Farewell, Sherman. It’s time to get on our feet and hike it out.

Thanks for the memories, Sherman.

3 days after we arrived in New Zealand, we bought the campervan. We spent the next month exploring the land and seeing as much of the North Island that we could. We saw the Hot Water Beach in Coromandel, made our way to the black sand beaches and visited Cape Reinga- the northern most point of the country.


Coromandel, Hot Water Beach

The hot water beach was one of the coolest things I have seen. You can only go around low tide- 2 hours before and after are the best for the experience. Low tide was at 1pm and 1am and it FILLS with tourists at 1pm- so we decided to go late at night to check it out. You have to actually hire/rent a shovel to dig your own pool from the sand because the water in some areas is boiling hot. We headed out around 11:30pm with about 20 other people from all over the world and dug our pools and laid in the hot-tub like water until 2am. Laying out there with the sound of the water crashing in was unforgettable... and that's how we rung in Valentines day!

We woke up bright and early to head out on a Valentines Day Kayak tour which brought us around Cathedral Cove and around the coastline.

We drove all around and met some incredible people all while staying in Holiday Parks and free campsites for vehicles.

 

Piha, Black Sand Beach

Only problem was, we didn’t use our tent once. We had the luxury of sleeping in the van and storing our gear when we weren’t driving around. We were able to fill a cooler with food and cook on the stove inside on a nightly basis.

We outfitted ourselves with trekking gear, and didn’t use any of it. It was time to sell Sherman and get on our feet.

This was a success in just a few days. We showed less than a handful of people, and it was sold. We were back on our feet trying to figure out what our next steps were. We spent the first night in a hostel and started to plan. And let me just say- trying to find a hostel in the city the day you need it is near impossible.

Here’s my mini rant of the post: We landed the only thing that was left- 2 beds in a 10 bed room. It was by far the worst place we have stayed to date. It was absolutely disgusting, the room was like an armpit, cost us $60- and they charged $15 to rent a towel if you wanted to shower. Having said that- Adam used his bandana and I used the tiny hand towel I brought. RIPOFF.

We planned, and we were on our way. Booked a bus ticket to central north island and we were en route to the Tongariro Northern Circuit Trek.


Tongariro Northern Circuit Trek

Did I have any idea what I was signing up for? Not really. 4 days and 3 nights can’t be that hard, right? WRONG.

While this was one of the most amazing things I have done, it kicked my ass. But starting from the beginning…

Here in New Zealand- you can’t just pick any trek and hike it. For all of the 9 Great Walks and many of the longer hikes, you have to book yourself in mandatory huts/campsites along the way which have a certain number of availability. You have to pay for your campsite per person ahead of time [this trek was $14/pp/per night]. If you don’t pay ahead of time and just show up- the Warden charges you double per person- BOOK AHEAD OF TIME.  So while you think going out for longer hikes may save you money- you are still paying to sleep in your tent. And for us, $28 a night. As Adam knew from the Appalachian Trail- things are much different in the US. You can set up shop and camp when you are ready and on the AT there are towns along the way you can travel into. On this trek- you start with everything you will need for 4 days and you sleep in the designated areas. I’m sure a big reason for this is the safety and keeping a number on how many people are out there seeing that there are active volcanoes and what not.

We checked our gear and packed out our food, which we will be better at next time for sure. Oatmeal, Clif bars and noodles got really old after 4 days.

We stepped off on a rainy and windy morning but after that- the weather was incredible.


Day 1- Tongariro Northern Circuit Trek

We hiked through the desert, forest, around volcanoes and beautiful Emerald Lakes, up cliffs and along the ridgeline of a mountain- all while carrying a pack of 35lbs for me and around 45+lbs for Adam. 

Mount Ngauruhoe [Mt Doom, Lord of the Rings]

One of the Emerald Lakes

You may see people backpacking and hiking with packs, but until you have that pack on and you’re walking up hill in loose gravel feeling like you’re going backwards, you have NO IDEA. Many times I just stopped and looked at Adam and secretly wished he would just put me on his back and carry me up. My body has never felt the type of workout that hiking with a pack on for 4 days does. If you’re moving- that weight is on your back and it is HEAVY.

How I really felt about the uphill.

