west coast of New Zealand is so shallow, it’s pretty hard to slip in anywhere if the weather turns ugly. Remember the movie The Piano? Her piano came ashore on the beach in a flat bottom boat. The Piano was filmed on the east coast of the North Island.

If you want to cruise– charter a yacht at Opua, hop in and tour the Bay of Islands. The weather’s warm, the water’s warm and the fishing is hot. Take that fancy sail boat out yourself, or hire a skipper and sit back and enjoy a beer while you burn. New Zealand is close to that hole in the ozone we’ve been watching for years. You can turn to toast in a hurry even on a cool cloudy day.

The Moorings has always been a top of the line charter company. They’ve been in business worldwide for many years and provide quality boats– with or without a skipper. If you want to cruise the Bay of Islands and hang out at the Opua Yacht Club with cruisers from several nations, the Bay of Islands is easy sailing. If you only know how to pull back the throttle and steer, the Moorings has power boats, too.

If you’re traveling by auto or RV, don’t be shy about stopping in at the Opua Yacht Club. It's not fancy– just friendly.

And we made it to Opua– that tiny town in the Bay of Islands with the good ice cream.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Tutukaka & the Poor Knights

Poor Knights

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Photo By:

shutterfinger

If you’ve bought or rented an auto or RV in New Zealand, you can take a loop to the Tutukaka Coast on your trip up Hwy 1 to the Bay of Islands. New Zealand has some of the best water in the world, so why not enjoy a little diving, fishing or sailing?

We doubled back to Whangarei from Bream Head to get around the Parahaki Reserve. Now, if you follow the signs to Whangarei Falls, you’re headed up Ngunguru Road to the Tutukaka Coast– a thirty minute drive east. If you missed Whangarei Falls while wandering around Whangarei, this is your chance to visit the most photographed water fall in New Zealand. You’ll find easy access walkways and a picnic area at the falls.

It’s not far to Tutukaka, so take your time and enjoy the drive. If you’ve brought your lunch or want to explore a little, Ngungururu, a small settlement on the river, has a picnic area at the north end of the beach near the school. Kayaks and dingies are rented at the motel. The current can be strong at ebb tide, so check the tide table before leaving shore or you might find yourself exploring Ngungururu Bay. If you’re RVing, there’s a Holiday Park nearby. Just don’t park too close to the river unless your RV floats. We pulled into a Holiday Park late at night. The next morning we couldn’t step out– our movan was up to its bumpers in water.

Arches

at
Poor Knights

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Photo By:

don_elle

Tutukaka is the jumping off spot for the Poor Knights– one of the world’s top ten dive sites. Even if you’re not a diver, you’ll find plenty to do in and around Tutukaka. The harbor has small sheltered beaches– one at the end of the marina. You can rent a kayak or dingy and poke around the harbor. If you’re not a diver but would like to try a little snorkeling or fishing,

Sea Safaris will take you on a personalized tour of the Tutukaka coast and the Poor Knights. If you just want to visit an alpaca and bring back a warm souvenir,–a sweater or blanket, not the alpaca– Rocky Bay Alpacas welcomes visitors.

From January to April, there are many events in the area such as: The New Zealand Big Game Fishing Competition Nationals (Feb), the Northland Mountain Bike Challenge in nearby Glenbervie (Feb) and the Small Boats Fishing Tournament (Mar). If you like fishing or cycling, you’ll find some special event while you’re around Tutukaka.

Maybe you’re really not excited about smelling like fish all day and just want to spend time relaxing in style. You can lay back and view the Poor Knights and the harbor from the Pacific Rendezvous resort.

You won’t want to miss the Poor Knights if you’re a diver. With good underwater visibility and a warm current from the north, you’ll find tropical species such as spotted black grouper and mosaic moray. Reef fish include pink and blue maomao and two-spot demoiselle. The steep cliffs of the islands drop 100 meters below sea level in places to a sandy sea floor. Wall diving, you’ll find fissures, caves, kelp forests, and sponge gardens. South Harbor provides shallower area for novice divers. Experienced divers can find challenging dives all around the islands.

