North Island NZ Part I: 'Challenge accepted'

Helena Nijs
Jun 3
7 min read

Hello everyone!

Are you ready?! Buckle up sonny, for one hell of a ride.

Before I write down all my wild (not) stories, I would like to briefly explain the overwhelming feeling that was raging at the start of this new adventure. It started upon arrival at the airport. After twenty-seven hours of traveling, a bus driver who sent me from pillar to post, a long walk to be able to buy a bus ticket, taking another metro and for a change being sacked by the taxi driver, I swore never to take a taxi again!

New Zealand or Aotearoa as it is called , what a huge difference from most countries I have visited. Just the opposite of some delightfully chaotic, unruly Asian countries. The world here is so different: civilized, organized, rules, restaurants and coffee bars that close way too early, you name it...

That long journey had gotten into my clothes, I was suffering from jetlag and I felt alone in this new chapter. I had to recover and clearly acclimatize in this country. Going to bed early was not possible because I lay in my bed for hours brooding because of that jetlag! Gone atmosphere! For a while anyway!

Jetlag or not, I gathered my courage to visit the topics of Auckland and drink delicious coffees. Traveling is also completely different. So I took on the challenge with myself, to go on a road trip in this then unknown beautiful nature area. My temporary travel companion 'Calimero' is a black Toyota Aqua. After three days of seeing the topics in Auckland we left with 147 684 km on the mileage.

'Drive on the left, don't forget Helena' is what I repeated out loud a few times as I drove out of town. My GPS indicated the State Highway, so no toll roads for us. Not even an hour later and I was already blinded by the beauty of nature. Wow, I've seen a lot but this... is like no other country. Driving around here is driving through a thousand postcards or picturesque scenes. And this was just the beginning.

My first accommodation was in Kerikeri. In NZ I mainly booked Airbnbs because they were the cheapest. And that's how I got in touch with the people of NZ, called Kiwis. Kerikeri is located approximately in the middle of the Aupouri Peninsula at the tip of the North Island. After arriving at the Airbnb I went for dinner next to a small lake on a nice terrace on Keith's recommendation! Thanks for the suggestion Keith.

The jetlag was slowly getting out of my system but still I took the next morning to have breakfast on my sunny terrace with a delicious Greek yoghurt. Mmmm, just like home and that was just what I needed. Much too late I left for Cape Reinga, the second most point of the North Island. The drive there was fantastic! It seemed like I was driving through a movie scene. The nature here was raw and pure. The small villages looked desolate and uninhabited. As if a murderer would show up at any moment or a shooting with cowboys from the 'Wild West' would happen. Haha, still I stopped in one of those desolate restaurants along the road for a coffee 'to go'. No problem! Kiwis are very pleasant and friendly.

After two and a half hours of driving I finally reached Cape Reinga. Cape Reinga: just 'the end of the world' where the Pacific Ocean and the Tazman Sea meet. I walked to the lighthouse to be able to admire this natural spectacle. There was a special atmosphere: the wind was blowing pleasantly, the sun was shining wonderfully, and I could noticeably see the seas meeting. For the Maori it is a sacred place and this was palpable, just as if I could hear the souls of deceased Maori jumping from the Puhutukawa tree into the water to return to their homeland the Hawaiki.

Of course I couldn't help but do a little 'track'. New Zealand is known for 'track heaven'. In Aotearoa New Zealand you will find trails that are so breathtaking, that they are worth traveling for. If you have serious hiking ambitions (like me) or you just want to take a quiet walk, there is no better hiking country than New Zealand. My legs and I are going to have fun, woohoo! Let's go girl: I walked on top of those rocky hills, next to the crashing waves, surrounded by the beautiful nature with an endless view of the rough sea and the rough Te Werahi beach. Bliss!!

After barely two kilometers I plopped myself down on a lookout between the tall blades of grass to enjoy this miraculous view. Because of that wonderful nature I was back in my travel euphoria! Yes, I was completely on the right wave again!

I didn't stay long at this magical place because I still had a few hours of driving ahead of me. On the way back I bought a curry dish with pumpkin at a Mama SuS Malaysian street food stall on the coast and I caught a beautiful sunset. Just before dark I arrived back at my Airbnb.

