ROADTRIP Day 1 (24.10.16)

We had more than a week ahead of us without accommodation or work organized. So, on the morning of October 24th, we simply got in our car and headed north. The goal was to travel the entire North Island. Our first stop was a huge parking lot of a shopping center in Whangarei. We went shopping there first. Now in retrospect, we know how not to shop for a road trip. Back then, our knowledge was limited. We bought two packs of white bread toast (because they only cost $2 together), raspberry jam, fruit, and several cans filled with spaghetti in tomato sauce, beans, rice pudding, and Mexican stew. It should be noted that we did not own/do not own a gas stove and approached the situation with the naive belief that these things would also taste good when cold. Now we would not do it again, or rather buy a gas stove beforehand.

After this shopping trip, we spontaneously stopped at the Whangarei Falls, which we discovered on the way north. This stop was definitely worth it.

Before we continued, we used the CamperMate app to find an inexpensive parking lot for the night and found a free one in Kaikohe. Kaikohe was not really a beautiful town, but there was a McDonald's with Wi-Fi. We spent the next three hours there because after four days without a network, we were happy to be able to write to our friends and family again. We also continued writing our blog and Jana renewed her data volume for her phone.

Satisfied, we returned to the car and went to bed early, somewhat plagued by doubts about whether this town and this parking lot were safe, but in the end, we could lock our car from the inside and there was a camper van next to us, so we could sleep quite well.

Jana and Jasmin