Pinnacle 2

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Photo By:

Shutterfinger

The Poor Knights were named by Captain Cook because they looked like sleeping Crusaders– heads to the south, feet to the warm northern sun. The northern island is Tawhiti Rahi. The southern island Aorangi. In the early 1800's Maori on Aorangi bred and traded wild pigs (released by Captain Cook) with the mainland Maori. An argument over a bad trade ended in a massacre of the Maori on Aorangi. Since then, the islands have never been inhabited nor claimed as native land. On Aorangi, those Captain Corkers damaged the environment until they were exterminated in 1936. Purchased by a European in 1845, the islands were bought by the crown in 1881 and designated a lighthouse reserve. Today, a marine reserve surrounds the islands and landing is not permitted. Limited recreational fishing is allowed.


Between October and May, millions of seabirds return to the islands to breed. Batter shearwaters (rakes) live on the Poor Knights. Their feeding grounds range across the Pacific between the coasts of New Zealand, the Chatham Islands and California. They return each year to New Zealand– the only place in the world where they breed. Tuatara are found on the larger islands as well as two species of gecko.


Dave and I have spent a lot of time around Tutukaka. We’re both divers, but never dived the Poor Knights. If you want to try one of the world’s top 10 dive sites, you can find a charter dive operator here.

Sting Ray,

Poor Knights

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Photo By:

mattkk

If you’re looking to charter a sailboat, the Bay of Islands is a better choice. Or, if you just want to enjoy an isolated beach, try Matapouri a little farther north on your loop back to

Hwy 1.

If you have a self-contained RV and want to explore the coast and sample some fresh seafood, ask at the hotel in Tutukaka if you can spend the night on their property. If you want to get back to Hwy 1 to get an early start for the Bay of Islands, parking is available behind the hotel in Hikurangi– just mind your manners and ask first.

Air New Zealand has a Fly to New Zealand and Get Australia Free special. You can visit New Zealand AND Australia for about $950. From LAX– including taxes and fees. This will only be available a short time, but air fare prices change as often as the New Zealand weather. If you’ve passed the "Wish I could visit New Zealand." and moved into the "Let’s go!" watch for those bargains.

The loop to Tutukaka brings us back out on Hwy 1 a little south of Hikurangi. The Tutukaka coast is only a little over three hours from Auckland. Even if you’re not headed north to the Bay of Islands, if you have a day to spare while staying in Auckland, why not rent a car and explore this secluded part of Northland?

We’re headed for Pahia next with a brief stop at Opua, that hurricane hole packed with yachts hiding out for the summer.


Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Bream Head

Whangarei Heads

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Photo By:

Ben Nakagawa

When you book a New Zealand tour of Northland, chances are you’ll leave from Auckland and head for Paihia in the Bay of Islands with a short stop at Whangarei Falls. By day three, you’ll be in Opononi on the west coast for a day in the sand dunes or another bus trip into Waipoua Forest and the giant Kauri trees, then back to Auckland. You’ll see a little of Nortland. But, there’s a better, cheaper way to see more and pay less– rent or buy an auto or RV. Either way, you can wander off the main road and find beautiful country any place you wander.

If you spend the night in Whangarei– which I think is one of the best towns in New Zealand-- you might as well pack up a lunch and drive the short distance around the north side of Whangarei Harbour, past the airport, to Bream Head, a high bluff at the end of a peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. To the north, you’ll find Ocean Beach with its pounding surf and miles of isolated beach. We won’t be passing nearby Whangarei Falls yet. We’ll find them on our way to Tutukaka.

View From

Parua Bay Tavern

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Photo By:

sammijk

Riverside Drive takes you back over the Hatea River. Beyond the airport, you’ll find the Waimahanga Walkway, an easy 45 minute walk near the mangroves– remember nothing will bite you, so don’t worry about a snake with a bad disposition or an alligator hoping lunch will pass by. If you want to get wet then enjoy your lunch, Tamaterau is a good place to swim or windsurf. The Pines Golf Course, an 18 hole course with views of the harbour is also nearby. There’s a boat launch a little farther up Whangarei Heads Road at Parua Bay. With the airlines as fussy as they are now, you probably won’t bring your own boat, but you can have a beer in the Parua Bay Tavern on the water’s edge and watch the boats. Parua Bay is a small community about 2 kms from the boat launch. McLeod Bay, another swimming/picnic area is just across from Marsden Point, that spot where we checked out the harbour on our way into Whangarei. A small wooden church built in 1858 is still used for Sunday worship.

