From Whangarei to Auckland

At the well-known place, I woke up in Whangarei, got ready, and had breakfast. After the beach days, my car was full of sand, so I thought I'd quickly go vacuum it because I had half the beach's sand in my car. Then I headed towards the Mount Manaia Track Summit Lookout. So, it was a hike. I must mention that in New Zealand, mailboxes are quite a thing. Normal? Pff, anyone can do it; either they are homemade, painted, or cobbled together. My favorites so far were a street full of Minion mailboxes or many people using microwaves, which I also find quite amusing. I hadn't informed myself too precisely before going, as it looked quite impressive. Mount Manaia is a striking volcanic rock peak on the Whangarei Heads Peninsula in Northland, New Zealand - the mountain is about 420 m high and holds special significance for the Māori - it is considered a wähi tapu (sacred place). And on the way up, you have to tackle over 1,000 steps. Mh yes, it was dreadful, but I managed to get to the top quite quickly. At the highest viewpoint, I met a lady, and we both enjoyed the view. I have to mention that she asked me if she could take pictures of me. Solo traveling, I of course accepted the offer. She put in so much effort and was just so lovely. We then chatted a bit; I thought she was around 50. Then she told me she's been living here for 10 years, recently divorced, just returned from Peru, last year Mongolia, etc. Now I know everything about her and her daughter, and then she tells me she's 71. You couldn't see that at all. She then said, 'Yes, girls and even old girls can do anything,' and we high-fived. Haha, it was such a girls' moment; I loved it. After I returned alive, it was off to Ocean Beach. I thought beach, wonderful, I'll just wear Birkenstocks. Can you guess? I somehow ended up on a mini-hike up a steep, rocky hill, standing there in Birkenstocks, haha. But it was okay, and Ocean Beach and the one next to it was truly a dream, very beautiful. I then went shopping on the way and then to the camp. The camp is by the water, mega beautiful; I first had avocado and hummus sandwiches, which was really good. BUT in front of me was a playground. Mhh, with a lot of very loud children; I wanted to relax and wind down the day; I hope they don't stay here too long. Nevertheless, a nice spot, and tomorrow it's off towards Auckland. I realized today that if everything goes right with the car sale, I only have 5 nights left in the car, which almost broke my heart.

After a quiet night, it was back to the road in the morning. The first stop was the Waipu Caves, which in retrospect was just a detour. But the views along the way were worth it. So, of course, another gravel road, no one around, and eventually, I arrived at the cave parking lot. Ultimately, I just had breakfast there, haha. Because I didn't want to go into the caves anyway; we've had a similar situation before. I neither had the equipment nor, to be honest, the fun for it. So I continued to Waipu Beach, which wasn't far, but a bridge was closed, which meant I had to take a massive detour. Typical New Zealand; there is usually only one road. Waipu Beach was a dream; I walked there for ages. It was sunny, but still relatively fresh due to the wind. There were so many beautiful shells. There were so many that it was insane. All were as big as my hand. Of course, there were also small ones, as big as a fingernail, so the contrast of seeing them side by side was crazy. After I said goodbye to all the shells I had collected, it was time to head back. But it was so beautiful; I didn't want to leave, so I sat on the beach and read. In the afternoon, it was off to the Piroa Falls. Yeah, of course, first a gravel road. But the gravel roads on the North Island are really no comparison to the South Island. North is pleasant; South is almost your entire car falling apart while driving. After a short walk, I got there, and it was really beautiful.

You had to wade into the middle of the river to see the waterfall properly, so barefoot into the ice-cold water, but it was worth it. However, that wasn't enough for me yet, and the last near-death experience was a bit ago; sometimes, you need that. I discovered that there was a path going up the mountain next to the waterfall, so probably with nice views from above. The path was narrow, slippery, rocky, and very steep. There was a small rope at the top eventually to hold on to, which was urgently needed. Crawling through the rainforest, I made it to a spot where I could see the waterfall from above, and yes, it was really cool. Somehow I made it back down alive and then drove over gravel roads and highways to Port Albert, where the camp was for the night. I had a super relaxed day.

