The Northisland – our Way 
Here you can follow our route on the North Island
Link to the previous page nz-north island-1-e
Orakei Korako
Then, thanks to „Loney Planet“, we made a detour to Orakei Korako, (the Hidden Valley) „without question the best thermal area in NZ“. The place is very remote and can only be reached by boat and is managed by the Maoris. I’ll try to translate the description: „A place of astonishing beauty“ – a spectacular geothermal attraction located between Taupo and Roturua. The large geothermal field runs into the Waikato River at Lake Ohakuri.
A landscape of ever-changing beauty, this valley presents thermal perfection.
Orakei Korako thrives on the overflow of the terraces, which disappears bubbling into the lake below. Unimaginable, bright colors, gurgling mud holes, hot springs of volcanic origin and a rare geothermal cave. A hidden valley of extraordinary natural beauty.
One of them wrote: „You may travel the world, but you won’t see anything better.“
It is an unreal, colorful natural spectacle, and the thought that it is only a few centimeters/meters under your feet to the glowing core of the earth makes you take every step with caution. The splendor of color there is actually unimaginable – until you experience it with your own eyes. -G.)
Coromandel
The next day we caught up on Coromantel. Out early and off we went. The hot beach was quite an experience. From 2 hours before low tide until 2 hours after, everyone runs to the beach to dig large holes loaded with spades into which hot water from an underground spring runs and lie down. We just managed to catch the last bubbles before the tide washed everything away. It is very entertaining and everyone gets talking to everyone else and some springs are so hot that you almost burn your feet.
We then walked around the rest of the peninsula and were happy that we were able to do so. The area left us in devout silence and this time we were speechless as we took in creation.
…..and now the most important thing :
Hobbit und The Lord of The Rings
Now it’s Hobbit’s turn and the Lord of the Rings. On the way to Matamatu we meet
Hobbit at every turn. We ignoramuses (we are also very embarrassed by now) try to find the Hobbit movie somewhere here, after our idea of the movie and Lord of the Rings is constantly running somewhere here, e.g. in Australia the „Never, Never“ movie ran daily in a restaurant near the venue. There wasn’t even a video to be found. So no quick catch-up and information. And although we weren’t allowed to get caught up in the fever, we decided to make the detour anyway and watch the whole thing from the outside. By the way, we got the video here in the souvenir store, but by then it was too late to be infected. So, what’s going on is incredible. There are queues and I don’t know how long some people save up to get there with their children.
And it’s true – along the way we found strange creatures hiding everywhere to avoid being discovered. We tried to capture a little of the atmosphere, but actually the entire islands with their various bizarre landscapes are mysterious living environments and an orc can hide behind every tree and rock. Oops – luckily we were spared…… -G.)
Kawakawa
Further north. After-work traffic on Friday through Auckland. — A disaster. But somehow we made it after hours. And Gerhard wants to stay for 4 weeks ???? Today is an exception because of the public holiday. (Man) (…well – hope dies last – or so… -G.)
Then we went to Kawakawa, you can’t miss out on toilets by Hundertwasser. ( but of course we didn’t disdain others either – but now also with „pleasure“…… -G. )
Hundertwasser lived here for 23 years until his death. For him it was the paradise he was looking for. Well…. – I couldn’t find out what motivated him to design toilets of all things, there was no tourist information and the museum was closed because no volunteers were available. Perhaps they are also angry because they do the job on a voluntary basis and the city has just started building a Hundertwasser Center for a few million.
There were several stores that bore his signature and the steles that are so famous of his are clearly Maori inspired. One small store sold pictures and books by and about him. I was able to have a little chat with the owner, who knew him personally and lived near him.
The most impressive thing, however, was a large mural created by pupils from the local school, inspired by Hundertwasser’s art and underpinned by the artist’s words of wisdom.
Kerikeri
We ended up in a beautiful (oh God, how many times have I used that word here, but I can’t help it, it’s just the way it is) park. Kerikeri Heritage area. Enjoyed a beer in the evening (we’ve never been this close to a pub before).
The whole thing is a former mission station. Founded in 1823 to supply rifles to the Maoris. Fits. (The so-called „Stonehouse“ has been used continuously since then as a store with different owners and offers. Today you can still buy many unusual and special items of every color there. -G. )
I’ve since found out that the Maoris thought they were giving the land as a fiefdom, because they, like the Aborigines, didn’t know that land (a piece of the globe) was owned by name. It’s actually absurd, if you think about it properly, I’m becoming more and more aware of it on our travels, but we were still very proud to call a small piece of the earth our own, but when you drive for miles in some countries and can’t get out or can’t look out for the next mountain because everything is fenced in, according to the motto: mine and others, who are just as earthlings, are never granted that. Yes, that’s what you call civilization.
