Mic`s OZ experience: NZ part 6 - trip to Cape Reinga

6/2:
we got picked up by the business owner at 9am to hit the road at 10am.
First stop: The Kawiti glowworm and limestone cave. We pull off the "highway" (which is more related to a "Landstrasse" rather than an "Autobahn")

little birds that were always jumping across the highway (i guess to pick up some roadkills or whatever but worth a shot)

tiny compared to the Albatros which can also been seen at Kaikura

and followed the signs but it's been really good value for a 15$ guided tour. Amazing little creatures that make u wonder when we're able to copy cut their glow effect...

thereafter we reached Pahia (link).

We already noticed in the morning that the 6th February is a public holiday in NZ. In Pahia respectively in Waitangi there is the Waitangi treaty ground /house and we found out that this is the place where "the treaty of Waitangi" (link) was signed in 1840 and thus became the "birthplace of NZ" that we know today.

Due to the upcoming dawn we decided to keep on going north to find a place to watch the sunset. By accident we ended up in Whangaroa where a beautiful scenery showed up. Again we accidently took the "wrong" road and folowed the scenic drive that led us south but turned out to be truly worth it.

We spent the night in the car next to the beach of Te Ngaere where I'm writing this down on paper...had a nice sunset dinner before I said good night to the waves, stars islands and Lena!

7/2:
We started the day quite early in the morning at around 6:30am. "Sleeping" in this tiny car's been astonishingly comfortable albeit it cooled down a lot during night what disturbed our night's sleep and kept us shivering and thus awake...anyway we followed the highway and got to the most northern point of NZ, Cape Reinga, at noon to soak up the landscape and take a couple of nice shots.

Shortly after we hired a bodyboard to go sand dune surfing respectively sliding.

As a result we were looking forward to the ocean at the ninety mile beach (link - it's actually only 55 miles long but who cares) to wash off the sand and look for nice shells. We (I) did an awefull lot of driving this day mostly on beautiful but narrow, twisted roads (shame that it probably won't match our budget to rent a motor bike). We passed a toilet house designed by Hundertwasser!

We saw the biggest existing Kauri tree called Tane Mahuta (link) which is estimated to be between 1250 and 2500 years old!

This particulary tree was also the ressource for the famous Maori canoes and the burned bark was used for tatoos (from the Polynesian word tatau which is supposed to be derived from the sound that was made while doing it traditionally --> ta tau, ta tau, ta tau). This day we slept at Pakiri beach (link).

8/2:
Thanks to the cold (hey we're having summer, haven't we?!?) early again. Good thing about it: we had the chance to watch the sunrise and this is just a totally different thing...

also we witnessed a Mini Cooper advertisment film shot right next to us before we drove a couple k's to Leigh (link), have a breakie and hired a snorkeling gea plus a little oxygen tank to have a look at Goat island's marine life and relax on the beach.