It was good to get out of Auckland and start to explore the wonder that is the landscape of New Zealand. It really is stunning. And it reminds me of England a lot, or rather the rolling hills of Wales. Lots of sheep and cows everywhere and just luminous green fields. (It really is a misconception these days that NZ is full of sheep, it isn't, it's full of cows - every different type that you could possibly imagine!)
There were only two others on the bus trip with me, both German, though not together. A very sweet girl who is over here before starting university at the end of the Summer, and a trainee lawyer on internship in Auckland for three months. I think there are more Germans travelling here than any other nation. It got to the point where we were laughing every time we heard another German accent.
It was nice to have a small group and not have to make too much effort getting to know the masses. Our tour guide was a nice guy too and took us to some interesting places on the way up to the Bay of Islands. We experienced our first Kauri tree for a bit of tree hugging, though you'd have to have arms several feet long to get all the way round the trunk, they're huge. We also stopped in a small town whose name I can't remember (Mauri names seem to stay in my brain for about half an hour and then I've forgotten them completely) for some Gaudi-esque architecture by an Austrian architect called Hundertwasser (I just had to Google it as I couldn't remember that either - the town is called Kawakawa). He designed some very way out public toilets.
When we got to Paihia, where we were staying for the next two days, we found out we couldn't do the dolphin watching trip planned as there weren't enough of us but we'd get a second chance on the Sunday instead before we left. So headed off on the ferry across the bay to Russell, the first capital of New Zealand. A very pretty little town with the oldest public bar, church and many other buildings as the first settlers arrived in these parts. Had a nice pint of Mac's Gold lager in front of the fire in the hotel bar, I'd really been missing a good old pub so that fulfilled that desire for a while.
After we returned on the ferry we headed to Hurauru Falls, a brisk walk through the forest and mangroves as the sun was going down. The lady at the hostel had played it down saying it wasn't anything special so we were suitably impressed with the thunderous river and rainbows created by the spray when we arrived. We didn't want to chance heading back through the forest in the dark so headed back along the road, a bit of a hairy trip with no pavements and fast cars but we made it after a hard slog up many hills.
That night we relaxed in the hot tub and devoured the bargainous BBQ on offer at the hostel before heading to a couple of pubs. Played Michael at pool and whipped his arse, surprisingly, as I haven't played in so long I can't even remember. There was even mention of it being just like Wembley all those years ago, beating the Germans (though not by me I hasten to add)!
Another early start the next day and we joined a larger party on different tours to head up to the furthest point in the North, Cape Reinga. The bus drove along 90-mile beach, we even saw a little seal pup making his way back into the sea, as well as a few vehicular casualties along the way. A stop for lunch and we were climbing the huge dunes so body board our way down the sand. Great fun though I forgot my own advice to keep your mouth shut and was too busy wailing in delight and received an unwelcome mouthful on the way down.
At the Cape we witnessed where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific and got a glance at Spirits Bay in the distance, a culturally significant place for Maoris. It's where they believe their souls go when they die, finding their way back to their homeland.
That night we headed off to the locals bar to watch the All Blacks play the Wallabies at rugby. A great game to watch with the locals as the All Blacks scored in the first ten minutes and just kept on winning throughout.
Next day we finally managed to go out on our dolphin watching trip. Though sadly we didn't see any dolphins. One of those unusual days when they don't find any. Sometimes they disappear because Orca are in the bay (it would have been fantastic to see one of them) or they just get a bit shy. We headed out to sea to see the 'Hole in the Rock', where the sea got incredibly rough. Every boat trip I take seems to get worse on the seasickness front! I felt truly awful by the time we stopped at a little island for a break and was glad to get on dry land for a while. Note to self next time - actually take the seasickness tablets you've been carrying around rather than assuming you're going to be ok!
Absolutely shattered by the time we got back to Auckland. Several late nights and annoying roommates had just about finished me off by this point. But a good night's sleep with three very nice English girls as companions later and I was setting off in my little El Cheapo car that I've hired for the next ten days. I'm now in Raglan, a totally chilled out surfing town with apparently the best breaks in New Zealand, and some of the best in the world. Tempting to have a surf lesson but I think I'll save that for a hotter climate. It was a beautiful day today so I went for a long walk on the beach and then a drive up the coast to see what else I didn't see on the walk. The sea out here seems to have its own unique colour, a green that I'm not sure I've ever seen before.
Think it might be time for the hot tub now, to rest my weary limbs...
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