Drove about 3 hours north of Auckland. On the way stopping at Wellsford for Wazza's coffee (Shell almost fell backwards over something in front of a truck) and then through Kauri Forest to see the lords of the jungle (world's largest Kauri trees). The 2nd largest had a girth of 16m...but the oldest was 51m tall....amazing!! Discovered Pine Beach and stopped off along the way to take in beautiful scenery: one at the tip of a bay with a massive sand dune across the peninsula. Arrived in backpacker alley at Pahia, Bay of Islands, staying at Pepper Tree Lodge. It's a thing to have combined Indian/Thai restaurants...had an ice cream, met Nacho the praying mantis and strolled along the beach at night.
