Saturday was ANZAC Day, and here in New Zealand, as of this year, it has been 'Mondayised' (their word, not mine) so I got Saturday and Monday off work, so I took the opportunity (quite likely the last oppurtunity) to take another trip around New Zealand, this time heading east to Gisborne.
This was a last minute decision, I was expecting to work saturday, I had forgotten it was a public holiday, so after a quick pack on saturday morning I headed out. The first town I would go through is Matamata, best know for Hobbiton, which isnt far outside the city itself, this is the I-Site.
Pretty cool I thought, I stopped in for a look and a shot glass before continuing on my way.
There are some great road signs around New Zealand, and I have been meaning to photograph some of them, so on this trip I made it a point to stop and photograph some of them, so throughout this post you'll see a few of them, like this one
Next town I came to was Te Puke, the kiwifruit capital of the world!
Also home to the largest kiwifruit in the world!
Shortly after leaving the worlds largest kiwifruit, google got a little confused...
I gather it was a new intersection, but looked like it had been there for quite some time.
^^ another good road sign
This was a road sign I saw that I had to return and photograph
Mum & Dads place backs onto a Browns Rd, also a No Exit!
The road south from Opitiki down to Gisborne was great! Another scenic, windy and fun stretch of road, after all the trips I have done, I am not surprised that a lot of successful race car drivers have come from New Zealand.
^^ This was the first thing I saw coming into Gisborne, oddly, not the only Ship-on-a-stick I saw..
^^ The view out over the bay from the Top 10 Holiday Park where I stayed.
Some shots from around Gisborne
Before going to bed I did some research in google maps about my trip plans for Sunday, this was supposed to be directions from my current location..
Go home google, you’re drunk.
SUNDAY
After leaving Gisborne, I headed south, toward Napier and Hastings, I came across a picnic area with a great view back toward Gisborne and the bay
The road from here to Napier was yet another great New Zealand road, half way there I came across another picnic stop, this time on the edge of a lake, it was quite beautiful
Next stop, Napier, Hastings and Hawkes Bay, this is a really beautiful place, Hawkes Bay is very nice
Napier
Hastings
Hawke's Bay
Time to head back to my place! Pretty much no stops, I went directly there, tho I did grab a couple of photos while driving thru a small town with heaps of cool things made from roofing iron
Some more road signs
^^ These are road signs I think we need to bring to Australia!
Well, I can now say that I have pretty much seen all of the North Island! Which is pretty cool, and oddly enough, not something I can say about Tassie...
I have now also driven the full length of State Highway 1, which runs from the top to the bottom of New Zealand’s North Island, which I think is pretty cool.