There are 3 waterfalls nearby, one of which we visited yesterday, the second one appealed to us because it ended in a swimming pool.
But in NZ, kilometers are calculated differently and so the journey was once again significantly longer. If we had known that, we would have taken the van. But this way it was a double pleasure to jump into the fresh water.
We then went shopping in Kerikeri and filled up the water tank, which is now quite difficult as there are problems with the water supply. You are obliged to carry water with you for 3 days, but this is not possible. The taps for filling up the tank are usually turned off.
We were really looking forward to Doubless Bay, but this time we were caught out and instead of basking in the sun, we arrived at our van after a walk along the beach, dripping from a rain shower.
Cape Reinga
We wanted to set off very early for Cape Ringa, the northernmost tip of NZ, as overnight accommodation is hard to find there, so we wanted to get there and back in one day.
And then 1. we overslept and 2. we could hardly tear ourselves away from the „most beautiful headland“.
The Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea at Cape Ringa and once again we had such great weather that you could see it.
According to Maori legend, this is where the feminine meets the masculine, they first fight with each other and then unite in the dance (of the waves). In addition, the deceased souls find their way to the afterlife here and are asked not to eat or drink anything on the way. As we approached the cape we saw light clouds of smoke, as we got closer we realized that they were like small veil clouds that passed by very slowly and again and again a very light structure came floating by: If I were a Maorin now I would be convinced that these are the souls. In any case, I’ve never experienced anything like it and honestly? I am convinced too!
What we had saved for the way back was gone, but we didn’t want to miss out on the sand surfing on a high sand dune. Were we unlucky or is that not possible? About 10 people tried in vain to get their boards to slide. But our vacation acquaintances wrote that they had done it ?????
We did make it to Ahipara, the last place where you can still get to Ninety Miles Beach, which is incredible. You could see as far as the eye could see along this beautiful, secluded beach. We also went for 2 days of long walks there.
But you can also get very cheap houses with all-round lake views here. The open construction also prevents a bit of drifting sand from settling. -G.)
Continue by ferry across the fjord and enjoy a swim in the fjord in Opononi.
We decided on the west coast and then the :
There are a couple of cows in the pasture, otherwise – not much to see.
The meadows are yellow, the hills brown, otherwise – there’s not much to look at.
Sometimes a sheep starts to moo, otherwise – not much to look at.
Two cars come towards us, otherwise – not much rain.
They’ve knocked down a lot of trees, otherwise – there’s hardly anything to look at
After a few hours there is greenery, we can now see forest and not just cows.
We marveled at the oldest Kauri tree in the Kauri Reservoir after cleaning and disinfecting our shoes, as these trees are infected by a virus that causes them to die. This tree is estimated to be 2000 years old. 2000 years and a new virus brings them down…..
Some Kauri forests are already closed to visitors. In the past, these trees were cut down on a large scale for industrial purposes, this one has probably been forgotten – what luck, because the energy that such a tree or old untouched forest radiates is worth preserving. That is probably what we feel when we walk through such an old, untouched forest. ( In general, I had to thoroughly revise my idea of a tree. I only knew straight, small and almost boring trees. Now I realize how lively and life-affirming trees – or are they mutated shrubs – really are, how resilient and, especially in the rainforest, how sociable with the other plant creatures. -G. ) Now even Gerhard is starting to wax poetic, how nice.
What always amazes us are the huge trees, which must be very old. It is often pointless to take photos, they don’t show it in the slightest, they simply lack three-dimensionality. Giant trees clinging to a cliff face that has been washed away by the sea in order not to be torn away. These giant trees form spurs that are unbelievable in order not to topple over; you stand in front of them shaking your head. Then there are the hollowed-out trees in which you can sometimes stand, where only the bark remains, sometimes burnt out and the crown of the tree is green and growing as if to show us that nothing can stop us from continuing to live. Then there are the crooked, old ones, covered in thick warts, which give the impression that they have given themselves over to clearing the earth of all garbage. Then there are the dead-straight, upright-growing ones with very smooth, shiny trunks that stretch upwards as if they want to reach the sky.
