Ü50 ein Jahr die Welt entdecken!
Ü50 one year discover the world!
In a few minutes walk we had reached the bird colony Murivai gannet. Great hustle and bustle, and you can see the Australian tölpel up close.
Then we went to Auckland for car return and camper pick-up. We have completed all the formalities, bought and set up the car.
Silke
In Tapotupotu Bay there was muesli breakfast on the beach. Coffee later at a gas station, because we had no electricity. Our journey then went through Northland to Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. We walked about 15 min a hiking trail to the lighthouse and enjoyed the spectacle. A curious seagull provided us with company.
In Whangarei we stopped at a beautiful waterfall. Kawakawa offers a hundred-water toilet. In the tourist information office of Tarewa Park a (stuffed) kiwi could be seen. In Muriwai Gannet Park we set up our tent on a campsite and walked again to The Muriwai beach. The sand is dark grey "Black Sandy Beach". High waves rolled on.
For bathing it was too cold for us today at 19 degrees.
Silke
This morning we received a cardboard box from Sabine and Winfried from Germany, full of things we can use in the camper. Z.B. Salt, tea and plastic wrap, … .The photo at the Garden Lodge is unfortunately so shaky that I decided to do something else. We wish them a good flight home and thank you for the tips and our starter package! In the late morning we set off for the northern tip. We passed many beautiful viewpoints. Green hills in Waipu, Bay of Islands in Paihia, great beaches.
Unfortunately, we haven't stayed in any place for a long time, because we don't move as fast as we wanted. If you have more time you could kayak here, do boat trips, explore waterfalls and fireflies caves, etc.We reached the campsite at Tapotupotu Bay at about 8:45 pm, set up our tent and had dinner.
We had already prepared salad in the morning and wraps with feta cheese.
Silke
For breakfast today there was Blueberry Muffin from a café on the street of our hostel.
By the way, also a ticket because of too long parking time! 15 NZD because you have to repack every 2 hours in our street from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The officer I met explained the New Zealic Parking Rules to me very kindly – but the ticket stayed on!
Since Reiner unfortunately had severe headaches, I took the ferry to Waiheke Island alone today. Flowers like in the botanical garden grow there on the side of the road.
I walked from Matiatja Wharf ferry pier to Blackpool and Oneroa Beach. Beautiful footpath, about 2-3 km. The beach is small, not many people, and there are picnic areas as well as a few shops. At Blackpool I also discovered an Island Pony Club. Reiner picked me up in the evening on the beach promenade by car and we were still shopping in the supermarket "Countdown". Finally, there was a delicious fresh salad.
Silke
Travel day! This morning we had breakfast in the shared kitchen of our hostel in Sydney! Then we arrived by train to the airport and with Virgin Australia to New Zealand!
Everything worked out great! Food on board was also good! Customs control went smoothly. We were well informed beforehand and had no forbidden things like .B apples with us. But the official wanted to see our shoe soles if there was soil underneath! It took us a little while to get our rental car. There was no phone number or company name on the confirmation email. So we had to buy a SIM card for the mobile phone, download the app and call. We went with a shuttle bus about 10 min to the rental station. Drive left, steer right! To our hostel it was about 15 min where we were shopping in the meantime.
Silke
In Hop on – Hop off we drove to the famous Bondi Beach. About 7 km from Sydney's centrum. He hid in the dense fog. We got off a bit further and ran back to the coast. Very nice path, steep cliffs and exclusive houses, mostly with pool. We have seen many free-living colorful Loris. Back at Bondi Beach, the visibility was clear at 28 degrees. The beach there is beautiful white, the water 21 degrees cold, the surf good for surfers. A lot of people are there. Reiner preferred to try the sports equipment on the beach, I was swimming in the Tasman Sea.
After that, the bus took us back to the city centre. We looked at the Opera House and harbour bridge from the Botanical Garden and watched Ibis and Kakadu. At 7.35pm we went by fast ferry to Manly Beach and back. The skyline from the water and at sunset was super beautiful. Unfortunately Reiner got a headache and we went back to the hotel afterwards.
I took a delicious salad and fruit with me on the way.
Silke
We arrived in Sydney this morning. By the way, the flight here was associated with some obstacles. In Kalibo we were able to use our Visa No. for Australia. Our SIM cards have expired the day and the WIFI hasn't worked either. They then let us fly to Manila. There we had to check in again with luggage. For our backpacks they have charged us an extra baggage fee of 8400 PHP ( 150 EUR). No extra baggage was requested at the time of booking and I assumed that at least one parcel of luggage is free for international flights. Not at CEBU ! Food and drink, such as .B water, coffee of the noodle soup is also all chargeable on board or can only be ordered in advance online. And this on a flight of 9 h 25 min. Then the plane to Manila was two hours late. Our stay of originally 5 hours, has shrunk completely and become quite scarce. The terminals in Manila are only connected by a crowded shuttle bus (which runs once an hour) and the taxi. Since I had spent our last peso for luggage and phone card, we had to take the bus. Our luggage has been thoroughly checked and opened at least 4 times. In Australia, we were so waved through for that. We are ruckizucki through customs control and have not even had to show our visa. Is probably everything stored in the computer. Nice weather at 27 degrees and a small fresh breeze. We are now 10 h earlier than CET Time. For the first time we had breakfast at the airport, pulled Australian dollars and bought a SIM card. With the train/metro we went to our hotel in the city center. Since we are in Sydney only as a stop-over, we decided to hop on – hop off BigBus. So you get a good overview of the most important sights and a bit of background information.
In the evening we ate a veggie burger with fries overlooking the marina.
Silke
At sunrise we went to our (boots) beach. A beautiful photo motif was the bottle in the sand. After that we had a nice breakfast on our terrace.
At 8:00 a.m. we started by car to the ferry. 2 h by sea to Cebu, by taxi to the airport and a small 50 min domestic flight to Kalibo. Here we drove a bit with the Tribike to our hotel.
In Kalibo we stay in the middle of the city, in the GQ Hotel. In front of the hotel there is a summer Christmas market. Colourful lights and a huge illuminated Christmas tree, food stalls, a band, live bands and DJ attract especially young people. However, again no mulled wine :-). We were eating Thai.
Silke