13th-15th day - Covering kilometers

On Monday, it's time for us to say goodbye to the familiar environment - the Waitata Bay and the people and animals we have been dealing with.

We start our fully packed 'Wish' and drive north. With the goal of 'Cape Reinga' in mind, we literally devour the kilometers. Along this way, New Zealand shows us a completely different picture: endlessly wide, lush green, hilly fields, on which countless cows graze - we already wonder if this is the Shire from 'Lord of the Rings' - here and there we encounter a car, which is rare. After several hours of driving, we can hardly believe our eyes when we see huge sand dunes on the horizon - we have to take a closer look. What we did there can be seen very well in the photos ;) What a blast! But quite exhausting to climb the hills again. Afterwards, we park our 'Wish' at a campsite in a truly wonderful bay.

The next morning, we get up before sunrise to enjoy it at the historic 'Cape Reinga' - and it was worth it! ;) At this point, the Pacific and the Tasman Sea meet - a magical place!

Then we stop at Ninety Mile Beach - it's actually 106 km long. And again, we see a completely different picture of New Zealand, simply breathtaking.

But to get back to civilization, we have to drive several hundred kilometers. Next stop: Waipua, where the probably largest and oldest tree stands.

On Wednesday, we visit a glowworm cave and drive to a never-ending, black sandy beach in Muriwai in the immediate west of Auckland.

So far, we're doing great, we're already used to the changeable weather and driving on the left. We now (almost) know the loading plan and where everything is stored by heart. However, somehow we long for a box where everything can be stored properly. ;)

Best regards to home :)