Misa Edito:
When in
New Zealand, do as the
Kiwi's do... so, we rented a camper-van and set off to explore the
North Island. But being inexperienced campers, we opted for luxury (toilet, shower, stove, refrigerator and double bed), disregarding size, and learned very quickly the in's and out's of campsites. So it was that Germain maneuvered this house-on-wheels (kiwi-kun... ha,ha,ha) through the winding, mountainous roads of our first destination: the
Waipoua Forest. And for anyone who's read, "Where the Wild Things Are," it seems we found the inspiration for the illustrations! It was awesome... and taking center stage:
Tāne Mahuta, "Lord of the Forest" in Māori. And nearby: The 4 Sisters (4 Kauri trees split from 1 trunk) gave an eerie feel as dusk settled over the forest "wildness."
We had just enough time to back-track down the sinuous road and arrive at camp before the gates were locked. We warmed ourselves by the fire, and prepared for a day of cold-water diving.
Poor Knights Island was considered 1 of the 10 best dive sites by
Jacques Cousteau... so we made it a "must-do" while in New Zealand. And if the cold water (even after 3 layers of neoprene wetsuits) wasn't enough to take your breath away... the scenery and crystal-clear visibility would be! We even got to explore a bit of cave that is so big that it hid a submarine in WWII! Unbelievable!!!
