North Island in Review
Greetings from the Interislander — the ferry crossing from North Island to South Island.
As we don’t plan to return back north, on today’s episode we’ll summarize our experience with that half. We’ll introduce you to some of the people we’ve met and give highlights for when you check out New Zealand yourself.
Week 1: Auckland and Waiheke (Dec 13-22)
We spent our first week getting our van / setting it up in Auckland. At this stage of our trip, we were still transitioning from our San Francisco lifestyle. We ate out at restaurants most meals, went for wine tastings, and booked “entire place” Airbnbs downtown.
Our favorite spots:
Giapo - very unique and tasty ice cream, thanks for the rec Andy!
Waiheke Island - short ferry ride from Auckland with beautiful beaches and vineyards
Mount Eden - panoramic view of Auckland
Dry pot restaurant in Khartoum Place - it was so good we ate here twice, yet we can't find it on any maps app. If you wanna eat here ask us for exact location
Week 2: Coromandel Peninsula, Rotorua, and Taupo (Dec 22-29)
We got off to a rough start with van life as the supposedly beautiful Coromandel Peninsula was foggy and thunder-storming during our time there. We then went through the Thermal Highway, stopping in the tourist hubs Rotorua and Taupo.
Ivy got sick so we spent a while recovering in preparation for our upcoming hikes. We stayed at a lovely Airbnb during this time where the hosts, Pep and Shaun, shared their experiences running a restaurant, managing a power station, and converting a mobile library bus into a family road trip vehicle, and Pep made us the most luxurious and delicious breakfast we've ever had, even beating out SF brunch spots.
Something Shaun said that struck Owen - “If I could do it again, I would have planned the course out more. Being a chef requires you to be a loner, constantly analyzing food and thinking about new recipes. I would have planned it differently to account for kids and marriage."
Our favorite spots:
Onemana Cafe - if you’re driving down the coast, this place is worth a quick stop. The owner used to be a private chef for a Russian billionaire and the food's delicious
Polynesian Spa - one of the touristy thermal baths in Rotorua we actually really enjoyed. Go at sunset and you get a view of the lake while you soak in the hot springs
Week 3: Tongariro, Sunrise Hut (Dec 29-Jan 2)
We opened the new year with back to back long hikes. See previous newsletters for more on this.
Our favorite spots:
Gollem’s Pool - a waterfall that you can climb pretty close to, very short hike
Tongariro Alpine Crossing - Probably the most well known hike, but actually worth the hype (when it’s not foggy)
Active Outdoor Adventures - you can’t park at the Alpine Crossing so you need a shuttle for the hike. This company lets you crash on their lot the night before for cheap and gives you a much needed cold beer at the end
Week 4: Hawke’s Bay (Jan 2-13)
We spent this time at our first workaway (WWOOF). It took a while to get into the groove but we soon started spending the afternoons and evenings off exploring the area. It was the serene hakuna matata that Ivy was looking for and the insightful farm experience Owen wanted. We will write more about this soon we promise.
One of the other workawayers, Annette was a retired high school teacher from California who taught across the spectrum throughout her career — private schools, and public schools in vastly different income areas. She said “There is very little equality in our school system — in funding, supplies, resources. It's absolutely heartbreaking.” The biggest thing she says you can do to help students living in lower income areas is to join a big brother big sister program and provide them a good role model / show them what else is out there, since it’s hard for them to see those in their daily life.
Our favorite spots:
Te Mata Peak for a glorious sunset
Ocean Beach - a much better beach than Ocean Beach SF. Pristine and reflective sand, few people, beautiful weather
Maraetotara Falls - a swimming hole where you can jump off a small waterfall!
Hawke’s Bay’s 72 wineries - most do free or cheap tastings. Pinot Noir at Elephant Hill Winery was our fave. Te Awa had an amazing lunch. Craggy Range lets you explore their vines and veggie garden + decent dinner
Week 5: Waitomo, Taranaki, beaches to Wellington (Jan 13-21)
We crossed over to the west coast and made our way towards Wellington. We covered a lot of ground, hitting just the “Best Of”s along the way.
One place we camped at was the backyard of a cow farmer, who rented out that small plot of land for some extra cash. We got a tour of the milking process in the morning (more on that in the farming edition) and had some nice chats with one of the farmhands.
Jackson worked in the dairy industry for most of his life, but quit for a while to start his own paint contracting business. He eventually gave it up to get back into dairy because it was too stressful. “It was a bit of everything, nothing in particular that got out of hand. It was all just too much — looking for clients, pursuing clients, organizing schedules, buying supplies.”
Our favorite spots:
Waihi Beach Reserve - a pretty black sand beach / campsite
Ross’s Farm - aforementioned cows
Waitomo Glow Worms - mentioned in the last newsletter
Pouahai Circuit - if you don't want to do the whole 2 day trek, there's a short 3 hour hike to see some of the best views
Borneo Remedies (Westown Villa on Airbnb) - standard amenities for an Airbnb but the Malaysian host can make you dinner for a fee. Best. chicken. rice. Also you can get a massage for a fee
Week 6: Wellington (Jan 21-26)
Wellington is tiny for a capital city, with suburbs all on hills and roads winding and narrow. Known for its coffee and craft beers, the downtown's teeming with rugged and hipster coffee shops and pubs. And like other big cities, you can find your fill of pop-up shops, art scene, and international cuisine.
Every time we get into a city, we try to live a bit of our past lives. We spent many hours at a board game cafe and drank a lot of bubble tea. We splurged on Hiakai, a Maori inspired restaurant where the head chef was on a Netflix show Owen watched (the Final Plate). We also spent our mornings doing some work (exploration of business ideas!) and watching Startup School.
Our Airbnb host (I swear these aren't our only friends) was an eccentric lady, Ali, who studied art, worked for a few years inspecting the brakes for trains, then became a postal worker. Apparently posties are a common job for aspiring artists because of the flexible hours and (previously) reasonable pay. That’s changed over the years because the pay is based off the assumption the mail is mostly letters, whereas now it’s mostly heavier things that take longer to deliver.
Our favorite spots:
Te Papa Museum - one of the top 25 museums in the world and it’s free! Really informative and interactive exhibits
Wellington Chocolate Factory - Beautiful package designs by local artists and the best chocolate in town, made in house in the shop itself. You can take a tour on Saturdays
Counter Culture Board Game Cafe & Bar - a great board game cafes with a large selection
We're off to our second workaway now! Next up, more things about farm life than you'd ever want to know.
Onwards,
Ivy & Owen