Auckland, Bay of Islands, and Mangawhai, 4-1-10

I arrived into Auckland at 7:00pm, Rich (my Kiwi friend I traveled through Vietnam with) picked me up and we went out for some sushi downtown. We made a bonfire at his house later and had some drinks while catching up on what we’ve both been doing since Vietnam. It was nice to see him after being apart for a couple months.

In the morning I took an 8am bus north to Paihia, to get to the Bay of Islands. I checked into the BASE Hostel (these hostels are spread all around Australia and New Zealand) and met a group of people to hang out with instantly. We all went to the BASE bar that night, which had a sandy beach floor, and then proceeded to get nice and drunk. George, the reception guy, bought everyone in the bar tons of shots and soon the bartender, Nate, was handing out rounds too.

As it turns out, Nate, the bartender, was also the photographer for my boat trip in the morning. I went out on a 6 hour boat tour around the islands in the bay where we saw gorgeous coastlines, small islands, and about 200 dolphins that followed us as we cruised around the bay. We stopped at a quiet island for lunch and I hiked to the highest point of it which had a great scenic look-out. Before sailing off, a group of us jumped off the boat into the water from the 2^nd and 3^rd deck; I did a backflip and a couple dives and jumps, the water was freezing but it was well worth it! On the way back to Paihia we saw the “Hole in the Rock” which is a famous natural landmark in the bay.

The following day I hopped on a bus to tour the very north of NZ, know as Cape Reinga. Along the way we stopped at Puketi Kauri Forest, which holds trees over 2,000 years old in 15,000ha of land. I hugged a 500 year old tree and my arms only stretched around 1/5 of it. We stopped at Taipa Beach for lunch and mostly just dipped our feet into the freezing cold Pacific and rested in the sun for an hour.

As we made our way north we stopped at Te Paki to do some sandboarding on the massive sand dunes. We were all given body boards and began the ascent, hiking to the top. With each step I slid halfway back down, it seemed impossible to climb up. The best trick I found was to stab my toes into the sand like picks and then take another step up doing the same, it was a killer calf workout!

Exhausted, we all had to rest before sliding down. I laid my chest and stomach on my body board, arching backwards and pushed off with my feet towards the gigantic slope downwards. Our guide told us to lift up our feet and only let the tips of our big toes touch the sand, less resistance equals a faster ride. I took my feet off the sand and was FLYING down this hill! I hit the bottom, skid across the water, and thought one thing- “I want to do that again!” On my third go I took a running/jumping start and zoomed past everyone! I was half loving it and half scared for my life- it was amazing.

Wet and sandy, we got back on the bus and drove all the way up to the northern tip of NZ. From there we hiked a bit and were able to see where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. The two oceans crashed together and the white water waves crossed each other. I’d never seen anything like it and the views around were spectacular as well.

 

On the way back to Paihia our bus drove on a 90 mile beach. Apparently, our bus was a semi-truck that was converted to look like a passenger bus for these tours. So, although it looked like a normal greyhound bus, it had the super power ability to go 4-wheel driving on sand and pass every other vehicle in our way! Of the 90 miles of coastline, we drove 60 miles of it and then veered off the beach to stop for dinner, ‘fish and chips’. On the way back I half read my book and half faded off to sleep.

A Kiwi Experience group had just arrived at our BASE hostel when we got back and all of the KE backpackers went out to our sand bar to party. Kiwi Experience is a bus company that prides itself in busing around a groups of 50, twenty-something year-old backpackers around New Zealand. Kiwi Experience’s reputation is that of a party bus that takes its travelers to every great city and adventurous activity in NZ. Of course I bought a pass (while in Melbourne), but mine wouldn’t be starting for a few more days. I met a few of the KE backpackers and we had a good night out for my last one in the bay.

My 7:00am intercity bus brought me to a town called Wellsford, where Rich picked me up. His family’s beach house, “batch” as the Kiwis call them, is about 20 minutes away from Wellsford in a small city called Mangawhai. Mangawhai is a beautiful coastal town, with very little going on, but wonderful views of mountains, sand dunes, and blue ocean.

When we arrived his parents were lounging on the porch watching the sailboats and kayakers in the ocean and Rich and I headed off to hike to a lookout point nearby. We had a nice dinner at the house… it was a quiet night. In the morning Rich and I made breakfast and packed food for the day. We walked kayaks down to the water and paddled across the estuary to the sand dunes on the other side of the water. We pulled the kayaks up onto the land and then walked across the sand dunes to the other side where the Pacific was. The water was frigid and rough and there was not one other person in sight for miles. I love the feeling of being on a secluded beach and from what I’ve heard, NZ has a lot of these beaches. Unfortunately, we had to leave the batch and drive back to Auckland that evening since I was starting Kiwi Experience the following morning.

I was supposed to have another day or two in Auckland, but because of the new Kiwi Experience Winter schedule, I had to run off sooner than expected.

All I can say is, I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. Kiwi Experience, the partying and adrenaline rushes begin now!