Great people, a rainbow, and a milk road

For a week now, we have been staying at this campsite in Kaikohe. And it's a great place to be! Despite the lack of a shower and the extreme cold at night. The main reason for this is probably the nicest campsite owners you can find.

As I mentioned before, we spontaneously got a job from the owner and in return, we got accommodation and a small payment. But that's not all! Two days after my last entry, we got another job from him: this time it's stacking firewood and building a furniture shelf in the shed. Like last time, the work is tiring but somehow enjoyable because you're creating something tangible and giving back to these nice people. Jefftwo (the owner) himself can no longer do all of this work since his legs and back can't handle it after 40 years of physical labor. So, we're happy to help!

And it seems like the two of them (Jefftwo and his wife) are really happy with the both of us...we're showered with hospitality! It all started with a box of eggs we received as a gift when we arrived (even though they were expired for 2 weeks, the gesture was excellent), then we were allowed to shower exclusively in the owners' house. As if that wasn't enough, we also received fresh and edible eggs, sausages, oranges, and homemade chocolate muffins. And as if THAT wasn't enough, they simply invited us to have dinner with them. Whoooot!

After lowering the quality level of our meals compared to Germany, we're getting a feast here! Sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, tons of meat, cauliflower, salad, carrots, multiple sauces, and a delicious cake for dessert. Mhmmmmmm, it feels good! I wonder if our stomach can even handle such balanced and nutritious food anymore...?

Later on, we found out that apparently they even prepared this meal specifically for us and didn't just invite us to eat with them. It almost gives you a guilty conscience because of their hospitality...oh, and did I mention that we can stay at the campsite for as long as we want? Unbelievable!

We decide that we can't just accept all of this without giving something in return (of course, we also worked for them, but the little work we did doesn't justify everything they do for us). During the conversation at dinner, we heard that they want to improve and make the campsite more attractive to get more campers. The two of them don't swim in money either, which makes us even more grateful and makes us wonder how we deserve to meet these people...

We decide to lend a hand! Without payment, I must say. We just want to give something back. First, we tidy up the common room, vacuum, dust, carefully place brochures with sightseeing destinations, and open a guestbook where campers can leave their feedback and tips for excursions for other campers. Then, we use the building skills we already have to build another table for the common room, which is urgently needed! The only other table can only accommodate 8 people, which is not enough for a capacity of up to 24 cars. We find everything we need in the numerous sheds and garages on the site. A pallet, a tabletop, and six sturdy wooden legs for the table. Cut to size with a circular saw, smoothed with a sanding machine, and painted with oil paint, and everything can be assembled. The result even makes us relatively proud: we have created a actually useful table that can accommodate 6-8 more people and really enhances the entire space. It's nice to have contributed to the improvement of the campsite!

I could go on and on about how good we feel here with these two and all the kindness we experience, but I think you already understand by now that we are really satisfied and grateful, and I don't want to bore you!

In between all the work and eating, we also experienced and saw some things. We drank typical Czech schnapps with Czech people, built creepy structures in the shed with German high school graduates in case someone needs to go to the toilet at night in the dark (ripped-off teddy bear head (which was already ripped off), hanging slightly from the ceiling on a rusty iron chain, blocking the way to the toilet), sat outside for hours with a Swiss couple and discussed Merkel while drinking beer, and had many conversations with all kinds of people. And, of course, we also encountered more scenic highlights!

First, there are the Rainbow Falls in Kerikeri. Similar to the Whangarei Falls in Whangarei, but bigger, more beautiful, and even fewer people!

Impressive beauty! And once again, it seems to come out of nowhere, as there are only flat landscapes and villages all around, but nothing that would indicate such large waterfalls...

During this natural spectacle, Alex even got behind the tripod and played around with long exposures. I have to say, he understands the interaction of ISO, aperture, shutter speed, etc. much faster than I did back then...Respect! And he also has the necessary eye for composition, I think Alex could still become something someday...;)
Here's the proof photo:

In the evening, after a hearty meal (I think this time it was the good old noodles with tuna sauce again), I spontaneously took out the camera again. The reason for this is the absolutely incredibly clear night sky! No clouds, millions of stars, no annoying city lights, no moonlight, and...the Milky Way! You can clearly see the Milky Way here with the naked eye! I have never seen anything like this before...

And so, I took my first photo of the Milky Way today! :) Without a spectacular foreground, but I think it's really cool! The light on the tree comes from a combine harvester or something that was operating in the neighboring fields. And the circular roof is the roof of the shed where we built the furniture shelf. So, the circle is complete...