On Monday I went on a day trip up to the far north to visit Cape Reinga amongst a few other places. With about 480km of driving for the day it was an early start for a pretty full on day. First stop was the Puketi Kauri Forest where we followed this boardwalk to see some kauri trees. I have seen many of these before but the ones here were really big. We then continued along the coast which had some impressive scenery to this cafe where had morning tea. The next stop was Mangonui where we had an early lunch which was fish and chips at this world famous chip shop. The chips aren't the same as back home though. It was nice sitting by this small harbour though, despite all the seagulls which were pretty annoying.
Cape Reinga was the next stop, which is the at the end of state highway one and often mistaken as the most northern point of New Zealand. It is home to a lighthouse and signpost and is the place where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean clash creating rough waters. The scenery here was impressive with views of the coast, and the Te Paki sand dunes which we went to afterwards. When arriving at the sand dunes we were able to go sandboarding, and I typically went first and went flying into the stream and got quite wet. It was still fun though and we went down as many times as we wanted, although I grazed my arm a far bit.
The next part took us down Ninety Mile Beach which we were able to drive down. The beach is in fact just 55 miles long but it was still a vast beach, the coast to coast effectively being all sand on New Zealands northern tip. We drove the majority of the beach length before heading back onto the tarmac and down to this Kauri based place which sold many sculptures including an impressive staircase which was literally carved inside a kauri tree. It was then back to Paihia where we went down the pub for a dinner and a few drinks as it was quite a long day, and it was even bingo night which was a laugh.
On Tuesday I fancied going for a bike ride to Kerikeri to see a few of the waterfalls and historic sites. After breakfast I hired a bike and cycled along the road, first stop being the Stone House and Rewas Village which showcased an array of European and Maori history. I then cycled along the Kerikeri river trail where I visited Wharepuke Falls, Fairy Pools, and the very impressive Rainbow Falls. I had lunch at Rainbow Falls before doing quite a challenging traverse across this rock face to get behind the waterfall. I got quite wet but got behind it where a rainbow literally came out the water. After getting back I cycled to Charlie's Rock which was a popular swimming hole and waterfall before heading back to Paihia. The hostel had taco Tuesdays and it's quiz night in the evening which got interesting.
Wednesday was my last full day in Paihia, so we decided to go and walk to the nearby Haruru Falls. After having a lie in we walked to Waitangi which is where the treaty was signed in 1840 between the Maori people and European settlers. We didn't go inside the museum however, instead following this path through the woods and along mangrove boardwalks to the waterfall. There was a lot of water coming down probably because of the rain. After having lunch we headed back along the road to Paihia where we just had a relaxing afternoon. Come evening they had a curling competition in the bar and I actually won for once getting a free $50 bar tab, heading to this pool bar afterwards.
We didn't depart Paihia until half 2 on the Thursday, which gave a free morning to explore Paihia further. I took the opportunity to have a lie in before spending the few hours left there on the beach, where I had fish and chips. The journey back to Auckland was relatively easy and after dinner I did the frenzi bar crawl which I've been meaning to do for ages but the fact it's on Thursday nights and I was working Fridays meant I never did it before. It was actually a really good night. On Friday I just had a relaxing day, with it being my last day in Auckland before heading down to the South Island.
After a lie in I had a chilled out morning before heading to Auckland airport for a 3pm departure to Christchurch. It was slightly adverse weather conditions however with a fair bit of rain coming down but it was all clear by the time I arrived in Christchurch. The city itself is the largest city on the South Island and the third most populous in New Zealand after Auckland and Wellington. It is famous for its English heritage and is commonly referred to as the garden city. In September 2010 however the city suffered a 7.1 magnitude earthquake and despite no fatalities caused extensive damage to the city. Fast forward to February 2011 and the city experienced a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, although this occurred a lot closer to the surface causing more damage, including the collapse of the iconic cathedral and the deaths of 185 people. The city suffered several further aftershocks into 2012 and it's estimated since these earthquakes 1500 buildings have been demolished.
On Sunday I explored the city which has changed massively since I last visited about 3 years before. There are still plenty of the so called gap fillers which are small pop up projects designed to put colour and life into areas whilst they're being redeveloped, but also several building sites and new buildings which have popped up since I last visited. The cathedral still looked the same however and it still just sits there exposed to the elements which is a shame. It was also nice the re start mall which is a shopping area full of shipping containers remained despite the construction of new shopping areas surrounding it. Come evening I just relaxed ready to go job searching the next day.
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