Road Trip Week 2

Day 10 - chore day. Did laundry and organized the car. Got a great deal on a surfboard that's the perfect size for me... if I was a slightly better surfer. Oh well, I have lots of time to practice. Roamed around Auckland and then meet up with a potential travel mate. We really hit it off and will be travelling together soon.

The Auckland Sky Tower framed by an inner-city park

Day 11 - Enjoyed another hot shower at the hostel before heading south to pick up my surfboard in Hamilton. Picked it up and then went for a short hike nearby and saw a massive Kauri tree. Camped in a field near a rugby club, with my tent set up under a maple tree.

Looking up into the canopy of a 700 year old giant

Day 12 - picked up my new Travel mate Basak (Turkish name, pronounced b-aa-sh-aa-k) in Auckland and headed west to Whatipo beach. Enjoyed the beautiful black sand and saw some interesting caves. Learned that we both enjoy tea after Dinner.

First picture together as we drove out to our campsite

Re-waxing my new board after scraping all the old stuff off

Day 13 -Tried to find a hike near camp but nearly the whole forest was closed off to control Kauri dieback. Found a lookout and got a great view of the harbour. Pukeko kept us up for most of the night. They're a nocturnal bird and their call sounds like a scream. Went for a nice walk over on the east coast, saw a large colony of wading birds and a nesting pair of black oyster catchers. Went to camp near Whangarei but everywhere was unusually busy. Ended up sleeping in the car near a beach.

The entrance to Auckland's western harbour

Day 14 - Went straight to the beach after waking up. Swam and surfed in the morning sun. Drove north to the bay of islands and rented kayaks for a few hours. Puttered around some beautiful scenery before drying off and driving down to "The Farm". "The Farm" is a small family farm crossed with a rural hostel crossed with a campground crossed with a summer camp. 11 family members and 15 boarders take care of a herd of cows, a flock of chickens, a flock of ducks, a pack of dogs, and about a dozen goats. The place is beautiful chaos, with dogs chasing ducks around the field while children plan soccer. We were invited to listen to the campfire songs of a school group and ended up watching a firespinning routine by one of the boarders. I would definitely spend more time here if I had the opportunity.

The Bay of Islands is a real maritime playground

I don't know the normal protocol for when ducks swarm your tent

Day 15 - Said goodbye to the farm and took an alternative route back to Paihia. Enjoyed a coffee and a jalapeno Scone before beginning a long drive up north. Sam Cape Reinga and went on a small hike. The geography here is sacred to the Maori. According to tradition all spirits of the deceased travel north to this place before departing our world. Camped at spirits bay, an incredibly beautiful site with mountains rising around a gorgeous white sand beach. Took a nice swim before dinner and bed.

Walking through a small patch of burn on the north coast

Posing in front of the Cape Reinga Lighthouse

Day 16 - Woke up early for a busy day and headed towards the north Cape. Quickly learned the road is closed ed and headed to the Te Paki dunes ahead of schedule. In the midst of lush forest and ocean spray it appears as though a patch of the Sahara has been transplanted. You can rent boards to slide down the dunes, which of course we did. Featureless mountains of sand rise a hundred metres above you in every direction. It was spectacular but we called it quits before it got too hot. Heading south to see a few more things, we took a short drive out onto 90 mile beach. While it's actually only 88km long, it's also classified as a highway and is almost entirely driveable depending on the tide. About an hour after that the car began to overheat…

The Te Paki Dunes seem out of place among the green

Climbing the dunes is less fun than sliding down them

Charlie poses on 90 mile beach before his afternoon temper-tantrum