We packed our bags in Waitomo and left reluctantly the world of miniature pets, glow worms and sunlit hills to go to our next big destination: New Plymouth, or Newps as the cool kids call it. On the way, I had three further highlights: my first black sand beach experience, and real fruit ice cream at a blueberry farm in … wait for it .. Piopio. What a grandiose name for a city. My third highlight was a coincidental conversation at one of the roadside cafes with three Maori ladies, who all three had Mokos. They answered were patiently our questions and we learned that it’s an honor to be allowed to have one and it take at least a year of intense mental preparation in advance. The tattoo process itself takes just a few hours, depending on the pain.
New Plymouth greeted us with its apparently new slogan on a big sign at the city border “New Plymouth – a city like no other”. The weather was superb, i.e. late afternoon sunshine. We used the occasion and went body surfing, which feels a lot like being in a mosh pit. But I learned, that if you know how to body surf properly, it’s a lot smoother.
We spent the time in New Plymouth in a very relaxed manner and even developed some routines, like going swimming every other day and going for coffee afterwards. Some big events were upcoming, like meeting Greta and Nick & Amy’s wedding. So stay tuned.
Top moments:
- Sitting in the sun and having real fruit ice cream at the Piopio blue- and strawberry farm
- Talking to the Maori women about their moku
- Taking pictures at the black sanded beach and going body surfing afterwards
