Holiday Inn Auckland to Waitangi private car — Lior's conference trip

The Queen Mary 2 was docked, a white behemoth against the grey Auckland sky. Boxing Day, and the city was quiet, almost hushed, save for the gentle clunk of gangways and the distant hum of the harbour. A lot of folks disembarking for the day, eager for a taste of land after a few days at sea. Usually, it's a mix – families heading to Sky Tower, couples towards the Viaduct, the odd solo traveller looking for a quiet coffee. This time, though, it was clear my passenger wanted to head north, well north.

He emerged from the terminal building, a man who looked perhaps a little out of place amidst the casual holiday attire. He was dressed sharply, a crisp dark jacket over a lighter shirt, carrying a small, smart briefcase. He had a neat beard, and his eyes, even in the soft light, were observant. He introduced himself as Lior K, and explained he needed to get to Waitangi, up in the Bay of Islands. A conference, apparently, starting the next day. A bit of an urgent dash, given the ship was only in port for the one day.

Loading his briefcase into the boot, I got him settled in the back. The usual drive north involves the city traffic, but Boxing Day was unusually kind. We cleared the harbour bridge swiftly, the CBD receding in the rearview mirror. The landscape began to open up as we passed through the North Shore suburbs, then onto the Western Ring Route, heading towards State Highway 1. He was quiet for a while, just watching the scenery change from urban sprawl to rolling green hills, punctuated by the occasional farm. I figured he was still acclimatised to ship-time, perhaps recovering from the sheer enormity of the vessel he’d just disembarked.

As we bypassed Warkworth and continued towards Wellsford, the conversation drifted. He mentioned he’d been travelling for some time, starting in Israel, visiting friends in Australia, and now this cruise as a way to break up the journey before a tech conference in New Zealand. He said he found cruises efficient but somewhat sterile compared to experiencing a place properly. He was looking forward to the history of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, something he’d only read about in books.

We stopped for a quick coffee and a stretch at a service centre just past Brynderwyn. The air was a little warmer up here, carrying the scent of pine from plantations bordering the road. He bought a flat white, chatting briefly with the woman behind the counter, his English perfectly clear but with a distinct accent. Back in the car, he seemed more relaxed. He told me a little about his work, something about data analytics and optimising systems, which sounded far too complex for my simple head. I confessed I was more interested in the best routes to avoid traffic. He chuckled, saying that sometimes the most complex systems just needed a straightforward exit strategy.

He pointed out the distinctive rolling hills dotted with sheep as we continued north on SH1, past Whangārei, then turning off towards Kawakawa and onto State Highway 11. The vegetation became denser, more subtropical. The humidity seemed to rise as we neared the coast. The destination, Waitangi, was not a town in the traditional sense, but a historical site nestled right next to Paihia. I knew the area well, the quiet charm, the sense of history that hung in the air.

I dropped him at the visitor centre, just as the late afternoon sun was starting to dip towards the horizon, casting long shadows across the manicured lawns. He thanked me, a genuine smile this time, and said he was ready to immerse himself in the history he’d travelled so far to see. As I pulled away, heading to my motel in Paihia for the night, I thought about his journey. From the vast ocean to the very birthplace of a nation, all in a single, driven day. Just another reminder of how connected, and yet how vast, our world can feel, all from the driver's seat of a car.