{"id":860,"date":"2016-03-02T12:29:23","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T11:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/journeyman.ch\/wordpress\/?p=860"},"modified":"2016-03-02T12:29:23","modified_gmt":"2016-03-02T11:29:23","slug":"new-zealand-north-island-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journeyman.ch\/wordpress\/2016\/03\/02\/new-zealand-north-island-i\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand North Island I"},"content":{"rendered":"

I went to Auckland and thought it will be easy to rent a campervan. But I was wrong. The first 5 days in Auckland I called and emailed every known Camper-rental Company and always I heard the same thing: \u201cSorry, but we are fully booked out until April\u201d.
\nBut I know there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
\nI made a good deal with an Agent which works with different Rental Company\u2019s (and he has also a few own campers). By the way he is German. The deal was that I get a bigger camper for the first week (a Mercedes Sprinter with Shower and Toilet in it) from Auckland and exchange it in Kerikeri with a smaller one (Nissan NV200) which is more suitable for me and easier to drive on New Zealand\u2019s streets. The Nissan is a new rebuilt campervan and I\u2019m the first who rented it! He needs this week to finish the upholstery and the water tanks in it.<\/p>\n

That was the reason that I first discovered the far north of New Zealand.
\nI was on the upper end of the island (Cape Reinga) where the two ocean\u2019s drift together from east and west (pacific ocean and tasman sea), saw the stunning milky way on the night sky, was dune surfing on the 90 mile beach and I also visited Agnes (my father\u2019s cousin) which lives near Kaitaia.<\/p>\n

After I got my smaller camper I drove further to the Coromandel Peninsula and spent there a few days. After that I wanted to go to the south island as soon as possible because I need to return the camper in Auckland and also my further flight goes from there. The weather was also rainy and windy between the Coromandel and Wellington. So I drove as much as I could in the south direction.<\/p>\n

Overview of the route:\"nzmapnorth1\"<\/a>
\n– Auckland
\n– Orewa
\n– Pahi
\n– Trounson Kauri Park
\n– Ahipara
\n– Cape Reinga
\n– Tauranga Bay
\n– Matapouri
\n– Miranda
\n– Coromandel
\n– Hot Water Beach
\n– Matamata
\n– Paraparaumu
\n– Wellington<\/p>\n