Drifting lessons:

Travelling teaches you lessons, whether it is life, personal or just funny things. I got some some lesson stories to share with you all.

1.       Living in South Africa can be hard sometimes but you realize how lucky you are. You have someone to fill your car with petrol. Not over here. I get out of the car look around in the hope that someone will come save me from my misery.

 I don’t know how to fill up a car. Well I do in my head, you take the nozzle and stick in and squeeze the trigger. Easy .Yea easy. Needles to say I managed to spill fuel all over the floor as many people around me got to witness my misfortune.

2.       Doors have keys. This hotel had cards, like all normal good hotels. But a card to use the elevator? The elevator only works when you insert your room key card into a slot below the floor level buttons. I sat like a tool in the 3 elevators that are there trying to get to my room on the 19^th floor. It was 1 am, after36hrs of travelling. Go figure.

 The car was packed. No plans. A full tank of gas and a map. Ok, let’s go.

The road trip up north to explore the most northern part of New Zealand was very cool. The place is beautiful. The best part of it all was that you will be driving for hours and not see any humans but sheep, sheep, sheep a couple of cows and road kill. Plenty road kill. 8 Days and only 2 police patrol vehicles. Sweet, I thought to myself that this is going to be a good trip!

The first night was spent somewhere in Whangarei, we just drove and drove till we found a very small but beautiful camping park. We stayed in a cabin for that night watching the sunset over the ocean.

The next morning we went off looking to get a tent. Got the tent, did some shopping and on the road again. We set our sights on a small sea side village called Russel. After driving for about 3-4 hours we drove past a sign that said glow worm caves. We turned around and went straight there.

I did not know what to expect and my o my, was it ever so humbling to see that. We went on the tour and walked in the caves the tour guide kindly asked that no photos are to be taken as they disturb the glow worms. We continued walking and after about a couple of minutes we got told to turn off all the lamps and look to the ceiling of the caves. It was amazing. Pitch black and all u see are millions of small green lights glowing away. It looked like the milky-way. Very cool indeed.

Arriving in Russel in the late afternoon after a short ferry ride, I was very taken back by the amount of yachts and boats moored and cruising about. People fishing kids playing in the water it was like a scene from a movie.

For the remainder of our stay in Russel we stayed at the backpackers, meeting and hanging out with some really cool people. Russel is most definitely worth a second visit.

After 3 days in Russel we went up to Taupo bay. Camped there for a night. We were kept awake by the weirdest noises of animals and creatures moving about and eating around the tent.

We then drove up to Cape Reinga on a very windy and rainy day. It is the most northern point of New Zealand. It holds loads of history and many stories. On the point you look out into the ocean and see where the two oceanic currents meet. Violently clashing against each other. It was so beautiful, all the landscapes and scenery.

That night we camped on a beach. It was so nice. I had my First surf in New Zealand waters in some fun waves, just me and all the fish around me. It got a bit creepy sitting in the water by yourself with some big fish swimming about. I decided to get out and do some mind surfing being satisfied with my first wave encounter.

The next night we spend in Waipoua forest. We went to go see the oldest and biggest Kauri tree in the world. It was huge. Standing 51m tall and 13m in girth. It leaves you breathless with it pure raw beauty. Sleeping in the forest was interesting as it felt as we were being hunted by blood sucking beasts. Mozzie galore!!

I had been spending the last couple of days in Mt. Manganui, a peaceful coastal village with some good waves. On Sunday we took the Jet Ski out to Matakana Island to surf a Specific wave. It is about a 20 min ride, about midway through we encountered a pod of orcas with babies. We were right in the middle of them; we hastily turned around gaining some distance between us and them. I had never seen such beautiful animals, absolutely amazing.

Yesterday Stormo and I surfed an artificial reef that was mainly built for stand up surfers but it turned out to be way too steep for them to take off on. Bodyboarders heaven.

One thing about this place is that there are no snakes and no venomous spiders, the sun is so potent here and I have never been burnt as I was on Sunday, through 3 layers of 50spf, and it was only 24 degrees. The landscapes are beautiful, the fishing is amazing the food is good but the booze is expensive!

Much love

Deon