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Published: December 12th 2008
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overlooking Mangonui from the Maori pa (this plus next 2 photos)tues - another hell early start today (6.20am) to get the bus up to Cape Reinga, well worth that time though!!! again, loads of stops on the way up, stopped in Mangonui on a Maori Pah to look out over Doubtless Bay. then on up to Kauri Kingdom to a gumdiggers park where they used to dig up 45000yr old kauri roots for the gum to sell. was amazing, there were 2 whole forests of huge kauri buried there, the first was buried from an iceage, the 2nd they think was from a huge tsunami. this was also the place where the name gum boots originated. when the diggers first came they wore leather boots called wellingtons (our wellies) then when plastic wa sinvented they called them gum boots because the plastic boot (which we know as wellies) was first used there, and they dug gum, hence the name gum boots. you learn something new everyday! after that we drove straight on up to Cape Reinga, the most Northern accesible by vehicle point in NZ (there is another point, Cape Brett which is the most northerly point. perfect day for it, sunny, clear skies, couldnt be better for visibility as we
managed to see the 3 Kings Heads islands (i think thats their name). spectacular place, we saw where the Tasman sea met the pacific, would have been awesome up ther in a storm to see the two seas clash, apparantly it gets pretty wild up there. also saw the Pohutakawa tree hanging off the edge of the very tip of the cape where Maori believe their spirits jump off when they've died, truly beautiful 😊
after seeing Cape Reinga we travelled on down to Ninety Mile Beach (actually 64miles, reason for its name is that back in the day a farmer used to walk his cattle down it, estimating he walked about 30miles a day and he always took 3 days to walk it, turns out he didnt walk quite so much in a day - true Northlander style, taking it easy - hence it only being 64 when he thought it was 90). went dune boarding efore driving onto the beach. was absolutely beltin!! ran up a massive sand dune and went whizzing down it on a boogie board! was knackering getting up there so i only did it twice, but ill be going back so good times 😊
then onto the beach, went driving down it, pretty fun, also a bit weird, looking out a windown and there's the sea a metre from the bus! 😊 came off the beach and drove up to an Ancient Kauri Kingdom shop, some beautiful carvings, shame i couldn't afford em1 went inside a kauri trunk as it had been made into a spiral staircase 😊 then back to Mangonui for fish n chips - fish caught fresh that day - then back to the hostel for bed. so easy to get in and out of bed as there's no sleeping bag liner, no faffy sheets, just a duvet - havn't slept under a duvet since sept 16th!
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