Indicators=Turn Signals

From Waiheke Island

Scratch that, everything is twice as much.

One of our new friends from the winery, "Frost" said, "Just get in a car and get lost." Now that we're well equipped with wheels, we've done just that. Although, the Kiwis have been very gracious offering directions. No matter how general they may have been. Still we've managed to do just fine with our "main roads only map".

Straight out of Auckland we drove to the nearest beach, Peha. Only about a 35-40 minute drive away. The striking cliffs, stacked with a few houses dropped down to a pristine black sand beach. The water temperature was similar to California in early fall and the waves were good. Talking to a local I come to find out that the swell had been hitting for the few days prior and just started dropping when we arrived. And a competition was to take place the following day.

Susanna couldn't have been happier to get into a bathing suit for some sun. I couldn't have been any happier to get into the water and wash off the city. Surfing for a while I made a friend and decided to get out when the crowd started to resemble Swami's.

Much like our California home, the waves can get crowded and rush hour traffic can ruin any quick trip to the next stop. Later that afternoon, we had to back track to the city to head toward Raglan. And we hit plenty of it. Along with a mess intermittent gravel roads. Winding through rolling hills and all of the sudden there's some gravel. Doesn't seem to bother anyone though. They all drive on it like rally cars. Oh, and all the cars here are the same with different names. Nissan Frontier in the states, Nissan Nararo in NZ.

Raglan was our destination after Peha. We rolled into the tiny town late afternoon and found a proper campsite. All the luxuries of home including internet. The first night in the camper-van was surprisingly comfy. All of our junk fit inside even with the conversion bed pulled out. BTW - We both packed way too much. No fires allowed at any sites here so far. Word is they are going through a serious drought.

Checked was at ten so we set out to find waves. Despite being a magnificent set up for waves, the surf was flat. The hype of raglan will have to be lived out another time. So on the advise of the campsite manager, we headed around a large mountain, with shady directions, to find a more exposed beach.

Passing countless sheep and cows, down countless gravel paths and through enough windy curves to make anyone car sick, we were lost. With no detailed map and out natural sense of direction failed, we lost site of the coast and were out of options. Fortunately, a friendly Kiwi, go figure, happened upon us and just by coincidence was coming from the beach we were looking for. Saved. Back the way we came and down some more unmarked roads we made it to the coast. More black sand and breathtaking views. Some fun punchy surf mixed in there as well. I was in heaven and Susanna was happy she didn't have to strangle me. We shared the beach with another couple and a few surfers in the water. Just wide open everywhich way you looked.