From Auckland to Paradise

We finally left Auckland with our rental car. Sitting on the right side of the car and driviing on the left hand side of the road was quite a challenge. On the first crossroad where we had to turn, I activated the sweepers instead of the indicator.

We drove up north on Hoghway 1. We first thought that it is a regular highway with 2-3 lanes all the way, but after a few houres the highway lost a few lanes and we ended up on the only lane which was leading through small villages. The scenery we drove through was amazing and the weather was perfect.

After we arrived in our hostel in "Pukenui" (ca 5 houres), we checked in and went downtown. A restaurant, a small grocerystore and a lickerstore, thats all there was. It was lying just across the road from the hostel. We met a really nice couple from New Zealand which was staying in our hostel as well. they showed uss some great places to go to on our map.

The next day we went all the way up to "Cape Reinga" and stopped at Hendesron Bay which was amazing. We weren't expecting this unbelievble beauty at the cape. Cliffs, beaches and green hills. we were perfeclty fitting in with the other tourists and their obsession with taking photos. Unfortunalty, it was a bit cloudy but it still was a great feeling to witness this place.

Tomatoface Oscar and I thought that that there's no need of putting on sunscreen on such a cloudy day. Strong, handsome and intelligent men, as we are, with massive beards, muscle packed boddies and voices that even Pavarotti would be jealous of, don't need to be overly cautious. But our whimpy skin was no match for the shiny clouds.

On the way down south to our next hostel, we stopped at the great sand dunes. No one expected sand dunes in the middle of green, rolling hills, but there they were. This was located top of the ninety mile beach. Huge and sandy dunes wanting uss to slide down on them on a body board. So we obayed and had a great time on the "psycho slope", which actually wasn't that psycho.

Before we arrived at the hostel in "Ahipara", we booked a third night there so that we could have more time in this area. By then, we had no idea what a place this "Endless Sommer Lodge" would be. As we arrieved at our home for the next three days, we couldn't stope smiling. A beach hose with a big guarden, hamocks, a veranda and "heaps" of shoes in front of the entrance. The house was completly built of wood, filled with great people (mostly surfers), a cat, two dogs and a possitiv energy. The atmosphere was so welcoming and relaxed so that we couldn't believe that this "hostel", which seems more like a paradise then a simple hostel, isn't just a dream.

We met a bunch of really great, genuine guys from different places. The two surfers Cesar and Luis from Brazil, the english surfer Dan, two german travellers Sebastian and Katharina and some other people. Yesterday we took a trip to the "Waipoua Forest" to see the huge "Kauri Trees", with the two german fellows. We say the "Te Matua Ngahere" (Father of the forrest), the "Four Sisters" and "Tane Mahuta" (Good of forrest) which is about 1'200 years old. The trees were enormous (30-50 metres high).

On the way back to our home (not just a histel anymore), we were on the most weindy in the hole universe. It felt like 10'000 curves. The name of the road was of course "Highway 1"... We thought: "Highway 1? Really?!". The speed limit was 100 km/h which of course was impossible to come even close to.

Today we are just enjoying our stay at the house of our dreams and take some time to recover at the beach ;) and take a swim in the Tasmanian Sea.

After all we've seen so far, it's hard to imagine that the south Island would have even nicer sceneries than the north Island, like most people tend to say.