Category Archives: Daily Lime

Road Trip: Auckland to Tauranga

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Day 1 of our road trip was rather uneventful and consisted of us doing a lot of driving.  

We drove 3 hours from Whangarei to Auckland. 

We  came to the city to drop off our vertical support legs for our arch to Bumper Replacements.

As you know from our previous post “Solar Arch Installation” the previous company who electropolished our arch damaged it. 

So, we decided to take the support legs to a new company.  They did a great job at a fraction of the price.

These support legs are 2.5m long and barely fit in the car.  They extended from the radio all the way to back of the hatch back!

We stopped for lunch and continued on our journey.  We had another 3+ hours to get to Tauranga.  Matt decided he wanted to drive along the coast for a more scenic route.

Tauranga

We arrived late in the afternoon and decided to go straight to Tauranga Harbor View (Air BnB).  This was a rather large two-story home with 3 bedrooms.  We certainly did not need the space, but it was cheap ($95 USD) and in the right neighborhood. 

I did not take any photos as there was nothing blog worthy.

We found downtown Maunganui which is a delightful, single road, epi-center.  We enjoyed cocktails at Saltwater and had dinner at Rising Tide (delicious dumplings).

DAY 2

We had hoped to hike Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano and sacred Maori site. This 232 meter tall mountain offers amazing 360 degree views of the bay.  

However, a tragedy occurred just 11 days prior to our arrival.

We had massive amounts of rain and part of the hillside slipped smashing into a campsite and burying campervans, tents, and cars. 

Six people lost their lives and the entire mountain site has been closed.

So, we headed to Tauranga Marina to see the manager Greg Prescott.  We gave him the mold for our rain flashing so he could make some for our friends on Roam.

Greg showed us around his lovely yard and marina.  He also gave us a tour of his beautiful 43′ Catana “Seuss” and showed us the upgrades on “Roam”

And then we were off to drive to Taumarunui another 3+ hour drive.

Waituhi Lookout

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, along our 2 lane highway we see a sign that reads “Waituhi Lookout.”  

We slowly go up the single lane road hoping for no other cars are coming down. 

It is super beautiful with overhanging lush trees and bushes.

After about 5 minutes we come to a rather unimpressive circular parking area and a metal staircase.  Hmmm, this is not what we expected at all.

But, we climb the stairs and to our surprise there is a lovely view of Waituhi.

Taumarunui

We stayed one night in this little town called Taumarunui.  This town was the start of our Forgotten World All-Day Rail Car Adventure.

We checked in to the Forgotten World Motel which was interesting. 

The exterior looks like a typical motel but the interior is rather modern and nice.

This little town is full of history. 

We found several information centers, monuments, and museums along the main road of Hakiaha Street. 

Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to explore everything.

I simply love this optical illusion clock!

On Day 3 we being our Forgotten World Rail Cart tour.  

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events.

We began our road trip in early February 2026.

Solar Arch: Added Equipment Benefits

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Since we were putting a monstrosity on the back of our boat we decided to add a few more upgrades.  We added several new pieces of equipment and moved other equipment on to the arch rails.

  • Nemesis Gauge
  • (2) Security Cameras
  • Courtesy (Deck) Light
  • Navigation Stern Light
  • Starlink
  • IridiumGo Antennae
  • Fishing Rod Holders

Most of the items can easily be accessed by climbing the rails on the side of the arch.  

However, Matt had to use a scissor lift to reach the center of the arch.  The center is 8 meters off the ground.

The center of the arch is the entry point for the solar panels, 2 lights, and Nemesis wires.  Once the cables were wired we installed the equipment.

We had a friend come over to assist and learn how to wire the solar panels.  

Matt was on the scissor lift while Mick was in the engine room.

Nemesis Navigation Gauge

For years we have wanted a forward facing gauge in the cockpit.  However, it has always been one of those “nice to have” things.  

We often sit in the cockpit facing aft (behind the boat) when we are not at the helm.  It is shaded and comfortable.  However, from this position you cannot see any of the gauges.  You have to turn around and lean forward.  Not terrible, but not convenient.

Now that we have the new arch we have a place to mount a new gauge.  Matt selected the 9″ B&G Nemesis which can be mounted vertical or horizontal.

Matthew Duckett (Cleigh Ltd) purchased the Nemesis from Navico for about $1400 which is a huge savings!

Matt had pre-installed the Nemesis to the stainless frame as it required very, very small screws, washers, and bolts.  Unfortunately, we realized it was upside down after it was installed!  

We disconnected the panel, took the entire unit off, turned it right side up and reinstalled everything.  

Security Cameras

We purchased (2) Reolink outdoor surveillance cameras that have motion detection, night vision and two way talk mode.

Purchased from Amazon for $129 USD each.  

These cameras are in addition to the security camera we have in the cockpit.  We are well protected.

Aft Lights 

Courtesy Deck Light (NARVA LED Blue /White Deck Light – Black 72443B) was purchased at All Marine for $87. 

The cool feature about this courtesy light is that it can either be white or blue.

We also moved our stern navigation light to the back of the arch.

Existing Equipment

We moved several pieces of equipment that were located on the stern of the boat to the arch. 

Matt moved Starlink from the port dinghy davit to the port side of the arch. 

The IridiumGo antennae was located at the starboard helm and frankly in the way.

And just because we could, we added a few more fishing rod holders.

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.  

We installed the above equipment in January 2026.

Of course the main purpose of the arch is to hold our 4 new solar panels.  You can read about these new panels in “Power Up: New Solar Panels” blog post.

Waterfalls: Paranui falls to Whangarei Falls

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In between our boat projects we take a lovely walk between two beautiful waterfalls.  We start at the AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park where we encounter the Paranui Waterfall.

This is a relatively short walk (3 miles and 1hr20min return).  The path is very easy to follow and fairly easy.

A great website with lovely photos can be found here.

The best spot to see the Paranui Falls is from the lookout (across the gorge from the parking lot).  This 23 meter tall waterfall is surrounded by lush vegetation.

You descend about 100 stairs to get to the main trail which is absolutely lovely. 

AH Reed Park has several well maintained bridges and paths ranging from dirt, stone and cement).

All of the paths run along the Waikoromiko River.

After about 40 minutes we reached the Otuihau Whangarei Waterfall.  These falls are 26.3 meters high and cascade over basalt cliffs.

This was a large, gushing waterfall leading to a big lagoon.  

This was such a beautiful waterfall that I took photos from every direction. 

We walked to the top of the falls (top right photo), bottom, left and right side of the falls. 

On the way back, we cross the famous Canopy Bridge which surrounds New Zealand’s majestic Kauri Trees. 

New Zealand honors and protects these massive trees which are up to 500 years old.

Even though it is a short walk it is absolutely one of my favorites!  

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.  We visited these two waterfalls in early December 2025.

Find Paranui Waterfalls on No Foreign Land and find the Whangarei Falls on No Foreign Land.

We haul out Sugar Shack at Norsand Boatyard in our last blog post.