Tag 124-125 'Once sand to take away please!'

Yesterday the cute shy kiwis with their clumsy gait, today a little bit of landscape gawking 😅 👀 . How could yesterday's day be topped? Maybe with the northernmost point of NZ? Combining meticulous study on the "Googleator" with knowledge from the "Wiki Camp App" and Ulli's geography knowledge, Falki only needed to stash his 🧠 in the glove compartment and operate the pedals + steering wheel. Cape Reinga is the tip at the summit, the chimney on the roof, the crown on the tree, should I go on... we say: "It was 👌🏼 Okay!" You could have a nice look. The highlight came as a surprise. In the midst of the vibrant green meadows, the round mountains, the water so deep blue to the brightest turquoise, we suddenly saw a desert! We couldn't have imagined it any better. Of course, we had read about the 10km long, 1km wide, and up to 150m high Giant Sand Dunes beforehand. But these sand walls are not just for walking on. We wanted to get our wide-sitting butts moving again and slid down on bodyboards in belly flops into the valley. What fun. And what torture 😥. Since there was only one bodyboard available, we naturally took turns. But the way up in the sand, barefoot on an extreme incline, pushed our pulse to the max. Worries about a shower afterwards were unfounded. About 45 minutes' drive further south in Pukenui, we could empty and wash the buckets of sand from our underwear and body parts. A dream...

Day 125 is quickly told!

Still sporting the pillow stitch on our faces, we rolled back onto the asphalt towards Auckland. The big old trees awakened our curiosity - the Kauri Tree. A pompous specimen in circumference and age could be admired halfway through the Mataraua Forest. The biggest known Kauri is called "Tāne Mahuta" with a diameter of 4.4m and an estimated age in the four digits, it made a brutal but gentle impression. Just switch off and enjoy. But the daily goal was not reached yet. Only after almost 5 hours of driving and over 400 km did we arrive in Port Albert, exhausted but happy.

Tomorrow we will conquer Auckland.