The Northland

On Saturday, I met my Couchsurfing acquaintance Duncan for the first time. After work at the hostel, he picked me up in Paihia to explore the area. Maybe I should start with a brief description of Duncan:

Duncan, a gift from heaven, is over 40 years old, a lawyer, and lives in Opua (a 5-minute drive from Paihia). He says he earns very well, is very satisfied with his life in Opua, and loves hosting Couchsurfers. He wants to make their stay in the Northland as beautiful as possible and take them to places off the beaten path. He also offers a warm bed and a real shower, including free food.

Great. I'm still looking for the catch.

I don't know - he really is a gift from heaven to me. At first, I felt really guilty about "taking advantage" of him (he doesn't want anything in return, etc.). But it's also fun to spend time with him and talk about everything under the sun.

Back to the topic.

On Saturday, I wanted to meet him before moving in with him on Wednesday (my first time Couchsurfing - I was cautious...). But we quickly started talking and the atmosphere became more relaxed.

He took me to the bays west of Russell, where no tourist buses go. The land there belongs to the Maori. We drove up to Oke Bay and sat there on the beach for a few minutes, enjoying the view and the sun. There was also an 8-hour hiking trail up to Cape Brett, and I'm itching to try it out. We'll see if the opportunity arises.

After that, we went to Russell for a little sightseeing. Russell was previously known as Hell Hole: the women were prostitutes, the men were all drunks. Today, it's a small, sleepy coastal town with many cute cafes and restaurants. The British first landed in Russell. There is still a flagpole on a hill that reminds us how the Maori always cut down the British flag at night. No peaceful coexistence from the start - and it would lead to war. In the small church, you can still see bullet holes.

In the evening, we drove back to Duncan's house. The view from his living room window is enviable! But what really blew me away was the shower and my own room. A shower. My own room - pure luxury!

And he had so much food. I was finally able to eat fresh carrots, spinach, and pumpkin again. It was wonderful.

Later, two other backpackers came to Duncan's who had spent four days in a van. So I wasn't the only one taking long showers that day.

Together, we cooked (omelet with wedges), listened to a lot of music, and then watched a New Zealand film (Boy). The film was definitely interesting - just watch it if you want to know more. I tried to describe it and it sounded terrible, so I deleted it...

The shower and the bed were as beautiful as expected, and it was really hard to get up the next day. But there was tea and waffles and a great view of the Bay of Islands from the window.

Then it was back to the hostel for me, the bathrooms were calling. Since none of the hostel backpackers had any plans for the day, I accepted Duncan's offer for a little road trip to the north.

The first stop was a Kauri forest, a bit north of Kerikeri. It looked like a rainforest to me, the ground was muddy, everything was green, and it was raining. I had already seen Kauris, but the giants are always worth a visit. But I found out that you shouldn't hug the trees, as recommended in many travel guides (supposedly brings luck in love), because the oil on our skin somehow makes the trees sick.

We continued along the east coast heading north from one beach to the next. And they were all beautiful, the photos should prove it.

On the way, we got to know the typical Northland, which has amazing similarities to the Scottish Highlands: lots of green hills, sheep, and isolated trees. Beautiful. Our little road trip with Coldplay.

Funny thing: many people used microwaves as mailboxes, and there are wild peacocks in the area.

On the way, we also saw many Manuka trees, whose flowers are used by bees to produce the famous Manuka honey. Please tell me I'm not the only one who had never heard of this honey before... Anyway, the honey is supposed to be very good for external use (not necessarily for consumption) and is particularly popular in China as alternative medicine. But Europe apparently loves Manuka honey. Keep your eyes and ears open for it. But the honey is very expensive, in Germany you can expect to pay €30 for a small jar.

We went through Matauri, Tauranga, and Taupo Bay to Manganoui on the Doubtless Bay, which was undoubtedly a bay. At this bay, there is a 23km long sandy beach leading up to the cape, Karikari Peninsula. We drove the road because we didn't have that much time.

At the cape, we stood right on the tip between two bays, but my absolute favorite was still Maitai Bay. Just for us, the sun came out that day (it was quite windy and cloudy...), creating beautiful moments. Again, let the photos speak for themselves.

We experienced so much that day that we were quite exhausted, even though we had spent a long time in the car. And that's why we went straight back to Paihia for me and Opua for Duncan and the two backpackers along the coast on the highway.

Quickly conjured up some rice with beans and now I'm writing this entry for you.

Maybe I should rethink my plans regarding work in the Bay of Plenty - I'll keep you posted.

But not much is happening today, a little reading, listening to music, and then sleep. Just a hint: Tomorrow, we're going hiking!