WE MADE IT!
We were a little behind schedule getting to the Bay of Islands, but we made it! The car seemed to be running well, but upon further inspection by AA (NZ's Triple-A counterpart), the car needed a waterpump for any long-distance journeys to avoid any disasterous overheating. So the $1,500 car became a $2,000 car, but was found to be in great shape otherwise. So Tuesday afternoon we were able to make our way north at long last. The weather was terrible and water washing up on the seaside roads required an hour diversion across to the west coast for one leg of our journey. The "main highway"- number 1 north - is a tar and gravel, two-lane tight tightrope through completely rural and mountainous sub-tropical terrain that would be unimaginable at home. The scenery was beautiful, but I was a little too nervous navigating the tight turns around the huge cliffs to really enjoy it. It took us about 4 hours to make it in to our hostel in Paihia (pa-he-ah), but the drive was well worth it. For $40 a night, we're staying right on the beach, with islands for miles in front of us and forested mountains directly behind. There can't be more than a few thousand people in a two-mile radius! Which, as it turns out, is a problem when trying to find jobs. Even though it's still summer, the busy season (the 6 weeks just after Christmas) is drawing to a close and after literally asking for work at every establishment in town, we haven't found much to suit us and have decided to move on shortly. Plans are developing, and we'll keep you updated as when find our next perch. Pictures of the Paihia area adventures are also to come. One more beautiful day in the Bay of Islands, and south we go!