Stopover in Omapere

In the morning I was able to brush my teeth and do my thing in the on-site bathroom, which was absolutely premium. I then went back to my car and the guy next to me came over and said he was traveling around and asked where he should go to see something nice. Apparently, he was traveling without a plan, which is fine, but he had asked the right person. I turned on my phone and showed him my plan and where I had been; I think that helped him. So, off I went to Opononi. I honestly didn’t expect any sand dunes there, but they were right across from the bay. It was amazing, so beautiful there. Of course, I had to hike to the lookout and see it from above—a dream. On the left, rocky beach with brownish-red rocks, the infinite sea in front, and on the right, the dunes, the bay, and the green of the mountains. So, to the people living there? How is life in paradise with that view upon waking up? I guess it’s pretty good.

Then I took a little detour to Tane Mahuta, a kauri tree in the Waipoua Kauri Forest. It is supposedly over 2000 years old and was enormous; the pictures unfortunately don’t do justice to its actual size—just huge, folks. So, the way back was through Rawena, I believe (I have no data right now, can't look it up), taking the ferry to the other side, feeling a bit more confident this time, haha. Then a quick stop at the supermarket and onward through the mountains; finally, some real mountains. It was absolutely gorgeous. I then drove directly to Kaitaia as I needed a city to shop a bit. There, I quickly scrounged some Wi-Fi and thought I’d check if there were showers around; it was definitely time (way overdue). And yes, not only warm showers but also free! Although rated terribly. I thought I’d take a look. I know I have really low expectations, but honestly, I thought it was quite good. Yes, the door didn’t lock and you had to hold it, and you shouldn’t look too closely at the dirt, but the water was hot, and it was free, so I didn’t really care. I felt fantastic afterward, I tell you. So then it was 20 km back to the camp; there aren’t many options in the area. It’s a huge area; I cooked with my camping chair in the sun, a wonderful end to the day. Tomorrow, I'm planning a complete lazy day as it’s supposed to rain before I continue the day after tomorrow.

In the evening, I had such a beautiful starry sky like I haven’t seen in a long time; see the picture. In reality, it was much more impressive. I even saw a shooting star and the Milky Way was so visible. I’m so happy I could see such a wonderful starry sky again.