Last day on the North Island

Just like that we are back in Wellington tonight ready for an early start tomorrow to catch our ferry. Before we drove down here from Masterton we drove for an hour and a half to Castlepoint on the east coast. We heard that it was a nice little town to visit so we figured it would be worth the detour. When we left our camping area the rain had started to set in but by the end of the drive we were welcomed with sunshine through the clouds which was lovely. It's a beautiful little bay with a lighthouse on the top of the hill. We parked up initially just to admire the view before us. When we reached the carpark for the beginning of the walk up to the lighthouse the rain really start to pick up again so we got geared up in our rain coats and waited for a big enough break to make a run for it. When we did make it outside the wind was so strong that it had already covered one side of the van in sand and was blowing the sand on the beach like waves in the sea. By the time we started walking up the steps to the lighthouse itself the weather had calmed down and we enjoyed exploring the area in the sunshine again. The whole area felt so peaceful and untouched by many tourists which was a nice feeling after going to so many touristy places. We even saw female seals and their pups down on the rocks below playing in the waves. The rock formations here are rather impressive to look at and it's no surprise that they needed to build a lighthouse here with the rocks. We managed to have a walk around reading all the information and get back to the van just before the rain started again which was rather lucky. The waves of rain seemed to be coming in and out so unbelievably quick. The drive back to Masterton felt a lot shorter than the way there, which always seems to be the way, and we began to head south once again. We stopped off at a fruit and veg shop we saw on Campermate where you can make your own ice cream by mixing 3 different real fruits or ingredients together. Nick enjoyed a combination of lemon, ginger and kiwi fruit and I went for a passionfruit, pineapple and mango mix. The lady who was working their spoke to us a lot in broken English about the lack of parking outside and she seemed so concerned that we were parked there. She made us feel we had to buy the ice creams and drive off immediately. When we didn't do that and stood outside eating she came out to talk to us again about the parking situation. We felt so rushed to eat quickly which was a shame because it was a really good ice cream that tasted so fresh. We also stopped off at a gift shop on our way south that we had read sells all the gifts you see around NZ but a lot cheaper. We found out this wasn't the case regarding the price so I think the people saying this haven't been to many gift shops. We did get something for Bruce and Candy as a thank you for looking around the car which was good though. Eventually we entered the familiar city of Wellington where we spent so many days in a month ago. A month sounds so long but when you break it down and include driving times it really isn't that long at all to explore a whole island. We've definitely missed things out so a summer road trip is looking likely. For now we managed to get a spot in the freedom camping spot in the city which is only 15 minutes from the ferry. It'll be an early wake up for us tomorrow to make it in time but I'm glad we got a space and didn't have to pay for a campsite we didn't want or need tonight. It's hard to believe this time tomorrow we will be back on the South Island where we spent 10 months of our time here in New Zealand.Read more