As we drove to Paihia we realised why most people say this is the most beautiful place in the world. Everything just looked amazing. The scenery along the way was full of beaches, mountains, forests, lakes, valleys, rivers etc. There is so much wildlife too, with many different types of birds including lots of Harrier Hawks which are just flying around hunting for prey, and lots of farm animals…. Sheep, goats, cows and even llamas. You could drive for ages without seeing another car or person.

We got to Paihia, Bay Of Islands and found a campsite to base ourselves. Then we went for a walk into the town where there are a few bars, restaurants, shops etc. As it was Sunday a lot of the things were closed but we found a pub and had a few games of pool! Then we headed to a place called Hururu falls where there is a rare horseshoe shaped waterfall - it may even be the only one of its kind. After admiring that for a while and standing in the water on top of it, we went to explore the forest next to it. We walked for about half hour through it, along a river, then headed back as it was getting dark. We cooked dinner, chilled out for a bit, then got an early night ready to drive right to the top of the country.