פֿאַרעפֿנטלעכט: 04.10.2017
Our first slightly longer trip took us from Auckland to Waipu. We had found a free parking space on Campermate. Finding the way was a bit difficult, but after 2 hours of driving we reached our destination.
The next morning we crawled out of Roger and were immediately stared at and photographed by a dozen Japanese people. They happily went off with selfie sticks and cameras to the Waipu Cave.
We were a bit surprised when they came back after a few minutes and were no longer so happy...
While the Japanese disappeared again, we had our breakfast and enjoyed the sun.
All of a sudden, a boy came to us desperately asking for drinking water. It was Marius, a nice guy from near Stuttgart. After a short conversation, we set off together to explore the cave.
So off we went and it didn't take long for us to realize why the Japanese left the cave as quickly as possible. Selfie sticks and cameras were clearly the wrong equipment for this trip. Due to the heavy rain, the cave was very muddy and slippery.
However, it soon became clear to us why all tourists were raving about the caves in New Zealand.
When everyone turned off their flashlights, we could see the familiar "glow worms" gathering on the cave ceiling like stars and shining beautifully.
Definitely a great experience and the dirty clothes were totally worth it! In the evening, we cooked with Marius and decided to continue exploring Northland together.
The next day, we left Waipu towards Whangarei.