The Top Bit

the fishermen celebrate
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Onwards and upwards to Cape Reinga, the most Northerly point of New Zealand. Here we drove along a 90 mile beach (another one!), marveled at the meeting of two oceans (the Tasman Sea and the South Pacific), and got the adrenaline pumping once more by sand boarding head first down the sand dunes.

The next few days were spent taking it easy in the Bay of Islands. On one occasion the boys (Dan and Aaron) hired a fishing rod each, and we found a nice spot on the wharf near the Waitangi Treaty gardens. The locals weren’t very optimistic about our chances of catching anything from here, but with some tasty pilchards as bait, and The Rolling Stones blasting out of our stereo, the fishes soon began to bite. Dan took an early lead by reeling in a couple of Snapper, but they were well below the 27 cm length limit so had to be tossed back in. I even managed to catch a tiddler myself. Aaron eventually won (with quality, not quantity), and we headed home with a bag full of fleshy Snapper for tea. The passers by were all suitably impressed with our catch.

Aaron eventually won (with quality, not quantity)

Claire's first fish
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We boarded the big green bus one more time to be transported back to Auckland, marking the end of our Kiwi Experience. We’ve had a great time exploring this beautiful country over the past few weeks, and we’ve met some fantastic people. Now it’s off to relax on Waiheke Island for a week before embarking on the stressful job of exploring Fiji – It’s a hard life!