Hi Mike thanks so much for the plug for the shop , when you are ready for your battery and solar upgrade let me know I will more than look after you , I’m currently away with my own family in our caravan in the south island (so epic) back next month, cheers Nick @ burnsco
Oh thanks mate, was hardly a plug, was cool to meet you briefly... Now I'm really interested in how you could help us with our solar and battery set up... we just got a victron MPPT controller to swap out with what we have which is a cheap one... But if you reckon you have some hook ups, please send us an Email at Leopardsgowild@gmail.com Hope your trip down South is going well, I'm sure there are some stunning Autumn colours to see.
I love watching your videos. I especially love how you correctly pronounce Maori place names. Sometimes taking your time to get the words right. I just want to say a big thank you and it’s incredibly beautiful to hear.
I try my best, sometimes I get it wrong. I think pronunciation isn't as hard as people think and it's worth the effort to say it right. We try and set a good example. Thank you.
Well done Sophie on your riding! You are way out of my league but I still enjoy a rail trail. Chalk drawing?? Wow, one rainfall and it's gone. Toby's mullet, I had to laugh. My youngest grandson is now sporting a mullet too and he loves it.
The old Mullet, I did it as a Joke and everyone said "You should keep it toby..." and he did... Sophs an inspiration getting out on that Bike, she's not fast, but she is so tough getting all those km's done, we're super proud of her.
Oh yea mate... Although I saw some tagging in Auckland that said.... "I love you mum, I love you Mum , I love you mum I love you mum..." So I guess you could say our kids tagging might have been pretty bad, there was no I love you mum.
I’m so sorry that your family experienced such unfair treatment over chalk art and climbing trees!! Sadly it doesn’t surprise me and moving away from a large centre to live in a sleepy Tararua village was the right move for me. I love being part of a rural community where the kids run barefoot and it feels like I’ve slipped back in time… never change Leopards!!
Oh it's so fine it's a good learning opportunity for our kids, but to be honest, this guy would go mental if he had a class room of kids staying on site, our kids would all be the most well-behaved, lol.. We encourage outside play in any season, although we are happy for an inside day when it's raining cause that creates its own problems trying to dry things. But Outside is where it's best for us.
@@MikeandLisasExcellentAdventure oh thats awesome. We spent some time in the US just before we started our full time travels. We worked at a summer camp in North Carolina, in 2022 and our kids were campers, was so hot, but a great adventure, and nice to miss the New Zealand winter, that year.
Great video, the country changes so much so fast as you move inland from the coast. Nice to have a quiet river swimming hole to enjoy just after Easter.
Yea mate for sure.... nice to see some Autumn colours. Was pretty happy to leave this place to be honest... Northland for me is all about the coast... Although the Kauri forest is pretty cool too.
It takes a lot to get me down mate, this makes me laugh more than anything... I went and had a talk with the guy wondering what does he think the kids should do? or where should they play or can through a ball around? I got the answer I wanted and no further issues, but talking about making a mountain of an issue out of a mole hill.
I know that Soph's ability to film her bike rides is limited to the equipment you currently have but when cycling a new trail , we always search You Tube to see if someone has posted a condensed version of the ride so we can get an idea of what the trail is like. Soph needs a Go Pro to show what its like to ride the trails as a normal everyday person and not someone who is a mountain bike junkie😄 If I owned a shop that sold Go Pros I would sponsor her. Your videos are so informative about NZ generally and how to go off the beaten trail.
yea thats our prefered camping site, a bit quite, a bit out of the way... If you haven't noticed, Soph often isn't the one thats so keen on the Camera, She'd probably take a camera on her ride, but Bike rides with one aren't so interesting to watch on RU-vid. I'm so proud of her getting out there riding these trails with all she's endured though. I look to promote she's a hero in our family because she's often not in the videos, but shes a Gem to us
been watching this for 2 times now, always love your video man! will definitely go to that swimming holes, I preferred remote, off-grid and not busy campsites. keepitup!
Wow , great video again, yours kids are having a ball. Can entertain themselves even if chalk drawing got them in trouble. 😂 That will soon disappear with rain ❤ love seeing all the different place I have never been . Keep it up and thanks
Thank you, the kids are good at making their own fun games to play... The chalk drawing amazed me, that it was compared to Auckland Youth Graffiti problem lol... See ya in the next one.
Hi Mate , yeah I can come back to you with some options when I’m back at the end of the month, maybe have a look at lithium as well , I’m using them at present super impressed, cheers Mate
if this one was meant for me and not James, then absolutely. We are voyaging South again late Next Month, so We won't be back your way any time soon, but if there is an opportunity to link up with a Burnsco in the South Island, I'm interested to see what you can do for us. Just send it through an email mate at Leopardsgowild@gmail.com
Hmmmm. People. Rules. Hmmmm. I enjoyed your wonderful video and it reminds me of why I like the informal wilds of the South Island so much. I'm currently at Gentle Annie enjoying a few days of West Coast 'drought'. Thanks for the work you helped with here. I haven't stayed here since 2019 and it's only changed for the good. Keep traveling safe and happy. Long may the Leopard's adventures continue.
