My new home on wheels

Sometimes things happen quickly... After days of searching at shady used car dealerships and backpacker car markets, I had actually decided not to buy a car. But then, at the hostel, I met a French guy who wanted to get rid of his wheels as soon as possible because he was heading home. After having the car checked by a mechanic and finding that there weren't too many things that needed fixing, I bought the car for a pretty good price. So now I am the proud owner of a Toyota Estima! This will be my sleeping place during my time in New Zealand. :-)

But since my money is slowly running out, I found a job on a kiwi plantation in the Bay of Plenty over the internet.

After sprucing up the car, filling it up with gas, and loading it with supplies, I was ready to go! However, I didn't want to start working right away, so I drove to the Coromandel Peninsula for three days. There, I met up with three people from the hostel in Auckland. We went to the famous Cathedral Cove and the Hot Water Beach. At the beach, you can dig holes in the sand and after a while, you'll find water that is over 60 degrees hot. There are volcanic rock layers below the surface that heat up the water. Some people bathed in the water, but I jumped out after a few seconds because the water was way too hot!

The peninsula is beautiful, but the roads are all winding, which makes driving incredibly exhausting.

In Tauranga, I met up with Pascal and Cori, two friends from home. They also wanted to start working on a kiwi farm. During our conversation, we realized that it was the same farm where I would be starting as well! At least I already know a few of my colleagues. ;-)