What I really wanted at this point was to travel to the
north via any other method than bus – I am soo sick of coaches – so a car or
campervan would have been ideal. In the
end I booked another bus but this time I decided to go Naked. What I mean is rather than buying a
connection through my tour company I booked the Naked Bus which is a low cost
bus service without all the extras the backpacker buses offer – no commentary,
or activity and hostel bookings. I didn’t
need assistance in booking things and I was quite happy to sit and enjoy the
view without commentary for once.
Leaving the retreat center with the sunrise I boarded the coach and took
the last seat available. To my surprise
the coach was really luxurious with one leather reclining captain’s chair on
either side of the bus (it wasn’t the regular bus they use). In Paihia the first day was spent exploring
and enjoying the beach in the stunning Bay of Islands. The second day was an amazing trip to the top
of NZ also the most sacred place for the Maori people. It was an action packed 12 hour trip starting
at 7am with the best driver I have had here in NZ. He was soo energetic and you could really
tell he truly enjoyed his job as his excitement was contagious. Leaving Paihia we headed to the Kauri forest
for a morning walk learning of the Maori spiritualism and creation
beliefs. Onwards from here we drove
along the famous Ninety Mile Beach, got out and played around the beach and taking
beautiful photos of the Tasman Sea and surroundings. After the beach we headed to the sand dunes
and went sand boarding down the 82meter dunes – what a rush! It felt like we were in the desert somewhere
far away from NZ. Thankfully it wasn’t
too hot or I am sure the trek up to the top of the dunes would have been much
more difficult. Of course the views were
stunning! From here we headed to a secluded
beach on the Pacific Ocean side for a swim to wash off the sand and have lunch
before reaching the sacred ground. Cape
Reinga itself is a very special place, you can feel it when you enter the walkway
and wander along the pathway to the lighthouse.
It is here the Maori believe the spirit goes when they pass away. You can also clearly see the meeting of the
Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean from this viewpoint. On the way back to Paihia we drove along
Ninety Mile Beach for a second time (only two days a year where the tides are
such that it is possible) and enjoyed the best "fush and chups" in NZ from a
little shop in Mangonui!
My final day in the Bay of Islands was spent looking around
the little shops, and the morning market then I headed to the information
center knowing I wanted to either paraglide or skydive. The paragliding was not available so that
made my decision very easy and within 5 minutes I was in the skydiving shuttle
signing my life away. It is hard to
explain the way it feels to skydive - I was filled with excitement and nervous anticipation
of what was to come. After getting all
suited up I got in the small plane with just enough space for the pilot, camera
diver, myself and my tandem jumper. We
flew for about 15 minutes over the stunning Bay of Islands. They say the only way to see the area is by
sailboat but I would have to say from the air was amazing. The first moment as we were jumping out of
the plane and facing towards the earth I was absolutely terrified – but this
only lasted a second or two -before I knew it we were upright and doing a few spins
freefalling from 12 000 feet. The camera
guy was in my face trying to get me to blow kisses to the camera and make faces
but I was more interested in checking out the view. Before I knew it the parachute was open,
there was a sudden calm and silence as we floated slowly to the ground. I was soo excited after jumping it was such a
rush but at the same time it put me in this weird altered stated – maybe just
shock or disbelief of what I had just done.
It really wasn’t scary at all and I would love to do it again
someday. I met a girl in Queenstown who
kept saying that the photos and dvd’s were really necessary since it is such a surreal
experience it is hard to believe you actually did it. So
true! My trip to the Northland was
absolutely memorable and a great way to spend some of my last days here in
NZ. That’s right….I am coming back to
Canada on March 16th!!! It’s like
they say when you are done – you know you are done. Of course there are things I haven’t seen but
you can never see everything – it also leaves me more to explore when/if I
return. I am looking forward to the
comforts of home again, a routine and not living out of a backpack for a
while. I know I will travel again – this
is only the beginning – but for now there is no place like home :)