I personally give props to all of those Warrior Hikers that went through that for month’s straight- GOOD ON YOU GUYS!! You truly are amazing and I was WHOOPED after 4 days. I finished with a smile, and a mild sprained ankle.

Video from the final mile! I was starving.


The Finish!!

 

The Finish!!

After completing the Circuit, we stayed in National Park Village for the next 3 days relaxing a bit- for my ankles sake and for planning sake. We have now figured out the rest of our time in NZ. We take a bus out of here today at 3pm to head down to Wellington- the southernmost point of the North Island. We are saying there for 4 days at an Airbnb location.  Side note on Airbnb- CHECK it out if you haven’t heard of it. People rent out rooms in their houses all over the world for cheaper than what you can find hostels or hotels for.

From Wellington, we take the ferry to the south island where we have rented a car for the 13 days we are there. We will adventure around and then take a flight from Christchurch in the south island back up to Auckland in the north island on the 19^th. On the 20^th we fly out to Australia where we will run the Tough Mudder on the 23^rd. From Australia, we still aren’t sure. We will know more about that next week once we have plans set in stone.

I went into the Northern Circuit hike just thinking it would be that- a hike. I came out “getting it”. I get why I’m out here in New Zealand. I get why my life has taken such a different path and I get that life is what you make it. Plans change daily and that’s OK.

You won’t always know where you are going next but you are going somewhere, and that is better than standing still.

Emerald Lakes

Heading North & Trip Update- WWOOF, Locations, Good People & Good Eatin’

Our trip so far has been jam packed- from purchasing Sherman our campervan to some unexpected turns dealing with the vineyard- we have smiled and laughed our way through it.

TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
Sherman Rocks. He gets a little hot when going uphill but it’s nothing putting on a little heat won’t fix. The hardwood floors are easy for cleaning, and we can cook all of our meals on the double burner stove that is inside- talk about convenience, it even came with pots and pans. We learned a few things the hard way- like you have to pay about .06 cents a mile on diesel vehicles. We bought Sherman not aware of this until we went to the Post Store [where all vehicle logistics are taken care of, no DMV’s] and learned that the previous owner left us with 4,000 miles that he drove to pay for. We could have realized this on the sticker, but we had no idea with the stickers meant. Lesson learned. Diesel is great on gas here, but it all evens out. There is no vehicle insurance, just a WOF [Warrant of Fitness] to get every 6 months I believe. We are dealing with all other Sherman Logistics when we get back to Auckland later this week.

Sherman

WWOOF UPDATE
Working at the vineyard didn’t play out as we imagined. We went in with hopes of learning, a place to stay and meals in exchange for our work; time to save some moolah, we thought. The work was vigorous- 8 hours a day outside nailing nets and doing vineyard work with two [very closely timed] 25 to 30 minute breaks. The day we arrived, we had to clean our own room due to the last person saying there vomiting and leaving it a mess- we never successfully got that smell out. Day 1 we had boiled hotdogs, and day 2 there wasn’t enough food for us to bring lunch, and we were provided frozen meatballs and a can of sauce for dinner. To us, spending 8 hours a day working just wasn’t worth what was being provided back. The thing is, we don't mind the work- maybe we were just expecting too much. We were hoping somewhere that was Organic, also provided that during the stay when dealing with meals. What we did get out of it was meeting amazing people from all over the world; Dave & Lenka from Czech, Sebastian from Germany, Pauline Julian and Penash [sp?] from France, and Gabe from Oregon [the only person to date that we’ve met from the US]. This made our few days there worth it. The thing is, we have somewhere to sleep, so that wasn’t what we went into WWOOFing for… and if we weren’t learning or getting at least some good meals out of it, there was no point in us to waste 2 weeks doing something we weren’t happy with. It was time to move on, and we are thankful we got something out of the experience.  The people there are kind, it just wasn’t what we were looking for in our travels. Time to keep it moving.

LOCATION UPDATE
After Freemans lodge we ended the last post with, we purchased Sherman and made our way to Waihi Beach area and then back up north through Auckland. We started getting ourselves familiar with freedom camping [campervans that aren’t self-contained with a shower & toilet] and the different areas to do so.

