Slowly but Surely Seeing all of New Zealand: An Adventure to the Northland

I find a lot of familiarity in New Zealand. The rolling green hills, the small know-everybody-and-their-mama towns, and the ‘do good’ attitude of the Kiwi’s often reminds me of home. But New Zealand continues to throw surprises at me. One of my favorite surprises about New Zealand is the festivals. We don’t really have them in the U.S, I mean we have the big ones like Burning Man and Coachella, but we’re lacking “festival season”; and I think we could use it. For Kiwis it’s completely normal to pack up your entire family, kids included, multiple days worth of food, tents, decorations, the most colorful and ridiculous outfits possible, and head into the middle of nowhere to spend an entire weekend around a variety of music. Earth Beat Festival has a range of music that goes from techno at 180 bpm to a bearded man playing the didgeridoo. The connection I had to Earth Beat, the fact I even heard of it, is because the festival organizers are from Raglan. Therefore, the entire town of Raglan goes to this festival. Or at least that’s what it felt like. 

Mimi and I, with a queen size mattress in the back of “Blue Bird”: our bright blue 2004 Mitsubishi Diamanté with a V6 engine, went on a little road trip to a giant filed north of Auckland where we would meet a least a dozen members of our Raglan crew for 5 days of shenanigans. We were a group coming from all over the world: Scotland, Hawaii, Ireland, Israel, Germany, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Poland, France, the U.K, and Japan. We lived off of cheese sandwiches, corn flakes and ramen noodles. We washed ourselves with a hose at the communal dishwashing station. 

Earth Beat had more than just music and camping. There were free workshops throughout the day. I took a live model drawing class, went to a few yoga classes and breathwork sessions (led by Wim Hof’s brother!), a massage course and stand up comedy lessons (don’t worry. I only watched). Walking around the festival felt like I was walking around Raglan. Familiar faces were left and right which made it all the more fun. I was even running into people I’ve met in the surf lineup weeks before. Oh, and so much dancing. Non. Stop. Boogie. If we weren’t checking out the sets at one of the stages, we were back at camp having our own jam sessions. 

It says something about New Zealand and their values as I look around this place and see so many people who can just switch off the hustle of to just enjoy life and music. To be like a kid again for a few days. That’s exactly what we did. 

Earth Beat came and left, the festival Mimi and I had been talking about for months. We knew that this would be our last hoorah in New Zealand together, for now. Mimi booked her flight to Australia. Her departure date gave us time for a festival together and some rogue exploring in the northland of the country before we said our goodbyes again.

After the festival everyone dispersed in different directions. Some went back to Raglan, some to the South Island, and some went north to check out a few surf spots. I was a part of the northland caravan. Mimi and I recruited our friend Hilay, from Israel, to join us on this adventure. Hilay is kind, always up for a surf, a good chef and knows a thing or two about engines (this came in handy later) he grew up looking out for his mom and his sister and it shows. We took our Bluey and Hilay’s campervan and headed north to Waipu.

The northland is lined with these untouched white sand beaches that roll into grassy sand dunes and rocks. As soon as we arrived at our first camp our car battery died right before we reached our site. We jump started it three times (thank god Hilay was there) and realized that the battery will die after a minute of running, but we can prolong it if we turn the headlights off. We had to get the car just a short ride down the trail to our site. I strapped on my headlamp to guide Mimi while she drove and suddenly this felt all too familiar. I was thinking “I’ve done this before” and had a flashback to the time Mimi and I were traveling in Sri Lanka together with a Tuk Tuk we rented from some Sri Lankan guy out of his garage in Midigama. I misled us up a mountain pass with huge craters of cement taken out of the road, a giant cliff hugging the side of this obstacle course of a pass, in the pouring rain, with vicious leeches covering the ground. We could barely see what was going on around us so I got on foot with our flashlight and ran in front of the Tuktuk, guiding it around big chunks of earth back down to safety. Mimi and I share some of the most ridiculous travel stories. 

Sri Lanka 2024

An issue with the car battery turned into almost two days in the shop for Blue Bird. The three of us loaded up into Hilay’s van and decided to use this time to go on a surf mission. We flew along the beach roads looking for some kind of wave break. Suddenly, from the top of a hill we could see a perfect wave breaking off the shore. We got boards from a local that rents them from their house and enjoyed a few waves to ourselves. There was another man in the water, a kiwi guy, he casually comes up to us and shouts, “Hey! Have you guys spotted the shark?” Our eyes got big. “Yeah there’s a shark out here, she’s been around for a few days, harmless, but probably the size of your board”. He points to my 9 foot longboard. Nice. Anyway, I survived, and they won’t be making a movie about how I overcame the odds and became a pro surfer after losing a limb in a shark attack. 

