Cape Reinga

Foreword: The last few days we traveled from Doubtless Bay to Cape Reinga and then back to Auckland. Unfortunately, we had no network on the campsites in the evenings, so here is a summary of the last 3 days.

Friday, 10.02.17.

After a great night at Doubtless Bay, we continued north. We had already thought about which route to take in order to see as much as possible. We started at the Giant Te Paki sand dunes. These are huge sand dunes, similar to those in the Sahara. You could rent sandboards there, but we didn't think it was necessary. Then it started: The sand was hot, the dunes were high and really steep, sometimes we had to crawl on all fours, and it was very windy. Since I don't know any better, I can claim to have felt like I was in the Sahara. Unfortunately, the camels were missing. In between, you could occasionally see sand that had been shaped into a kind of stone by wind and water. Impressive what nature can do. It was also interesting that the dunes merged into a forest. So there was a connection of forest, sand and sea. The view was breathtaking. From the sand dunes, you could either slide down with your sandboards or walk down. Courageously, I handed my things to my girlfriend and ran down the meter-high sand dune we were just on. More like falling and rolling, but it was absolutely amazing. Afterwards, I had sand everywhere, really everywhere, but it was worth it. Svenja came along comfortably. Once we reached the bottom, we accidentally met Natalie and Max again. We then borrowed sandboards from them for a ride. So back up to the dune ( it was hardly exhausting.. ) and down by board. It's fun, but who walks up there so often to make the $15 per vehicle worth it?

At the Giant Te Paki sand dunes, there were pit toilets.. I won't say more, the smell erased my further memories. It was disgusting.

After the dunes, we headed to Cape Reinga, where we arrived (you really can only get there on foot further north), we visited the toilets first (much better, although it was the same type of toilet) and refilled our water. Filtered rainwater, the best so far!

The entrance to the cape was a large gate. After that, due to an old Maori tradition, you were not allowed to eat anything. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact reason.

Then we went through the gate: I was speechless. Behind it was paradise. Long paths for walking, a small lighthouse and an indescribable view. At the lighthouse, there was a spot where two seas met. This could be seen from the color of the water and the waves that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Unique.

Of course, I took a billion photos. After the photo session and some moments of awe, we went back to the car to find a good campsite nearby. According to WikiCamps (an app for smartphones that shows campsites), there was a low-cost campground only 4km away. $8 per adult. Of course, we didn't have cash with us, here almost everything is paid by card. Nevertheless, we set off, hoping that no one would check. When we arrived, we first checked the situation. There was an 'Honestybox' where you were supposed to throw in your camping fees. Damn, what now? Should we keep going? Or simply take the risk and hope that nothing happens?

The latter. We found a nice spot and got out of the car. Right next to a small river filled with water from the sea. A mistake, as we found out in the evening. More on that later.

Next to us were two guys our age. Maybe they had cash and could lend us $16. No luck, the two Germans only had $20 themselves and thought it would be inappropriate to put too much in the box. I can understand that, $8 was clearly too much for this place. So, no payment.

We got talking: 'So, where are you guys from?'

'Near Bielefeld, do you know that?'

Svenja shouting in the background: 'BIELEFELD?!?!? We're from Gütersloh!'

'Gütersloh? You're kidding!'

'No, Friedrichsdorf.'

'What, us too.. No way!'

What a coincidence, we met 'neighbors'. It's amazing how small the world is. We couldn't believe it.

Now we had plenty to talk about. We sat together for at least 4 hours and talked late into the evening. And now we realized the mistake we had made. It was warm, we were at a relatively quiet body of water, had the lights on, and were sitting outside. Perfect for mosquitoes. Those things destroyed us. At some point, we all went into our cars because it was unbearable even with 'No Bite, 50% Deet'. There were so many of them that even vegetarians would have turned into carnivores with one breath. Not normal. Next time, we won't park next to a river.

Saturday, 11.02.17.

The next morning, we were woken up by a car driving around. The ranger. Damn! Hopefully, we don't have to pay a fine now..

Respect to DOC, we got away with a warning. Others would have demanded a $200 fine right away. Thanks, from now on we always have $16 ready.

Hendrik and Felix, that's what the two guys from Gütersloh were called, paid their $16 directly to the ranger, as he could change it.

After that, we had breakfast together and exchanged numbers. The two of them wanted to do a 6-hour hike, while we wanted to move on. So, our paths separated.

On the way back south, there was a temple. Sounded interesting, so we made a detour there. It was a rundown church by the roadside, wow. We didn't even stop. After a quick look at our to-do list, we knew what our next and last stop would be. The 90 Miles Beach. A beach that.. well, is 90 miles long. Let's go.

After 10km on a gravel road, we arrived. No parking spaces in sight. Ah, but there, around the corner. Well, and there we were stuck in the sand. Luckily, an older man with his Jeep was there and could rescue our car. Lucky again. We drove back a bit and parked there. We then walked through small dunes to the beach. It was really long. We couldn't see a beginning or an end. Just sand and water. And.. a small dead shark. There were also several fish lying on the sand. Sad.

Fortunately, they weren't several hundred pilot whales like there were on the South Island this weekend. What a tragedy.

After a 2-hour walk, we went back to the car. Now we had to go shopping and mooch off McDonald's for Internet. On the gravel road, we drove through a small herd of wild horses (is that the right word?). There were many cute foals among them. Svenja could hardly contain herself, she would have taken one home.

After shopping and visiting McDonald's, we continued to a free campground that was on the way back to Whangarei. Nothing special, but it was enough for one night.

For dinner, we had fried eggs with fried potatoes, accompanied by a mosquito-repellent candle. A nearly perfect evening. Nearly, if the place had been nicer.

Sunday, 12.02.17

After a restless night (somehow a dozen mosquitoes had found their way into our car), we set off in the early hours of the morning. The weather wasn't great anyway, so we could cover a few hours by car. Through Whangarei, we took a warm shower and filled up the tank (apparently there is an oil refinery in Whangarei, which is why fuel is cheapest there).

Now we're back in Auckland, at Gulf Harbour. Here is a nice, quiet campground. Tomorrow we will drive through Auckland towards Napier. There we will look for work. They say the market is the biggest there. Let's hope that's true...