The Bottom of the Map: North Island, NZ

THE DIARIES : NEW ZEALAND

Chur Bro Part I

We had arrived later than expected and finally got to our hotel at two in the morning, but none of that mattered because it had begun and we were now #OnTour. HELLO New Zealand! Well, I mean Hello Auckland! because let’s face it, we can’t say that until we have explored all of it.

Those first few days were crazy sorting out mobile numbers, banks and most importantly getting a car or as we now like to call it our home! After some research and travelling all around the Auckland region, we found one and now join the countless other travelers in what we like to call the “Estima Gang”. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a car but you will be surprised how versatile it is, bed study/day area and we even have a kitchen sink!!! After a day or two of shopping we had successfully “pimped out” the car and it was ready for the first adventure.

Both excited, we hit the road north from Auckland and made our way to a Orwera Bay. Thanks to lots of investigation before taking on this adventure we found out that if you wanted to stay at more locations for free we needed to be self-contained.

Monica's Pro Tip: This is worth knowing for any future travelers out there, you don’t want to get stuck with a instant fine for staying the night somewhere, otherwise that free camping … isn’t quiet free is it.

We made it to our first stop, a beautiful parking lot right on the ocean, and meet our first lot of fellow campers, and the knowledge sharing begins…. The “where have you been’s”, “what stops do you recommend”, and even some handy tips on how to save petrol #NanaDriving.

As we move up the coast, the camping spots just seem to become increasingly beautiful and we are happy knowing that we have made the right decision to go on the travel path we have taken. Having a van allows for so much freedom and to wake up to new and beautiful sights everyday is enriching for the soul. And if you don’t or do like the place, you can move right on or decide to stay a few days more.

Our few favorite spots stay so far have been Snell’s beach, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to leave this peaceful bay, so we stayed amongst the Pohutikawa trees for few nights. Kowharewa Bay was found after a long day of driving and was a piece of heaven on earth, a sheltered bay with moored yachts just sitting on the still clear waters, as the sun was setting over the valley hills.

Snell's Bay is a paradise lined with Pohutikawa trees

We have been blown away with the amount of things there are to do and see, one day you are clambering a very steep rocky cliff to reach turquoise colored mermaid pools and the next you are wading through water and mud in pitch blackness to discover the hidden caves full of glow worms that create a universe in the darkness. Not only that, just driving and taking in the surrounding scenery offers an amazing arrange of picture perfect pull offs.

Waipu Caves are a wonderful FREE alternative to the Waitomo Caves

Monica's Pro Tip: If you are not using already, make sure to download the ever handy apps offline. We use wiki camps, Campermate and Campers (Rankers). And be sure to download ALL the offline maps. These apps help you find camp sites, petrol stations, wifi zones, toilets, shower, and more. You name it and these apps have it, and the have point of interests all over so you can plan you trips to encompass all of those.

After a few days of short drives, we do a long stint and make it all the way to the vey most northern point of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. The part where the Pacific ocean meets the Tasmanian Sea and according to Maori culture, the souls of the departed leave this world to move on to the next at this very point. We were both surprised to find hardly any tourists there and managed to have the lighthouse and the point all to ourselves and were taken away by the vastness of the horizon, it really felt like the end of the earth.