The only way to drive to the southernmost point on the North Island from Wellington is to drive north for almost 60 km then back down south. On the drive around, we stopped at two breweries just off the main road in Upper Hutt. The first one, Kereru was a husband and wife team that was just starting out. The brewing room was built just a year prior and they had previously brewed in their garage. The beer was quite tasty and we really liked their imperial pilsner (which we had never seen before). We Also stopped at Panhead. They don’t have a permit for beer tastings but were kind enough to talk to us for a few minutes.

After a few hours of driving, the road starting to hug the coastline and we knew were close to our destination for the night, Ngawi. The main attraction other than free camping (score!), is the funky harbor. There are no docks filled with boats, but instead each boat has its own Continue reading →