A brief dig into the kiwi life of the mighty New Zealand’s Northern Island
What I felt when arriving in the Auckland airport was pure tranquility. It seemed as if the whole world reached it’s peace of mind. Although the land of extreme sports, Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) gave me an instant of what could have been the promise land for the nature lover. The airport atmosphere was breathable at 5 o’clock in the morning. The first airport in which I felt relaxed. Even the customs felt suspiciously welcoming. Or maybe it was the switch of my brain, too much infused with the South American traveling philosophy of “focus on sight”. By the way, the time difference was so crazy coming from Chile, that we almost missed our booking in the hostel. We did a miscalculation. We could not believe that we’re actually missing a day of our lives. But after the most chilled out 14 hours over the Pacific, even the fact that by doing a world tour you don’t get younger but older, seemed ok. We were missing a precious day of our lives but we were gaining a precious gift: the amazing sight of a wonderland.
Landing on a populated virgin land
Arriving in Auckland after South America can feel like a piece of cake (Air New Zealand could be a clever option). No need to bother about your luggage sitting next to you as no one will ever think to touch it. I felt safe in Auckland. Safe on the streets, safe while walking alone in the nearby forests or beaches. Without any doubt, Auckland, even the most populous city in New Zealand, felt like a resort into the wilderness. And although prepared to spend a great deal of money on a “British land”, we realized that New Zealand will be cheaper than expected. So after a short coffee, we took our one year luggage, including the tent, winter equipment and all the heavy traveling gadgets that we thought necessary and started to explore a different dimension which felt like the end of the planet state of mind. Transport from the airport to the city is cheap and easy therefore no need to worry, even if you arrive insanely early like we did or very late in the night. There will always be a bus to catch to the city. You’ll need it in order to adapt to the relaxed rhythm of life of the most busy city of Aotearoa. Even in coffee shops birds are flying freely, as everybody seems so integrated into the nature vibe of the place. Enjoy the food here. It can be extremely diverse and also don’t miss the NZ wines.
Kia ora traveling camper vans!
Life can be so good in there. But don’t relax too much as there are museums and exhibitions to be checked everywhere. No to say that kiwis (this is how New Zealand people like to call themselves, as on their land lives one of the most rare birds on Earth, the kiwi bird, which, by the way, is one of the least adapted and lazy birds you could ever find. Needless to say that they don’t fly) try to promote the Maori culture as much as they can. Everything feels like in a fantasy book: even the Grand Avenue and the green hills in the middle of the city center. It’s a surreal world you need to explore on your own. Rent a van (Camper vans are awesome, with cool designs which makes you feel like in a cartoon) and drive across the Northern Island (Te Ika-a-Māuihow as Maoris call it), until you reach the point where two seas collide.
You can feel “the other dimension spirit”, maybe just like the Maoris used to feel when thinking that they must have reached the end of the world from where they could enter death and another life. Cape Reigna is where I would head to if I were to visit the Norther Island once more. The roads are peaceful, the grass is virginally green, the trees seem to be there forever, on their mighty fairy land. And apart from that, you can find lodges or campings easily. No need to mention that New Zealand is an ecological country per se, which makes you want to behave more or less like a Greenpeace activist. If that seems to be too much for the common traveler, you could try not to leave anything behind you. Only footsteps. In fact, New Zealand makes you want to become a better person. It’s a feeling that can hardly be described. Just go and try it.
Experiencing the end of the world vibe
There are twelve lovely cities in the Northern Island: Auckland, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Gisborne, Napier, Hamilton, Hastings, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Wanganui, Whangarei and Wellington, which is the political capital of New Zealand and the most chic of all. But if you’re willing to explore the Maori philosophy of spas and organic honey stuff, you should definitely stop for a hot natural bath in Rotorua. It’s a bliss for both the body and the spirit. And it’s for everybody. Another beautiful thing that I felt in New Zealand, was the lack of discrimination between the British great grandsons of the “colonizers” and the Maoris, which were the first ones to inhabit the virgin land. So, no discrimination and no snakes. What could you ask for more, in the land of the hobbits and fairies?