Chapter 5: Tauranga and Auckland

12/11/19

I leave Rotorua behind and go back up north directed towards the coast. The friendly driver takes me and 3 other people on an otherwise empty bus through the land of 18 lakes. The glowing hills give place to multiple kiwi fruit plantations. One kiwi a day keeps the doctor away! But not today! Apparently its not kiwi season yet so we have to do with avocados in the meantime.

I am heading for the coastal city of Tauranga. The reason I am here is because of Kate who kindly will provide me with a ride back to Auckland tomorrow. After showing me around town (finally a place where you can eat normal bread), we split ways and I check-in into my new hostel. This city is known for its surfer waves so I am heading to the beach fast. Hooray, I can scratch of swimming in the Pacific ocean of my bucket list. Next will be the Tasmanian sea but that should be for later during the vacation. Subsequently, I decide to climb Mount Maungaruni, 300 m above sea level. The views are magnificent yet silencing at the same time . The plume of White Island is visible from afar showing the tragedy that unraveled a few days ago.

I make it back to the coastline and finish with some nice local fish. Not as good as the marinated swordfish in Spain but that one will be hard to top! After watching my first sunset in New Zealand I head back to the hostel. Tomorrow I get a ride back to Auckland.

13/11/19

At 10:00 am in the morning, Kate picks me up at the Seagull hostel. I organize myself to not take too much space because we will not be driving alone! Two San Diego girls are hopping along the three-hour drive from Tauranga to Auckland. The two girls, in New Zealand for an international beach volleyball tournament, are going to Auckland to meet a friend. On our way we pass several Avocado Orchards and kiwi farms revealing the full-scale fruit product. OMG guys, the avocados are pretty damn awesome here and all in all, not too expensive. You can just buy them directly from the farms here! Without any problems we arrive in Auckland! Shout out to Kate! You are a very nice and helpful person and got me closer too my driver license. We split ways and I make it to the City Lodge. After 3 days of being ‘stuck in England’, the Fedex Tracking show it has arrived somewhere in New Zealand! And finally there it is, 5 days later than expected; I will be able to start my roadtrip! I think stupidity deserves some nice food to end this all, so I head into Auckland one final night

before going into the wild.

Thank you all who made it possible to get it in New Zealand so fast!

Greetings,

That stupid dude reunited with its driver license!