Wednesday 19th November 2025

Wednesday 19^th November

SHE SAID:

Geoff & I headed south today; we said our goodbyes to Molly, Merrill & John ,& took the scenic route down the western side of the north island. It was a windy, hilly, & sometimes damp drive, but lovely. Neither of us have done this route before.

We managed to catch the Rawene vehicle ferry with 2 minutes to spare, found 3 flowering orchids, had an average Subway wrap, & got caught in the Auckland afternoon rush hour traffic!

It was 547km & a 10-hour drive, with 1000+, bends but we both enjoyed it. Our destination was a surfing village called Raglan, on the west coast, 2 hours south of Auckland. We checked out the lovely old Harbour View Hotel for a drink, then sat on the boardwalk at the harbour for a picturesque sunset.

“Day well done” I think.

Vehicle ferry across the Mangamuka River

Auckland Skyline
Kumara factory
Closing in on Raglan

Harbour View Hotel, Raglan
Dusk over the river

ARCHIE!

HE SAID:

Molly sort of suggested, then sort of laughed, at the route south that we had discussed for when we leave Cooper's Beach. She said "Oh, you're going the Mangamuka's (pronounced Mong ga mookas). She said that it was really windy, and that sections had been closed recently due to land slips. Well, after we had got up early, popped in to say our farewells to Molly, Merrill, and John, we headed out and Mangamuka-ed. And it was really, really, windy. Hilly. And windy. At the same time. As the impenatrable forest prevented any scenic views I didnt miss much as the driver for most of the way.

The afternoon peak traffic on the outskirts of Auckland was a bit crap, but was apparently worse than usual due to a Metallica concert, with 50,000 or so people heading to Eden Park to rock on.

Our arrival in Raglan has us quickly making comparisons with WA's Denmark, as we drove slowly past barefoot wanderers, hippie coffee shops, " well-being shops", and surfer/alt shops. Fine by me, as long as the coffee, tucker, and beer is good. I made pasta pesto for dinner.