From Taupo to Napier - Hitchhiking

Today we finally went from Taupo to Napier. Since the distance is relatively short (about 2 hours), we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to hitchhike instead of spending money on the bus. So this morning, Jacqui drove us to the main road that leads from Taupo to Napier. We made a classic sign and stood by the road. For the first few minutes, it feels a bit silly standing there as all the cars pass by. Although there weren't many cars, it's Sunday and the road wasn't very busy. We stood there for 40 minutes in the drizzle until suddenly a red car stopped in front of us. At first, we could hardly believe that the woman inside had actually stopped to give us a ride, but yes, she actually drove to Napier and took us all the way, even dropping us off directly in front of Kim's house, whom we found through Couchsurfing and where we'll be staying for the next 3 nights.

On the drive to Napier, we even stopped at a scenic lookout so Jana and I could see a waterfall: