To Cape Reinga in the north of New Zealand

In the pouring rain, we picked up our camper in Auckland and Thought, worse, the weather can not be yes. And lo and behold, shortly after we left Auckland behind us, the sun came out and the sky was blue. We drove through beautiful green hills- and mountain landscapes with many cows and sheep heading north. The surrounding area has very reminiscent of the landscapes in Switzerland and Austria. In between we had always views of the sea and also made a couple of nice beaches Maintenance. Our first day took from Auckland via Mangawhai Heads by Ruakaka way to Tutukaka, where we pitched in a campsite with beautiful views of the surrounding hills our camp. Many of the places here sound pretty funny for us and reminded us of Pippi Longstocking's Taka-Tuka-Land. 😉 Tatsächlich stammen die Namen aber aus der Sprache der Māori.
The next morning we drove through narrow and winding roads through the mountains and past the sea to Russell in the Bay of Islands. Everywhere you see here ferns the size of trees. In Matapouri we put a small stop and walked to Whale Bay. Whales can be seen here, but unfortunately not. Next we went to Russel, where we boarded a ferry and drove over a gravel road to the Haruru waterfalls at Waitangi. In Kerikeri we looked for a campsite in the evening and came with a beer on the 97. Birthday of Nicole's grandpa to.
We went for us north along the coast to Matauri Bay, Tauranga Bay bis hin false Doubtless Bay. In between, we made a stop every now and then one to enjoy the beautiful views. In the late afternoon we stopped in Manganui, a small fishing village and strengthened us there with delicious Fish & Chips. We drove further up Pukenui, where we stayed.
Kap Hell, the most north-western point of New Zealand, was our next destination. We walked to the lighthouse and were able to take far across the sea look. This is where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea successive. Cape Reinga is a very important holy place for the Māori, come from here the souls of the deceased their journey back to Hawaiki to. According to Māori mythology, Hawaiki is the original home of the Māori, before they went over the sea to New Zealand.