Creepy Tree Cave

CREEPY TREE CAVE ~ Paengaroa (32km, 995km total) - Today we had to wake up a lot earlier than we wanted to after a late night of drinking. Checkout time at the holiday park was 10am and we weren't in the mood for paying for another night. Luckily there was a nice beach nearby where we could laze the day away.

Sleeping Off New Year's

On the beach I used my hammock to construct a nice sunshade and took a nice long nap underneath it. I woke up later and went off to check out Papamoa's nearby shops and get some lunch at Turkish to Go, one of my favorite restaurants so far this trip. They have huge kebabs for not too much money. Then it was back to the beach where I got some reading done and scored a wicked sunburn on my left side. We finally hit the road about 5pm. We weren't looking to go very far, just cut down on some of the distance to Rotorua and stealth camp on the side of the road.

A little ways outside of Paengaroa we found a great spot.

Up a little incline along the side of the main road and behind some bushes was a huge mess of trees. There was a lot of heavy underbrush, but we found a way in and cleared out a nice little spot amongst the evergreens and the gorse.

Aside from the thorniness of the gorse, it was a pretty simple task. When we were done we had a little cave in the trees. The canopy and undergrowth were so thick they blocked out all the outside light. The trees were a bit creepy looking, but on the whole it was a solid campsite. For dinner we had a delicious mix of rice, beans, and vegetables.

Now it's time for some nice peaceful sleep.

Paengaroa, New Zealand