Bream Head

tramp

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Photo By:

svmarcy

Taurikura is easy to spot. It’s a natural volcanic rock causeway that disappears into the sea. Woolshed Bay is a popular anchorage for sailboats waiting for a daylight passage into Whangarei, a weather break, or just hanging out enjoying the scenery. From the car park in Woolshed Bay, you’ll find several walkways crisscrossing the Bream Bay Scenic Reserve. You’ll be glad you packed a lunch– or two– if you decide to explore. The entrance to these walks are at Urquharts Bay back a short way (see map), or Ocean Beach– where we’re headed. Like most New Zealand walkways, they’re well signposted. If you’re in really good shape, have the time, and brought a lunch or two, take the six hour (one way) walk and enjoy the view of the offshore islands and harbour views. There’s also a shorter 3 hour hike to Peach Cove and return. This is a kiwi sanctuary, so no dogs are allowed. You can find more information on hiking trails in this area at the Department of Conservation, DOC.

Ocean Beach

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Photo By:

svetlai

Only 35 kms from Whangarei, Ocean Beach is a nice day trip along the largest enclosed harbour in New Zealand. Along the way, you’ll have a chance to enjoy the water, do some beachcombing or maybe watch dolphin and orca glide in and out of the water. At Ocean Beach, you can beachcomb for miles to the north or poke around in the rock tide pools to the south.

However you spend your day, whether working up a blister on one of those long hikes, swimming and snoozing on the beach, or settling back in the pub with a few brews, remind yourself how glad you are you took the time to rent or buy a vehicle so you could spend a day in part of New Zealand the tour guide forgot to mention as the bus zipped past on the way to the Bay of Islands.

If you’re all worn out from all that hiking, swimming or snoozing and have a self-contained RV, there’s overnight parking at Whangarei Heads at Ocean Beach. You can also find a place to park the night at Parua Bay opposite the hotel or at Pataua South past the public toilet.

Next, we’ll be headed up the road to Tutukaka, but we’ll have to get back to Whangarei so we can get around the Parahaki Reserve.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

There's a Cheaper Way

Whangarei Falls

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Photo By:

Stephen Gould

We probaby picked one of the cheapest ways to travel New Zealand for an extended period. We bought our RV, traveled five months a year in New Zealand, freedom camping part of the time, then stored it on a kiwi farm for $16 per month and flew home to another summer in the states. If you don’t plan to return each year but want to spend several months poking around, really getting to meet the people and finding places off the tourist track, there are cheaper ways.


Hostels are scattered throughout New Zealand– and they are not cheap, smelly, out of the way accommodations for hitch-hiking hippies. Seven YHA Hostels are located north of Auckland. In a converted villa, Whangarei YHA, a ten minute walk to the center of town, overlooks Whangarei Harbour. There’s no age limit. Double and family rooms are available at most hostels and bed linen is supplied. Most have internet access, many have ensuite rooms (attached private bathrooms), some have facilities for people with mobility problems, and all have community kitchens and lounge area to relax or watch TV.


New Zealand hostels are busy from Christmas until about the third week of January when New Zealand schools are on their holiday break. Don’t show up without a reservation during that time. YHA New Zealand is part of the international YHA. Though privately owned, they adhere to the international standards of the YHA network. Rooms are available to YHA members and nonmembers– at an additional charge. If you join Hostelling International, Guest Cards can be purchased and are valid worldwide. Membership prices are inexpensive and can be purchased on the installment plan for about $4 per night. These cards also give you discounts on transportation and activities including a discount of 50% on Air New Zealand domestic flights if you fly standby. Room reservations can be made in advance and are recommended for Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. A free phone is available next to the information desk at the Auckland airport to check room vacancies and make transportation arrangements– that discount card covers the airport shuttle.


For another way to travel New Zealand ans spend less on a room, try a

BBH Hostel. Independently owned and operated, there are over 350 independently owned and operated BBH Hostels in New Zealand. These are smaller hostels with a variety of room sizes including ensuite. Bedding is available, but you’ll save if you bring your own. Like YHA hostels, there are no age requirements. With this unique system, you book and pay on arrival. As their purpose is to provide rooms at the lowest cost, they suggest you don’t "pre-book hundreds of dollars of transport, activities or accommodation before you arrive."

