And finally, it was time for the last leg of our trip, which felt like it came a lot sooner than expected. Our final destination was Auckland.
On the way, we stopped at Huka Falls.
Despite the apparent isolation that the photo conveys, it was a busy spot. The falls are right next to the car park, so there's no effort involved to get there. But we did manage to wrestle our way to the side of the bridge for a good view and a selfie.
In Auckland, I'd booked a studio flat right on the waterfront. I figured it would be nice. I figured right. Sven did several excited happy dances when we walked in--there was a cruise liner parked right outside, and it was BIG. Sven loves big boats.
After we'd wandered around a bit and got our bearings, we watched the cruise liner leave that evening from our balcony. We had a good chuckle at the hand waver guy. What a job; I hope he's well-paid.
The next day, we took a drive out west to see some black sand beaches, specifically Karekare and Piha. The people and crowds thinned out the further we went, and when we arrived in Karekare there was hardly anyone else around.
The sand was indeed dark, and almost black when the water washed over it. As we walked along the beach, it glittered and sparkled like it belonged in a disco. And it was flipping hot too; we were glad we had taken our flip flops with and hadn't left them in the car.
Apparently the water is Very Dangerous, and therefore you should not even consider swimming or surfing here, even if the waves look great. Perhaps the surfboard stuck in the rock was a warning.
A bit further up the road you are allowed to swim and surf, though you have to be careful because the water is still Very Dangerous. Deadly but pretty, it seems.
We amused ourselves at the next beach by running through the hot sand and climbing up the hill in our flip flops.
And just like that, our New Zealand adventure had come to an end. We still had some time in Auckland, so we did some shopping, had sundowners, watched the boats (so many boats), wandered around, and finally said good-bye.
We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday in New Zealand, and we learned a few things too.
1. Take a camera. Take two. And take your smartphones too. There is almost always something lovely/interesting to look at around every corner.
2. Be prepared to be quizzed at the airport about where your shoes have been.
3. Sandflies bite. Their bites turn into annoyingly itchy welts that last for days. They hover near water (which is pretty much everywhere in New Zealand) and will attack any exposed flesh with greedy abandon, so use insect repellant.
4. People generally obey the speed limit and drive normally. Coming from South Africa, this made driving a stress-free experience.
5. Eating out is expensive. Supermarkets and self-catering are the budget-friendly way to stay nourished.
6. It's chillier than you expect. New Zealanders are tough and wander around in 15 degree weather in shorts and t-shirts, but I quickly exhausted my supply of clean jerseys within a couple of days. I definitely did not pack enough warm clothes. (We were there in early November.)
7. It's rainier than you expect. A rain jacket is essential.
8. Kiwis (the bird variety, not the fruit or the locals) are cute little things and we spotted several. However they do have a bad habit of running across the road just as you're approaching with your car.
9. Sadly, a lot of small animals have a bad habit of running across the road without first looking in both directions. Roadkill is a common sight, so drive carefully.
10. If you, like us, are fans of the South African 'Life From Stone' wine from Springfield wine farm, you can find a similar taste in Stoneleigh's sauvignon blanc, from the Marlborough region. That was a firm favourite on our trip.
11. Green-lipped/green shell mussels are cheap in the supermarket and delicious.
12. Hikers like to hike fast here. I don't know why. I'm not a slow walker, but I felt very slow on the walks and hikes we did. Perhaps I was too distracted by all that scenery stuff.
13. It really is a beautiful country, and this was one the few trips we'd done where we allowed ourselves to slow down completely at times and just soak it all in. So do just that - soak it in. And don't hike too damn fast.