Wandered around Whangarei Falls in the morning before heading to Paihia. Stopped at Kawakawa to see what's the fuss about that toilet. Nothing much.




Whangarei Falls


Had Thai food for lunch at Paihia. There were a few lovely shops in town too.






Contemplated paying (literally - there's entrance fee) a visit to the Treaty of Waitangi Grounds but didn't like the idea of charging even NZ residents when the site is of such historic significance to the country. So we went to the Haruru Falls which was just 6 mins from Paihia.


Getting ready for the YOLO jump of the year


Haruru means big noise in Maori


Jumping off a tree


It seems that jumping off cliffs and waterfalls is highly featured in young kiwis' summer holiday plans.


"When you look back at your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did."


Puketi Forest has 20 campsites and it was first come first serve (note that prior bookings are required now) so we went early to secure a spot. Sure enough, all the grassy spots had been taken up.


We were surprised to find a nice big modern bathroom in this forest however there was only cold shower. I slotted the camping fee in the iron ranger while he fiddled with the hot shower bag but it didn't seem to work.


After a cold shower, we saw the police and media turning up. Looks like someone may have lost their way in the forest.