Northshore & Coromandel



Cathedral Cove



Well this last couple of days since Auckland has been quite a runaround! I suppose that's what you sign up for when you travel anywhere you're unfamiliar with. We staretd off right though. Our first morning in Auckland we had read a post that a researcher need volunteers for 1 hour and you'd get 40$ each. Scam, right? Nope! 40$ for both of us! He was studying how easy it is for travellers to get around with Auckland without technology, so he gave a task list and places to go and things to do, and then he followed us around and recorded everything. He bought us coffee, and then handed us each 40$ for chillin with him! What a treat that was! At this point, quick shout out to DWAINE GAUTHIER for somehow buying Milessa a gift certificate to a nearby restaurant for her birthday! When we walked in and told them we were Dwaine Gauthier's son they were so pumped since they'd only talked to him on the phone! Then, the hard part started and we picked up our right hand drive rental campervan. I thought driving in mountains was fun, but driving in the moutains crazier than anything in Canada on the wrong side is even more fun! Obviously, Milessa had her share and small panics and screams and squeals occasionally, but we managed to stay alive. The next day, we drove through Wapaia Forest, where there is some of the largest trees in the world! Kauri trees. Like, I'm talking Avatar-sized trees. Check em out. The Tane Matua, Father of the Forest, was 16.4 meters around and was about 29.9 meters tall. The other one, slightly taller but not as big around, Tane Mahuta- Lord of the Forest, was 13.8 meters around, and 51.5 meters tall. There is also quite the abundance of free camp grounds here, which is good because petrol is burning through our tank like it's going outta style. The first site was nice and quiet in a marshy area surrounded by mountains, the next was off the highway in this little gorge hidden in very thick bush. It was creepy. And there only one car there, so we contemplated gettin outta there. But, we toughed it out and stayed the night. I also had to learn on the fly how to filet a fish. A fairly fresh snapper that an old Aussie gave me with some other tips on being in NZ. We got out our camping stove, cooked up the 2 Snapper, and filetted them just like he said, and it even turned out good! The next morning we met the one other guy in the campground- Lucas, from Austria. He's been scootin around here for 6 months and he had some great tips as well. Also, hackie sacs and badminton rackets just in case we got bored. Another falls drew us in later in the day, Whangerei Falls. Unreal. Church on Sunday was also great, but there were almost no Kiwis! They were mostly from the states, or the UK. The North Shore Church of Christ. They had a very tight knit family feel and made us feel pretty welcome. The coffee they provided was also infinitely better than the instant black coffee I have been drinking every morning... Today, we made our way to Cathedral Cove. You should look it up. That, and the surrounding bay area, might just be the most beautiful thing we have ever seen. With the thick greenery, deep blue ocean, rock faces, and islands everywhere you look, it was an amazing thing to see. It was quite the hike to it, about 40 minutes, but very worth. Especially since its right on the beach and I had the glorious opportunity to break my speedo. Man do pale legs glow in sunlight. Everyone at the back, including the couple from Canada who we started talking to because they had a MEC bag and must have been from Canada, can thank Ryan Husband for the opportunity they had to see the speedo in its trial run. And here are, about to go to the hot water beach, writing to you from Tairua public library. We will try to have another post slightly more frequently than once a week! See you!



Look up. You'll see my Avatar I swear.



From the other side





Driving right











Our campervan Rocket!