Onwards and northwards we went, over our very own bridge …
… and just a couple of stops, in Whangaroa for lunch …
… and Mangonui where I bought a piece of smoked hapuku from the world famous fish shop for supper and Chris had a tidy at the most northern barbers in NZ.
Our campsite was at Ahipara, which is at the beginning of Ninety Mile Beach and we walked down and swam in the sea, then sat fascinated watching seagulls flying into the air and dropping clam shells from some 20ft down onto the sand again and again until the shell broke and they could eat the fish inside. The beach can be driven on (but not in hired campervans) so the next day we went by coach instead, giving Chris a day off from the driving, and getting our fix for a whizz down the beach too.
There was quite a drive, 130kms to Cape Reinga by the main road with just a couple of stops, and the sea hidden all the way by a strip of pine forest.
It is a very spiritual place for the Maori who call it Te Rerenga Wairua, the leaping place of the spirits. There is a rock with a kahika tree, which is the place where spirits of the departed descend to the water by steps made from the tree roots, then continue on their journey to Hawaiki, their spiritual home.
There is also a lighthouse looking down to where the waves of the Tasman Sea meet the swirling currents of the Pacific Ocean.
The phrase “From Cape Reinga to The Bluff” is frequently used within NZ to refer to the whole country, even if it’s not quite accurate, hence the signpost saying Bluff is 1452km.
Next stop was the Te Paki Stream, where we climbed to the top of the sand dunes with our boogie boards and sandboarded down … great fun, I went further than Chris so the Peru sand boarding champ still reigns!
Back to the coach and we drove onto Ninety Mile Beach, which is officially part of the state highway system, for our return down the peninsula. We were surprised how smooth the ride was, better than any of the roads here so far, and even less traffic! We did feel a little diddled though as the beach is only 55 miles long! Apparently it got its name as a horse could travel 30 miles a day and the beach took three days to travel, but horses walk slower in the sand, so it was shorter than they thought!
Well it’s a long drive south now so best get going …
Off Travelling Together 