Hmmm, finally I had a great night's sleep in my adventure. Life really stands still here at night. Everything is dead quiet, heavenly! I left around nine o'clock to visit Paihia and Russel. On the way I bought a cool bag with cool packs, a must have when you travel around New Zealand by car.

Paihia is a small village along the coast. There I just drank a coffee to take the ferry to Russel. Russel was the first capital of NZ and the first permanent European settlement. The ferry trip took about twenty minutes. Always nice to do a boat trip. The sea here is beautifully blue. We came across small rocky islands full of trees and plants. I crossed Russel towards Oneroa Bay and did a beach walk. The beach was golden pristine, there were few people and beautiful vegetation around.

In the afternoon Calimero and I headed for the Whangarei heads. Upon arrival I quickly dropped my stuff at the Airbnb to walk the ' Mount Mania Track '! This was not that long, but tough. A climb of more than two kilometers that I easily walked to the top. Wow, all that nature is crazy beautiful. And there I was again at the top of those Whangarei Heads! My energy was good and I had my running shoes on so I decided to jog this monster back down! Mmmmm delicious! I can enjoy things like this so much, a good sweat, right! After my shower I had dinner with the couple from the Airbnb on their terrace. From there we had a view of the phenomenal Whangarei Heads. And on top of that I got a spectacular golden hour! The evening was funny because those two had had a few too many. Hehe, we had a good laugh that evening.

On the advice of Eileen (from the Airbnb) I did the ' Smugglers Bay Loop Track ' early the next morning. This coastal walk runs on the other side of the Whangarei Heads through the meadow, the wild forest and on the rocky hills. Again insanely beautiful! I was a bit scared there in that meadow full of bulls. One of them followed me and even jumped. Help, I thought! Luckily my common sense spoke to calmly walk past them with a detour. Hehe hey phew, he left it as it was. From Urguharts Bay and via Busby Heads I arrived at Smugglers Beach. This beach was pure white with clear blue water and surrounded by the insanely green nature. Unbelievable how peaceful it feels here. Apart from one woman I didn't meet anyone. Great, before I could continue my ride I had already had my exercise!

It took Calimero six hours to get to Whatawhata. This is a hamlet near Raglan and Hamilton. Since I had driven for so long, I had to stretch my legs. I took a walk along the Te Awa River in Hamilton. It doesn't get dark here until between eight and nine in the evening, so it was great to enjoy the nice weather! For a quick dinner I went to get a hamburger at Burger King, something I never do. But hey, I had eaten. The small apartment where I stayed was stylishly decorated. It was wonderful to have my own place for a while and to enjoy a delicious yoghurt with fruit and nuts in the morning. Dear reader, the fruit tasted so full, fresh and pure.

Almost every Airbnb has its own plantation with herbs, fruits and vegetables. I am lucky that I got something from the garden everywhere.

Calimero took me to the 'Bridal Veil Falls' or 'Waireinga Falls' that day. After ten minutes I could see this impressive waterfall of fifty-five meters high crashing down. Wow, this was very special. Especially because it crashed down into a small round lake surrounded by all kinds of native plants and trees on the hills. From below I could experience how high it was! Magical! I also planned a visit to Te Kopua Beach. Park Calimero, hop and we were off again. Te Kopua Beach is a black stretch of beach near the mouth of Raglan. I crossed the Papahua Bridge to have a coffee somewhere. And without realizing it, I was in Raglan. This is located on the west coast and is known for its popular surfing area. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant. Thus the perfect stop for lunch . Of course I had to spot surfers at Manu Bay because this bay is said to have one of the longest left pointbrakes on a pebble beach. Yes, mega cool to see those surfers at work. Surfing is or was on my 'to do list' during this trip. But actually, I don't like doing it alone. Much more fun with more people. And since I stay short everywhere, I don't find it worth joining a group. You can't have it all, right! So I decided to drive to the 'Te Toto Gorge' lookout. That was worth it! A magnificent view from a high-in-the-air-hanging platform at the top of a steep cliff! Felt a bit scary but it was so beautiful!