Day 12 - 1,000 Curves, Rain, and a Tane Mohuta

25.11.16

Rain is forecasted for today and it's going to be a long day in the car for us. That's why we got up at 06:45 and had a small breakfast. Then we start our journey back from Cape Reigna. We make our first stop at Ninety Mile Beach near Ahipara and have brunch there.

Until then, it's mostly dry. After we set off, we see rain for the first time in New Zealand. Sometimes it's only drizzling, sometimes it's pouring. That's why we mostly stay in the Jucy and drive towards the south on the east coast. In Rangiora, we take the ferry and cross the Hokianga Harbour to Rawene. We arrive just 2 minutes before departure and during the 15-minute crossing, we meet a Swiss woman who moved here and she mistakes Marco for an American from Chicago.

One of our stops along the way is the Waipoua Forest, known for the Tane Mohuta, the Father of Life. This (very significant for the Maori) Kauri tree is about 2,000 years old and has a massive trunk, see for yourself.

We continue to Dargaville, where we make a stop at the library to use the free wifi. By the way, this route is a great way to prevent arm immobility.

Constantly turning left and right and driving hundreds of curves. Throughout the whole day, 1,000 curves are probably an understatement. Because longer, straight stretches are a rarity here.

Since it's already 17:00, we look for a place to stay overnight. In Pahi, we find a campsite on a peninsula and set up our camp. Since it's still raining lightly, we cook in the kitchen and eat in the common room. Then it clears up a bit. During our evening walk, we encounter a local couple who are fishing. We even see various schools of fish and many small jellyfish in the sea.

To be honest, this was a different day - about 8 hours and 390km of driving, a ferry crossing, and a lot of rain. But all in all, it was another great day.