We started our driving or road trip within NZ. OMG, this left-handed driving thing scares the heck out of me. So far Gary’s doing most of it while I’m navigating (reminding him to stay on the left). I did try my hand at it for a short distance, and one of the things you need to tell yourself is NOT to make any last minute decisions as I did when I saw the perfect parking spot across from the farmers’ market – not only do you have to remember that the signal handle is on the right and not the left, otherwise you make very good use of the windshield wipers (we have a very clean window), but also where the gear shift is, again on the left, not the right. So, you think after a while everything would click, and just as you think you have it all, your brain circuits go crazy. And now that we’ve been in the rural parts for the last 5 or more days, the roads are ever so winding, like a very curvy snake. Anyway, Gary’s getting pretty good at it. He likes to go fast and I like to pretend that I’m enjoying it.
In any case, we headed north first and made our first stop Whangarai (pronounced Fangaray now due to Maori tradition – wh = f). We spent 3 nights in a lovely cabin-style accommodation with a fabulous view. We went for a little drive north of here to a little port town in the Bay of Islands, called Russell, and then on the way back through the scenic route – it only took double the time on extremely narrow, zaggy roads, but of course we got some lovely scenery surprises, with amazing waves crashing against cliffs. It’s so beautiful here even though everyone keeps saying how much more beautiful the south island is. We’ll let you know when we get there.
In this post I wanted to highlight some of the funky or quirky things/places we’ve come across – I love when you come across something like that in your travels – it always makes me think why we haven’t already done it.
Auckland – Here’s a funky business idea: Smart Locker – a drop-off dry cleaning place that one drops off their clothes in one of the lockers supplied and then someone who works for the company picks up and sends you an email when it’s ready for pick up. Great for those that use dry cleaning services on a regular basis. You can’t see it through the glass, but they were the cutest little school lockers. Okay, no one steel our idea!
Smart Locker
Auckland – And although you can’t see into this barber shop, Boar and Blade, I loved how small it was (only 3 chairs and about the size of a nursery or den), and the guys cutting hair all had very cool tattoos. You can see in this photo Gary getting a cut – look at his smiley face in the mirror. His guy was really amazing and so very interesting. He was a true hair artist and not very expensive. It was a treat watching him and talking to him.
Boar and Blade Barber
Auckland – And of course food: This former little train station right in the middle of Auckland called The Station Bagelry and Bar was so cute. The toilets were downstairs where the tunnel to the train would have been at one point.
The Station Bagelry & Bar
Auckland – Food again: We didn’t eat here but walked by and just had to go in – check out the painting on the wall and the amazing vaulted ceiling. It was an Indian food place.
Indian food restaurant with Che
Whangarei – Although our little cabins that we stayed in for 3 nights are not shipping containers, they reminded me of them and I have decided when we put our roots down somewhere again I would like a small house made up of 3 or so containers – why not? Where we stayed there were two small cabins, one is the bedroom/bathroom and the other is the living room/kitchen. Really quite lovely, and of course the view wasn’t too hard to look at either. It had been raining and cold when we first arrived but on day 2 the sky cleared and voila! Can you tell I’m a little obsessed with shipping containers?
View from our cabin in Whangarai (click on photo to enlarge)
Our cabin in Whangarai
Whangarei – Again, food. Check out this funky little Cheese on Wheels truck. So many creative people! And probably different laws too.
Cheese on Wheels
Whangarei – more food: my new favourite fruit, the tamarillo, and so beautiful too! To me they tasted like a mix of passion fruit and nectarine, but quite tart. The avocados beside it were also local from the farmers’ market.
Tamarillo with avocados
Kawakawa (about an hour north of Whangarei) – Have a look at these funky toilets by Austrian architect Hundertwasser (never heard of him) – they felt like a little jewel box. Here’s some info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundertwasser_Toilets
Public Toilets in Kawakawa
We’ve just been to the northern most tip of NZ – Cape Reigna with it’s light house and spectacular views. This is where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet – there appears to be a little tension between them. But prior to that we visited the sand dunes which we both think may have been even more spectacular, and a definite highlight for us. We felt like we were in the Sahara desert but with green forests around us. It was crazy amazing. Got a good workout on the way up (very steep) and then got my 3rd ever bee sting when I was at the bottom walking in the grass in my barefeet. My bee sting history: 1st – Barbados on my nose; 2nd – Toronto on my arm; 3rd – New Zealand on my big toe. What’s next?
Cape Reigna – Tasman Sea meets Pacific Ocean
Manuela the sand dune climber
Sand dunes, just south of the cape