Some good renos there for sure... People and made up rules are so annoying, I feel like pick ya battles mate, these kids are so respectful, they way he addressed them, they came running as fast as they could back to the caravan, to tell us they weren't allowed in the trees, the chalk was discovered later on... Come on mate....
Yea mate, you'll be living the dream over here in a Motorhome, some epic spots to park up. Way quieter in the winter and a whole different experience especially in the South Island.
Where are you guys going from the tip of the north? Check the Hokianga Harbour,Take the vehical ferry across the Hokianga harbour to Rawene on the otherside,then explore Rawene,then drive onto Opononi,lovely huge sand hills on the otherside of the harbour,you can get there by boat.Then onto the Kauri Forest.Tanemahuta.Then onto the Kaiwi lakes and Dargaville,Bailys Beach then explore the Kaipara district & harbour.... James.
Thanks mate, unfortunately, we haven't been able to stay in the area with a few family commitments we've had to head south without hitting so many of the spots we wished to go to...
We were up in Paiha from Monday till Easter Fri for school camp. Super close n amazing weather that way. Though I think Taranaki is warm coming from Canterbury 🤪
ha ha, we had a good run of weather up in Northland, but it definitely turned on us. Canterbury gets it all aye, hot and cold at any time of the year lol.
Auckland youth graffiti omg what next? Kids being kids and showing their imagination that’s all… try and keep them inside next time Mike 🤣😜 another great video mate, we still travelling through you guys 👍
what a crack up aye. some people just love to moan... Hope you guys are doing well, I see your out and about with the van at the moment, good old school holidays aye.
Outstanding Videos and thankyou for sharing Ngamihi nui k 0:40 ia koe to you and your beautiful whanau 😊 very sorry of how your whanau where treated in kaikohe they only children enjoying themselves.
Kia ora, thank you for the reply, it's a lovely place, I think the people are friendly here the people telling the kids off I think are not around children very often... I did have a talk with him about what he would like them to do instead, and we found a space for them to play.
Thanks for sharing Mike. Looks as if the weather is still being kind to you in the far north. Peace and quite is good😊. Soph must have done a few kms by now on her bike since you’ve been on the road. I guess you are keeping tabs on how many kms your doing since starting your full time on the road, would be interesting to know. Enjoy you next adventure and see you all the next video👍
Thanks for tuning in as always mate. Weather was pretty good for us luckily, following this trip was not the same... Soph is a legend at getting out and doing the trails, shes not fast at all, but she's determined and focused and she gets it done and we're so proud of her for that. I know how many kms we've done in the truck, about 30,000km, not sure what that equals with towing though... I reckon we've towed about 13-16k km...
Haha, “that’s a nice boulder”… cool Soph is back on her bike after that nasty fall that wasn’t my fault 😉 I’m a bit late watching this. Trying to do some catching up. Crazy the kids got told off for their “graffiti”…
All good mate , I will have a look when I’m back , you can’t go wrong with the Victron controller they are so good , we have just finished the Abel Tasman track down south , it’s great no so busy , keep up the good work and I will get back to you in a week or two
Legend no stress mate, we are actually making our way South Bound currently... Glad Abel tasman wasn't to busy, it was crazy when we popped out for a look in January.
We stayed in lodge opp carpark u stood in which was crazy expensive for 24 hours so we parked up by st johns. Quiet the hike to n fro everyday with kids
@@leopardsgowild think was haku lodge or similar. You went through alley then up stairs/elevator. Nice place stay, but backpackers is odd place for school camp. Had communal showers with locable cubicles. Made me uncomfortable when kids were showering unsupervised cause you don't know the other guests.
Great video, Riley you were on fire 😂 Good work Soph on doing these rides, whats your favorite one so far? Its sad when a bit of chalk can upset someone, I would be more concerned about how poorly those pavers were laid
Riley is great infront of the camera, she loves the encouragement thanks... I did not expect Northland to be the place we'd have a problem with chalk art, especially from kids. You'll have to ask Soph what her fav ride is when you see her next, I reckon it's gonna be hard for her to choose, but she did really like this one, mainly because it wasn't just an old railway line.
