Day 66
So the beginning of this trip started very eventful. On the walk down to the bus I had a dramatic, clumsy fall and sprained my ankle. OUCH! Even though it hurt it wasn't the most thing we were worried about. I couldn't really walk so we needed to find a cab and get downtown asap. Race against the clock! After making the bus wait for us for 15 min we barely made it. Now, we were on a 4 hour bus ride north of Auckland. Maybe we could avoid bad weather by going to the winterless north (weird south is cold and north is warm by the way). The rest of the day was pretty boring since I could only hop around on one foot and I refused to pay to go see a doctor unless it got worse. All we did was nap and go to the hostel bar to drink beer and ice my foot.
My swollen and bruised foot
Day 67I could put some weight on my foot but it was still pretty swollen and bruising. I was determined not to let this injury get in the way of things we would have done if I wasnt so uncoordinated. All I could manage was to hobble to the beach. It felt like the hottest day we have had in New Zealand so it was a good beach day! We treated ourselves to a lunch at Cafe above the Bay and then headed back to the beach to soak up the sun some more!
Paihia beach
Today we had booked a day bus trip to take us to around the surrounding points of interest.
90 Mile Beach
First, we drove along the sand and surf of 90 mile beach. It is [the only] registered highway along the beach. Also, it is not actually 90 miles but rather 76 km? it was estimated to be this long because when a man walked a bull, that walks approx. 30 miles per day,down the beach it took him 3 days. He forgot to take into consideration that this heavy bull would be sinking into the sand and therefore not walking as far.
Te Paki sand dunes
Next stop was New Zealand's largest sand dunes to do some sandboarding. We all grabbed a board and climbed up a giant dune in what felt like a sandstorm. Can't beat an exfoliation like that! Once getting to the top, one by one we went head first down the hill. Some people were a little more extreme and did a running start but I kept it safe and slow. I wish it wasn't so windy and I didn't have a gimp ankle so I could have done more than one run!
Tapotupoto Bay
Tapotupoto Bay was our lunch stop and also the most northern beach in New Zealand. Only the brave ones went for a swim!
Cape Reinga
Pohutukaura tree
Cape Reinga is the top of New Zealand. The famous lighthouse is at the tip overlooking where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea meet. There is Maori legends surrounding this place because it is believed that after a Maori person dies their spirit passes through to the other world here through a sacred Pohutukaura tree growing impossiblily from the cliff side.
Kauri Forest
The last stop of the day was at the Puketi Kauri forest that has trees up to 2000 years old. We did some tree hugging while we were there.
Day 69
We booked another day cruise to take us around the Bay of Islands highlights. The Bay of Islands is a pretty area consisting of 144 islands. It was a another windy day in the region so the open water was choppy. Unfortunately we got on the boat with a field trip of at least 30 kids so it wasn't going to be a quiet day. Hardly 15 minutes into the trip we found a small pod of 6 bottlenose dolphins. They were very playful jumping in the wake of the boat and doing tricks like they were at Sea World. It was the best part of the trip for sure. The rest of the day was spent visiting the various islands and their caretakers, and venturing out to the iconic Hole in the Rock. We were on whale watch too because the trip the day before saw a humpback whale. No luck though! Before the day was over charlotte and i got dropped off in Russel, the hell hole of the Pacific. It was named this because ships used to stop here for all the brothels and rowdy bars. It's been a few years since then and Russel is now a quiet town. Not as good of a time anymore and not what I was expecting!
Trying to capture the dolphins jumping
Hole in the Rock
Day 70
For a place that was supposed to be in a drought it sure rained a lot. The rain must have followed us! It did get sunny and we managed to go for a walk before catching the bus down to Whangarei. The bus driver had us worried because as he dropped us off he told us we would need to know how to fight if we went out. Not to get too worried though because we had a local to keep us safe. We stayed with yet another Whistler friend, Ayla.
Charlotte, Steve, Ayla and I in the rain
Day 71-73
On these few days we hung out around Whangarei with Ayla, her boyfriend, coworkers and family. We went to Whangarei Falls, one of the few attractions to see in the area. We also crashed her Christmas party predrink where I met a contestant from NZ's Master Chef. Cool guy who wants to become a travel food writer! I want that job! We also went to Sandy Bay to go to Ayla's moms 60th birthday party. Haha nothing is awkward when free food is involved! But it really was another good day with someone else's family! On Monday afternoon we caught the bus back to Auckland and said our goodbyes to Ayla, another great hostess!
Whangarei Falls
"Take only memories. Leave only footprints." - Chief Seattle
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