I just got home from
one of the best trips of my life: I took four days to travel through some of
Northland, the northernmost region of the North Island of NZ (I wish this
country were covered in such obvious names, but most places actually bear Maori
names that I can spell but rarely pronounce correctly). The entire trip covered
hundreds of kilometers and proved absolutely marvelous, but it was a journey in
more ways than one. This holiday has left an impression on me not only because
of the places I saw and got to experience, but also because it was the first
time I traveled completely solo—on my own dime and relying on my own
resourcefulness. In only a few days, I met people I wouldn’t typically interact
with had I been in my usual mode of relying on other individuals (usually an
older sibling) to sort out details.
When planning the
trip, I knew I wanted to travel as cheaply and lightly as possible, so I look
only a large backpack of clothing and towels, and a small drawstring backpack
for day activities. For meals, I bought a loaf of Vogel’s (a famous NZ brand),
a jar of peanut butter, and some dried fruit—I’d rather spend money on
activities than going out to eat, and I can eat simply for four days if I have
to. My transportation would all be by buses; I had traveled that way during a
trip in Spain with my oldest sister a few years ago, but I hadn’t taken any
public transportation other than a ferry since I’d been in NZ. I was
apprehensive, to say the least, but of course everything went smoothly.
The first stop:
Whangarei, a seemingly small town on an east coast harbor 160km north of
central Auckland. My host parents hadn’t been too complimentary on its “sights,”
so I decided to stick to outdoor activities when planning my stay there. This included
seeing Whangarei Falls, exploring the Abbey Caves, and viewing the city from
its lookout on Mt. Parihaka; I checked their locations throughout the area and
decided I could visit each on foot in an afternoon. The Falls were fine, but
not spectacular; I much preferred the walk that followed it through A.H. Reed
Kauri Park. A peaceful, half-hour stroll followed the Hatea River until I reached
the kauri park, which they call a “canopy walkway” which actually didn’t
include that many kauris (a giant, ancient tree valued for its gum during the
nineteenth century). I found another waterfall—Pukenui Falls—in its midst,
which I viewed from the top and then decided was worth a clamor through perhaps
off-limits terrain to get a closer look.
Afterward, I walked
another hour along country roads to find the Abbey Caves. These were the main
attraction that made me want to visit Whangarei, not only because I haven’t
gotten to explore too many caves, but also because of the glowworms (which are
actually fly larvae) for which NZ caves are well-known. My hostel had rented me
a headlamp, but I really didn’t want to go spelunking on my own (YES, mom and
dad, I do listen to y’all), and by a great stroke of luck, I approached the Organ
Cave at the same time as a family who had experience climbing through the cave.
The dad invited me and a couple of other stragglers to join their party, and
for the next two hours we all explored the Organ Cave—the biggest of the Abbey
Caves, which extends 200m deep. Most of the cave was about 3-5m high and 2-4m
wide, and much of it had freezing ankle-deep water. In some sections we all
turned out our torches, and the ceiling of glowworms shone softly like a starry
sky. The entire way, the rock to the sides was covered in striations from its
ancient formation, and stalactites and stalagmites stuck out wherever they
could fit. For some reason, my pictures kept coming out really dark, but here’s
an image I did capture.
After this I chatted
with the two other stragglers who had joined the family cave tour: two young Asian
women on holiday from their seasonal work south of Auckland. It was almost 6pm,
and when I told them I still had about 2 more hours on foot ahead of me, they
very kindly offered to drive me to my remaining destinations. We then all went
to the lookout at Mt. Parihaka, where we could overlook the city and western part
of Whangarei Harbour. It was a nice view, but I admit that I would have been
very annoyed if I had had to walk an hour uphill to see it. My new traveling
acquaintances kindly returned me to my hostel when we’d all had enough of the
lookout, and I think it took me all of twenty minutes to scarf down a peanut
butter sandwich and collapse on my bed.
So, in a day I conquered
riding a bus long-distance, and I walked and climbed for an entire afternoon. I
also met a kind and adventurous local family, as well as fellow young travelers
who were exceedingly generous with driving me around the town. Whangarei was
exhausting, but I came away with better experiences than I anticipated. Check out all the pictures here.
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