My first day on Stray

While in New Zealand I traveled with a company called Stray Travel. They are a hop on, hop off bus company that takes you all around the country and are known for going off the beaten path. I bought a pass that allowed me to see most of both islands in the 17 days that I had to travel. The beauty of Stray is that it lets you be as independent as you want or you can use their resources as much as you want. The bus drivers will find you accomodation each night and help organize adventure activities for all who want to participate. If you like a place you can stay for as long as you want and just catch the next bus coming through town. It's a great way to see the country, meet new people from all over the world and it eliminates the hassle of trying to navigate through a foreign country on your own. It's especially great if you are traveling on your own like me!

Since I was delayed a few days, my travel plans changed a little bit. Stray and I had a little miscommunication about where I was supposed to be picked up and the bus I was planning to catch left without me. So, I had to wait until the next day to start my travels. Anyway, I was pretty distraught about everything going exactly opposite of how I had planned, but in the end I really do think everything worked out for the better. I had a great driver, BP, who was super friendly, helpful and just fun to hang out with. I ended up meeting some great people from all over the world, connecting especially with some girls from Canada, London and Ireland, as well as many others. I got to stay with my bus pretty much the entire time because of my schedule and all in all I am so thankful that the Lord made me wait to catch the bus.

My first day on the bus we drove to Hahei, which is a small beach community on the North Island. We stayed at this little camping ground area that was right on the beach. That day I went kayaking in Mercury Bay and Cathedral Cove. The water was warm and clear, the beach was beautiful and our guide even made us coffee and hot chocolate on the beach when we stopped for a break! So random, but so good!