Bay of Islands to Auckland

Before leaving Bay of Islands we visited Waitangi Treaty Grounds. This is the site where the Treaty between the Mouri chiefs and the British was signed, and is considered the most important historical site in New Zealand.

Før vi forlot Bay of Island syns vi det var viktig å besøke det stedet som ansees som det viktigste historiske stedet på New Zealand. Det er her i Bay of Islands og heter Waitangi Treaty Grounds. I 1840 underskrev Maouriene og britene en avtale om britisk styre.

Det er så mange vakre blomster og planter her, noe vi er veldig fasinert av, og det er så vakkert.

The drive to Auckland takes about 3 hours. Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand with 1.6 million people. The next day we walked into the town centre and did some souvenir shopping.

Today has been our last full day in New Zealand. We started by driving to the home of the All Blacks, Eden Park Stadium. It was officially closed for tours as a stage was being set up for a forthcoming concert. However, the very nice lady at the reception said she would take us up to see the inside of the stadium for "one minute ONLY", so we did just that. A beautiful stadium and an honour for me, as a big fan of rugby, to be there.

Siste timer bak rattet på denne ferien tok 3 timer og da var vi i Auckland, og vi har kjørt 3100 km på sør og nord øya og sett det meste av landet. I Auckland bor det 1.6 millioner mennesker og det er New Zealands største by.

Vi har trasket rundt i byen og blitt lokalkjente etter mer enn 25 000 skritt på disse dager. I dag kom høydepunktet for Al, da vi besøkte Eden Park, som er stadion for et av verdens beste Rugby lag, The All Blacks. Tenk, vi fikk komme inn på stadion, enda det var stengt. Med litt smiger er det meste mulig.

New Zealand is a wonderful country with spectacular scenery, really nice, helpful people and beautiful nature. We have driven 3,100 kms on roads that go up mountains, through valleys and across land filled with vineyards, shèep and cattle. We've seen fjords, waterfalls, geysers, volcanic landscapes, rain forests and pine forests. We've had a mud bath, sulphur bath, drunk some very nice wine😋, some not so nice wine😵‍💫, and some really nice beer🤗. We've had good and bad weather. We have loved every minute. Maouris make up about 14% of the population but their culture is supported, taken care of, and promoted with much pride. There is a very clear concern for recycling, with no plastic bags in any of the shops (bring your own bags). There's no rubbish or litter anywhere, everywhere is so clean. We recommend you include NZ at the top of your bucket list if you are interested in nature, beautiful landscapes and scenery and finding out about the local culture, and meeting wonderful kind, warm-hearted people. Tomorrow we move on to our next country. Watch this space to find out where.

I morgen flyr vi videre, men etter 3 uker er en kort oppsummering ikke enkelt. Et fantastisk land, utrolig natur, litt likt Norge, nydelige mennesker over alt, dårlige veier, lite gatelys, men hva gjør det når helheten er uforglemmelig. Regnskog, vakre planter og trær, fossefall, høye fjell, Geishir, leirbad, sulfabad, vulkansk varme, god vin, alt for god, godt øl og vår i lufta gjør minnene ubeskrivelige. Et land der klima står i fokus, 0 plastposer, ikke søppel å se, gjenbruk og fokus på bevaring og solceller er i vår ånd. Takk New Zealand for en fantastisk ferie med den beste partner i verden.❤️