After Bluemobile got a new battery and regulator we zoomed up past Whangarei to Ocean Beach. A campervan paradise with a nice beach break. We joined our friend Alexa and spent the next couple of days surfing, cooking fish over the fire, listening to Hilay play the guitar, playing cards and washing our underwear in the camp sink. One evening, as we were walking down the beach to our secret beach bonfire spot, we noticed what looked like a large rock perked up on the open beach. As we got closer, we realized it was a seal. A giant, very beat up, seal. He looked ancient, like he’s seen some things. Seeing wildlife like this is something I can’t put into words. Baboons jumping from tree to tree overhead in South Africa, an octopus in the tidepools in Greece, a cobra crossing the road in India, an elephant gently stepping over a barbwire fence in Sri Lanka, a peacock hopping up the steps of a Buddhist temple in Thailand, Lions fighting in Tanzania, a chameleon walking across my head in Zanzibar, a pregnant manta ray migrating in Indonesia and now a wise old seal in New Zealand. I hope I keep coming close to these wildlife encounters on my travels, but not too close. 

After our hippie life in Ocean Beach, Mimi and I gave Hilay big see-you-later hugs and headed on a girls only mission to Piha. Piha is famous for it’s rugged black volcanic sand coastline and the fact that it sits on an ancient volcano crater. My only suggestion for this little town is a gas station that isn’t 30 minutes away. One day without Hilay and Mimi and I almost ran out of gas. This almost-disaster resulted in us showing up to the town of Piha pretty late in the afternoon, in dire need of showers. We visited the only hostel in Piha and prayed a couple of last minute beds wouldn’t be too expensive. Our prayers worked… kind of. 

We showed up to what seemed to be a mansion, that is actually a hostel. The owners of this beautiful home in the coastal forest of Piha turned it into a hostel for backpackers and kiwi travelers. Just by the looks of this place I knew it would be pricey. I put on my best negotiating charm as we entered the front door of the hostel. I shook the owner's hand and introduced myself, he looked like he’d been working in the yard so I complimented how nice the lawn looks, “whoever does your groudswork isn’t messing around”. I gave my best smile and asked if there are any beds available tonight. He told us that all the dorm beds are booked but there is a shared queen bed for $90 NZ a person (about $50 USD). Mimi and I looked at each other like “not a chance”. I asked if it would be possible for us to just use the hostel’s facilities but sleep in our car parked outside. He said yes, but for $50 per person. Still too expensive. I explained to him that we’re on a tight budget and we may need to try to find another place to sleep, the most we can pay is $25 per person (which I knew was the price of the no-toilets-no-showers campground down the road). “Do you have any recommendations for a place to camp nearby?” I asked him with the puppy dog eyes that got me Dairy Queen as a kid. He responded by giving us another offer. He graciously said we could stay for $25 a person if we help out a bit with the party he’s hosting tonight for his friends in town. They’ll feed us too. Deal. 

Mimi and I helped set up and make drinks and appetizers for the guests that visited that night. We ate barbecue with fresh New Zealand hunts and got to talk with some interesting and very successful kiwis that came by. I found myself sitting around the fire with a couple from the U.K, now New Zealand residents, that own one of the top primum camper van rental companies in New Zealand: Big Little Campers. They asked about what I’m up to, I told them about my teaching career, my travels that followed, this website, and the goals I have to help more girls solo travel. They kindly offered to lend me a van for three weeks in May to write about on my blog and hopefully inspire someone else to come explore New Zealand solo. I couldn’t believe it. Yes, yes, yes. Funny how opportunities come up. If Mimi and I had agreed to the initial the price of this hostel we would’ve never met these lovely people and I would be still looking for a van to explore the South Island solo in. Here’s to knowing when, and when not to, say yes. I thank the big wide world for teaching me this one. 

After Piha I brought Mimi to the airport. This is not our first ‘see-you-later’ which made it even more of a goodbye that’s only for now. I’ve written about Mimi before, our crazy connections; both losing our dads, almost losing our moms too, breakups and big changes, then quitting our jobs and packing our bags to explore the world as a way to heal and keep living in a direction that feels right. Nothing stops Mimi and she won’t settle for anything less than what she wants. She has that Irish stubbornness and humor, refuses to wear shoes unless it’s necessary, spending a day painting is as important as job hunting and to travel and surf is to live. We share so many stories, secrets and confessions, that we wouldn’t dare to tell anyone who doesn’t understand what it’s like to be this far away from home. We jokingly talk in exaggerated southern accents and cannot stop it no matter how hard we try. We’ve laughed so hard that we cried and cried so hard that we laughed. Right before we got to the airport the song “Wild World” by Cat Steven’s came up on shuffle from our tiny little speaker. Mimi with her passport in hand, me, putting my next location up in google maps while I stay in New Zealand a bit longer, both knowing that our paths will cross again, but not sure when.. if my life was a movie of course this song would play now. Mims, thanks for being a sister in this wild world. If you can do it then I can do it, and if I can do it you can do it. Love you all the way from India to New Zealand, the long way around. 

After dropping Mimi off at the airport I drove into Auckland to visit my favorite mom and son duo: Veronika and Luka. Veronika is from Kazakhstan and moved to New Zealand when she was young. She’s overcome so much and is the coolest mama I’ve ever met. We share a love for travel and nerospirituality. I met these two a couple of months ago in Raglan when Luka taught me how to play chess. Veronika and I became friends instantly, Luka and I as well. Veronika is a photographer and a couple of weeks ago she visited me in Raglan to boost her portfolio. I got to play model, which is scarier than skydiving for me but Veronika made it so fun and relaxed. I couldn’t believe the shots she got.  Always good to see these two. 

