04 November 2005 – Taupo


Trip down: SH2 - Mangatawhiri - Maramarua - SH27 - Kaihere - Patetonga - Tirau - SH1 - Putaruru - Tokoroa - Taupo

Trip back: SH1 - Kinloch - SH30 - Whakamaru - S32 - Tokoroa - SH1 - Putaruru - Tirau - Karapiro - Cambridge - all sorts of back roads - Gordonton - SH1 - Huntly - Ohinewai - Rangiriri - Te Kauwhata - Meremere - Mercer - Pokeno - Bombay - home…

Left Auckland about 5pm, made it all the way to Bombay turn off to SH2 by 6pm. Good old Auckland traffic, just can't plan for it. This is going to be a fast trip to Taupo!

At 90 to 95kms an hour you get to see a bit more of what's along the road side as you go on the trip.

A lot of campers going places but of course none as good as ours or due to have such a good time, nah nuffin wrong with our ego.

Made the radical decision to go where the traffic wasn't going so turned off on to SH2 rather than following the main drag.

Funnily enough through the usual places on SH2, not really much of a choice.

Toilet stop at Matamata. Poshest public toilets and clean - well got to rate these things now. So 8 out of 10.

Decided to give Subway a miss this time round, but at least they were open (well the doors were and there were people inside eating!

Back on the road again - next stop FOOD. OK so next stop was Tirau, well between Matamata and Tirau there isn't really a lot of choice.

Did have a quick look at Fine Swine Cafe which we have been to before but, shock horror, it was closed. LOL

Hmmm, now just what could be open on a Friday night that isn't peak ski season in Tirau… A few cafes looked open and a fair few of them looked dodgy! The Fine Swine Café which we'd tried on an earlier trip for lunch was closed, remember though it would have got 5 out of 10 for food last time round. So we found a traditional old English Pub - yeah, even in Tirau! The "Ye Old Ship Inn" (haha) Actually the food wasn't that bad. Since we've also got to remember food places this one gets a 6 out of 10. The toilets get 4 out of 10.

Back on the road, now on SH1. Through the exotic locals of Putaruru, Tokoroa and then of course success, we made it to Taupo about 9:30 pm. Not too bad a trip really considering we stopped a couple of times. Getting more confident in the dials and warning lights for BILITY being right and there being no problems.

Had booked into the Taupo Motor Camp so found our way there, not hard to miss since it's on the right on the main drag coming into Taupo. The office was still open so we paid our fees ($13 per person per night) and got a map of the camping ground. We were told there were quite a few other campers in and to go park in Area C or down by the Lake, but don't go into the Lake! We could park by a power pole and "plug in". Hmmm, did say we didn't know how to do that and we all had a good laugh. Guess we'd better figure out how to "plug in" one of these days before it gets to be a necessity and we become stuck.

Did a small drive around the camping grounds, managed of course to come to a no exit 'road' and had to do a u-turn which having the trailer on made it a bit of a squeeze but not a problem for Rex the Truckee.

Also missed the Lake - we didn't drive into it and found a spot up in Area B (so much for Area C!). Well B was closer to the ablution block and that's my priority, well one of them that I'll share here…


Funny how we managed to park in a completely different direction to anyone else, but hey, the ground wasn't full and the space was there. We did park next to a pole but didn't "plug in". Just couldn't handle any more excitement in one day.

So settled in for our first night in BILITY. Of course, having decided that it was an early morning start the next day and drive straight back to Auckland we'd leave the alcohol celebrations… yeah right On our first night away, I don't think so.

First night camper, how could we not christen BILITY:



Here's too many more of these types of nights happening…

Saturday 5 Nov 2005

New rule - no comments to be allowed about the snoring abilities of anyone during any camping trip. Say no more.

Taupo Motor camp gets 2 out of 10 just as it's old and maintenance seems to be minimal since there are plans to sell it by the local council and turn it into a park/walking area. Be a dam shame that as its location is brilliant. The ablution blocks were fine just 'tired', that's all we really got to try, never did "plug in".

Decisions - where to go for breakfast…Decision made, ready to go NOW


OK OK, Replete (www.replete.co.nz) in Taupo here we come. Yummmmm. Only challenge really being that the streets around the shopping/café area in Taupo are all angle parking so a trailer isn't really a good thing to have. Rex of course being the kind of guy he is managed, well there was a car park area, BILITY fitted and no one seemed to mind.

Replete gets 8 out of 10.

On the road to Kinloch.

Got there and did a quick drive down to the water front and, oh how surprising, toilet visit! LOL

Then off to the boat storage place to get the dinghy. WOO HOO - the dude serving us said he'd happily let Rex leave the trailer the dinghy was on as he'd probably be able to give to some local garden contractor or something. Big relief for Rex as he was worried as to how he was going to get back to Auckland with one BILITY, one dinghy but TWO trailers and me!

All hooked up OK and decided to quickly stop and see Duncan and Jenny. Had a quick chat to them, they seemed to like the idea of BILITY as well. (The downsized mobile holiday home!)

Then on the road north.

For variety went up SH30 to exciting locales - Whakamaru. Oh the memories of Whakamaru but enough of that. Then SH32 to Tokoroa. Brief stop at Tokoroa to get some lunch from the bakery (that gets 7 out of 10 - yummy food).

Back on to the main drag (SH1) now to Putaruru - Tirau. Of course a quick stop at Putaruru for the mandatory Lotto ticket purchase - hmm, must check that ticket.

Rather than trundle back the same way we stayed on SH1 and stopped at Lake Karapiro - stopped by the lake for lunch. Boy, we'll be doing the "stop by the lake" thing again!


Then back on our way again, all sorts of back roads from Cambridge to Gordonton. Then back to SH1 and the normal locations of Huntly - Ohinewai - Rangiriri - Te Kauwhata - Meremere - Mercer - Bombay - Moor Park.

Home safe and sound and in one piece by late afternoon.

WOO HOO first camper trip of many.


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