We woke up to a very rainy morning in Warkworth. After a quick breakfast in the local cafe and look round the shop we were back on State Highway 1 heading north. After a short stop to stock up with food we turned onto State Highway 12 heading west. We then had our first problem with the campervan – an engine warning light on the dashboard – which led to an unscheduled stop at The Kauri Museum, which tells the story of the legacy of the famous New Zealand Kauri forests. Although we didn’t have enough time to look around, we did spend some time in the shop and a nearby cafe where Howie made good friends with the local cat. Meanwhile Apollo decided that there was no need to have the engine fault looked at straightaway so we pressed on, and Kate had her stint behind the wheel. We briefly visited the very picturesque lakes in Omamari before heading towards our next overnight stop, the Kauri Coast Holiday Park.

Distance travelled: 146km