Northland Nirvana (20 -27 Feb 2012)

---

With Scrappy Doo all duly kitted out, it was finally time to set off on our Northland expedition – very exciting as it would be the first time we had ventured north of Auckland. We were anticipating finally seeing some of the iconic names we had heard of such as 90 mile beach, Cape Reinga and Bay of Islands.

It was instantly noticeable that Northlanders are extremely proud of their region and this become more apparent the further we went and it became even more stunning at each stop we made. This is also one of the most historic regions of NZ as it is where the Maori first landed and of course where the European settlers came to as well to forge the modern part of NZ's history.

Having to be different from most people, we headed up the west coast first on the Twin Coast Discovery Route and made the shortish trip to Dargaville for our first night. The camp site was festooned with bras but rather than being an outpost for radical feminism, this was part of Dargaville's world record making decorations for breast cancer awareness. We were suitably amused by this and enjoyed our host's sense of joie de vivre about it all. After settling in, we headed for Bayly's beach which was right beside our camp site and is stunning beyond belief. It is part of the 164km stretch of Ripiro beach adorned with golden sands and amazing green-liveried dunes fending off the strongest ocean waves we had yet encountered.

The next day saw us stocking up at Dargaville (whilst chatting to a nice local!) and heading for Opanoni, only 90km away. There was plenty to see on the way so we made lots of mini stops as we passed through the gorgeous Waipoua Forest which is home to ancient giant Kauri trees. The most famous of which is Tane Mahuta and is estimated to be about 2,000 years old – it was even more impressive than the Giant Grizzly in Yosemite and a lot friendlier (as Anna put it!). We also found the DOC camp site at the visitor's centre for the forest and had a lime curd cake each by the watering hole which is perfect for swimming. We had passed some cyclists on the road and met up with them at our rest stop as they were cycling the same route as us – good on 'em!

It was then a short hop to Omapere & Opononi where we had our first glimpse of the sand dunes which are massive and are great for tobogganing on (we would save our sand gliding skills for later on!). We stayed at a nice site in Opononi although the lady in charge had some issue with Anna's makeshift clothesline which Anna was none too impressed by! She soon cooled down though in the lapping waters of the nearby beach and we watched the local kids learning how to row their waka (Maori boats). We had our first barbecue meal as most of the sites have gas ones and had the most delicious salmon fillets with roasted vegetables – sweet as! It was then off for a quick pint and a game of pool – yes Anna is still winning!

After a good sleep it was now time to head on up to Ninety Mile Beach, you can get there by getting a ferry from Rawene but we headed the longer way round via the Ngawha Springs which are the most northerly hot springs in NZ but not nearly as smelly as the ones in Rotorua! Scrappy and Anna did a masterly drive through the Maungataniwha Gorge which brought us to Kaitaia which is the largest town in Northland. The weather was a bit cloudy all day and the rain finally caught us there but as it with most days it blew over fairly quickly leaving us to have a sunny welcome at the Waipapkaura holiday park right on 90 mile beach! We rushed down to the beach and were not disappointed by the scale of it or its beauty. There were plenty of vehicles on there as we had been told and as it is a designated state highway the normal rules of the road apply. After our Emu bay incident we were leaving all that for others to enjoy! We then went to see our lovely hosts who got us booked on to the Cape Reinga bus trip for the next day at very short notice and also gave us tips on collecting shellfish from the beach that we could make into fritters.....we had mussels and venison sausages to have for dinner (with the company of a gorgeous sunset) but it's definitely something we'll do next time!

The next morning we were eagerly anticipating our trip to the most northerly point of NZ (almost, it's shy by 3km!) and were all ready by 9:15 but sadly the bus broke down on the way to us so we had a bit of a later start, but no worries.....Jason the bus driver was amazing and kept us entertained all day with his personal anecdotes and local history lessons. The main destination of the trip was to the Cape Reinga lighthouse but we had lots of mini-stops all day including at Haurhora Heads which has a beautiful natural harbour. The rock island there was scene to a Maori legend where a villager had stolen fish from a village down the end of 90 mile beach (so a fair old way!) and they chased him all the way to the rock where they put an end to him and his thieving ways! After that we stopped at the white sands of Rawara Beach, even in the on/off rain it was fantastic.....

