Camper life begins...

After saying goodbye to Emma around noon on December 28th, we headed west to explore the other side of New Zealand. The Whatipu Campground was going to be our first campsite. Located on the west coast, about the same distance as Auckland, and just a 5-minute walk from the beach.

After a one-hour drive through dense bushland and on partially adventurous gravel roads, we finally set up our brand-new tent on the expansive campground. It went smoothly, except that inflating our 2 x 1.50 m air mattress with a manual air pump took some time. But once it was done, we had a luxurious sleeping spot in the tent!

Surrounded by huge wooded hills and the sound of the sea, we cooked our first camping dinner in the evening: pasta with tomato sauce - a classic backpacker meal! :-D

The next day, we explored the nearby caves (which turned out to be less spectacular and more like larger holes) and the beautiful rocky beach with black volcanic sand and wild surf.

After the second night, we decided to move on. Not without a lesson learned: earplugs are a camper's best friend. Whether it's screaming children or birds that love to sing right next to the tent - earplugs will make the night yours.

The following day, we arrived at an Airbnb accommodation in Kaipara Flats. We spent a peaceful night there in rural seclusion and finally had the chance to take a shower. It had been so hot in the last few days!

We spent New Year's Eve in a rather unspectacular way in the backyard of a hostel in Waipu, which was just big enough to accommodate a handful of tents. We had hoped for a friendly atmosphere, but instead found mostly eighteen-year-olds with a great thirst for alcohol. So, we spent the evening just the two of us and treated ourselves to dinner at the Indian restaurant around the corner.

The next day made up for the previous one with the Scottish Highland Games taking place in Waipu. We were able to witness various sports disciplines on a huge field. However, the festivities came to a sudden end in the afternoon due to heavy rain. Since we had a long way to go to the next campsite, we bravely plunged into the floods on our way back to the car. When we arrived soaking wet, we wondered if it was a good idea to spend the night in a tent on a campsite.

As it continued to rain heavily, we decided to spend the upcoming night in our car instead. Still in the rain, we headed to one of the free parking lots where camping is allowed for only one night. In the evening, the weather finally improved and we could sit outside for a while. With a beautiful view of the sea and surrounding hills, we let the day come to an end. However, spending the night in the car was not as comfortable as we had hoped, as we tried to sleep on the flat-folded front seats. But for one night, it was somewhat okay and, above all, dry!

The next day, we were officially on our way to Whangarei, to the campground we had chosen in advance. The best part about it: a communal room with a refrigerator, cooking facilities, a foosball table, dartboard, piano, guitar, and stereo system. In addition: three warm (!!!) showers, a washing machine, and a great view of Whangarei, the green hills, and the sea from the campground. We set up our tent under some trees and bushes, as the weather was expected to get worse again. The following day, on the recommendation of Chris, the campground owner (who, by the way, is Swiss), we embarked on one of the most beautiful hikes we have done so far. The Busby Head Track led us about 3 km along the coast, partly through dense forest and past former gun emplacements (which only fired three test shots ever) and WWII observation posts. Along the way, we had a great view of the sea and the coastal rock formations. The highlight of the loop track was the stop at Smuggler's Bay, an almost deserted bay with white sandy beach and crystal-clear, but very cold water. Of course, we couldn't resist going for a swim!

The following day had one thing in store for us: rain. The original plan to continue north had to be postponed as it was pouring down. Fortunately, we didn't have to stay in the tent during that time, but could use the communal room instead. We spent the whole day there as it continued to rain. In the end, we still had a great day, as we got to know three guys from Dresden who were stuck in the communal room with us. We had a lot of fun playing countless rounds of Skip-Bo and Rummy. In fact, the entire communal room was mostly occupied by Germans. Only in the late afternoon did a few French people join us.

To make matters worse, a massive storm started during the night, which caused some concern for us as our tent was set up under trees and bushes. We managed to get through a sleepless night, but unfortunately, the French had some bad luck: a fallen tree ripped off their car's side mirror! However, all tents and other cars remained intact, luckily.

Nevertheless, for the next two nights, we preferred to book a solid accommodation. A cute caravan in Kohukohu suited us just fine. After breakfast and saying goodbye to the guys from Dresden, we continued our journey north. Upon arriving in Kohukohu, we found a sympathetic "hippie paradise" with nice people and various houses in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, the rain followed us here as well, and we were glad that we didn't have to spend another night in the tent in this weather.

The next day, we decided to visit the largest and oldest kauri tree in the world - "Tane Mahuta" (Guardian of the Forest). Upon arrival in the rain (which was nothing new), we were quite disappointed. A very short path led the crowds of tourists only about 50 meters to the tree. One-way only. No loop track, nothing. And among all the other tourists, there were two Asian tour groups who lived up to their image. Taking a photo was a challenge with all the wild snapping. Conclusion: too many people for a not so spectacular tree. Nevertheless, we were not too upset. If we hadn't been there, we would have thought we had missed something.

