Out of Auckland

After a last-minute hostel change (which, by the way, was 1000 times nicer), we were excited for the upcoming road trip. However, since we had no idea where to go, we decided not to drive too far. But we definitely wanted to go to the ocean, so we chose the beautiful 'town' of Whatipu. So off we went, driving on the left side of the road and with an automatic transmission. Once we left Auckland behind, we quickly saw why New Zealand is so famous and what we had missed in Auckland: beautiful nature with lots of green. We also quickly got used to the road conditions that prevail throughout the country, with highways usually only having one lane that is so winding that you can't drive faster than 70 km/h. But that was nothing compared to what we would experience on our first drive. The last 15 km turned out to be a gravel road through the rainforest filled with potholes. However, we would encounter such road conditions more often. When we arrived at our destination, we realized that there was no town, only a 'campground'. But it was more like a field with an outhouse and an outdoor shower. Since it was already late and freezing cold, we decided to explore the area the next day. The next morning, we met the campground manager for the first time, who collected a few dollars for the overnight stay and gave us a lemon. Then we set out to explore because we definitely wanted to see the ocean. After a 15-minute walk through a swampy bush landscape, we reached the ocean and our expectations were not disappointed. Despite the icy wind, we spent half the day strolling along the beach and even got our first sunburn.