In Memoriam

This website is preserved as Nigel wrote it and is maintained in his memory.
Because we have left it unaltered, please understand that the various
links, e-mail addresses etc., are no longer functioning.

Thank you, Eric Knight and Alan Grogono

Family Record Index (may be printed out) Knight family Erskine family Boas family Grogono family Flatt family Neeve family Quinn family Early Neeve family The American Flatts Soulle family The Flatt Family file lists all the decendents of the Flatts from James & Elizabeth Dupray 1712

Nigel's Page my email address is nigel@igrin.co.nz and I read it twice a day! snail mail... PO. Box 1186 Whangarei, New Zealand. Page created by Nigel Knight "me" Interested in coming to New Zealand, go to INFO IF YOU LIVE IN A COLD CLIMATE AND WOULD LIKE A NICE WARM JERSEY CLICK HERE

Whangarei is about 100 miles north of Auckland, an easy two hour drive
but add another half hour if starting at Auckland Air Port.

The motorway will take you right through and over the city and across
the harbour bridge. Stay on Highway one all the way to Whangarei.
You will strike the rush hour for traffic between 4pm and 5.30pm heading north

The Town Basin on midwinter day

The drive north is very scenic with marvellous views of the country and sea on the way. The population is about 47000 with a wide range of services and industry. The town is situated at the head of a very large sheltered harbour, it is about 15 miles by water from the city to the harbour entrance. The Town Basin is a main feature of the city where up to 100 overseas yachts berth for the Pacific hurricane season. This is a pleasant pedestrian area with restaurants, novelty shops, art galleries and musems.

My interests are travel, cooking, fishing, classical music, and of course computers. We also own a camper van (RV in America) and cruise about NZ most week ends. There are four Rotary clubs in the city mine is at http://www.rotary.co.nz and Lions are also represented. If you are thinking of paying a visit to NZ please email, fax or write and I will be delighted to give you any help or information.

This is where I live. There are very good services for the slipping and maintenance of visiting boats which may be left safely unattended in the centre of the town. Whangarei is well serve with motels and hotels which are of a high standard.  Our business is boat building. The fibreglass laminating factory is at 44b Riverside Dr. Have a look at our web site at http://www.igrin.co.nz/catam this will tell you all about us.

All types of sport are available here but because of the equitable climate, there is an emphasis on water activities. Scuba diving, fishing, sailing, water skiing, canoeing, are all popular, or just lolling about on the beach! The picture is a river estuary called Ngunguru, twenty minutes drive north of the city.

If you are planning a trip to see the country, here are a few tips. I strongly recommend a rental campervan. They come in various sizes. You can book these before you leave home.There are many many camper parks well equiped with toilets, hot showers and cooking facilities. some right in the forest and others on the sea edge or even with hot natural springs to soak in. You can plug in to the power and the cost will be around NZ$18 a night for a van with two people.

THE COAST

The Northland peninsular is about 250 miles long and 50 miles wide at its widest.
On the western side is the Tasman sea with Australia the next stop, about 1500 miles
with nothing in between. On the eastern side is the South Pacific ocean, next stop
Chile about 5000 miles with nothing in between, so we have an islandclimate.
All the weather patterns move in from the Tasman, cross Northland and disappear
out into the vast empty reaches of the Pacific.

Northland is unique for two things, It's bush and it's beaches and you won't find more beautifull secluded beaches anywhere in the world.The east coast has a thousand small, sheltered sandy bays and coves enclosed by rocky headlands. Some of these have small hamlets and others may only be accessed by sea and will be deserted. In many of them the native bush (forest) comes right down to the edge of the sand.This is a wonderfull area for the cruising yachtsman. Most families in Northland own a boat and fishing is a major activity. This coast line extends all the way to North Cape, the tip of New Zealand, about two hundred miles to the north of Whangarei where the Tasman and Pacific oceans meet.

Some of us, who don't want to rust up our cars, use these small four wheel farm bikes to get to our favourite fishing spots! Yes that's me!

The west coast is quite different. No small coves but there are one or two very very large inlet harbours fairly sparsely populated. The beach is endless, mile after mile of sand with the Tasman and southern ocean seas thundering in. You can drive for many miles up the beach and there are various entry and exit points (take local advice). Stay on the hard sand and be carefull where you stop. If you get stuck the tide will come in and you can kiss your car goodbye. You are not covered by vehicle insurance on the beach and you are forbidden to take rental vehicles there. However having said that there are lots of people driving up or down so you wont be alone. The best way to see this coast is to take the bus trip from Kaitaia to North Cape and back. This is an all day outing and the bus will go one way by the road and the other by the beach (depending on tide times) 45 miles! The trip is a MUST. Not expensive and I guarantee will be one of the highlights of your NZ trip.

 

Drive from Whangarei via Dargaville and Opononi on the Hokianga harbour.
You will see twothings which should not be missed. The Waipua forest
which is the last true remaining Kauri forest in NZ. Stop and look a the
largest tree in NZ. It is only three minutes walk from the road (well signed)
but a word of warning, don't leave your car unattended I am sorry to say
that there is of late an element who prey on tourists and you may return to
find your car window smashed and property gone. Team up with other visitors
and leave someone with the vehicle. Drive on and stay the night on the edge
of the Hokianga harbour at the Omapere Hotel, very beautifull, very cheap
and very nice, where you can talk to the friendly locals in the bar.
The hotel also has a campervan park so you dont have to stay in the hotel,
but do have dinner there.

 

 

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