New Zealand welcomed us with a pretty ugly weather — or maybe we just got used to the French Polynesia heat too much. Anyway, here it is wet and very windy, which does not make camping any easier. Apparently the country had an amazing stretch of sunshine for weeks, and it changed completely just a few days before we arrived.
Renting a Car and Hitting the Road
First days in the country, we rented a car. It's a fancy choice, but after mature consideration we decided that it's impossible to visit everything we would like without full autonomy — no hitchhiking this time. We crossed most of the North Island and visited some memorable places along the way.
Three Sisters and Elephant Rock was a real highlight — ancient rock formations carved into the coast that make you wonder how many thousands of years it took for the sea to sculpt them like that.
Unfortunately we had to skip a few treks we had planned because of the terrible weather. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to do them on our way back!
Green Hills and Black Sand Beaches
New Zealand is a very green and diverse country. Starting with the rolling green hillsides — it's not a surprise they filmed The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings films here — and finishing with a coast full of impressive cliffs and black sand beaches. We also saw a lot of cows and sheep, which we expected, but the sheer number still catches you off guard.
There are quite a few free camping places scattered around the North Island. Usually they are in calm, beautiful spots and the facilities are basic but functional — WC and water. We used such camping spots two nights in a row and it was a great opportunity to save some money while waking up to gorgeous views.
Wellington and the Ferry South
Now we are in Wellington, waiting for the ferry tonight while drinking beers — big ones! We will meet the sunrise on board and hope to find nicer weather in the South Island. If everything goes to plan, we will start the Abel Tasman Coast Track tomorrow.
The North Island gave us a solid first taste of this country. Diverse, wild, impossibly green, and full of surprises — even if the weather did its best to test our patience. On to the South!