Glow worms and Camper vans

The drive down to Auckland was lots of car sick fun.  I originally had the front seat, but had to switch out quickly with Ashlie.  We switch back and forth between front seat rider because we both suffer from motion sickness.   Ashlie had been sick with a cold since she went diving in Tutukaka. I think it made her more susceptible to carsickness than usual and up in Northland the roads are super windy.  Francine had to pull over even after Ashlie was in the front.  EEK!  I just laid down in the back and tried to ignore my own.  I usually can.  Practice makes perfect. 

 I really wanted to see the glow worm caves in Waitomo.  They are supposed to be the best in New Zealand.  Unfortunately, while we were in Tutukaka (which is nearby the caves) there just wasn’t time to go.  Francine suggested we stop by a glow worm cave on the way back down to Auckland.  So I looked through our Lonely Planet and found a free cave on the way there, Abby Caves.  We spotted a cave sign shortly after we made the decision.  This was not Abbey Caves and cost $20.  Neither Francine nor I wanted to pay if there were free caves still on the way.  So we headed off and about an hour later found Abbey Caves. 

Francine, Ashlie and Me at Abbey Caves

 It was a little of a hike to get to the caves.  There were three caves in the complex.  The first one we walked right past and then had to double back.  We checked it out and it seemed a bit difficult to get into, so we moved on to the second cave.   

We crossed our fingers that it wasn’t too far away or difficult to climb.  Luckily it was only a little bit of a scramble down some boulders, then some ankle deep ice cold water to wade through.  Once we were far enough into the cave that we could no longer see day light we all turned off our flashlights and looked up.  It was like constellations that you could touch, if you were a giant.  They were a beautiful iridescent blue color and it was on the walls and ceilings.  I was impressed.  We didn’t stay in the cave for too long, but enjoyed it while we were there.  These little glow worms were pretty cool.

glow worms

  

hiding out from the cops

The rest of the ride was uneventful.  We did give a few hitchhikers a ride into town, but most of my time was spent lying down in the back of the van.  I didn’t want to risk us getting a ticket, so it’s better to lay low. 

Because of our little detour we did run into some rush hour Auckland traffic.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought.  But we did have to drive right into the heart of the city to drop Ashlie off at her friend’s house.  

We had discussed sleeping arrangements before we left for Auckland.  The original plan was for me and Ashlie to stay at her friend’s house, but then we learned that Francine was staying alone at a free parking area.  Ashlie insisted that one of us should stay with her, just for safety sake.  I said I would because Ashlie had been so sick, I thought a warm bed would help her more than a cold camper van.  She grudgingly agreed.  She really wanted the camper van experience.  We were supposed to buy one for this trip, but I had calculated it all out and I couldn’t afford it. :/  

 The free parking area was Point Erin Park, a pretty nice neighborhood and tons of people were there.  

 Francine’s goal in Auckland was to sell her camper van so as soon as we figured out where we were we jumped on a bus to put fliers around.  I am now the hostel queen of Auckland.  Francine and I went on a hostel tour with her fliers.  It was a little discouraging to see so many other cars for sale in the cars-for-sale books.  

 

The camper van I lived in for two days.

Sleeping that night was cool.  The camper van has a bench that folds out into a full size bed and the back had everything you need to cook.  A stove, spices, dishes… it was awesome.  I wish I had bought a camper van when I first came to New Zealand instead of a scooter.  This trip would have turned out way differently.  The next day was taking the van to a let where Francine could sell her van and me wandering around op shops looking for warmerish clothing.

 

 Our last night together was spent in a café putting Francine’s van on trade me and eating nachos.  After that bit of productivity we had Korean ramyan (I picked it up at the Korean grocery store) and then headed off to bed and good conversation.  

 

Carrying these two bad boys.  No way Jose!

 In the morning Francine offered to drive me to the bus stop.  I wanted to take the bus into town, but the logistics of two giant backpacks was almost impossible.  Ashlie had left her bag with us so she wouldn’t need to walk with it all over Auckland with it, but neither of us had planned it through to her getting her bag back from Francine.  Luckily in the end I only had to carry the backpacks together for about three blocks, but even that was difficult.  My arms hurt after.  Ashlie arrived 5 minutes before the bus was due to leave, but we made it and it was off to Hobbiton!