The road trip begins - from Auckland to Paihia

Early at 8 our car was ready for pick up. A relatively new Suzuki Swift. With great excitement, we drove north. Between the green mountains, you feel like in the Shire. We made our first stop at Mangawhai Heads on the coast. A beach with great sand dunes. Next stop is Langs Beach. Our next stop is inland. A long gravel road leads to the Waipu Caves. With a flashlight, you climb into the cave and have to be careful not to slip on the wet ground. A bit further inside, you turn off the light and admire the glowworms around you - like a starry sky, the creatures hang from the ceiling.

After that, we drive to the Whangarei Falls - great waterfalls in the green. Before we reach Paihia, we take a detour to the Tutukaka Coast. Here you can find lonely but beautiful beaches. At Whale Bay, we walk to a viewpoint. In the evening, we arrive in Paihia at the Bay of Islands. The next day, before going to Far North, we visit two waterfalls. The Haruru Falls and the Rainbow Falls.