Babbling Brooke’s Travel Blog

Picking up our rental car that we will have for the next month & getting familiar driving on the left side of the road as we journey to the Bay of Islands

On day 4 of our trip we went mobile! I am usually not a fawn-over-a-car type of human, however I will gush for one moment that Matt and I were both so exited to try out the new Toyota Land Cruiser since NZ has the diesel version that isn’t allowed in the states. It is basically our dream car, that and a Suzuki Jimny. All other cars I really just care about practicality. Ok, enough about that. Let’s get into the fun stuff!

First off, let me set the scene for where I’m at and then we can backtrack to how we got here. At our second Airbnb of the trip, I am writing from Kerikeri which is a small town near the Bay of Islands in the Northlands. Being closer to the equator than Auckland, it has a more tropical feel to it. Our lovely studio Airbnb is incredibly peaceful with constant bird song, a large lawn that has a tennis net, and even a pool/hot tub (pinch me!). You can bet I fully unpacked here just to pretend I actually lived here full time, even if it‘s just for 6 days.

Being 4 hours away from Auckland, we spent most of the day in the car yesterday. After driving off the rental car lot, we made our way out of the city. We eventually did find a couple roads that were similar to the bumpy Seattle streets (iykyk), however for the longest time we were convinced that it just doesn’t exist here- at least for the first couple hours heading north there was not one bump, I kid you not. So A+ for road infrastructure so far! Makes for a very peaceful journey indeed.

Needing some food, we stopped for lunch in Whangārei and ate some delicious Mediterranean food at The Fat Camel. Fun fact, while here I learned that “wh” makes an “F” sound in Māori! There’s a lot more to learn obviously, but one step at a time ☺️

After lunch we drove a short distance to Whangārei Falls. Our first waterfall stop in New Zealand did not disappoint and there was a lovely loop trail that took us down and around to be able to witness the falls from all angles. It is becoming apparent how much New Zealand cherishes the natural beauty of this land and makes it accessible for all people. Besides the main attraction, there were also other trails winding between grassy lawns with scattered trees and picnic benches perfect for a nice lunch.

Taking the trail down to the falls and across a bridge with the creek running beneath, we got our first good look at the water cascading over the rock wall; the mist supplying the numerous ferns and other plants clinging to the rockery with much needed moisture.

Continuing to our final destination for the day, by the time we reached Kerikeri we grabbed some much needed ice cream from one of the local spots, Kerikeri Gelato Company. I had Blueberry Sour and Passionfruit sour. I have no clue what that means to be honest but it was absolutely delicious! When I as a kid my grandma would make me blueberries with sour cream and brown sugar- and it was SO reminiscent of that. I know it sounds odd, but don’t knock it until you try it!

Once we settled into our new Airbnb, we played some badminton out in the lawn, checked out the pool (aka where I will be spending my time when matt is working the next few days) and grabbed some dinner at a local Thai place.

We learned from our wonderful host that this particular area of New Zealand is very rich in culture and history, and got a recommendation to visit the Waitangi Treaty grounds near Paihia. The next few days will be split between relaxing in the mornings, and filling our afternoons with exploring (since Matt’s work day will end around 1-2pm here). So with that, stay tuned for more adventures! On the docket this week is visiting the Waitangi Treaty Grounds for the museum, Hāngi, and concert, visiting the Waipouli forest to see the huge Kauri Tree (Te Matua Ngahere), and exploring glow worm caves.

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