Our Whangarei Hostel

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Photo By:

minikin_hvh's

You’ll find 35 BBH Hostels in Northland alone– four in Whangarei. Independent ratings and rates are posted on BBH. You don’t have to be a member to stay, but they offer a membership card with savings on rooms and travel, free on-line registration, and a $20 pre-paid phone card to help you book ahead. Have questions? Check into their forum and chat with someone who’s used this unique New Zealand plan.


Hostels are an inexpensive way to travel in New Zealand and meet interesting people from all over the world.


Lyn Harris


RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Whangarei

Whangarei Harbour

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Photo By:

imagesnzimages

Water, water, everywhere. You’ll soon find that out if you’re traveling New Zealand by RV or auto. We found so much water, I left one chapter to water adventures in my book RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand. The Port of Whangarei is at the head of Whangarei Harbour, the Hatea River winds through town and empties into that harbour, and you’ll even find a nearby waterfall. But, you can manage to stay dry if you don’t step off the dock or get caught in a rain shower.






Located in a broad valley with hills to the east and west, Whangarei is the largest town in Northland. The Town Basin is home to many international yachts. Larger ships dock at the deep-water wharf. You’ll want to spend time around that Town Basin– I mentioned in the last post where to find free over night parking there if you have a self contained van.

Whangarei Town Basin

Yacht Harbour

Photo By:

whangareiviews

In the Town Basin you’ll find: Clapham’s Clock Museum, the largest collection of clocks, time pieces and music boxes in the Southern Hemisphere, and the Museum of Fishes– a place we wandered through several times since we always liked to hang out around the sailboats, visit the unusual shops, and have lunch in one of the cafes. On the water side, you’ll find the yacht club– not very fancy, but friendly. Hang around outside for a while, figure out who’s off one of the boats and not another tourist, strike up a conversation, and you’ll probably get invited to join a pot luck. Many of these sailors are holed up for hurricane season, waiting for a good weather window. You’ll find people from all over the world wandering that area– many serious sailors. It’s a 21 day trip from Tonga to even reach Opua in the Bay of Islands. If you see someone from a sailboat flying a foreign flag– that’s a serious sailor.

Everybody Do

the

Whangarei Walk

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Photo By:

simoRRR

There’s plenty to see besides sailboats around Whangarei. At AH Reed Kauri Park, you’ll find the remains of a kauri forest and a tree-top boardwalk in the 500 year old kauri trees. At Whangarei Museum and Heritage Park on Hwy 14 on the road to Dargaville, you’ll find artifacts of Maori and European history, an 1886 kauri homestead, a chapel, and the Native Bird Recovery Centre for injured birds. New Zealand attracts many migratory birds. Some, warn out from the long trip south, can’t make it home and end up permanent residents along with the local fantails and Tui birds. This is also your change to see one of those big brown kiwi birds in the Heritage Park. The Quarry, a collection of studios and workshops near the city center is open to visitors. It’s home to an intensive summer art school and welcomes artists worldwide.

If you’re a golfer, Whangarei has seven courses. Dave and I play the Whangarei Golf Club. You need to watch that overhanging tree on the 6th tee. It’s easy to tee off and end up with the ball fifty yards behind you. If you have a self-contained RV and don’t tear up their greens, ask if you can stay overnight. It’s pavement parking, but the facilities are great– nice hot showers. If you’re a golfer, many rural golf courses will let you stay over night if you ask. Occasionally, a caretaker lives nearby, but usually everybody goes home and you’ll have the course to yourself. Some courses provide RV electrical hookups. They do this as a courtesy, not to make money, so they’re not advertised. When we play golf, we ask permission to stay and have always been welcomed. The manager asks if we need the facilities open all night. The women’s facilities have fancy flowers, fancy towels and good smelling shampoo and bath products. The women’s facilities only. Dave says it’s always ‘Bring your own soap and no flowers’ on his side.