Some of the trees stand at a 45° angle and don’t tip over. We saw a whole avenue where the trees were growing at an acute angle because the constant strong winds prevented them from growing upright. But they didn’t fall over. But these old, gnarled, crooked, thick, hollow trees with trunk-thick branches that grow more than 5 meters horizontally to the side have a great fascination for us. We often stand in front of them and just marvel at them and marvel at ourselves that they don’t let us go.
In 8 days‘ time, we hand in our van in Auckland. We are desperately looking for affordable accommodation in Auckland and are much too late. In the evening we at least want to treat ourselves to a beer. Not a pub in the whole town. The west coast is almost entirely an alcohol-free zone. But even so, alcohol is banned throughout 
NZ on the beach, at indoor and outdoor concerts, in parks and other places, there aren’t even any bottle stores.
But there are 3 OP stores within a short distance. It took me a while to find out what this means: Oppunity – as much as a stroke of luck. Many organizations have a second hand store like this and it’s always fun to browse. I treated myself to a dress for $3 – otherwise there’s nothing to do here. We have to leave everything we buy here, which becomes a problem at the end, especially with the shoes.
We continued along the west coast, albeit not always passing so many spectacular places. But the landscape and the views on offer were once again fascinating for us.
It’s impressive that the old trees are often preserved and then a traffic sign is erected instead. -G.)
Swam in a freshwater lake for the first time today and had a long swim, as there were finally no waves and we had the whole lake to ourselves.
Kawaika
We ended up in Kawaika, where the tennis club had kindly opened up its parking lots for overnight stays in the evening. The place is very meaningless but then our omnipresent curiosity led us to discover a diamond during our evening walk. An estate called Eutopia initially led us to believe it was a residential community. After a closer inspection, we were surprised to discover that there was a café behind it. We had to have breakfast there and find out more about it. Unfortunately, the owner wasn’t there but a local was able to tell us a few things. The whole place was obviously inspired by Hundertwasser but wasn’t as colorful and homogeneous. I liked the style better. Incidentally, these colorful Hundertwasser columns are clearly influenced by the Maoris, which is not surprising after 23 years of living in NZ.
Auckland
Landed in Auckland. Found accommodation at the last minute, far too expensive and without cooking facilities, if you exclude the microwave as a „cooking facility“. We quickly cooked a pot of noodles in the van and now we alternate between noodle salad and potato salad after finding tinned potatoes and it tastes amazingly good. Sometimes we also heat a tin in the kettle. We have become very inventive.
I absolutely can’t get to grips with this city. Gerhard actually wanted to stay here for 4 weeks, but we decided to rebook and after the flight and accommodation in Perth were sorted out, we only stayed for 14 days.
Auckland is home to 2/3 of all NZers and the city is built in the narrowest part of NZ, i.e. not only rush hour traffic is squeezed in and out (a middle lane on the highway is opened depending on the situation) but everyone who wants to go from north to south or vice versa has to squeeze through the city.
Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand and is located on the narrowest point of land on the North Island, criss-crossed by fjords and bays. These were formed by volcanoes, as Auckland lies on 53 volcanoes that are no longer active. Around 1.6 million people live there. Auckland has harbors to both oceans, the Tasman Sea and the Pacific. Around 20,000 Maori lived in the area before the arrival of the Europeans. In 1840, the city was declared the capital by the British governor. Wellington was then declared the capital in 1865. Chinese immigrants make up the largest part of the population, ahead of Indians and English. Auckland has the largest airport in New Zealand and is the financial and economic center of the islands.
Here, too, a bridge has been built that cannot deny a certain proximity to the Harbour Bridge in Sydney. The bridge was opened in 1959 and is one of the most important transport links.
Thousands of yachts are moored in the harbor area next to the city, which do not necessarily bear witness to the poverty of their owners.
There are many bus routes in the city area and our beloved double-decker buses can be found again. There is a rail connection to Wellington and thus via ferry to the South Island. The suburbs of Auckland are connected by suburban trains.
The city is particularly memorable for its countless construction sites. A metro is currently being built which will turn the current terminus station into a through station with a closed ring. A similar arrangement to that which exists in Sydney. But even where no metro is being built, roads are being enlarged, altered or newly built. The navigation system had considerable problems finding the directions on the many newly built roundabouts.
But as in other cities, I also visited the technology museum here. There were some older streetcars on display, but they had already been decommissioned in the 1950s.
In an engine house, the steam engines were still kept running on coal for demonstration purposes.
