Leaving The Country Soon
Due to the rugby games taking place during that period against the Lions, Wellington was crowded with people. All the camping grounds and hostels were fully booked, so we couldn't find a place to stay. Since freedom camping could result in a fine of 200NZD, we decided to leave the city after three days.
On our way north, we visited the location where Rivendell was shot for the movie "The Lord of the Rings." We essentially moved from one free camping ground to the next, slowly heading north through the center of the country. We passed through places like the Desert Road and cities such as Taupo, Rotorua, and Tauranga. We spent some time in this area because the cities were relatively close to each other, making it convenient to explore without driving too much.
Afterward, we decided to head to Auckland to look for work. When we arrived, we initially thought there were no camping grounds in the city (always referring to free camping grounds). Therefore, we chose to stay at a camp in Te Kauwhata, a small village 50 minutes' drive from Auckland city. We stayed there for approximately 2 or 3 weeks because it was not as easy as we had thought to find a job in the city. Eventually, Niko managed to find a job, and after another week, I was also able to secure employment.
At some point, we decided to use Google to search for camps in the city, which yielded positive results. We found the official website of the Auckland City Council, which listed and described numerous free camps in the city. Unfortunately, many of them turned out to be inaccurate, and some were only for self-contained vehicles. We finally found one that suited us. The camp we have been at for around a month now is located in Panmure next to the marina. However, the area doesn't appear to be very safe, as there seems to be a high presence of people using drugs such as crack. We frequently witness strange individuals and a significant police presence in the area. We see people getting arrested in our neighborhood at least once or twice each day.
Just before we moved from Te Kauwhata to the city, we met a Kiwi girl in a shop. She was conducting wine tastings, so Niko tried some while I waited outside. An hour later, he emerged with two bottles of wine and a big smile. Since then, we have been spending a lot of time with Alicia. We have also met many new local people, which is really cool because we are getting a glimpse of how people our age in New Zealand live and what they do, etc.
At the moment, it's Monday morning, August 28, 2017, 11:10 AM, and I am sitting in the library in Panmure while Niko is trying to figure out our laundry. In three weeks, I have my flight back to Germany, and to be honest, I am quite excited about returning to Europe. However, at the moment, I need to wrap up everything here before I can leave the country, so the upcoming three weeks might be a bit stressful, although I hope not.
