Since my last post (which was posted at the same time as this one due to a lack of internet), I have left Auckland and the temporary job and embarked on a roadtrip with an Irish girl I met my first night in Auckland. Basically I came home from work Thursday night and Angela, my Irish friend, said "I’m going to rent a campervan, want to go on a two week roadtrip tomorrow after work?" I decided to go for it. So right after work on Friday we began our roadtrip of north island in a bright orange campervan called a spaceship. We named our particular spaceship Ginger. I’m sure you’re envisioning an old Winnebago or a Volkswagen van, however the campervans here are basically regular minivans that have a bed in the back (which fold out to be full size), a baby fridge, a little burner, all the kitchen essentials we need, and even a dvd player. Check this out if you’re still curious.
http://www.spaceshipsrentals.co.nz/So here’s the rundown of our trip so far:
Day 1: After work drove down to Hamilton to stay with Angela’s friends from back home.
Day 2: Went to this beach/surfer city called Raglan. It is still spring here, not summer, so there were only a few parasailers and no surfers or even swimmers. Still, it was a really nice beach and the drive there through the countryside was amazing. It is really hilly here, and I learned that a road that appears to be straight on a map is in fact extremely windy. The Kiwis are not bothered by this at all, and still extremely fast and even pass on curves. Oh well, does make for beautiful drives.
Day 3: Left Hamilton and headed for the Coromandel peninsula. When we were driving we thought we were going through the set to Jurassic park. Lots of weird palm trees and tropical plants, pointy looking rock formations, and mountains. I looked it up though, and Jurassic Park was filmed in Hawaii…. Anyways, drove to Hot Water Beach. We walked along this beach for awhile, then checked out Cathedral Cove, another beautiful beach with this giant natural arch. (I went to both of these places the next day, so more on that later). This was also our first night actually using the campervan as a camper, and we realized that you A. Can’t just park on the side of the rode and need to stay at registered camps. B. This can expensive, so maybe it’s worth the risk to just park wherever…. This night we paid for the campground, but later….
Day 4: Walked down to Cathedral Cove again. Stunning views, looked like Thailand, beautiful day, etc. Then headed over to the Hot Water Beach. This beach is right above some underground hot springs, so when it’s low tide people start digging holes on the beach to make themselves little hot tubs. It’s the craziest thing. First, you rent a little baby shovel. Then, you have to feel for a spot in the sand that is really hot and just start digging. Pretty quick hot water will start pooling up in your hole, and ta da, you have a homemade natural hot tub. As it is homemade it wasn’t perfect, parts of ours were scalding hot, and then a foot away was pretty cold. It still worked out for us though, and we spent a while chilling in our hot tub on the beach watching other people try and find a nice spot. Pretty funny to see people just walking on the beach yelling when they walk across a spot that’s boiling.
After our relaxing day at the spa we drove further north up the Coromandel peninsula. About an hour from the point of the peninsula, the roads turn into gravel one-lane roads. This was definitely the scenic route; beautiful but kinda rough. We were constantly dodging potholes and animals (we saw cows, goats, turkeys, sheep, and a wild boar or really hairy pig), forging creeks, and hoping no other cars would be around a winding corner of the road. They also warn you that once the road turn to gravel there are no more ‘petrol’ stations or stores for food, so we had to bring it all with us. This drive was totally worth it though, probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. That night we camped at a campground again (by campground I mean they have some drop toilets and sometimes cold showers, and you just park wherever).
Day 5: The next morning we did a 6.5 hour hike up and down the mountains/hills, through sheep fields—we were on the inside the sheep fences so we often found them on the trail—through jungle/rainforest, and down by the beach. For the entire 6.5 hours with sweeping landscape views, there was no sign of civilization, minus some trail markers. Definitely amazing. That night we drove to a different area in the Coromondel, parked by a reserve area parking lot, and luckily did not get a ticket for spending the night.
Day 6: Hiked around for a couple hours in the morning and then drove to the Waitomo Caves. Here we went black water tubing. This means we wore all out wet suits, boots, and helmets with lights, and floated/walked through a cave. We jumped off little waterfalls with our tubes, climbed rocks, went through rapids, etc. We had only our little helmet lights for most of this, but we even turned those off at the slower spots because the caves are known for their glowworms, which you only see in the dark. They are these tiny green worms that glow, obviously, and in the dark they look kinda like stars. After the 3 hour tours they have nice hot showers for you (good since we are camping….) and free bagels and soup.
Next we drove to Mt. Manganui, which we thought was a mountain. When we got there we realized it is in fact a beach town with a large hill. Oh well. We again parked in a beach parking lot along side other campers, and enjoyed another free night.
Day 7: This would be today. I am in Rotorua at the moment. This place is known for extreme sports and expensive Maori cultural experiences, neither of which interest Ang and I. So therefore we are on the internet for the first time in a week typing away.
Next up will be Taupo, Mt. Tangariro, Ohakune (Mordor from LOTR), Napier, and Finally Wellington. I think when I am in Wellington I will look for a job and stay put, but who knows.
