H I T S A N D MI S S E S :

One of Northland’s best-kept secrets is Motutara Farm Park, Whananaki. You’ll have a choice of sites, overlooking the rolling waves on the beachfront or tucked away in the shade of the many pohutukawa. There’s a choice of swimming at either of the ocean beaches looking out to the Poor Knights Islands. Or choose the estuary for gentler, kid-friendly water, and don’t forget to do the pipi jive at low tide. Leave your catch in a bucket of seawater overnight to spit their sand, before steaming them open and enjoying with a glass of your favourite. Then you’ll know you’re living the life! If you’re lucky to be there in March, there’s an added bonus — several fig trees heavy with fruit. Enjoy them warmed with melted dark chocolate. Then go outside and look up . . . zillions of stars twinkling back at you. We would return to St Bathans in Central Otago. We freedom camped by the lake several years back and it was one of the most memorable nights that we can One tip I have is to download the Rankers Camping NZ App on to your smartphone or tablet. This fantastic app shows all the campsites — powered and non powered — including free, DoC sites, holiday parks, and conservation sites. It also includes all information such as petrol stations, walks, dump station locations, as well as reviews from fellow campers on each site. This was a tip my daughter gave me. Freedom camping at Ohope Beach is my favourite spot. From March onwards it’s a quiet, peaceful surf beach that goes on forever so no worries of crowding. On Zion National Park in the US. This was a bit of a surprise — we stopped by because we had a spare night before visiting the Grand Canyon. We parked our little van-come-campervan in with all the big-boy American RVs the night before and enjoyed the true feel of an American trailer park. Zion itself was stunning. It was stinking hot when we were there and it was like being in a Wild West movie. I felt like a kid again playing Cowboys and Indians. Aloha Stadium markets in Hawaii. We’d read about the market as one of the must-do things on Oahu. When we arrived, however, the stalls were tired and obviously intended as a tourist trap. It didn’t take long to work out that every 10th stand was the same stuff all over again. It was super-hot and the stalls were set up on tarmac, making it even worse. I ended up with sunstroke but on the plus side I also got to try shaved ice for the first time . . . sugary cold goodness. Kiwi musician Ryan Enzed’s new single Here We Are is out now