Worldrecordtour, Oceania, Pacific, New Zealand, North Island, Picture, Story, Diary, Guinness Book of World Records, Toyota, LandCruiser, Emil Schmid, Liliana Schmid

Pictures of the fifth part of our New Zealand trip (North Island)
(Taupo – Rotorua – Napier – Gisborne – East Cape – Bay of Plenty – Coromandel)

Part 1: Dunedin – Invercargill – Milford Sound – Queenstown
Part 2: Queenstown – Wanaka – Mt. Cook – Arthur's Pass – Greymouth – Lewis Pass – Kaikoura – Nelson – Fox Glacier (Westcoast)
Part 3: Fox Glacier (Westcoast) – Wanaka – Queenstown – Alexandra – Oamaru – Dunedin
Part 4: Dunedin – Christchurch – Picton – Ferry to the North Island – Wellington – Masterton – Hastings – Wanganui – New Plymouth – Taupo
Part 6: Coromandel – Seabird Coast – Whangarei – Bay of Islands – Doubtless Bay – Cape Reinga – Hokianga – Tauranga

	New Zealand Map	Map of the Pacific
latest picture: June 7, 2008 click a picture to see details

274 Dark clouds and showers are passing by at Lake Taupo at dawn – here near Omori in the Southwest		275 The sunrise offers once more a colorful spectacle	276 One of the many showers shows almost two perfectly formed rainbows over a rural and peaceful scenery


277 In the volcanic plateau of Rotorua the ground is steaming everywhere		278 The steaming silver pipes belong to the Wairakei Geothermal Power Station in Taupo, which produces around 5% of New Zealand’s electricity	279 For touristy reasons, the eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser in the “Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland“ in Rotorura is reactivated every day at 10am with soap (would otherwise only erupt every couple of days) – for us a rather disappointing spectacle


280 Beautiful sulfur crystals in a small crater at “Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland” in Rotorura		281 “Devil’s Bath“, a crater in the “Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland” in Rotorura, owes its color of green or yellow to the amount of reflected light and cloud cover	282 The Primrose sinter terraces in “Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland” in Rotorura are the largest in New Zealand since the destruction of the pink and white ones during the eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886


283 Trees in their autumn colors in the well kept Government Gardens in Rotorua		284 Eye-catching in Rotorua is the dominant building of the Visitor Center	285 Black swans are widespread in New Zealand’s lakes


286 After the three times daily opening of the floodgates of the Aratiatia Hydro- electric Dam, enormous amount of water crash through the Waikato riverbed showing the spectators how the rapids looked before the waters were dammed		287 The Huka Falls produce a big part of the water needed for New Zealand’s electricity	288 The tall and nostalgic looking railway bridge of the “Palmerston North – Gisborne Railway“ near Waihua


289 View at sunrise from our camping spot on the Mahia peninsula South of Gisborne towards the village Mahia Beach, where we spent the night on the highest terrace of a residential development area .....		290 ..... and towards the quiet Maungawhio lagoon and the sea	291 The lush green landscape in the Northeast of the Mahia peninsula reminds us of Scotland


292 A lonely horse is reflecting in a calm pond on the Mahia peninsula		293 To the most Southern tip of the Mahia peninsula, a remote road often follows the attractive coast …..	294 ..... and it runs along this wild coast back to the “Pacific Coast Highway“


295 A stormy atmosphere is lying over the sea at Tokomaru Bay, where we camped at the beach		296 We cross the Waiapu River near Ruatoria	297 In Te Araroa, the blue Land- Cruiser poses for a picture besides the largest Pohutukawa tree in the world (70ft. tall, 131ft. wide, >350 years old)


298 From Te Araroa towards the East Cape are a whole range of huge cambered bays		299 A natural “flower bouquet” along the Pacific Coast Highway	300 The sun catches the white cliffs at the coast at Whangaparaoa in the most Easterly part of the “Bay of Plenty”


301 The richly carved Marae – a Maori meeting place – in Raukokore in the East of the “Bay of Plenty”		302 Detail of a Marae – a Maori meeting place – in Whangaparaoa in the most Easterly part of the “Bay of Plenty”	303 The Anglican Church of Raukokore stands lonely on the promontory


