Post 14: From Opotiki to Christchurch

December 4, I left Opotiki. I was technically prepared, but my heart wasn't 😭 I didn't expect that I would miss Opotiki so much!! Remember the first days! I was to overwhelmed by the new environment, the work, the accommodation. There were also nights I fell asleep crying. Now I really realise that so many things has changed. I got a lovely landlady, funny supervisor and great friends I went to many exciting adventures. It had happened a lot and I had so much new impressions - I can't believe that I stayed there already for two months! However that's travelling.

So this and the following posts are about what I did after leaving Opotiki. I promise I'll make another post for reviewing my off days in Opotiki :)

① Opotiki -> Christchurch (this post)

② Christchurch -> Queenstown (post 15)

③ Queenstown til now (post 16)

I apologize for the delay, I know it's an excuse but there is always something to do especially while travelling... Now I'll try being more active especially on Instagram!

@ayumi.privat

Overview December

Road trip with Hiroki

Opotiki (Thu 04.12) → Taupo & Tongariro (Fri) → New Plymouth (Sat) → Auckland (Sun)

On 04.12 I left Opotiki with Hiroki, my Japanese friend I'm travelling to Auckland with. We drove to Taupo first where we bought some outdoor stuff (lamp, small backpack for hiking) and where I got my new mobile plan, before we drove further to a small town called Erua to stay there.

📍The crossing lodge and backpackers

The hostel was fully self service: We checked in with a tablet, got a pin via email and used it to get into the room. Confusing was that we got three different pins each so we didn't know which to use 😂 Our dinner was Pasta, Hiroki made it:

On the next day we did the famous Tongariro crossing! My friends Anna and Antonia had recommended to me. Because of the first fire a few days before we arrived, we were only allowed to go by a shuttle. $70 per person with return. We took the shuttle at 5:45am (don't ask why so early) and startet around 6am. The weather was horrible. We couldn't see anything cause of the fog!! And the first part was so exhausting 😭

📍Tongariro National Park

However, after two hours the weather changed:

We enjoyed the view: Beautiful green lakes, huge mountains and the blue sky. You can't imagine how happy it made me. We ate out sandwiches, smacked gummies sometimes and talked. We also met some Spanish friends we met at the hostel in Erua :) 

And Hiroki's hiking shoes broke during the last quarter 😂 It was already broken but the sole finally came off.

After finishing the hike, we had a big rest. While Hiroki was talking with a Japanese guy who was really amazed if the Tongariro, I finished my second sandwich 🥪 

When we got back to Taupo, we went to a thermal bath. That's the reason why we drive back to Taupo. We stayed at the 📍Haka House Taupo, really recommendable! The thermal bath was outside and it had four different pools, one was really hot.

📍Wairakei Terraces & Thermal Health Spa

For dinner I made Japanese Tacos-Rice, my speciality, because Hiroki had a lot to do for his next accommodation and job in Auckland.

On Saturday we drove further to new Plymouth. We did a little stop in📍Kūiti, a small town with a weird statue looking like that. I think it's a guy cutting the sheepskin. We ate out lunch (rest of tacos-rice) in the car.

Before checking in at the hostel in New Plymouth named Ariki backpackers, we drove to a famous road where we could see the mount Taranaki very well.

📍Kent road

I couldn't take that kind of photo you can find on Instagram but yeah I tried at least:

We also found a great spot with a lake:

📍Lake Mangamahoe Lookout

After checking in, we explored the city, ate a hamburger, went to New World for a drink and at the hostels veranda we talked a bit out Hiroki's New Zealand experience and what he can recommend to me. 

On the next morning, we woke up at 3:30 to get to the reflective lake next to Mt Taranaki. We got to the carpark at 4am, it was so dark so we used our lights. We nearly managed to climb up before the sun came out, and there was a little wind so the lake didn't work as a mirror but the view was still so unbelievably beautiful.

📍Pouakai Circuit Reflective Tarn

On the same day we drove to Auckland. On the way we stopped at Marokopa Falls. It is hunger than it looks like!

📍Marokopa Falls

The last part to Auckland was pretty challenging. I was so tired that I fell asleep many times while Hiroki was driving... I felt so bad 😭 Technically I could have driven too but I wasn't insured so I didn't. He got a job offer at a lettuce orchard in the south of Auckland so we drove to there. The only problem was his accommodation. He got three offers but two of them were too weird. Not only the house but also the people in the city were kind of insane... (For example guys with whole face masks). It turned out that the city crime rate was 150% HAHA that means there are more crimes in one year than the amount of residents there. So Hiroki was about to go back to Opotiki to work there again in safety, but the third accommodation was really good so he decided to stay :D

So Jorge, my mexican friend who lives in Auckland now, picked me up. Before that there was actually a little mess. I promised to help Hiroki to clean his car for the selling but Jorge was already there and I couldn't let him wait too long... Finally I decided to go with Jorge so I still feel a bit guilty for letting Hiroki alone. It was not the best farewell but I will not forget the time I spend with him :) Really funny Osaka-guy

Two days in Auckland with Jorge

Auckland (Sun 07.12 - Tue 09.12)

Fortunately I was allowed to stay at Jorge's accommodation for two nights for free XD 

At the same evening he actually wanted to see the sunset with me but we were too late because of the little mess I described ↑↑

But we went to a dumpling restaurant 🥟 where we got some fried dumplings and a noodle soup. I'd say it was a 6/10.

On the next day we went to a botanic garden first but Jorge didn't like it so we changed plan and went to a swimming pool. I was glad to know that I could still swim haha

We also went to a Tacos restaurant, a real mexican! 

📍Mr. Taco, Auckland

On my last day in Auckland we went to the Zoo to watch Kiwi birds. They live at night so the room was really dark. I didn't take any photos but they where huger than expected! I thought they where as huge as kiwi fruits HAHA We also saw some beautiful New Zealand birds:

After that he drove me to the domestic airport. It was a nice farewell :)

💡Fun fact: I always take my Multitool knife in my small backpack which was my carry on luggage and I forgot to take it out before going through the security...! Fortunately it was small enough not to be taken away haha

After 90min I was at the airport in Christchurch :)

💡Fun fact: I took the bus to get to the hostel. I was the only passenger and I pressed the "stop" button on time but the bus driver drove straight away HAHA In the end I needed to walk two bus stopps.