Beach over beach... and two waterfalls

So after my motivation is not so high today to write an entry, but we are in a library so I will do it quickly. There is not much to report actually, we have been busy driving and sightseeing most of the time, less activities. But now there are some pictures of most things.

First stop on the way to Cape Reinga was the 90 Miles Beach. A seemingly endless long beach (which is quite surely actually 90 miles long). It was cloudy but pleasantly warm. The rough sea whipped over the beach and you could also collect some nice shells here. On the way there, we even saw some wild horses!

Then we went directly to Cape Reinga. We made it to the northernmost point of New Zealand faster than expected and when we finally arrived... everything was misty. Unfortunately, we couldn't really see anything from the two seas or from the lighthouse, unless we stood right in front of it. Too bad. But what we did see was wonderful!

We then stopped at a campground in Spirits Bay in the evening. Sometimes you can't really put into words the beaches we have seen so far, because each one has something unique and fascinating about it. So here are just a few pictures for the vacation feeling.

The next day we continued to Henderson Bay. Such a bright turquoise water combined with small caves, which had to be discovered first... simply wonderful. Plus the next sunburn, what more could you want? In the evening, we stopped at a freedom campground at Doubtless Bay and walked to the 'world-famous' Mangonui Fish Shop, which is supposed to have the best fish 'n chips in New Zealand... and it was definitely worth it! Super fresh and very tasty. Before that, we visited a small gallery at Helena Bay, then went straight to a café in Whangarei, then we played indoor mini-golf and on the next day we went to a museum. There we finally saw kiwis! By the way, they are as big as chickens, I always thought they were small and cute... And because the weather improved more and more on this day, we made a short detour to the Tutukaka Coast (not only the name reminds of the Takatuka Land from Pippi Longstocking) and also visited the Whangarei Falls on the same day. Finally real waterfalls! In the evening, we went back to a freedom campground, right next to the Waipu Caves. These are one of the many glowworm caves. Unfortunately, you couldn't take pictures of them, but it was a stunning sight. Whole streets of glowworms! It reminded me a bit of the Milky Way.

Then we continued to (I forgot, but it was only a short stop anyway). Here we were able to shower in detail at a holiday park, do laundry and stuff. We then visited the Haururu Falls, but they weren't so beautiful unfortunately. Then it rained for the next two days and we had to find something to do. We drove to a very cute small gallery at Helena Bay, then went straight to a café in Whangarei, then we played indoor mini-golf and on the next day we went to a museum. There we finally saw kiwis! By the way, they are as big as chickens, I always thought they were small and cute... And because the weather improved more and more on this day, we made a short detour to the Tutukaka Coast (not only the name reminds of the Takatuka Land from Pippi Longstocking) and also visited the Whangarei Falls on the same day. Finally real waterfalls! In the evening, we went back to a freedom campground, right next to the Waipu Caves. These are one of the many glowworm caves. Unfortunately, you couldn't take pictures of them, but it was a stunning sight. Whole streets of glowworms! It reminded me a bit of the Milky Way.

Finally, yesterday we drove to Mangawhai to the Mangawhai Heads to do a cliff walk there. And I have to say the climb was difficult (after about 1000 steps), but it was definitely worth it for the view! Again, you couldn't really grasp these deep colors, a mix of turquoise and dark blue with beautiful picture book waves... simply dreamlike! Today we mostly drove, because we are heading towards the Coromandel Peninsula. Slowly the activities are coming, we have already booked the tour of the Hobbiton movie set, Rotorua is still to come and our first real track: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing! I hope we don't die until then, I wish you also a lot of fun and see you in the next blog entry :)