Northland - Back in a Camper

When people are asked what is beautiful about Auckland, many answer the proximity to Northland and the Coromandel. We didn't want to miss out on that. So we rented an inexpensive car at Rental Car Village, where we could also sleep, to explore Northland.

When we set off, the rain was already back. It was gray, wet, and windy. Not really camping weather, but it didn't dampen our spirits. Our first destination was the Kauri trees. These are trees up to 3000 years old with a diameter of up to 5 meters.

But suddenly the sky unexpectedly cleared a bit. So we changed our plans and made a stop at a small lake beforehand. We were rewarded with a white sandy beach and a beautiful sunset.

The next day, we drove to see the trees. Before you can go to the Kauris, you always have to go through a shoe cleaning sluice, so that you don't bring any diseases to the sensitive trees. Very impressive when they stand in front of you. It makes you feel insignificant as a human being.

In the afternoon, we drove to the Aroha Island Ecological Center, a campsite in the Bay of Islands on a small peninsula. The special thing about this place is that it is a nature reserve and you can maybe see kiwis at night. So we set off in the dark with our flashlights with the red light (white light is forbidden) to discover one of New Zealand's national animals. Unfortunately, we were not lucky, but that's how it is in nature.

After visiting the market in KeriKeri and stocking up on vegetables and real bread (!!!), we drove to another campsite in the dunes on Ninety Miles Beach. The Hukatere Camping was beautifully situated with great infrastructure. Gabi, the owner, who emigrated from Germany to New Zealand more than 20 years ago, is a true free spirit and helps you wherever she can. In general, the campsite was full of Germans, but you have to get used to that when you're traveling. :)

From there, we took a trip to Cape Reinga, where the Pacific and Tasman Sea meet (but due to the fog, we couldn't see much - just like at home in Solothurn) and went dune surfing, which was fun.

In the evening, we enjoyed the sunset on the beach before heading back to Auckland.

Oli