You can drive up Memorial Drive to Mount Parihaka Lookout and look down over Whangarei and the harbour. Each night the War Memorial on the summit is lit and can be seen from the town below.

Whangarei Falls, one of the most photographed waterfalls in New Zealand, is 5km out of town. We’ll be passing nearby on our next stop– Tutakaka.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Bream Bay

Downwinder

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Photo By:

Social_Advances

More than a month ago, on our road trip up the New Zealand coast from Wellsford to Whangarei, we cut off on a loop past Mangawhai Heads. Then, I dropped you in the parking lot behind the hotel in Waipu while I wandered off talking about Kiwi motorsports and kauri forests. Just be glad Im not your travel agent. The folks at the hotel would have politely asked you to move on. Freedom campers are usually welcome for two or three days at the most.

Now, it’s time to pack up the barbie and your dirty clothes and head on up SH1 to Whangarei. Yes. I know you could have walked from Waipu to Whangarei in a month, but I’ll tell you anyway what you might have missed along the way.

Bream Bay stretches in an arc from Langs Beach, a little below Waipu, to Marsden Point at the entrance to Whangarei Harbor. This map shows you Bream Bay and where we’re headed. About an hour and a half north of Auckland, Bream Bay is popular for its sand and surf, diving and snorkeling, big game fishing, and kite sports– traction kiting. Kite ATBing (kite-mountain boarding) is similar to kitesurfing but you surf the land instead of the water. Even newbies to kite sports can enjoy a ride in the sea breeze. Equipment is determined by weight and experience. It might be a good idea to test your skills over the water before surfing the hard stuff.

Hard Case

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Photo By:

Social_Advances

The 2008 National Kite Championships were held in Ruakaka– a short distance up Bream Bay on our way to Whangarei. (Whangarei begins with the F sound for those of you who want to pretend you know something about the Maori language.) Photos and videos of the

2008 Championship might encourage you to take a dip in the surf. The 2009 National Kite Championships will be held February in Christchurch. At Ruakaka you can rent kiting equipment, explore the Ruakaka Wildlife Refuge in a kayak, rent dive or snorkeling equipment to check out the reefs or the nearby Hen and Chicken Islands, or try your luck at big game fishing. This whole area of New Zealand is sub-tropical. Dive and sportshops are spread from Kaitaia down the coast to Mangawhai. Find the area you’re interested in exploring and contact a local shop. These are usually small shops that offer personal services and you’ll get a fair price. It’s pretty hard to find a Kiwi who won’t give you an honest deal. Good dive locations are mainly on the east coast where you’ll find sheltered bays, sandy beaches, and many, many reefs and offshore islands. Wreck diving can be found up the coast. Two old warships are artificial reefs off the Tutukaka Coast and the Rainbow Warrior is in the Cavalli Islands.

We’ve been talking about offshore islands as we move north from Auckland. Just east of Bream Bay, about 12 kilometers off Bream Head, Hen and Chicken Islands are prime kingfish areas in the summer and a great spot for diving and underwater photography all year round. Named by Captain James Cook in 1769, they became a scenic reserve in 1908 and a wildlife refuge in 1953.

Stan Thorburn with Kingfish

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Photo By:

Beach & Boat

These warm sub-tropical waters are popular with big game fishing enthusiasts. Bream Bay Charters can help you plan a diving/snorkeling or fishing trip in Bream Bay. If you’re really after a bragging size fish and enjoy tournaments, Lion Red Beer and Carters sponsors Beach & Boat Fishing Competition the end of February/ early March each year in Ruakaka. Over 2000 anglers compete for prizes and trophies. Before the tournament, a snapper is caught and tagged. Catch this slippery devil during the tournament and win $100,000. If you enjoy big game fishing, plan to be in Ruakaka during this tournament. Information and pictures can be found on the Beach & Boat Competition site. Even if you don’t win the $100,000 prize, you’ll enjoy three days of fun. Just be sure to book a place to stay way ahead.

The Ruakaka Reserve Motor Camp is right on the beach and close to the tournament. A family oriented camp, it’s one of the largest camp sites in New Zealand with 180 RV sites and 111 tent sites. This is a popular motor camp that’s usually booked from Christmas to mid-January when the Kiwis vacation and also during the tournament. If you’re traveling by auto, five backpacker cabins are available in the motorcamp. There are also nearby motels.

