In Tairua

On Mondays it should go to Tairua. I got up quite early, packed my backpack and went shopping for a few things before heading to the bus stop to go to the city (to the harbor) where my long-distance bus was supposed to depart at 1:10 p.m.

At 12:10 p.m. I was sitting on the InnerCity bus - after 20 minutes I unfortunately realized that I had taken the bus in the wrong direction (they always drive in a circle, so not dramatic) only this direction took almost twice as long!

At about 12:45 p.m. panic slowly started to rise in me, as I was further away from the city center than the point where I had started.

At some point, the bus driver asked me where I had to get off, I explained it to her, and she told me to jump off at the next traffic light, turn right on the street, and then turn left, and then I would be there.

However, it was already 1:07 p.m., so I ran and with 13 kilos of luggage! I was sure to miss the bus...

But lucky me - there was a problem with a girl's booking (which was fixed at the moment I arrived at the bus sweating and completely out of breath).

During the bus ride, I talked to a German girl next to me - she was on her way to Whitianga.

Arriving in Tairua, I packed up my stuff and headed to the hostel (unfortunately it is a bit outside, and there were only 2 other people in the hostel besides me (a couple in their 30s).

This means I have a room to myself - there are 2 dark brown wooden bunk beds here, and I took the one closest to the power outlet.

On Tuesday morning, after breakfast, I did a workout before heading to the city center with my laundry (as the hostel does not have a washing machine). At the iSite, they told me to simply ask at the campsite around the corner - said, done.

I asked a few Germans who were standing in their campervans on the grass for directions to the washing machine, and I sat down with them while waiting for my things.

Rosa, Eva, Leon, Katja, Elias, and Robin all work here in Tairua and sleep for free at the campsite in exchange for cleaning the kitchen counters in the evenings.

We sat together all afternoon (in between, I hung up my clothes at the hostel) and made plans for the next day.

On Wednesday, around half past 12, I went over to the Holiday Park campsite and picked up the others - we walked along the beach and then hiked up a mountain to a viewpoint. From here, you could see Pauanui - a town with beautiful white beaches.

We spent about an hour up there before starting our way back, and then I went shopping afterwards.

Back at the hostel, two Germans (Björn and John) had arrived in my absence, I chatted with them for a while before retreating to my room.

I just hung out at the hostel on Thursday, watched TV, ate lots of toast with chocolate spread, and enjoyed the sun on the hostel balcony (of course not without applying plenty of SPF 50 sunscreen beforehand.☝️