Die Bay of Islands und ein blaues Auge

Von Paihia not too impressed, we hope for more from the beaches in the Bay of Islands. At least the weather seems to be better again today, so we want to take a tour through the bays of the Bay of Islands and then drive south, as we hope to get jobs there.

Although we have already seen enough of the beaches in the last 2 weeks, the lonely, empty beaches of the Bay of Islands are even more beautiful than the previous ones. Since there are about 150 small islands and countless beaches here, the crowds of visitors are well distributed and we have a beach all to ourselves! You just have to enjoy something like this and watch and listen to nature. We still had some time for photos...

Here you really feel like in the Caribbean! Okay, maybe the beaches there are a bit whiter than here... but it's still just as beautiful!

But with every sight we see and with every tank of fuel we need to see and admire all these things, unfortunately our wallet is getting a bit emptier. Even though the running costs for food, fuel, etc. are not as high as in Auckland (hostel, car...), it's slowly time to look for work. And it is tendentially in the southern area, around Auckland. We say goodbye to the cool turquoise and lush green and start driving to Waipu, which is a bit below Whangarei.

In Waipu we stay in a combination of bar/hotel/campsite. The focus is on the bar, which offers a few rooms in the adjacent premises and, since there is still enough parking space, also offers backpackers the opportunity to stay in the car park (why not grab the money too?). Of course, we can use the facilities of the hotel. The toilet and shower are fine, but the kitchen is dirty and rather off-putting, so we decide not to cook our own food and instead order a juicy burger with fries at the bar. That's also necessary! And to round off the whole thing, we drink the local beer. Not as good as Kölsch, but quite drinkable! That's the way to live...

The locals apparently meet here every Wednesday (it's Wednesday) and organize a billiards tournament, which we still catch the finals of. It's a clear victory for X (forgot the name, let's call him Jeff) against his competitor Y (didn't say her name). We congratulate Jeff of course and get into a conversation with him (everyone here is super friendly, open and warm-hearted). In between, we mention that we would like to watch a rugby game, whereupon Jeff immediately shows us the schedule and tells us when we can watch which game. Let's see when the next game is...Sunday! And where...just around the corner!! That was faster than expected. According to Jeff, the tickets are supposed to cost 20-25$, but...did he just mention something about free tickets he would give us? I think so. Alex thinks so too!

However, we don't get to ask for more details, because...well, I don't want to explain it in detail because it must have looked quite silly. But okay, roughly the sequence can be sketched as follows:

1. Alex and I played billiards

2. Alex unexpectedly throws a billiard ball at me

3. I don't expect it, have both hands on the cue and try frantically to catch the ball

4. I hit my eye with full force with the cue

....

Moment of shock. For a moment I thought I was blind in one eye, but fortunately I quickly register that there is still some signal coming in. I was incredibly lucky. The cue didn't hit my eye directly, but just above it, between my eyebrow and eye. We stop the game in a slight panic and unfortunately can't chat with Jeff in more detail about the rugby game, because health comes first! After cooling my eye and the little bit of blood has dried, I can see a little clearer again. Man, I was lucky. Thanks dear God or whoever.

The free tickets are still present though and maybe we will return to Waipu tomorrow (Jeff says he is at the bar eight days a week) and ask again. You can't really miss out on such an opportunity...