Greg Whithan

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Photo By:

Beach & Boat

That short loop that jogs off Hw1 to the northeast at Ruakaka takes you to Marsden Point and One Tree Point at the neck of Whangarei Harbor. Both are good places to watch the yachts thread their way through the channel on their way into Whangarei Town Basin. One Tree point is a small community. At Marsden Point on the eastern side, the

New Zealand Oil Refinery’s Visitors Center is open most days. At the Visitors Center, you’ll find a 1/33 scale model of the refinery as well as models of their pipeline from Marsden Point to South Auckland. Admission is free.

If you’ve spent your day snorkeling, kiting, fishing, or sightseeing and you’re knackered, you’ll find motels and two good motorcamps in Whangarei. If you’re traveling in a self-contained campervan, you can park for the night at the Whangarei Town Basin near WOADS down past the wharf. Free parking is also available at Marsden Point in the Harbour Board carpark.

And we finally made it to Whangarei! A good place to eat, drink and spend money.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

More Motorsports

Sidecar Racing

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Photo By:

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diamanx

If you’re a Kiwi or a motorsports fan, you know the New Zealander Scott Dixon won the 2008 IndyCar Series championship. Scott won the title in 2003, lost both the race and championship to Dario Franchitti at Chicagoland Speedway last year when he ran out of fuel near the finish, and roared back again this year, losing the race by a kiwi’s beak to Helio Castroneves, but winning his second IndyCar Series championship. IndyCars for you non-motorsports fans are those open-wheel, low-slung cars that whine around the track like angry hornets. Scotts championship wasn’t an accident. New Zealanders take their motorsports– all their motorsports very seriously.

In March, we talked about the Museum of Transport and Technology (Motat) and the nearby Western Springs Speedway in Auckland. When you’re RVing or poking along in an auto, it’s always fun to travel with a mission– play three golf courses in Northland, visit gardens in the Coromandel, or tramp a track. If you’re a sports fan of anything that makes noise and goes fast, why not make one or more motorsport events your mission?

In the North Island, the new motorsport complex, Hampton Downs, south of Auckland should be completed some time next year. Under construction near Meremere drag strip and oval track in north Waikato, Hampton Downs will be a driver training and testing facility as well as fancy modern-day motorsport complex.

Motorbikes

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Photo By:

frielp

Each Boxing Day (December 26) during the Cemetery Circuit, motorbikes (NZ motorcycles) race around the cemetery in downtown Wanganui. In this street race, sometimes called the Southern Hemisphere’s Isle of Man, motorcycles tear around town, zipping around corners– usually. Sidecars bang by, driver in front, feet dragging passenger in back, trying to maneuver around the turns. They’re noisy, so bring ear plugs. Paeroa hosts the race finals in February. There are six low-cost parking spots in the middle of town. When the races are in town, RVs move to the town reserve. Motorcycles often miss the turns there and you wouldn’t want a cycle in your bed. If you’re staying home for Christmas, you can watch the Cemetery Circuit race live on the internet. Just make sure to check ahead for the correct times– New Zealand is a day ahead.

Still farther south, near Feilding, you’ll find Manfeild Autocourse. (No. I didn’t spell it wrong. The town is named for Lord Feilding.) Built in 1973, the track was brought up to international standards in 1990 with its 2.8 mile road course. Manfeild park which contains the course is a busy place. On any day, you might find a horse show, a wedding, a shearing contest or an international race.

The Muddy End

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Photo By:

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jbimages

The South Island is a little shy of large towns north of Christchurch, but south of there, each February, you’ll find the Southern Festival of Speed. With three permanent circuits and one temporary circuit in Dunedin, this series for classic and historic vehicles (including motorcycles) has four venues and seven racing days. The courses are in Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill almost all the way to the end of the South Island. If you plan to visit the Southern Festival of Speed, these towns are all on the eastside of the South Island along Hwy 1. Use a Mileage Calculator to figure your travel time. The Southern Festival of Speed is just one of many events. If you won’t be in the South Island in February, you’ll still find some type of motorsport if you hang around for a while.

Congratulations Scott Dixon on your second IndyCar Series championship.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand