An eventful day!

After the adventurous night at Whangarei, we actually had a proper campsite to sleep in the following night: The Cowshed. Here we also met the two girls with the broken car (just for context, as the posts are not 100% chronological --> rare good wifi). It's been a week since then and today we are back at the 'cowshed' campsite because the owners are super nice and there is unlimited wifi available here (we need to write job applications...). From the owners, we learn that the two girls received half of the purchase price back with their support and can use it to pay for the necessary repairs. What a relief! Apparently, the owners even drove the girls to Auckland to the seller (180 kilometers) and helped them! How nice is that??

But back to the actual story. When we were here a week ago, our plan was to drive all the way up north to see everything and then drive back to Auckland to find jobs. Cape Reinga was on the agenda for that day (the almost northernmost point of New Zealand).

After a nutritious breakfast with toast (this time even toasted!!) and Nutella, we head off because we have a long way to go. We are already quite used to diverse landscapes in New Zealand, but what awaits us on this day fascinates us even more!

We start in Kaikohe and pass through gently rolling green hills with little tree vegetation and wide views. Less than 30 minutes later, it suddenly looks like this:

Just a moment ago, there were hardly any trees and expansive landscapes, and now we are driving up a mountain on narrow switchback roads surrounded by palm trees, ferns, and dense forest.

As soon as we have conquered the mountain, it looks like before, as if nothing had happened: Wide, hilly landscape with few trees and endless meadows...Really crazy!

But enthusiasm consumes energy, so it's time for a little lunch! Captivated by the impressions of the drive, we treat ourselves to something special today: A footlong sandwich at Subway. Mmm, delicious!

Already in a good mood and happy from the food, it gets even better! We hardly thought that was possible...Just before Cape Reinga, when we have almost crossed the entire tip of the North Island, we stop at the Giant Sand Dunes at Te Paki. Several kilometers before the dunes, the road is lined with billboards offering sandboards for rent, which you can use to surf down the dunes...On the access road, you can even see small, bright hills shimmering in the distance...those must be the sand dunes!

Calling them hills is an understatement, as the name 'GIANT Sand Dunes' is fully justified when we arrive at the parking lot in front of the dunes. It simply looks like in the desert!! After endless green meadows and dense forests, there are suddenly dunes as high as a hundred meters. We can hardly believe it. How can a country be so diverse?? And all right next to each other!! This looks more like Egypt, but New Zealand? Amazing.

Since I'm quite sick (including a sore throat, etc.), I have to refrain from sandboarding. Climbing up and down the dunes wouldn't do me any good...But it looks incredibly fun, watching all the people slide down the 70° steep dunes!

Despite my illness, we climb the dunes all the way up at least once and simply enjoy the view and the sand under our feet...While on one side of the dunes you can see the forest and a river, on the other side there is the ocean and the Ninety Mile Beach (which is actually 'only' 90 kilometers long, not 90 miles). Amazing. We just sit on top of the highest dune and marvel for a while.

However, the sun is already dangerously low, and we have to remind ourselves that we wanted to be at Cape Reinga Lighthouse for the sunset. With a heavy heart, we say goodbye to this incredible place. But only to see an equally incredible place half an hour later..

It's a race against time! The sun is sinking lower and lower and is dangerously close to the horizon, but sometimes the views during the drive are so breathtaking that we just have to stop! Here, for example, who wouldn't pause for a moment and enjoy the moment and ideally capture it on the memory card at the same time?

Finally, we're there! Cape Reinga, the almost northernmost point of New Zealand (there is a 4 km more northern point slightly east of Cape Reinga, but it's hardly accessible). According to legend, this is where the souls of the deceased Maori (the indigenous people) leave the land. Also, this is where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet, and you can actually see it visually with the slightly foaming water, where the oceans collide. This spectacle takes place just behind Cape Reinga Lighthouse, although you can't see the ocean boundary in this picture (stupid long exposure).

So, it worked out in the end. We actually got to see a sunset (and what a sunset!) at the end of the world. But as soon as the last rays of sunshine disappear and the color of the sky and clouds fades, it quickly becomes dark and, above all, cold! During the day, you have to beware of sunburn and can walk around in a t-shirt, but at night, it takes 2 blankets and a sweater just to avoid freezing...it's still spring in New Zealand after all.

But the day is not over yet. With a sense of fulfillment, we drive to our campsite for the night, a little east of Cape Reinga. The reviews of this place in the camper app say that the access to this place is not easy, but what could go wrong? We will find out shortly...You may call it an access road, but it's actually more like a winding gravel road with potholes and stones of all sizes. That wouldn't be a problem if the route were short, but no, it goes on for a whole 14 kilometers!! It takes us 40 minutes to cover the distance because we don't want to wreck our car in the first week...

Eventually, it's already dark, and we arrive. As a welcome, 5-6 wild horses shoot out of the bushes and dart along in front of our car. Just like in some places on the North Island, there are also wild horses here, which sometimes roam the campsite. Totally cool and gives a real nature feeling! Although it's somewhat dark (the moon is so bright here that we cast proper, sharp shadows), we can already sense that we must have landed in a beautiful place. Around us, we see the silhouettes of mountains, hear the sound of the waves at the nearby beach, and smell the fresh, clear air that is far from any city. We don't even have reception here, this place is so remote...

However, we are not the only late arrivals! The lights in the cars that are already here (about 6 others, it's still very empty here) are already off, but then a new car rolls onto the campsite from the gravel road and stops right next to us. A dynamic young man jumps out with the words 'How is it going bro?'. He comes straight to us (we're the only ones still awake) and hands us a beer, that will help against the cold...As it turns out, his name is Marcelo, he is Brazilian, 42 years old (looks no older than 30), and came here to surf and fish. Marcelo has lived in Bali for 5 years now and regularly comes to New Zealand because this country is simply 'fucking beautiful' and 'amazing'. He tells us about his decision to sell his 180-employee company and instead travel the world, and how great Brazilian women are. The second beer. Marcelo raves about this campsite and says it is the most beautiful campsite on the North Island, and we won't believe our eyes in the morning...The third beer. We already feel silly that we can't offer Marcelo anything in return, but for him, it's completely okay --> 'Naaa, it's alright. No worries, bro!' After the third beer (it's actually getting warmer), Marcelo invites us to his home in Bali if we're ever in the area. We definitely have to keep that invitation in mind, hehe!

One more beer! We decide that it's too cold and windy to continue standing outside and talking, but we agree to go fishing together the next morning. Marcelo wants to show us how it's best done here by the sea and then prepare sushi for us...sounds great!

Finally, after this eventful day, we go to bed. We've seen and experienced a lot today! Thanks to this nightcap and the nice encounter with Marcelo, we quickly fall asleep despite the cold, first processing everything that happened today...