Weşandin: 19.02.2019
The last section of our journey takes us to Northland. Upon arriving at the first campsite, the owner greeted us with a bag of freshly caught snapper, which we enjoyed freshly prepared on the beach next to a mangrove forest. The next day was dedicated to the kauri trees. To Basti's delight, we even found kauri wood in the shop of a kauri museum! After that, we walked along the longest continuous beach in New Zealand and visited the forest giants in their natural environment - particularly impressive were the Tane Mahuta (the Lord of the Forest) and the Matua Ngahere (Father of the Forest - with a trunk circumference of over 16m) - the largest and oldest existing kauri trees. At the next campsite, escaped cows stomped across the meadow and pooped in front of a camper's door. The next morning, we had a long conversation with Jay, a very free-spirited climber, with whom we processed kauri amber we found ourselves into a pendant. We continued our drive up to Cape Reinga, the northernmost accessible point in New Zealand. In a breathtaking and magical atmosphere, the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea collide here. According to Maori belief, this is the place where the souls of the deceased pass into the afterlife. We spent the evening at the lighthouse until the sun disappeared into the ocean.