Over hill and dale at Lake Waikaremoana

Hello dear ones,

Today I can finally report on the experiences of the day. We woke up in the sunshine this morning. We were so surprised that at first we didn't know what to do. After we were sure that it wasn't a dream, we left the car and realized that it was even warm. We were so excited that we ate quickly and rearranged the car. Well, Lina did most of the rearranging while I changed in the bathroom. By chance, I recognized two people with whom I stayed in the same hostel in Christchurch a few weeks ago. After a short but nice conversation, Lina and I set off towards Gisborne. Along the way, we wanted to take a detour to Lake Waikaremoana. On the way there, we made a stop at Lake Tutira where we saw black swans and baby swans. The lake itself was also impressive as it lay completely still, providing a perfect mirror for the nearby mountains and clouds. Then the drive continued. In Wairoa, we stopped and asked the lady at the iSite for tips for this area. She kindly gave us some and pointed out that it would be quite sporty to drive to the lake and then to Gisborne. So we first looked at how we could do that best, as we really wanted to go to the lake. Fortunately, we had the idea to look for a free campsite in this town and even found one. We then set off for the lake. After a good hour's drive, we arrived at the lake and started exploring the Onepote Caves. These caves were not formed by erosion, but rather by huge rocks stacked on top of each other. It was a lot of fun climbing through the forest and into the caves. After we had been romping around here for about two hours, we drove back towards Wairoa. There we cooked delicious pasta with vegetables in tomato sauce at our parking spot today and then enjoyed the good weather and sat outside chatting. Just before it got completely dark, I took a short walk around the block and took some photos and stretched my legs. Now we are back in the trunk, waiting for tiredness to come so we can sleep.

Tomorrow we will go to Gisborne. On the way there, we might stop at a peninsula and go for a walk before exploring Gisborne itself. Let's see if the weather plays along and if our plan for tomorrow morning is still the same as today.

See you soon,

Your Jessi