After breakfast the next morning, we headed to Kaitaia (for shopping and laundry) and continued north towards Pukenui, to the Utea Campground. The final stretch to the destination was once again adorned with a gravel road. Endless dust and our car turned into an absolute dirt spewer. But on the way, we saw a lot of wild horses right by the road, which people later told us was a rare sight! In the next few days, however, we saw them several times.

Finally, we arrived at a comfortable campground with warm showers and very nice people right behind the dunes of Ninety Mile Beach. The spot where we set up our tent was nicely protected from the wind and even allowed us to hang a clothesline from the roof racks of our car to the nearest tree. Convenient for wet bathing suits and towels!

The next day was finally the day: we drove to Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of New Zealand. This place has a special meaning for the Maori, as according to their belief, it is where the souls of the departed begin their journey to the afterlife.

The view from Cape Reinga was truly wonderful. By the way, this is where the Tasman Sea meets the South Pacific, which can be seen from the different currents of varying brightness. Apart from the beautiful view, the cape was quite crowded with tourists. On the way back, we visited the huge sand dunes (Te Paki) located at the northern part of Ninety Mile Beach. We felt like we were in a desert! Sand as far as the eye could see, and behind every dune, even more sand. We had a lot of fun walking around in this oversized sandbox. It was truly impressive! Next stop on the way back to the campground: Spirits Bay. The special thing about this beach (besides its general beauty and seclusion) is the sand. Or rather, the fact that the beach is not made of sand but millions of tiny shell fragments. The entire bay is covered in them. The waves were incredibly high here, and the water was cold, but we couldn't resist taking a dip. There was no chance of slowly wading into the water. With the first wave, we were completely soaked. 😊

We ended this fantastic day watching the sunset in the dunes of Ninety Mile Beach - practically our home beach right behind the campground.

We spent day 2 at the campground and took a detour to the beach next door. We had to go for a swim at Ninety Mile Beach. When we returned, many new arrivals had come to the campground. Among them were some hikers who were walking the Te Araroa trail. This hiking trail spans from the North to the South Island of New Zealand and covers a total distance of 3,000 km. Some hikers were planning to complete the entire trail, while others only wanted to do a section. We were very impressed by their endeavor but at the same time, grateful for our car.

On day 3, we said goodbye to the Utea Campground and drove along the beach back south (Ninety Mile Beach is known for being used as a road). It is quite special to drive directly along the beach with your own car! After about a twenty-minute tour, we turned towards the Karikari Peninsula. There, we visited Maitai Bay, one of the most beautiful bays we have seen so far. In the crystal-clear water, adorned with some rocks, we saw many snorkelers. After a (again, very cold) swimming stop, we headed to Awanui as we had found one of the coveted free parking spots there through the Campermate app. Sleeping in the car, part 2.

We expected a usual small parking space and hoped to find a spot at all. Surprisingly, however, we found a huge meadow, including some shady trees and dense rainforest all around. Special highlight: in order to reach the toilets, we had to wade ankle-deep through a river. Annoying when it got dark, but nice when we could use the ice-cold water as a wake-up call in the morning! However, after two nights, we still cannot recommend sleeping in the car. But occasionally, it saves a few dollars and is at least financially worthwhile.

Now it was already January 11th, 2018, and we had four more days until our first job. From January 14th to 23rd, we were going to do WWOOFing with a family on a farm near Whangarei (more about that in the next post).

We spent the remaining three nights until the start of our work on a campground called "The Farm". The name said it all: a huge property with cows, horses, dogs, cats, and three tame little pigs awaited us. We had a great and, above all, shady spot for our tent and enjoyed the comfort of the facilities. A huge, rustic kitchen and a long cozy veranda invited us to sit together. Here, we got to know Adrian (a Frenchman who lives and works in Frankfurt/M.), René and Anne from near Mannheim, as well as Niko and Meike from Gothenburg. The latter also spoke good German, as Meike originally comes from Cologne and Niko had taught her a lot. After fun and lively evenings, we now have an invitation to Sweden for 2019! 😊

The next day, thanks to Adrian, Philipp became a sports photographer for the first time! At Elliot's Bay near our campground, he wanted to go surfing and asked Philipp to take some photos of him. We gladly agreed. On the one hand, we could observe an experienced surfer, and on the other hand, Philipp could further develop his photography skills. With great success! Adrian spoke about the great pictures he finally had of himself surfing for the entire evening! 😊

Another highlight of our stay: I had the opportunity to go on an evening horse ride. We walked only at a walking pace, one behind the other, accompanied by two experienced riders, across the vast farm property. Past cows, through a part of the dense rainforest, and a small river, up and down the hills. In the light of the sunset, it was a great experience! (Besides, I had the most beautiful horse of all! :-D)

Tomorrow will be our first day in Hukerenui with the Williams family. We are excited to see what our WWOOFing time in Hukerenui has in store for us.