The ferry returned us to Wellington to see the sprawl of houses among the hills basked in orange light cast down from above. That night we were to stay on the outskirts of the city, ready to set out on the northern road the following morning.
Our ‘campsite’ was a beach side car park, with views of Kapiti Island if you were to make your way to or past the embankment separating us from the dark golden sand below. We all took a moment in the morning light to wander down to the beach. Standing at the water’s edge I followed the waves as they draw toward me, mesmerised by the patterns created as my feet dug holes in the sand.
Back on the road, our landscape altered from sandy blue to the wilderness of Whangarei National Park. Twisted tracks led through emerald ranges, surrounding us with an endless sea of green waves.
By mid afternoon we’d reached our destination. National Park Village, the base for many wanting to complete one of New Zealand’s great walks, and for me, a place I’d called home for two winter seasons at Mt Ruapehu.
That evening we spent enjoying a free hot tub at the campground, dinner at one of the few restaurants in town and drinks with my old boss at the local. Followed the next day with a trip up the mountain to my old work, catching up with my boss again, mum and Ian getting to ride the chairlift even after it was officially closed, walking out to Mead’s Wall where some of the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed and casting an eye over the plaza/building site as new elevators and ski lifts were built amid huge overhaul plans from a new CEO.
By the time we’d left to continue our way back to Auckland, mum and Ian weren’t the only ones excited by the mountain. Even though my plans were to take me back to Australia, it seems the call of the mountain was too strong and before I knew it, I’d agreed to return to work and to New Zealand in a month’s time!
Our final stop before Auckland was in Raglan, a hot spot for surfers on the east coast. We stayed here a few nights, avoiding a cyclone passing through the centre of the island and finally slowing down our pace after a whirlwind few weeks.
Mum and I had a second, more successful, swim here. In warmer, calmer waters we were able to swim, float and relax, enclosed in a bay with the mouth to the open water a distant view. On the second evening we went to a small gig, a young Scottish woman performing a mixture of Celtic and popular songs. Accompanied gently by her guitar or ukulele, her voice shone throughout the small hall we sat in, the room alive with her energy as she performed.
The day before our flights, we drove to the edge of Raglan and enjoyed a meander along a black sand beach. Conversation with strangers here led us to Bridal Veils Falls, a 55m cascading torrent to be viewed from both above and below. Standing at the foot of 261 stairs next to the rock pool formed through sheer force from above, rainbows sprung to life within the mists as clouds parted in the sky above. A moment I feel was a beautiful and symbolic ending to our time on the road.
And suddenly there we were, stood in the airport once more. It seemed so soon we had met and now we were hugging goodbye.
As I sat on my flight waiting to depart, I reflected on our four whirlwind weeks.
Getting to wake up and open the curtains to see a different view every morning. Sunrises, green hills, glaciers, mountains, morning mists, or hearing crashing waves from a sea hiding just behind a grassy mound.
To all the delights we had along the way, that may have driven us a little wild from time to time, but which I was already looking back on with amused affection.
Finding dump stations and campsites (learning not to find the latter in the dark), team efforts to empty the toilet, using too much water, monitoring our battery usage, leveling the van, standing on one leg to make the fridge work on gas…
Living in one small little home, dealing with stress, delight, sunburn, cold spells, injuries, wrong turns, looking for wi-fi points and sunhats and guitars and ukuleles… All in all, having an incredible journey! One I was lucky to share with two people I love and who I hope know how much I appreciate them taking the time to travel all the way around the world to see me and to share in my adventures.
It was a wonderful adventure with delightful company. Thank you so much again Nicki. xx