We love how you correctly pronounce all the Maori place names! Its so refreshing to hear them said right! And cool for us to learn we have been pronouncing a few places wrong and now know how to say them right 😊
riley is awesome lol great intro!!! bro the amount of sand in the van is crazy i cant imagine what you guys deal with lolol, hahaha they all called u out hahahahaha... yoooo TOBES GOT A HAIR CUT?!?!?!?!?! lookin solid Tobes!!!!! hahahahahahaah mullet bro!!! way to go soph, gnarly ride!!!!! unacceptable!!! no1 tell off the leopard kids!!! except mike and soph lololol,,, that is bizarre ,,,chalk really,, rain will wash it off ugh , sry that happened! after a long winter of surfing empty beaches,, people are coming back around here too, im not a fan either!!! hope every1 is well!!! see you guys in the next episode!!!!✌❤
Riley is a Gem alright, we had so much sand it was crazy and please blame toby not me... I gave toby his haircut as a Joke but it turns out everyone in the family loves it except me... Cut the hair bro... Some grumpy people up this way happy to tell the kids off and not talk to their parents... Although I did get spoken to about the highly destructive chalk graffiti. Oh man, I hope summer doesn't get to crazy at the beach, after you own those beaches in the winter... Thanks for watching bro, We'll see you in the next one.
@linley-jane7878 no you're right it would be a hybrid mullet man bun,,,, mullet bun, Toby top, Bro Boof, the possibilities are endless but also ...... I think u can do whatever now it it'll be ok.. I'm 37 walking around w a handlebar mustache like it's 1982 so I can't talk lolol
Noce to see the north again. Bland bay and Tauranga bay are also very nice places to visit. bland bay going south along the.coast is stunning Ignore the signs its not good for towing.. truck take that route and so did we towing a Jimny.
Yes!!!! we have never been to bland bay, Tauranga Bay we have a video on about 3 years ago, cool spot. We've a lot of places to still explore in Northland, but we have a slight time schedule currently.
So next time you are up that way you should see if you can find the 'secret Kauri tree' that is twice the size of Tane Mahuta. You will need to walk in tho and bring your abseiling gear, maybe 6hrs. Camp the night and climb out in the morning, maybe 10hrs...It is well protected tho, by doc, iwi and the locals... Good luck 🤔
Oh that sounds like quite the adventure... @x the size of Tane Mahuta, wow that would be impressive... I don't think I'm up for abseiling, but if you want to send me a photo that would be cool to see.
Thats okay Mike.Milk tankers and heavy trucks go across on that ferry.But ask first if there are any restrictions.Otherwise from Kaikohe, continue west though on that highway.Lots of hills,and vast countryside befor you get anywhere.Good road though,and through to Dargavile after Opononi.Lots to see and do at Dargavile.Dargavile is a very historic town,and you have Bailys beach after the Kai iwi lakes.Huge camp ground at Kai iwi lakes. Good fishing at Opononi,charted fishing boats etc.All the best Aye !!.Thinking of you guys always !!.
Keep your kids under control - should be respectful of campground rules about graffiti & trees. Can totally recommend giving them a device to play on instead 👍
We've just received funding from Cindy so they all have their own devices now and are making individual youtube content. Please subscribe to their channels to help keep these kids from harming trees and side walks
Instead of going straight over to Kerikeri from Kaitaia,go down the Mangamuka gorge,towards Mangamuka township.Turn right onto the road heading to Kohu kohu.Look for the signs to the vehical Ferry,takeing yous across the Hokianga Harbour.Or you can continue to Mitimiti first to the huge sand dunes at the mouth of the Hokianga Harbour,Should be Free Camping anywhere there. Take plenty of food cause no shops.Then turn back to the car ferry,across to Rawene,do your shopping there,or at Opononi if you decide to go that way.Kaikohe has very little to offer....Im originaly from these parts. James.
Hopefully we can get to many of these spots next time we come North, I know there is so much to see up this way... We Actually did a chunk of this area about 12 years ago when Jade was just a Pepe, but that was way before we ever did RU-vid.
@@leopardsgowild Yes Mike,one thing is all good comes to those who wait long enough.By then you may have bought a different caravan or even a RV motorhome that suits, as the children are all growing up.I guess they all will want to continue the Freedom Camping life style too.Ive been doing it here in NZ for over 30 yrs and still love it unfortunitly I only have a campervan though ! Ive followed you guys right back from the start and its been a wonderfull journey.Ive read your peice in our nzmca mag !!... James.
@@leopardsgowild I wrote my reply but it didnt show.Yes Mike those who wait,all good things come eventurly.By then you might have a different caravan or even a RV motorhome that suits,as the children are all growing up.I guess they will all still want to freedom camp,as its the best life anyone could ever wish for.Ive been doing it for over 30 yrs,but unfortunitly I only have a campervan.It does the job but a bit too small.Ive been following you guys since the very start,see myself very much as yourselves.Im a pensioner now but still enjoy my adventures !! James.
Thanks mate, loads of epic spots aye? I'm not sure we can take our caravan across on that ferry, we might have to drive the long way around? Keen as to explore more the of the Hokianga Harbor, and do some fishing ?
Yes totally, an old grump that moans, he seemed such a sweet old man, but just was too far removed from kids, I think he painted them with the same brush of Auckland Youth Gangs lol... Wrong category mate.
Oh man, I don't know have you seen the creative arts of the Leopards, we're our there mate, doing our best... lol... Look in random caravans, you might find one of our fridge magnets lol...