Rugged Road Trip down the West Coast, New Zealand

Continuing down the west coast from Northland, we wanted to do an off the beaten path road trip. Our plan was to stock up on supplies in Raglan then head south along the rough gravel roads hugging the coast. Along the way, we had quite a few sights in mind that we wanted to visit.

Just south of Raglan, there was a budget campsite that we planned on staying at before leaving town. When we arrived, it was just a field with some toilets in the far corner – not appealing especially for $10 per person. The information center in town tipped us off that further down the road was a car park at the top of a ravine where freedom camping was not illegal yet. Even though it was only a few kilometers down the road, it felt like we were completely isolated. High up on our perch we watched the sun set over the Tasman Sea. From our vantage point we could see miles of coastline yet there were no lights whatsoever. The only light came from the mostly full moon after it rose above Mount Karioi.

Rolling Hills and Waterfalls

The next morning we made our way along the windy gravel road away from the coast and towards Bridal Veil Falls. Along the drive, we thought we might have the location incorrect because it did not look like there could be a 55 meter waterfall in the rolling hills we were driving through. After parking and walking down the marked path next to a stream, we stepped out onto a wooden platform. Sure enough, we were at the top of a high cliff and the calm stream we followed down was cascading out over the ledge. It was stunning. The path then wound its way down to the bottom of the falls for a different perspective. I don’t think the bottom view was as exciting as looking down from the top but it was still worth the walk down.

Hot Water Beach

After Bridal Veil falls, we headed to the beach outside Kawhia. We were hoping it was low tide when we arrived because our next adventure demanded it. As we got close, we could see the harbor was very low with many sandbars so we immediately raced to the beach. Even though we were hungry for lunch, we ignored the urge and hiked up over the all black sand dunes. We continued walking down the long beach to the surf and found our goal – hot water seeping through the sand! We dug a little hole and made ourselves a little hot tub on the beach just meters from the cold sea. It was surreal – listening the the crashing waves and seeing the amazing coastline while sitting in our own private hot pool!

It didn’t last too long because several families arrived and spoil the relaxing vibe. Luckily we arrived early and had our fix, so we went back to the van to make a late afternoon lunch.

While passing back through the small town of Kawhia, we made a brief stop at a luxury campsite to use a clothes dryer and attempt to kill any bed bugs in our bedding (they are impossible to exterminate!). That night, we found another free campsite which was advertised on a homemade sign we passed earlier in the day. We arrived to find a general store in the middle of nowhere, but the grassy parking lot had a few other campervans spaced around using the facilities. I think the owners encourage camping there to drum up business at their store and it worked. They had amazing homemade pot pies which we indulged on for dinner – yum!

Wonders of the Te Anga Road

The following morning, we stopped briefly at a secluded black sand beach. There was a stream crossing the beach and it was mesmerizing to watch the water as it cut channels through the sand. Then we headed east on Te Anga Road to see its several geological sights. We planned to return to the secluded black sand beaches for camping that night.

We drove along the curvy road to within just a few kilometers of the extremely popular Waitomo Glowworm Caves to check out a creek that flowed in and out of caves through a small gorge. It was a really neat little walk, and even though we were close to the touristy area it was still almost totally secluded. The path meandered through a gorge going in and out of small caves until I was completely turned around. The main attraction was the river going into a large cavern and doing a U bend before exiting just a few feet away.

We then retraced our steps back towards the beach stopping at another stream that created a large natural archway. Apparently, the archway is all that remains of an extensive cave system that slowly collapsed as the cave grew larger. The path then wound its way across a cattle field to some rocks that contained fossilized clams from when this used to the sea floor. We followed the trail through some farm fields and back to the car. We hopped in and got back on the road to head west to the next attraction, a waterfall.

We barely made it out of the parking lot before I realized that we had a flat tire – Oh no! We are in the middle of no where with no buildings for miles, we do not have cell phones, and we are in an unfamiliar car… continue reading