Bay of Plenty

Day 1

So I arrived here yesterday and spent the night at the beach, had an amazing sunrise, took a shower, and did some laundry. What’s a trip without a hike, right? In the sunrise picture, you can already see Mount Maunganui. I parked at Pilot Bay and hiked up to the summit. It was steep but incredibly beautiful, the sun was shining (it had rained in the morning), and I had such lovely views along the way. When I reached the top, I was out of breath, but the view still took my breath away; you could walk around there for a 360-degree perspective. On the left and right, you see endless sandy beaches, cities, islands, and the harbor; it was truly impressive. At the top, I noticed that the beach across from Pilot Bay was much more beautiful. So I went down the mountain on the other side toward Maunganui Beach. Covered in shells, my downfall, you all know it! I had never seen so many big shells anywhere else. From the top, you could also see Moturiki Island (Leisure Island), and you could actually walk all the way to the front. So I did that too. Mount Maunganui in the background, surfers next to me—it was really cool. I then took a long walk along the beach and went back to the car at Pilot Bay. There wasn't much left on my agenda. I only went to Papamoa Beach, which is the beach right after where I had been walking. I managed to snag one of the two freedom camping spots there. It was still nice weather, so I grabbed a camping chair and went to the beach. There, as expected, I caught the last rays of sunlight before the dark sky unleashed buckets of water; I made it back to the car just in time before it really started. Tomorrow I’ll check out something in the area before heading off on a longer drive.

Day 2

So I actually wanted to do some sightseeing, but it didn't open until 10 AM, and I was ready at 7 AM, so I drove off. Today I went a good way farther to Whangarei, which took about 5 hours.

First, I strolled along the beach and then right through nature. The weather was super changeable: 5 minutes of rain, followed by 5 minutes of sunshine. But it was perfect for my day. I didn’t plan any stops, but I ended up having 3 wonderful ones. First, I stopped at the best spot: Karangahake Windows Walk. An old gold mine, really; you walk on the old tracks and through tunnels with “windows,” where you go through complete darkness and occasionally come across a window. A flashlight was essential, or else I wouldn’t have seen anything. It started to rain, but a lot of the walk was in the tunnels. You were right in the mountain, and down below you could see bridges and huge rock walls, with water flowing down below. It was really cool and beautiful. I cooked something there and carried on. First, I had a section I was somewhat apprehensive about—right through Auckland. Not too bad, though, as everything was motorway, so it was just straight ahead. It was partly five lanes wide, and those who know me know I hate driving in big cities. But it was okay. In the end, I drove over the huge bridge, saw the Sky Tower and the skyscrapers; that was pretty cool. Then I drove a while longer on the motorway, and finally back to pure nature, just lush green, nothing else. I stopped at Dome Walkway Summit. There, I had to go up 40 minutes over seemingly endless stairs. Eventually, I made it to the lookout. I jogged back because it started to rain again. Was I dead afterwards? Yes, but it felt really good. So I continued on to Brynderwyns Scenic Lookout. There, I only had to walk a few steps to get an incredible view, with several islands visible in the distance. Next stop: Whangarei. And I was feeling a bit down, so I needed something nice; I went to The Quay - Whangarei. Guys, I sat right by the water, had sparkling water and fish and chips. It was unbelievably good. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been in a restaurant? I was having a bit of a culture shock, I tell you. Next to me, the sailboats on the water—oh my gosh, it was unique. I took a little walk and admired the Hundertwasser Arts Centre from every publicly accessible angle. Just before sunset, I thought I’d try the parking lot here in the city, but I probably wouldn’t find a spot anyway. Guys, I snagged the second-to-last spot, a parking space with a toilet—jackpot. More than satisfied, I can probably sleep very well tonight.