I drove back down to Raglan alone, and once again it felt like coming home. Walking down the street and seeing so many familiar faces wanting to know how my little adventure outside of Raglan went. My only issue was that I came back to my New Zealand hometown without a place to stay. I moved on from sleeping in the shack at Solscape because the weather was changing and I was just too cold! I had two rooms to tour in town that I could stay in for a little while before my New Zealand season comes to an end. 

I’ve been reading this book called “Into the Magic Shop” by Jim Doty. Jim is a neurosurgeon that writes about connecting the mind to the heart. He teaches his readers how to create their own reality by envisioning something you want with compassion and specific details. It’s like a mind game and I’ve realized that this is exactly what I did to start traveling in the first place. This blog is like my journal and what I’m about to say next may seem a little far fetched but I think it’s worth sharing. 

I’ve been interested in “signs” lately. I heard a story of a woman who was deciding between two names for her son she was pregnant with and asked God or the Universe or whatever to give her a sign. For one of the names she asked to see an Owl. I’m not sure what she asked to see for the other name, but it doesn’t really matter because a couple of days later she got a letter in the mail and the stamp on the envelope was a picture of a cartoon owl. Then she saw an owl outside her kitchen window one evening, if that wasn’t enough, a little while later while she was speaking at an event, someone in the audience literally had a live owl sitting on their shoulder. 

I tried it myself. I wanted to start with something small. I did a meditation, like a prayer, and asked for a sign: a yellow flower. I was about to tour two rooms in town. I’d check out the vibe of each place but I asked for a yellow flower to be a sign that it would be the right fit for me. Maybe there will be yellow flowers on the porch, or embroidered on a pillow, or in a picture frame. I felt a little silly doing this, and kind of forgot about it when I toured both rooms. I didn’t see anything that even resembled flowers. I decided on the room that was the closest to town and had a cute dog. It was a Sunday, and I made an agreement with the kind homeowner that I would move in the next day.

Every Sunday I’ve been going to Dave’s house for breathwork. I met Dave when my very musical friend Asa invited me to “old man jam” at Dave’s house one Friday night back in February. They played the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Van Morrison and Red Hot Chili Peppers. I joined the jam with a tambourine and had one of my favorite evenings in New Zealand. Dave welcomed me to join his weekly breathwork sessions that he guides for anyone who shows up. 

Dave is very passionate about breathwork and for good reason. Dave has a wild history, some of his stories I can’t even believe. Dave is a paraglider, and was a pioneer of the sport when he was young. In 2006, Dave crashed his paraglider and spent 10 days in a coma, shattering his lower spine and partially paralysing his left leg. Breathwork has been heavily involved in Dave’s amazing recovery.  Dave studied Osteopathy and his first degree was in biology. He was a practicing osteopath when he had his accident and then became ultra interested in his brain damaged condition so he studied an online masters in Cognitive neuro psychology. This path led him towards Wim Hof, ice bath and breath work. Later on, following the death of his wife from cancer he learned about fasting, which he believes could have saved her. Dave shares his knowledge of breathwork and fasting with the community now. 

Dave’s been through a lot but he’s someone that doesn’t let life’s circumstances take him down. He has a no-filter type of humor, loves bringing people together over music and can speak French well enough to make a French person laugh or properly offend them if needed. 

I’ve gone to a few of Dave’s breathwork sessions and I always learn something new. During my first session it was like I was put in a trance of peace, I can’t think of another way to describe it. A cool thing that sometimes happens when you’re deep into breathwork is visuals. Your eyes are closed and a little movie is happening but you’re not controlling it. Kind of like a dream you’re awake for. I’ve had visuals of a little jet plane writing words in the sky, flags of different countries on top of a mountain, my dad’s smile, and this time, this Sunday I returned back to Raglan, I saw a bright yellow flower. I didn’t even connect it to the sign I asked for previously, I was just thinking “cool, a flower” and then it hit me. After the breathwork session I asked Dave if he ever rents rooms out of his house that he lives in with his girlfriend Kristina. He said yes, I could move in tomorrow and help out with their Airbnb for a discounted price. 

You can check out Dave's website if you're looking for a place to stay in NZ or want to try his sauna or breathwork. https://wakeupandthrive.co.nz

So now I’m living in this sweet home along a stream, surrounded by rolling hills that are sometimes covered in cows, just a few minutes outside of town. We have chickens that I collect the eggs from in the morning. I have my own room that has ELECTRICITY, a luxury I missed while I was living for free in the surf shack at Solscape. 

I’m still surfing and teaching yoga. Soaking up my last weeks in Rag town before I head to the South Island in the beginning of May with the camper van I scored. 

If you’ve read this far I’ll tell you that I did a big thing… I purchased flight tickets. I can’t believe it’s already come to that time, time to go home. I have an exciting stop on my way back to Minnesota though, and I can’t wait to tell you about it. 

I’ll be back on U.S soil on June 6th to take care of some things before whatever comes next, comes. I can’t wait to see everyone I’ve been missing. I feel so grateful to be able to come home.