Tag 47 - Crossing to the North Island

The car was not allowed to be transported to the North Island, so I had to leave early to have enough time to assemble my bike again. A somewhat annoying effort, which is now running quite smoothly, but has saved a lot of money. The car would have cost an extra 150 dollars, so for three quarters of an hour, it's a very decent wage!

The crossing in really great weather was a feast for the eyes again! On the ferry, I met the two guys from the Black Forest again, whom I had met in Duntroon (Day 40). Unfortunately, we didn't see any dolphins like on the crossing to the South Island. The two guys had covered the entire South Island (over 3,000 kilometers) in about 6 days. Madness!

I used the time on deck to get an overview of the campsites. Since we arrived in Wellington early in the afternoon, I only had a few hours left in the car. I noticed a small free campground on the east coast that had excellent ratings in my camping app.

Fortunately, the bike fits well in the car on the North Island too, although a bit tighter than before.

After about 3 hours of driving, I reached the idyllic small town of Porangahau Beach. After many weeks at great beaches, this one is definitely among the top 3 so far. Good waves, secluded and clear water, and a great sandy beach with many dunes right behind the site. Fantastic!

Tomorrow I'm heading towards Rotorua. I've been there before, but I got a tip that you can camp at a thermal spring at a low cost and go to the thermal baths around the clock. I'm going to try that out.