Manukau and thoughts on leaving New Zealand

We are back close to where we started after a drive of 200K from Raglan. All that's left to do is clean the van and pack ( and probably get drunk) W e felt like kids whose summer holiday has come to an end.Tomorrow will be a nothing day until we reach Melbourne and are picked up by our friend Mark Ashworth who has been working there for the past month. We have to drop the van off at Kiwi Campers, which is close to the airport and mooch around until it's time to fly. No need for a panic tanning day as it is over 40 degrees in Melbourne!
We both agree that having travelled a lot, N Z has to be one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited. Whilst travelling around we have constantly been amazed by the changing scenery. Around every bend and over the crest of every hill there is something different and wonderful to see. We have clocked 3,950K nearly a 1000 a week and didn't even get to the south island which was a huge disappointment but just means we have to come back again. Just 2 regions we didn't get to see on the North Island the Coromandel peninsula and Taranaki region (New Plymouth and Stratford). Although we are not city people, we enjoyed our short stays in Auckland,Napier and Wellington.
Highlights are are too many to list but The Bay of Islands, Hawkes Bay and The magnificent Waikato River which we saw a great deal of from it's source out of Lake Taupo to the estuary at Port Waikito are the best. There were also the numerous surf beaches tucked out of the way, down some narrow winding track. The mountain passes and their white knuckle adrenalin rushes. We commend it to the house!