So today was an absolute chill day, guys. First, it was about an hour's drive to a town. The goal was to get a good shower. And yes, folks, they had warm water (not hot though, but I'm used to it now), unlimited for not even 2€, a private cabin; what more could you want? It was long overdue, so you know I felt like a new person. I used nature to dry my hair and walked on the beach, where it was quite windy, at Big Manly Beach. It was super beautiful, but then it rained, so I went to a library. After I had charged a bit of electricity, I drove to Gulf Harbour, where the camp is for the next 2 nights. With a really cool view. I'm right by the sea; a bit to the left, you can just see Auckland in the distance, which is just super cool. Next and last stop: Auckland. It was then definitely headache weather, as usual here; the only thing I probably won't miss. 5 minutes of sunshine, then 5 minutes of wind and rain, and so on. But the rainbows are fantastic. Apparently, there's a ferry station to Auckland next to me. When the sun set, Auckland was beautifully lit in the distance, really nice to see. So, chill day today. Tomorrow will probably be more of the same; the weather isn't supposed to be too exciting. And guys, I'm an emotional wreck, as you can probably understand; only 4 nights left in the car. Okay, then I’m going to the hostel, but it's all heading towards the end. I'm so incredibly excited to be home, but damn, I'm also sad that the journey will end soon.

Okay, in short, the 2 nights in Gulf Harbour were wonderful, campsite with a toilet. I packed a lot and cleaned the car, etc., went for walks, here is very beautiful, and read a lot.

And now it's heading towards Auckland, not quite there yet, but nearby, specifically to Drury, as it’s near the airport where I will sell the car. We have a paid parking spot there, but there isn’t anything cheaper for sleeping in the car nearer to Auckland.

In the morning, I emptied my water canisters, cleaned them, and then it was 1.5 hours to Auckland, or rather through Auckland. I'm staying in Drury. On the way, I cleaned the car. I have to say vacuuming went fine, but the steam cleaner, ugh, I hate cleaning the car, but I was happy that it was so clean. When I arrived at the camp, it was just as dirty again, so I can do it again for free, probably will have to use some scrubber, no idea, haha, it will be fine. The camp is actually pretty cool; it’s a huge park with several sports centers. A massive parking lot, I can choose where I stand. I thought I'd go for a bit of exposure therapy and went back to the reception to ask if they could charge my power bank. And you know what? It was no problem; I can leave it there for a few hours. Because it was completely empty. So mega. Since I've already given up my kitchen and I'm almost starving, I went to The Coffee Club. Here I treated myself to fish and chips and finally had a matcha; it’s been ages! Here it's a bit city-like, so I'm going to walk more and see what’s around here. So I have a bit of organizing to do, get the car ready, pack, and a day before the car sale, take it for a mechanical check. After selling the car, it’s off to the hostel.

Because this has stressed me out so much, I sadly had to say goodbye to all the collected shells; I will miss them very much. Since I have very little layover time for my flight, dealing with the declaration for the shells will cost me time. And I loved them a lot, but missing my second flight takes priority.

So this morning, it was straight to VTNZ because I needed an inspection for the car sale for a measly 65 dollars. I’ll be honest; I was nervous, yes, but at home before the trip, I probably would have had a panic attack out of fear, so definitely a win. It was super easy; I just said what I needed, paid, waited a bit, they even drove my car in there, etc. So I was a bit nervous about what the outcome would be, as far as I know, they check everything there. But, guys, super cool; there was just something with one headlight that was apparently a bit fogged or something and should be polished. Yeah, pff, he said everything is okay; it’s just a little thing; otherwise, everything is fine. He couldn't have told me anything better. I hope everything goes as smoothly tomorrow during the sale; at least that's good. Very close to here are the Auckland Botanical Gardens, and if you know me, I love them, so I went for a walk there. Unfortunately, it was super windy, so I went back (!!) to clean the car because apparently, I didn’t do it right, but now the car is shining. As this was the last day in the car, I wanted to take advantage of it, and since it was already quite cold and windy with intermittent rain, it was chill time: crocheting, reading, watching TV, perfect for the weather. I went shopping for a bit, and guys, I had the most relaxed time. After some dude interrupted my chill time, and he finally left, I had my peace back and actually had a nice last night in the car.

This was a long entry; wow. I know the title is already Auckland, but that wasn’t quite right. Next stop, guys, is Auckland.