Wässerfälle, Glühwürmchen und ein 'Bett'

From the lookout point and somehow, despite little sleep, we are full of motivation and head to the waterfalls of Whangerei. It is still raining occasionally, but with rain jacket and good will, we go on. There is a tangerine in our hand, and after looking at the truly graceful waterfalls surrounded by rocks and tropical plants from a wooden block below, we have breakfast (untoasted toast bread with Nutella).

Finally, we see something cool again! Finally, we have a bite to eat! Since we still want to see some more of the North Island, we aim for the next campsite - which we want to reach on time this time!! 'The Cowshed' sounds cozy in the reviews. It is also cheap at 8$ per night. And WiFi is included, but no showers. We realize that we have to make some compromises.

When we leave Whangerei, we also find what we need for the gas bottle. Finally! We can cook something. 😍

The drive to the campsite lasts more than 2 hours through green, gentle hills that strongly resemble the Shire. The roads wind through these elevations like snakes around a branch. It doesn't get boring on New Zealand's roads. Half an hour before the destination for the night, we see a sign 'GLOWWORM CAVES - 400m turn Right', alright, spontaneity never hurts. ☝️

We drive on. There are huge boulders in the green hills that look like they are glued on.

The guided tour through the pitch-dark, cold cave takes just under half an hour and is not expensive. We just give it a try.

We go in with a small group of other 'cave explorers'. Photos are not allowed here as they would harm the glowworms.

The young guide tells us a lot of facts about the cave and the worms - who would have thought that these creatures drop small threads like spaghetti to catch their prey? Halfway through and after ducking a few times under low-hanging rocks, he turns off his lamp.

Above us, we see small, blue-green lights. Like the Milky Way, a long trail of glowworms stretches over our heads. '10,000' says the guy with the lamp. (How do they know there are exactly 10,000? Do they count them every night before going to sleep?)

The tour was cold and at the same time simply magical, we have never seen anything like it before. Thank you for that! Half an hour later, we reach 'The Cowshed'.

It is not a real campsite, more like an old farmhouse with a converted barn and grassy areas for the cars. By the way, these areas are so muddy due to the heavy rain that we are advised to park on the gravel road. Better that way!

In the barn, there is electricity, an old radio, a simple toilet, and a small sink including a kettle and toaster (!!! No stale bread for breakfast!!!). As 'decoration', we find some old furniture, chipboard, an old 2-meter-high bronze statue, and a torn-off (why is it hanging there?!?) dusty teddy bear head hanging somewhere in the barn. In between are chairs and a table. All in all, it is perfectly clean and okay. The owners (an older couple) are super nice. We are greeted by 2 dogs, Caesar and Liza (didn't quite understand the name).

Also on site are 2 German girls who just graduated. We chat a bit while making dinner (yeeeees, okay, it's pasta, sauce, and tuna.. ) and learn that the two of them looked at Tony's car exactly like ours a few days before us, thought it was too small, and bought exactly the same car as us a few days later. What irony. While we bought Tony's car and were completely satisfied, the two of them were ripped off and got a junk car whose engine was practically dying. The two of them should be stuck there for another 3 days until the mechanic came with spare parts..

Before it gets dark, we want to focus on the bed this time.

How the hell did the two Malaysians sleep in this car?!! We try everything. Fold the seats forward, backward. Move all the boxes, buckets, etc. to create a more even substructure. We play Tetris at the highest level. Against time - because it looks like rain again and it's getting dark. We are a little jealous of the girls who had their bed in the car ready long ago and watched us through the window, slightly amused, as we made 4 desperate attempts to build a sleeping place. After several trial lies, we settle for the current construction. Back-friendly, lined with sleeping mats, blankets, and pillows to feel fewer edges from below, we consider our logistical masterpiece to be great and go to sleep. Crawling in somehow. Bend our heads (we lie close to the ceiling) and close our eyes. Everyone has their own blanket, and there is an additional one over us to keep us warm.

Congratulations on the first proper night in your new home!