Doubtless Bay - Lake Ohia

After a proper ****** night that hardly let us sleep, we headed towards Cape Reinga.

Last night, it started storming around 9 pm. A severe weather warning was issued. Of course, we were once again on our beautiful camping site, right by the sea, only separated by a small slope. Facing the front. At an angle. So, if the ground gets soaked from the rain, we'll slide right into the sea. Perfect conditions for a pleasant night.

We lay there until 1 am, it was simply too loud. The rain pounded on the roof, like throwing gravel stones on a corrugated iron roof. And on top of that, the wind was so extreme, our van shook like ships in rough waters. So basically, we felt like a lonely raft with a corrugated iron roof, floating in the vast sea under the worst conditions. Caution: The description of the situation may have been slightly exaggerated in the upper part.

At some point, sleep overcame one of us, but it didn't last long. We woke up again at 4:30 am. Panic. Cars were driving away everywhere. Is everything being evacuated here? Is the sea water already up to our tires? No, only a few campers had left to find better sleeping conditions. The next morning, we saw all the vans that had been parked next to us on a nearby parking lot. Maybe we should have done the same.

When I briefly dozed off again, I woke up shortly after. And then it hit me: Oops, our wet shoes that we wore in the caves are still under the car. I immediately went outside to check if they were still there. Yes, and the sea level is still far from threatening. Despite the continuous rain. Surprising. Just to be safe, I drove back a few meters so that at least we would be standing straight.

6:30 am, awake again. How can one sleep with such noise? It finally became a bit quieter after half an hour. But at 8 am, it started again. I was so tired that I eventually fell asleep again and slept until 10 am. Being rested is something else (Déjà-vu: flight from Hamburg to Auckland).

At around 11 am, we went to take a shower again, as we decided to continue heading north. Since there are usually only cold showers at the free camping sites, we wanted to take a warm shower beforehand.

And this is where the beautiful part begins: The road was amazing. Through old areas, where there were only cows and occasionally a farm. Then areas where you only found old, broken wooden huts (like in Western movies). Then winding paths up the mountain, with trees on both sides and occasionally rivers accompanying the roads. The view was unimaginable. Unfortunately, we couldn't stop to take a photo. Maybe on the way back.

After a 2 1/2 hour drive, we finally arrived. Almost. Just turn right once more, onto a gravel road to a small intersection. Turn right again, onto a sandy road and then... Wow. Doubtless Bay in front of us, Lake Ohia behind us. Even in relatively bad weather, it was so beautiful. We're back by the sea, with only dunes and the beach in front of us. You can hear the sound of the sea, the waves crashing, and the seagulls squawking. These creatures are following us. If we're lucky, we'll wake up tomorrow with the sunrise, which is supposed to be a real highlight here...