The Road Trip Begins

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I left the farm with my car and drove back up to Paihia and picked up Ternell and Naomi who I had met two weeks earlier. We drove up to Cape Reinga which is the north tip of New Zealand. We arrived there at about 7:30pm and we were pretty much the only ones there. It had to be the most quiet and peaceful place I have ever been to. We eventually made our way down to Taupo where we went our separate ways. That night I bought a portable stove, made some dinner and spent the night in my car. It was not very comfortable but it worked. For some reason the trunk and the back of the seat that folds down are metal. The next day I drove down to Napier and I was able to do some work at the hostel owner's farm which gave me three free nights there. I did a wine tour without eating any lunch before and naturally got quite drunk. For some reason during the drunken wine tour I agreed to go skydiving with a guy from Spain (Marcos). The next day we drove to Taupo and as soon as we arrived we did the skydive. We also did gliding which was amazing and even did a loop. Before I left Taupo I desperatley needed an oil change and I went to several mechanics however they all wanted to charge at least $100 so I bought some tools and did it myself saving over $50.

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Photos

The Lighthouse
Cape Reinga

Naomi and Ternell
Sat my camera on a bench to take this one

Some thermal action in Taupo
Luckily I didnt see any hot liquid magma

Car turned home
My first night sleeping in the car

Vineyard Tour in Napier
The couple on the right were from the US. The guy grew up in Peekskill, NY

Back to Taupo
The weather and the scenery were much better

climbing Mt Doom
It got a little bit steep

Comments

[Ashley Farrell]

Brett I love your blogs! Your stories are great! Im jealous of your adventures and it seems as if you are having a blast! Enjoy. We are all missing you today, on Thanksgiving day!