Day 3 - the crazy day

I promise I'll start making these shorter! There's just too much to say..

We started the day with a 'Hokey Pokey' ice cream in Paihai.. which was just something else.

Then we started heading North again and went to Haruru Falls and Kawiti glow worm cave on the way.. which was fantastic! 

We carried on driving and stopped at Whale Bay beach on the way, where we picked shells and mum ran into the sea naked...which was gross.

After whale beach we started heading towards Rotorua.. we stopped for petrol on the way and this is where it all went wrong..

We started filling the tank but all the petrol was gushing out. We rang the AA and our car hire company.. we thought we must have banged the bottom on something.

So they sent a truck to tow us and in the meantime we drank lots of coffee and wine.

It turned out.. that whilst we were at Whale Bay beach, someone had cut through our petrol pipe to rob our petrol.

Lance, a very very nice kiwi man, towed us all the way to Whangerei, stopping to show us a beautiful view on the way.

The only hitch was that he could only fit 2 in his van, so he broke the law for us and let Marie, Mum and Jack hide in the car on the back of the tow truck.

We rang 3 hostels and every one was fully booked, so Lance had to just drop us off with the car at a garage.

We finally found somewhere to stay and we got a taxi there. 

It turns out Whangerei at night is pretty much New Zealands ghetto. 

We were convinced we were either getting shot or robbed.. and just ate in a thai restaurant in the hotel.. which turned out to be nice...as did Whangerei the next morning in daylight!