304 Bleached ‘bones’ from distant forests brought down to the sea at a remote beach in the “Bay of Plenty”		305 Sweeping view over Ohope Beach near Whakatane	306 View from the Maraehako Bay Retreat Backpackers over the rocky coast at Whanarua Bay


307 On the parking lot of a supermarket in Tauranga, two big dogs wait anxiously for their master to return		308 Visit of our friends Gill and Rob in Tauranga, who crossed Africa in 1991 with a Landrover and who were our neighbors at the Tiwi Beach near Mombasa in Kenya. Now they are proud parents of two lovely children: Claudia und Harrison	309 We show and explain our LandCruiser to the school children of the Otumoetai School in Tauranga


310 The Coromandel Peninsula is dotted with white sandy beaches and scattered islands. Now in wintertime, we enjoy them all to ourselves. Here at the Waihi Beach		311 An intensive sunrise at the Hahei Beach in the East of the Coromandel Peninsula announces a sunny day	312 Two surfers at Hot Water Beach (South of Hahei) hope for good surf conditions


313 The sandy beach of Hot Water Beach glitters in the afternoon light at low tide		314 The Hot Water Beach South of Hahei is a very popular spot. A spade can be rented for $5 to dig the own bathtub in the sand at low tide and soak in the thermal water that bubbles just in the sand	315 The long and sandy Hot Water Beach with the rural backdrop. The hot water area is right in the center


316 Beach, islands and the sea is the view at our peaceful lunch at the beach of Hahei		317 The solitary rock of Cathedral Cove outside of Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsula shines in the evening light …..	318 ….. and the limestone arch of the Cathedral Cove is a major attraction of the Coromandel Peninsula


319 The sun is rising behind the islets at Hahei Bay		320 Green bottlebrush flowers line the forest walk to the Cathedral Cove near Hahei	321 Sunset behind a row of trees on a hill near Hahei’s Cathedral Cove


322 Panorama from the Cathedral Cove lookout to the lime stone cliffs …..		323 ..... the deep blue sea and the Pigeon Island .....	324 ..... and the white sandy beach of Hahei


325 The” Pukeko Expresso” not only serves coffee and snacks at the Cathedral Cove parking lot, but the lady watches also the parked cars. Apparently, since her four year’s presence, no burglaries in cars occurred anymore! Parking on lonely and deserted places, especially at trailheads, became a (robbery-) problem in New Zealand		The Coromandel District does not seem to be very tourist friendly, the town of Whitianga in particular. Everywhere are prohibition signs: (other districts are offering in turn free camping sites, called “freedom camping”)
		326 24 hours liqueur ban in force .....	327 .....and a mind-blowing fine of max. NZ$ 20’000 (>US$15’000)!! for staying overnight


328 There is nobody on the remote beach in Opito 12� miles North of Whitianga. Even the tiny hamlet is completely deserted, because most of the houses – like very often seen in New Zealand – are becoming busy and inhabited only during the high season, on holidays and over the weekend		329	330
		From Kuaotunu in the East we cross to Coromandel Town in the West of the peninsula. Once more, we are enjoying the lovely Toe-Toe grass that sometimes shows a pink color

More websites from New Zealand: Pictures from the first part of our New Zealand trip from Dunedin – Invercargill – Milford Sound – Queenstown Pictures from the second part of our New Zealand trip from Queenstown – Wanaka – Mt. Cook – Arthur's Pass – Greymouth – Lewis Pass – Kaikoura – Nelson – Fox Glacier (Westcoast) Pictures from the third part of our New Zealand trip from Fox Glacier (Westcoast) – Wanaka – Queenstown – Alexandra – Oamaru – Dunedin Pictures from the fourth part of our New Zealand trip from Dunedin – Christchurch – Picton – Ferry to the North Island – Wellington – Masterton – Hastings – Wanganui – New Plymouth – Taupo Pictures from the sixth part of our New Zealand trip from Coromandel – Seabird Coast – Whangarei – Bay of Islands – Doubtless Bay – Cape Reinga – Hokianga – Tauranga
Articles in newspapers about us in New Zealand: Article: "Still cruising after 628,000km", Otago Daily Times - February 27, 2008 Article: "Trip into the record books", Hokitika Guardian - April 3, 2008 Article: "Around the world in 23 years", Bay of Plenty Times - July 12, 2008