North Island, Whitianga, Hot Water Beach. Days 17-19 of the trip

February 6 (Day 17). We got up early in the morning. We needed to reach the ferry terminal an hour before departure, and we managed it. While sitting in the car, I looked for places where we might stay that night, but found nothing suitable. We boarded the ferry and sailed off. We did not like this ferry much. It was different from the one we had taken from the North Island to the South Island. There were very few places where you could walk around.

Halfway across Cook Strait the weather began to change: it turned overcast and started raining. We had still wanted to walk around Wellington, but after the weather shift we changed our minds. As soon as we docked, we drove inland, and there the weather became good again.

By evening we reached Tongariro National Park. I had wanted to drive up to this volcano the next day:

But, jumping ahead a little, we never managed it because of the weather.

We looked for a place to stay overnight and eventually found a self-service campsite where we spent the night for 13 NZD per person. The only other guest there was one camper van.

February 7 (Day 18). We woke up to cloudy weather. We packed up and thought about going to the volcano, but it was completely hidden in clouds, so we skipped it and drove straight to the next places, also skipping Mount Taranaki because the weather there was bad as well. We stopped at some Lord of the Rings location, but in the end we did not like it and decided not to pay for the tour, which we would still have had to wait for.

On we went. We decided to make it to the east coast of the North Island, and we did. The last part of the drive was difficult: constant climbs and descents, winding roads, and switchbacks. But we made it to the town of Whitianga and its beach. In the evening we walked there and then went back to the hotel. There was nothing particularly special about the town itself.

February 8 (Day 19). We woke up early so that on the way to the northern tip of the North Island we could stop at one more attraction, Hot Water Beach. I had not researched it much beforehand and did not really understand what that hot water was. I thought maybe you could swim there if the water was hot. But it turned out to be something else entirely. Hot water was rising from beneath the sand on the beach. In some places it was so hot that you could not stand there for more than a few seconds. You could also dig into the sand with your feet and feel the warmth rising from the ground. Some people came with shovels and dug little pits for themselves so they could lie in them and warm up:

Later we stopped by a short trail and walked to another beach:

Then we continued north. There was still a long drive ahead. I wanted to reach the very top that same day. By evening it became clear that it was already getting dark and we would not make it all the way, so we had to find a place to stay. I looked at the map and found several campsites. While we were driving, heavy rain started and then stopped. A few kilometers later we came across a good campsite. There were lots of people there, and it was free. So we stayed there for the night. Interestingly, it had not rained there in a long time, and the grass was dry.