On 25.01., our great journey around the globe continued for us with a long-haul flight from Buenos Aires to New Zealand. The flight was very special for us in several ways. Through the leap over the date line, we had a whole day of our lives "stolen" from us, which we had never actually experienced. But Air New Zealand and the flight in a brand new Dreamliner (Boeing 787) compensated us for this =)
But at the beginning we had another spectacular view of Buenos Aires at night. We spent the rest of the flight watching 1-2 movies and getting enough sleep.
At 05:00 local time we landed in Auckland after a 13-hour flight. Since in New Zealand all food and outdoor equipment that is brought in must be declared at customs upon entry, the entry took some time. For example, our hiking boots were inspected for soil remnants possibly introduced from other countries. At this point, no fun is understood in New Zealand and one should definitely declare all corresponding luggage items, otherwise a fine of 400 NZD (approx. 270€) will be charged. The procedure does make sense, however, as it helps preserve the unique nature.
After all the entry formalities were completed and we had stocked up on cash (for the first time without additional fees =), we made our way to the city. We rented an apartment through Airbnb for our time in Auckland, as it was unbeatable in terms of price-performance ratio. So we stayed with a Brazilian couple right by the Skytower, the highest building in the southern hemisphere at over 350m. The way to the city center was not far for us, so on the first day we did a little city and harbor tour. The next day, we hiked up Mount Eden, a former volcano, in glorious sunshine and got a view of the beautiful city from the highest natural point.
On 30.01. we finally picked up our rental car for the rest of our time in New Zealand, which we of course made extensive use of in the first few days, driving more than 1,000 kilometers =) Our first stop on our drive was a warehouse store, where we equipped ourselves with camping gear for the remaining 8 weeks in New Zealand. Afterwards, we visited the Abbey Caves near Whangarei. The glowworm caves are an absolute insider tip for New Zealand, as they can be visited completely free of charge, but also at your own risk. However, good shoes and a headlamp are absolutely necessary, and you should also not be afraid of getting wet. During our exploration of the caves, we were able to admire countless glowworms and were sometimes wading through water up to our knees, which was quite cold. Afterwards, we went to our first campsite in New Zealand, in Whananaki at Otamure Bay. It could have been worse, as the following picture shows :-P The next morning, we continued to Cape Reinga at the very north of New Zealand's North Island. Once again, the weather did not disappoint, and we were able to admire the lighthouse and the sea in glorious sunshine. The Cape marks the division of the Tasman Sea from the west and the Pacific Ocean from the east. They meet exactly here. We spent the second night in our tent at a campground that was just as beautiful as the one the day before, while we made our way south again. Our last stop in Northland was Tane Mahuta, the most famous kauri tree in New Zealand. It is not the oldest tree, but at 51.5m it is the largest and is located in the Waipua Forest on the west side of Northland. We chose the campground because, on it, kiwis can be observed in the wild during night walks. However, our 2-hour night walk on the trail of the kiwis, despite clearly audible kiwi calls and our good equipment, was unfortunately not crowned with success... :-D But we will not give up and will of course continue to try at other points during our New Zealand trip. In the next few days, we have the Coromandel Peninsula and a visit to the famous Hobbiton on our schedule.
