Kathrine Breivik

We then headed for the Far North, a more remote but beautiful area. Our first stop was at the Ninety Mile Beach (which actually is Ninety Kilometre Beach, but that does not sound as good ey?). The Ninety Mile beach lays on the top and west coast of New Zealand. We drove along the beach for a while, it was so beautiful.

Further up the strech of the beach, there were some gigantic sand dunes surrounded by the Aupouri Forest. The contrast of the pale sand and the sharp green next to each other was amazing. We also had to cross over a little stream to get to the sand dunes, it is undescribable.

The day ended at the very top of the North Island (I should note that there is actually a more northern point a walk away). However, the Cape Regeina lighthouse, gives a right feel to be at the very end of new Zealand, looking out on the ocean.

 It is actually where the waters of Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet. The ocean was incredible.

Our first journey with the car was to Paihia, north from Auckland. This little town is situated by the Bay of Islands, giving it an beautiful setting. I have to say that I really liked it here. We relaxed by the beach and had some lovely fish and chips.

We then headed out on a new mission at sea…fishing! It was a great trip as we went past lots of beautiful islands (Bay of Island consists of about 150 undeveloped islands). John actually beat me for the first time at fishing; as he managed to get a Kingfisher and many Snappers. However, I should add that I did catch something, but it was so big and strong that it got away with the whole hook, honest!

Welcome to my home! We decided that the best way for us to travel around and about New Zealand was to get our own little camper-van (car with bed). This allows us to drive freely where and when we want, and lets us stay at some great destinations (sometimes in the middle of nowhere). Anyway, I have made a little introduction, so welcome to my house warming…

After many hours of travelling we arrived in Auckland, New Zealand 2 days later. It did not actually take us 2 days to travel, but because of the time difference we lost a day!

Auckland is a really lovely city. So different to the cities we have just been to in South America. It was really nice to be able to relax a little in a big city, and not having to check your bag every 5 minutes. It is a really beautiful city, but I have to say it is beautiful in the very modern way. One of the main attractions is the huge Sky Tower, located in the middle of the city. The Sky Tower allowed us to look over the whole of the city. It is amazing how high up you get, however the massive building makes you feel safe (even when it is swaying with the wind) so even me, who is  a “little” afraid of heights, enjoyed it very much.

Capital of Chile!

Chile was the perfect city to relax, do a little shopping and go to great restaurants. We had an amazing curry (after 2 months of longing) and the longest pizza I have ever had!

Mendoza, mostly known for their wine, was our next destination. Because of this, we decided its a nice place to do some wine tasting. We got to taste some very nice wine and see some great vineyards.

Water Rafting! We got into some very fitted wetsuits and got ready to face the freezing cold water, as it was melted ice from the mountain tops. I managed to stay on the boat the whole way down, personal achievement! The scenery was stunning.

Buenos Aires had a lot to offer. We went to a market which was 1 mile long! Shopping, shopping, shopping…

On the more tourist agenda, we visited an old cemetery which is in the middle of the city called La Recoleta Cemetery, which contains the graves of some of the most important Argentines. I have never seen graves as these, they are all build on top of the ground. It also seemed like some kind of competition of who could have the biggest and most beautiful ones. I would not have liked to be here at night, that is for sure.  

We also went to a football game ( Football is really big in Argentina). We saw Racing Santa vs. River Plate. It was an amazing game. The River fans (away fans) made a lot of noise throughout the whole game, and went crazy when they scored!  

An Englishmen, Australian and a American walked into a bar…

…to celebrate Tim’s birthday, also with an Norwegian, New Zealander and Belgian ( we like to keep it international). This was a great night!

Finally, we also had the best steak ever, at La Cabrera (one of BA’s most famous restaurant).