Jason must have known about our need for many nourishment breaks as the next resting point was at Te Kao for the most brilliant ice-cream which Anna thoroughly enjoyed. All refreshed it was time for the final leg to Cape Reinga (on what is now a brand new sealed road!). This is a most sacred site for the Maori as it is where souls make their journey back to the fabled land of Hawaiki where the Maori are said to have left from for NZ. There is a tree by the lighthouse hanging out of the cliff where the souls enter through its branches and depart from its roots into the ocean below to journey back to Hawaiki. It is also the meeting point where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean crash into each other and most photos depict the lighthouse amidst gorgeous blue skies against a sumptuous backdrop of the tourquoise waters. However, Mother Nature had a special treat in store for us in the form of white out where you could barely see in front of your nose! So we have unique atmospheric photos for you to enjoy! It did seem to add to the mystical, spiritual nature of the place and just gives us a good excuse to go back one day!!

After lunch, it was time for Jason to show off his driving skills as he took a 23 year old, clapped out, normal bus along quicksand (“Momentum is my friend, guys”) to Te Paki sand dunes where we would get our chance to sand toboggan! We eagerly made the slog up the steep dune to then glide down at super speed to the bottom and hope not to end up in the wet! I came off a couple of times on first go but gamely had another attempt which was far more amazing....Anna was perfect both times but we did get sand everywhere! Suitably bedraggled we were then taken homeward along 90 mile beach itself. As you may have gathered it's not actually 90 miles long (it’s 64) but was thought to be so after a Maori legend of a messenger who ran down and back in one day was coupled with the European thought that it took them 3 days to drive cattle down it at 30 miles a day but they were going in a curve at times and not straight like the beach itself. As with so many of our days on this trip this was one of the most fantastic we had to date....

Eastwards was the order of the day as we passed by Doubtless Bay with a quick stop on Cooper's beach, another idyllic spot. Paihia was our destination which is in the Bay of Islands and is where the Waitangi River flows out to sea. We camped by the river as it was near the Huruhu Falls as we wanted to compare them to the Rainbow Falls at Kerikeri which we stopped off at earlier in the day. Both were really weir type formations though did fall a decent distance and provided beautiful views. The Huruhu Falls are at the beginning of the Waitangi Track which is 5km long and brings you the Waitangi Treaty House which is where the Treaty of the same name was signed in 1840 between Britain and the Maori. The guides say it's supposed to take an hour and a half each way but Anna the Pacemaker had us do it in two hours altogether! It was a great walk which took you along the river and through a collection of Mangrove trees which grow in tidal waters, as the tide was out the roots stick upwards and look a bit scary but it was amazing to see. The efficient pace we made meant we had plenty of time to tour the Treaty House and learn about the historic events which took place there which also laid the foundations for many disputes to come because of the interpretation of the Treaty which in modern times are just beginning to be redressed. The house had fallen into disrepair by the 1930s but in time for the centennial celebrations of the Treaty signing the governor general at the time bought the house, renovated it and gifted it back to the people of New Zealand. A Maori meeting house (Marae) and war canoe (Waka) were built there to mark the 100^th anniversary. It's a great visit and well worth the $25 dollars international visitors pay (it's free for NZ residents). We headed back to camp to rest up for the journey to Whangerei...

Whangerei is a larger town of about 56,000 people and we elected to stay two nights as it was a possible as somewhere we might consider living in eventually. The town basin houses all the yachts and boats for the town and has lovely shops and eateries. It is a lovely town which also had a great walking track (again 5km each way) to Whangerei Falls, we took a more leisurely pace for this one and were rewarded with a magnificent fall of water at the end which we took in whilst we had a quick snack and rest. After our walk back to Scrappy, we made a quick drive to Onerahi where we cooked lunch on the camper cooker for the first time which was lovely. We really enjoyed our time there and though it's not top of the list we certainly wouldn't mind being there for longer if needs be.

It was then time for us to head back to Auckland and start thinking about our route to Christchurch and of course job hunting. We will fill you on the details in due course but we have just spent a lovely week in Hamilton and are busily filling in applications and the like.......perhaps our kiwi dream is not too far away after all.........

---