Tane Mahuta and sooo much beach

Hello my dear ones,

a few days ago we went to the Waipoua Forest so that I could finally admire Tane Mahuta. After wondering why we had to go through a 'cleaning facility' and seeing security personnel near the tree, I soon found out why all the fuss. At over 51 meters, Tane Mahuta is the largest kauri tree of all and is incredibly impressive. Then we continued to a short walk where we could at least hug the 7th largest kauri tree, as Tane Mahuta is fenced off.

Afterwards, we went to the Bay of Islands, specifically Matauri Bay, one of Sabse's favorite places that she wanted to show me. When I arrived there, I knew why. An incredibly beautiful sandy beach with rock formations.

To explore the surrounding area, we did an 'island hopping walk', 14 km across 4 peninsulas and two ferry rides. And once again, the view and nature are indescribable, just awe-inspiring <3

After a long struggle with myself, on the last evening I decided to complete my challenge from my journeybook and sleep on the beach. After initial doubts that seagulls would devour me or I would be run over (there are often cars driving along the beach ;), it turned out to be the right decision. Equipped with a small lamp so that I could be seen, I admired the incredible starry sky, saw two shooting stars, and even got a free fire show from our neighbors. The cold was quickly forgotten. And waking up the next morning before a dreamy sunrise was breathtaking. Sending greetings to Tau-Tau <3

Today, we briefly went to Matapouri Bay, where we actually wanted to see the Mermaid Pools (small pools amidst rocks), if it weren't for the problem with the tide. To get there, we had to walk through the water with our backpacks over our heads, and Paddy and I climbed the rocks daringly to search for them, but unfortunately, they didn't really come to light due to the tide. No problem, because everything is beautiful in New Zealand, so we went swimming in the crystal clear water.

And afterward, we actually went to our LAST destination, Auckland. Where did the time go???? We rented a super cute inn and felt a bit nostalgic that it will soon be over. Now we're sorting things out with the car sale - we were completely amazed at what and how much we had in the car XD - and enjoying our almost last week in New Zealand and making the final preparations.

Many greetings to Germany from us <3