So we landed in Auckland 1st of Feb staying with a friend for the night before driving up to Paihia the next morning. 

The weather was quite balmy but very comfortable after getting away from the stinking heat here. On the way up stopped into  Whangarei for lunch and a couple of beers right on the water front.

I fell in love with this little tub that was parked up, some boast just have that X factor and I just loved the unique design of this one. 

Next day was a day trip on a big cat out to the hole in the rock in the Bay of Islands and a stop at Cook's lookout where he proclaimed it the "Bay of Isalnds"

Day after was a ferry trip over to Russell where me and my mate spent the day on the front deck of The Duke of Marlborough pub while the misso went shopping, was glorious ;P 

We watched the Maori boys paddle down the river towrds the Waitangi festival grounds as we had a magnificent view from our air b&b was pretty impressive to hear them, very powerful. 

The next few days was at a Bach in Matapouri with friends of our friend, the owner has a huge steel fab business so fairly minted. Anyway he's a mad fisho and shares the Stabi with his brothers, went out on ideal conditions to catch half a dozen Pinks and a decent Trevor.

Their minmum Pink size is 300mm. Enjoyed the boat as it's fairly new just under 6m , fishing the strong currents there was interesting trying to feel the bites. But picked it up pretty quick, their bait Pilchards are massive wish we could get those XOS models here.

The weather and company during this week was excellent with some superb Kiwi wines and  craft beers consumed.

Back to Auckland where things started to go a bit pear shaped with the impending cyclone, we were meant to head to Cook's beach on the Coromandel but canned that as it was too risky so hung around Auckland and a day trip to Waiheke island which is just beautiful, there's some serious wealth in New Zealand. I guess you could alsmost compare Waiheke to Rotto but with mansions and wineries.

Next we had flights booked to Napier that were cancelled so our freind lent us her car as we really wanted to see our very good friends in Patangata just south of Havelock North, so took the plunge and drove down there. Arrived there ok and was good to see my mate Rod who owns a dairy farm north at Tutira north of Napier.

I had brought over a bottle of Grange for us to share and he said we'd have it when he got back from his farm he had to tend for the next couple of days as the cows were in full milk. 

He also wanted to take me for a trout fish as he's a mad keen fly fisherman and shooter/hunter. 

He left the next morning then the cyclone hit, not somuch the wind but the farken rain. I've never seen anything like it and the Tuki Tuki river near us broke it's banks in a few places just north of us.

Some photos below don't do it justice but you can see the hill slips, front of the house was a river at one stage.

All coms, water and electricity went down and didn't even know if we could get out, bit of a stressful time.

Finally got in contact with Rod after a few days and he said his farm was basically destroyed, cows were fine but a lot of the land  had been washed away.

He had to get choppered out in the end as he's on meds and in his late 60's, he's a tough old bugger and a man mountain but only so much you can take. 

He neary lost one of his dogs down what they call a tomo (crevice) ground opened up by all the rain and ground movement, managed to snare the dog before he was buried in the mud. 

I didn't get to see him again before I left but told his missus to give him the grange, he'd earn't it and hopefully something to take his mind off the crap for a while. 

It's going take them years to get out of this shite, from what I'm hearing Napier still has no power or coms. 

Back up to Auckland having to head south to Palmerston and through the western side of Taupo on the scenic route, bloody god's country.

One thing I can say is we never had a bad meal the whole time we were there, they just do it well.

We will be back.........