There were some houses from the Wilhelminian era with furnishings on display.
Almost all churches in the surrounding area look this cute, no matter which „club“ they belong to, sometimes different directions alternate weekly or they belong to one „club“ for a few years, then another, God certainly doesn’t care anyway, the main thing is that people behave lovingly. In the end, most of them remain empty at some point and are then used as residential buildings, stores, cafés or warehouses. That’s a strange feeling. Whereby a cafe or bar comes closest to the whole thing.
An old streetcar took us to the Airplane Museum, where the large flying boats that flew to Fiji for quite a long time were on display…
….and back on the streetcar because the Train Museum is closed, at least to see the model train. -G.)
After hanging out for a while to give us time to digest all the experiences, we rented a car for 4 days. The first day we set off to visit the Waitakere Regional Park near Auckland. Many public names are in Maori and English and it is often confusing and even at the tourist office they are sometimes overwhelmed. Once again, we didn’t miss out on anything and although we were late again, we didn’t miss the chance to explore the last corner.
Would it have been better not to do it? Until now I always thought Gerhard was the greatest and then this :
…the little one there…
In the meantime, Auckland has merged with other cities for miles, and the beaches, parks and forests are getting smaller and smaller. You have to drive quite far to find a beach without a city behind it. We landed on a peninsula, and towards the end it was almost deserted. The last tip was a restricted military area and there were warnings about shooting. So we were glad to hear the announcement: No shooting today, it was Sunday. Otherwise, it was a beautiful spot and on the other side of the peninsula we swam extensively in calm seas.
On the last day, it looked pretty much like rain. Rain jacket on, hiking boots out and off we went again to the peninsula, because we had discovered a path there that looked very scenic. After leaving the disinfection facilities at the entrance behind us, we set off and didn’t regret coming here again. The waterfall was dry but still looked very romantic and the path went through a piece of rainforest again. The rainforest is also very fragmented here, but once you have caught a piece you are in another world in no time at all, just a small piece away from the outside world and yet in total strangeness. And every piece of forest is different, allowing you to discover something new.
Don’t imagine it’s so easy to sit on the thin edge!
Our time in New Zealand is coming to an end. We visited the highest mountain in the Auckland metropolitan area and reminisced about the past.
In total, we drove around 8500km on both islands in our campervan and experienced the beautiful and interesting places – but there was still plenty to explore. So back above the clouds towards Australia…. -G.)
We landed in Perth on February 23rd, picked up our car for 4 days and drove straight past the storage unit to take a look at our things. We had actually planned to break up the storage, let’s see how we manage that. First of all, we’ll take everything we still have from the motorhome to the seller, maybe he’ll go away sooner if we don’t keep anything back. We didn’t hear anything for a long time, despite asking. And ……es turned out to be sold long ago !!!
We are in our „old“ accommodation with a proper kitchen for 4 weeks and are in the process of planning the rest of our trip. We first bought an inflatable globe to get a better overview of everything and that was a good idea.
We’ve extended for another week and are flying to Bali on March 30. We’ll spoil ourselves again there. Until then, we hope that we manage to resolve our storage issues. My silk blanket is already hurting me, maybe we should have flown to Canada or the USA first, where we would need more warm clothes, and my cashmere cape, and my nice cozy warm pyjamas, Gerhards we have already left in NZ and some other things that no longer fit in the suitcase.
As far as the coronavirus is concerned, we have a ticket for Bali on March 30th. We are now in Perth, letting everything come to us, but after Bali we want to be really pampered again with massages, foot care, manicures, swimming every day and enjoying the constant warmth.
We are not afraid of the virus, after all only old people have died here, the problem is that we don’t know how it will develop and how do we make it clear to the immigration authorities that the age in our passport doesn’t match ours?
But I suppose you’re not going crazy either. The most incredible things happen here. Toilet paper in particular was sold out in no time at all, people were literally fighting over it. Now many have realized that they have no more money and want to return the toilet paper, but the supermarkets refuse. What’s more, if they can buy less food as a result, they now need even less toilet paper.
As I’m writing this, the news comes through that Bali is now also under quarantine. So nothing for now. Our supermarket now opens an hour earlier in the morning so that the seniors can go shopping (???), Gerhard gets his hair dyed (first the virus and now this too…, we don’t miss anything -G.) so that he doesn’t stand out so much, we don’t want to go shopping until the afternoon, after all it’s a long way (by bus). Apart from that, Western Australia is still quite untouched.