Marsden Bay

January 31- Forest Pools Campsite; bush [forest] setting by the Waipapa River
The past few days have been awesome. We met Nick from Dublin, and learned what an Irish temper really was. We were heading back to our camping spot after our hike that day and spotted him fly fishing down by the water. He made conversation and headed up to move his vehicle close to us so we could keep an eye on it. He put his fishing pole in the back of his campervan and jumped in to move it. As he was headed toward us in the extremely rocky terrain, his side door slid closed- snapping his rod in half.   He jumped out of the vehicle before putting it in park, jumped back in to stop it and made his way around to assess the situation- screaming BOLLACKS and all sorts of explicit Irish words!! He threw a few punts to the vehicle leaving a good dent in the door, and then apologized with a smile for his rage. Lesson learned, we spent 2 nights there and decided to head north together. Turns out, the Irish may have some rage, but Nick has to be one of the nicest people we have met- just don’t snap his fishing rod.

February 2- Maitai Beach Campsite to Rarawa Beach Campsite to Tapotupotu Campsite
Nick, Adam and I spent the first part of the day stocking up on groceries, gas, vegetables, and finding WIFI before we make our way north. We have had luck with different town libraries, and that’s about it when it comes to WIFI. All McDonalds advertise FREE WIFI, but we have yet to find one that works. After we finished up at the library, we picked this campsite [$10/per person] but there is running water and showers [cold showers... cold, cold showers]. The beach sits right over a small hill. We carried our chairs up there the first night and watched the sunset- absolutely beautiful. The next morning we made breakfast and packed our things up to hike out for the day. We made our way through some steep inclines to where we had our eye on. The tough up-hill’s were worth it once we got to the spot. As the guys fished, I walked around and enjoyed the sun, which in turn gave me a real nice burn where I forgot sunscreen. We stayed another night and then were headed north. We ended up at Tapotupotu Campsite, parked on the highest point of the campground with a clear shot of the beach; $6/night pp.

Maitai Bay

Each spot we stay is completely different from the last. Some are set deep into the woods after over 10 miles on a dirt road, and some you find yourself parked looking at the beach. I prefer the beach, as Adam prefers the woods- fair trade. There are a number of free campervan locations with restrooms, while other locations range from $6/person up to $30+/person, all depending on showers, laundry, and other additional amenities.


MEAL UPDATE
It seems what we have spent the most on while over here has been food- but that has calmed down quite a bit as we learn where to shop, and what to get [campervan life is much different when you only have a cooler to keep your cold food, cold]. You aren’t drinking pop unless you’re willing to spend $25 for a small case of cans- not a chance here. Same with beer- in store or even at the bar they are double what it is in the US. All your fruit and veg can be saved for the places you pass on the street. 10 avocados for $3 in Waihi Beach, or $2 an avocado as you make your way up north- it is all location depending, so planning is huge. Lunchmeat is mainly just ham- there is no turkey here like there is in the US, and everything is in kg, not lb. I almost ordered 3 lbs of ham not having a clue what the conversion was. As for grocery stores- PAK n SAVE is the WAY TO GO. It’s like the Sam’s Club for food, and loads cheaper than anywhere else. Countdown is another grocery store, but PAK n SAVE is the way to go. Chicken is also insanely expensive, as is milk and other things that are cheap to us in the US. We have loaded up on oatmeal, pastas, rice and other pantry type food that has a longer shelf life. A new thing to us was learning of Salt Ice. It lasts DAYS longer than regular ice and you can find it cheaper in fishing stores. We have been making some killer meals and eating super healthy for the most part- other than the wine consumption. On that note- wine is EXPENSIVE here. I have to say I dabbled in some New Zealand red boxed wine, and it was delightful. It even had a stamp on it that said New Zealand Favorite, what’s not to trust with that? It’s like the World’s Best Cup of Coffee… legit. Problem is, when there is a spout and you are drinking out of a coffee mug- you tend to lose track. We are now on a wine break :)

The views have been amazing and truly like nothing I've ever seen before. From the waterfalls to the glow worm caves- everything is worth writing about.

We are now heading south through Auckland and to our next WWOOFing spot [starting Feb 17] located in central north island. WIFI may be a bit better so I hope to write and post more.

Walk to Piroa Falls

Missing everyone at home! Xoxo.