Heading north, with no real plan. What is the plan? Not to really have a plan. I tell Rowan I really want to go to Kai Iwi Lakes, I haven’t been since I was small. First main stop is The Kauri Museum, it has just reopened and we take a wee peek, the fee is $25 each which isn’t cheap and I am not in the mood to really get our money’s worth. I suggest to Rowan we do it when we really want to do it, and ready to read everything. The lady says it takes most people an hour, I can’t help but think we could do so many other activities that cost the same but take longer. Rowan’s value for money is rubbing off on me. Rowan and I stare at this random looking hill from miles away, it looks out of place in the landscape. Tokatoka Peak is a steep 700m return trip. I have to crawl up a lot of it, the hill gives me vertigo. At the top you get amazing 360 degree views. We have a kiss and a cuddle at the top, we had to stop after a while for fear we may fall off.

A u-turn takes us out to Maungaraho Rock Reserve, which is a pretty impressive sight. To do the loop track and up to the summit we need 4 hours, there are ropes and ladders to help get you up. This is a definite walk we would like to do, perhaps on the way back. We reach Dargaville in the afternoon and head down to Glinks Gully which has a council run camping spot. Google says it is closed temporarily so we try our luck and see if Google is wrong. We are lucky, google is wrong! We can’t get a hold of the caretaker so we have a little snoop around and there is an honesty box in the cooking area. $10 each for the night and there are hot showers for a $1, these need a token. Now the camping spot is in order we jump back in the car and head to the bottom to Pouto, it is a long drive and we detour down to Kelleys Bay. Also a possible spot to stop for the night but it isn’t as nice. We reach the bottom and they are building a new wharf down there, boats come from Hellensville way. The sun is on it’s way down so we head back to Glinks Bay, as we hit the top of the hill we see an incredible red sun setting over the water. Absolutely stunning, I am a little annoyed we aren’t on the beach watching it set. I am sure we will see plenty of sunsets soon. At the camp site we have no way of having a hot shower but the hot water tap at the kitchen will fill up my solar shower nicely. There is also a hot water jug, but I don’t need it to be that hot. Rowan and I share the shower and he decides to have a cold hose rinse off then come into the warm. The bag is 7L which is more than enough for the two of us. Rowan cooks us up a curry for dinner while I set up the tent. It isn’t long before I am yawning and hoping into bed. Not bad having the whole place to ourselves.

Monday, we take our time getting moving. Barry the caretaker comes along and takes our money, we get two shower tokens from him. We have eggs on toast for breakfast. 10am we finally head off back to Dargaville. Along the way we pass a tiny building, u-turn to see what on earth it is and find New Zealand’s smallest church. It is a really random, but cool strip of land that someone has turned into hodge podge tourist spot. At the front there is a honesty box, $2 entry. Walk along the strip and you will find unusual sculptures, funny signs, Tane Mahuta’s baby, A weta cave, chickens and much more. A great cheap spot for the family to visit.

We hit the Op Shops and only pick up some Kiwiana coasters. About to be on our way to Kai Iwi Lakes and Rowan checks his emails, oh we can get an appointment with the bank at 2pm in Whangarei, should we go? Yes, we head in the opposite direction towards Whangarei. We get there early and get a quick few op shops in. At the Cooperative Bank we get a chance to talk term deposits, we also want to talk to Kiwibank before making a decision. From Whangarei we head back west to Dargaville, to go through towards Kai Iwi Lakes. We reach our destination about 5pm and try to make a decision on where to camp. There are two spots you can camp, we choose the cheaper one because it has better sites. It is just as lovely as I remember it, I can’t help but think about all the noise the boats must make in summer. Feeling extremely lucky that it is peaceful and quiet. There is a break in the rain and I quickly put up the tent. There is no shower so into the lake we go, Rowan goes in starkers I wear underwear. An older couple take photos of us and call us crazy. The water is cold, and it takes me ages to get fully in. Once I finally get used to the cold it is quite enjoyable. Out of the water and Rowan gets cooking dinner. We get into bed feeling a bit cold still from our swim.